Felix's POV
A grim murmur filled the council hall.
Officers, the elders whose words carried the weight of the pack, and the gathered pack members—
everyone spoke at once, thousands of theories colliding in the air.
Only two were missing.
Alpha Alfred and Luna Elara.
Nora stood right beside me.
And in the midst of all that chaos, I listened only to her heartbeat… her breathing.
My beloved mate.
Yet my mind circled a single question, over and over again:
Was this even possible? Two mates… at the same time?
Siras was restless.
So was I.
The cramps twisting in my stomach didn't send me to the pack healer.
I knew the cause.
This wasn't an illness.
It was guilt.
We had wanted her.
Siras howled like a madman.
Every time her pale skin surfaced in my thoughts, heat flared through me.
I had no control over it.
A new mate bond had been formed—and such a bond could not be silenced without touch, without closeness.
When her name first settled clearly in my mind, I realized the thought wasn't mine.
Ember.
Then came an echo that did not belong to me—
a distant voice, as if reaching from another mind entirely.
"Ember… this is our last chance. A gift from the Moon Goddess."
It was her wolf.
Lyra.
And then Ember's voice followed—clear, firm, unyielding:
"I owe my life to her."
She meant Nora.
Hearing those words made my desire falter for a heartbeat…
only to surge stronger than before.
Because even in rejection, I felt her honor.
Her strength.
I remembered the moment our bond with Nora was revealed.
Ember's face—
her already pale skin had gone even whiter, her dark green eyes widening in shock.
Had the room not been in such chaos, no one would have missed that moment.
Nearly a week had passed since then.
And I hadn't seen her once.
I was going mad just to see her.
To touch her.
But the fear of betraying Nora—
and the weight of my guilt—held me back.
"Felix?"
I startled and lifted my head.
Before me stood my mate, Nora—
beautiful enough to melt glaciers.
My guilt doubled instantly.
"Are you all right?" she asked softly.
"You haven't been yourself since the battle."
Then her lips curved into that determined smile.
"Don't worry. We'll defeat Boris. I'll do whatever it takes, my beloved Alpha."
Beneath the table, her hand brushed mine.
I smiled.
No one would expect such a gesture from her.
She was composed, precise—always aware of what was appropriate.
Her respect within the pack wasn't inherited.
Not from a prestigious beta lineage…
nor from being the heir alpha's mate.
No.
She had earned her place on her own.
And yet…
when it came to her mate, she could unravel me in a room full of wolves.
Siras howled.
"Take her to the chamber. Now."
I smiled despite myself.
"What is it?" Nora asked.
I repeated Siras's words.
She lowered her head with a small smile.
"Wait a little longer, Siras," she said.
Then she leaned closer, her voice dropping.
"I've missed you. There's been distance between us lately…
probably because of the war."
She met my gaze.
"But tonight, that distance will disappear."
At that moment, the hall fell silent.
Everyone straightened.
And my father stepped inside.