CHAPTER 239
Clara’s POV
That question hung heavy between us.
Darius spoke first. “My pack is strong. They can function without me there constantly. I can split my time.”
“Same,” Lucien agreed. “The Red Moon pack has competent leadership below me. They won’t fall apart if I’m not there every day.”
“My territory is smaller,” Ronan admitted. “But I have good people. It’ll work.”
“We could rotate,” Killian suggested. “Spend time in each territory, keep all the packs stable while building
something new here. Make this place the central base.”
It made sense, even if it sounded complicated. Four territories, four packs, one Luna binding them all
together.
“The Council won’t like it,” I said quietly. “Four Alphas sharing one mate? That’s going to look like we’re building a power base that threatens them.”
“We are building a power base,” Darius said bluntly. “Four major packs tied together through mate bonds? That’s significant political power. The Council has reason to be nervous.”
“Which means they’ll try to stop us,” Lucien finished. “Or at least control us. We need to be prepared for
their response.”
“What can they actually do?” Killian asked. “The mate bonds are complete. They can’t undo what the
Goddess herself created.”
“They can make our lives difficult,” Lucien said. “Question our leadership. Investigate our packs for violations. Create political pressure. At worst, they could try to force Clara to choose one mate and reject
the others.”
My wolf snarled at that idea, rising up inside me with sudden fury. “No. I’m not rejecting any of them. The bonds are complete. Trying to break them now would kill me. Probably kill all of us.”
“Then we don’t give them that option,” Darius said firmly. “We present this as fact, not up for debate. The
Goddess created these bonds. We completed them. End of discussion.”
“We should research precedent,” Lucien suggested. “Find examples from history of multiple mate bonds.
Build a legal argument if we need one.”
“Do we have time for that?” Ronan asked.
Before anyone could answer, Killian groaned and slumped back against the wall. “Can we deal with all this
political stuff after we sleep for about twelve hours? I’m so tired I can barely think straight.”
He had a point. We were all running on fumes, exhausted beyond measure. But we couldn’t afford to hide
<CHAPTER 239
in this room forever.
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“We need to face the pack,” I said. “The longer we hide in here, the more it looks like we’re ashamed or
scared. We go out there, heads high, and we own this.”
“Now?” Killian whined.
“Now,” I confirmed.
Darius stood first and offered me his hand. I took it and let him pull me up carefully, mindful of my leg. The
others rose too, forming a loose circle around me.
“Whatever happens out there,” I said quietly, “we face it together. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” they answered in unison.
The sound of their voices together, unified, sent a thrill through the mate bonds. This was right. Whatever the world thought, whatever consequences came, this was exactly where I was meant to be.
We moved toward the door as a unit. I was in the center, the four of them surrounding me protectively. Not because I was weak and needed protection, but because we were a pack now. A unit. And that’s how
packs moved, together.
My hand touched the door handle and hesitated for just a moment. On the other side of this door was reality. Judgment. Questions. Possibly anger or fear from pack members who didn’t understand.
But also on the other side was our future. Whatever that looked like.
I looked back at the four of them one more time. Darius with his blue eyes steady and determined. Killian
trying to look confident despite his exhaustion. Lucien calm and analytical even now. Ronan watching me
with complete trust.
My mates. All of them. Mine.
I opened the door.
The hallway was empty, but I could hear voices from downstairs. A lot of voices. The pack had gathered,
୮ probably waiting to see what would happen. How long had they been down there?
We moved toward the stairs together, our footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway. As we descended, the
voices below got louder, then suddenly cut off completely.
They saw us.
All five of us emerging from the Alpha’s quarters together, it was impossible to miss what that meant.
What we’d done. What we’d chosen.
The main room was packed with pack members. They stood in clusters, all turning to stare as we came
down the stairs. I could see every emotion on their faces. Shock. Confusion. Some disgust. Some
curiosity. A few showed what might have been approval.
< CHAPTER 239
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