Keira's POV
The regional gathering smelled like death waiting to happen.
Over two hundred wolves filled the massive outdoor arena carved into the hillside. Alphas from every territory. Elders. Warriors. Council members. Everyone who mattered in werewolf politics was present, and every single one of them was watching Keira like predators watching wounded prey.
She could feel it. The shift in attention. The way they looked at her differently than they had three days ago. Like they knew something. Like they were waiting for something to break.
Keira stood with her pack, her skin crawling under the weight of their gazes. Across the arena, Cade stood with his warriors. She couldn't look at him. Couldn't acknowledge what had happened in that hallway. Couldn't let anyone see the connection that was burning between them like a fire threatening to consume them both.
Three days of waiting. Three days of knowing Marcus had seen them. Three days of watching him make calls and gather supporters. Three days of wondering when the bomb would drop.
Now it was here.
The regional councilor stepped forward. He was ancient and powerful, with silver streaking through his dark hair. His presence commanded silence. "We gather to discuss territory disputes and regional agreements. Alpha Blackthorn, you requested this gathering. You may speak first."
Keira opened her mouth to present her case about the rogue attacks and the need for cooperation between packs. To talk about territory and safety and logic.
Marcus stood up.
Her own Beta. Her second in command.
"Permission to speak," he called out, his voice carrying authority he didn't deserve.
The councilor nodded.
Marcus walked to the center of the arena, and Keira felt her stomach drop into an abyss. This was it. This was the moment everything fell apart.
"Alpha Keira is compromised," Marcus announced, his voice ringing across the gathering. "She has formed a forbidden bond with Alpha Silverclaw. I have proof."
The world exploded.
Gasps erupted through the crowd. Wolves stood up. Whispers started spreading like wildfire. Keira felt every eye in the arena turn toward her. Felt the weight of their judgment like a physical force crushing her chest.
"Two Alphas cannot mate!" someone screamed.
"It's forbidden by every pack law!"
"She's unfit to lead! A female Alpha corrupted by a male!"
The insults came from everywhere at once. Keira's face burned with shame. Her heart hammered so hard she thought it would shatter her ribs. She wanted to disappear. Wanted the earth to open up. Wanted to go back in time and never attend that peace summit, never see Cade's ice-blue eyes, never feel the bond that was destroying everything she'd worked for.
Her own pack members stared at her like she'd betrayed them. Shadowpine warriors looked confused and angry. The elders who'd supported her were suddenly stone-faced, calculating whether they could survive her fall.
Across the arena, Cade stood absolutely still. His hands were clenched into fists so tight his knuckles were white. His warriors were growling. River, his Beta, looked like he wanted to tear Marcus apart with his bare hands.
The councilor raised his hand for silence. The crowd gradually quieted, but the tension remained electric.
"Is this true, Alpha Blackthorn?" the councilor demanded. "Have you formed a bond with Alpha Silverclaw?"
Every Alpha present leaned forward. Waiting for her to deny it. To lie. To save herself with a single word.
Keira opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
The truth or the lie. It didn't matter. Either way, she was finished.
Then Cade's voice cut through the chaos like a blade forged in ice and fire.
"You're right. The bond exists."
The arena went completely silent.
Keira's head snapped toward him. His expression was hard as stone. Cold. Ruthless. Like he'd just made a decision that had no going back.
He was about to destroy himself to save her.
She couldn't let him do that.
But his next words froze her in place.
"Which is why Shadowpine and Mooncrest are forming a political alliance. Alpha Keira will reside in Mooncrest territory for three months to solidify pack unity and prove to this council that our packs can work together. We will combine forces. We will stop the rogues. We will show this region that two strong packs are stronger than any enemy."
It was brilliant. It was impossible. It was saving her and trapping her both at once.
"Any wolf who questions this arrangement questions me," Cade continued, his Alpha authority flooding through every word. "And I will challenge anyone foolish enough to do so."
Marcus turned purple with rage.
The elders started to argue, but they had no choice. Pack law didn't allow refusal. No one was stupid enough to challenge Cade Silverclaw in front of two hundred witnesses.
Keira met Cade's eyes across the arena, and she understood exactly what he'd done. He'd given them three months of forced proximity. Three months in the same territory. Three months before the mate bond drove them both insane.
"Agreed," she said, her voice steady as stone.
The word hung in the air between them like a promise and a curse.
Marcus watched with cold fury, already calculating his next move. But Keira didn't care about Marcus anymore. She only cared about the man across the arena who'd just sacrificed everything to save her.
And now they had ninety days together before the world burned down.