Pack law was older than the mountains.
It lived in stone, in bone, in the way every Silverfang wolf stood straighter when the Alpha entered a room. It was not written in books. It was carved into memory, passed through scars and silence, enforced by fear and faith.
Mira learned that within the first hour of standing before the Silverfang council.
The hall was circular, cut deep into the mountain, with a ceiling so high it swallowed sound. Torches burned along the walls, their flames steady and cold. Symbols of the Moon were etched into the stone floor, each one marking a law, a promise, or a punishment.
Mira stood at the center.
Unchained—but not free.
Ryker stood beside her, one step forward, a clear message to his pack. Alpha first. Mate second. Enemy always.
The elders formed a half-circle before them. Twelve in total. Old wolves with sharp eyes and sharper memories. Wolves who had lived through famine, war, and loss—and survived by obeying the law.
"The Alpha has invoked Mate's Stay," Elder Thorne said, his voice echoing. "This council demands an explanation."
Ryker did not bow. "The law allows it."
"It allows it," Elder Mara agreed, tapping her staff against the floor, "but it does not protect you from consequence."
Mira lifted her chin. "Explain it to me," she said. "All of it."
Murmurs rippled through the hall.
Elder Thorne turned his gaze on her. "You stand on Silverfang ground, Nightshade. You will..."
"She will hear the law," Ryker cut in calmly. "Every word."
Silence fell.
Elder Mara studied him for a long moment. Then she nodded. "Very well."
She gestured to the floor beneath Mira's feet. "This is the Circle of Claim. Where bonds are recognized and broken."
Mira's stomach tightened.
"Pack law exists for one reason," Mara continued. "Survival. Individual desire means nothing. Love means nothing. Only the pack endures."
Ryker's jaw flexed, but he said nothing.
"When a bond is revealed," Mara said, "it must be honored, rejected, or weaponized."
Mira blinked. "Weaponized?"
"Yes," Elder Thorne said. "If a bond threatens pack stability, it may be used to force peace, obedience, or sacrifice."
Mira turned to Ryker sharply. "You didn't tell me that."
His voice was low. "I didn't want you to hear it like this."
Her hands curled into fists.
Mara continued. "If a bonded mate is an enemy, the Alpha must choose."
"Choose what?" Mira demanded.
"Which pack survives?"
The words landed heavy and final.
Elder Thorne raised a clawed finger. "There are three paths under the pack law."
He stepped closer.
"First: Acceptance. The bond is claimed. The mate submits to Alpha authority. Their original pack loses all claim."
Mira laughed bitterly. "Never."
"Second," Thorne went on, unbothered, "Rejection. The bond is publicly denied. Both parties suffer rejection sickness. Madness. Weakness. Death within weeks."
Ryker's breath slowed carefully.
"And the third?" Mira asked.
"Execution," Mara said quietly. "Of the weaker mate."
The hall went deadly still.
Mira felt the air leave her lungs. "You mean me."
"Yes."
Ryker moved instantly, stepping in front of her. "No."
Elder Thorne's eyes hardened. "That choice belongs to the council if the Alpha refuses to act."
A low growl rolled through Ryker's chest. "Then you will challenge me."
Gasps followed.
"You would spill pack blood for her?" one elder hissed.
"I would spill any blood necessary," Ryker replied. "Including my own."
The bond pulsed—hot, sharp, alive.
Mira grabbed his arm. "Stop."
He glanced down at her, eyes blazing. "I won't let them..."
"You already are," she said quietly.
She stepped around him, facing the elders herself.
"If I accept," she said slowly, "I lose my pack. If I reject, we both die. If I refuse to choose, you kill me."
"Yes," Mara said.
Mira nodded once. "Then your law is not about survival. It's about control."
A ripple of anger moved through the elders.
"You dare..."
"I dare," Mira snapped. "Because you fear what this bond represents."
"And what is that?" Thorne challenged.
"Change," she said. "Peace. The end of your endless war."
Silence answered her.
Ryker watched her with something close to awe—and fear.
Mara's gaze sharpened. "Careful, girl."
Mira met her eyes. "You didn't expect the bond to choose an Alpha who questions you."
A few elders shifted uncomfortably.
Ryker felt it then—the shift. The fracture.
"The law also states," Mara said slowly, "that an Alpha who defies council judgment may be challenged for leadership."
The words rang like a death bell.
Ryker straightened. "Then speak it plainly."
Mara lifted her staff. "By invoking Mate's Stay, you place your title at risk."
The pack erupted.
"You cannot...!"
"He would doom us!"
"This is madness!"
Ryker raised his hand.
Silence obeyed him.
"If the law demands blood," he said clearly, "then it will take mine first."
Mira's heart slammed. "Ryker..."
"This is my decision," he said, not looking at her. "Alpha to pack."
Elder Thorne sneered. "You think martyrdom will save her?"
"No," Ryker replied. "But it will expose you."
The elders froze.
"You fear the truth," he went on. "Because this bond was not a chance. It was a correction."
A sharp intake of breath ran through the hall.
Mara's voice dropped. "Explain."
Ryker turned to Mira then, his gaze heavy. "Tell them what you told me."
Mira swallowed. "About the villages. About who benefited from the war."
Murmurs rose.
Thorne's face darkened. "Enough."
Ryker's eyes locked on him. "You know."
The accusation hit like thunder.
Mara stepped back slowly. "Elder Thorne…"
His snarl was instant. "This is treason."
"No," Ryker said. "This is judgment."
The bond surged, fierce and blinding.
Mira felt it then—not fate, not cruelty—but intent. A design older than hatred.
The Moon had not bound them to end the war.
It had bound them to expose the lie behind it.
Guards moved.
Steel rang.
Mara raised her staff. "The council will deliberate."
Thorne's voice cut sharply. "The law demands immediate action."
He pointed at Mira. "Kill her."
The guards hesitated.
Ryker stepped forward, power rolling off him like a storm. "Any wolf who touches her challenges me."
No one moved.
Thorne's lips curled. "Then I challenge you myself."
Gasps shattered the hall.
Mira's breath caught. "Ryker...don't."
He didn't look at her.
"By pack law," Thorne said, "I invoke Trial of Fangs."
Ryker nodded once. "Accepted."
The bond screamed.
Mara's staff struck stone. "At dawn," she declared. "Alpha Ryker will face Elder Thorne. Victory decides leadership—and the fate of the Nightshade girl."
Mira's heart broke open.
Ryker turned to her then, eyes dark and steady.
"If I fall," he said quietly, "run."
She shook her head. "I won't."
A corner of his mouth lifted. "That's my mate."
The hall erupted in chaos.
And above them all, the Moon watched—silent, merciless as the law prepared to choose its next victim.
The crowd was dismissed, but danger remained.
As guards escorted Mira away, the bond snapped tight—sharp with warning. She stumbled, breath catching.
Ryker felt it too. He turned—And froze.
Blood spread across the stone near the council seats. Not fresh. Ritual.
Elder Mara stared at it, horror dawning. "The Seal of Succession," she whispered. "It's been activated."
Thorne smiled.
"You're already too late, Alpha," he said softly. "By dawn, Silverfang will belong to the one the Moon truly chose."
The mountain shuddered.
And somewhere deep below, something ancient began to wake.