Rejected by Her Mate Claimed by Four Alphas novel Chapter 270

CHAPTER 244

Clara’s POV

Three days passed too fast.

We spent them preparing. Lucien buried himself in ancient texts, finding every scrap of precedent he could. Darius drilled strategy with us until we could answer any question thrown our way. Killian gathered intelligence on each Council member, their biases, their alliances. Ronan worked on our presentation, making sure we looked united and strong.

I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the Council rejecting us, forcing me to choose, tearing

apart the bonds that felt as essential as breathing now.

But morning came anyway.

We shifted and ran before dawn, covering the distance to Council territory in silence. The bonds

thrummed with tension. All of us feeling it.

The Council chambers sat on neutral ground, a massive stone structure that had stood for centuries. Ancient and imposing, built to remind everyone who entered that the Council’s authority was absolute.

We shifted back and dressed in the formal clothes we’d brought. Dark colors, simple but expensive.

Nothing flashy. We needed to look respectful but not weak.

Other Alphas and pack representatives had gathered outside. Word had spread. This wasn’t just our judgment anymore. It was a spectacle.

“Ready?” Darius asked quietly.

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

We walked in together. Me in front, the four of them flanking me like guards. The great hall was packed.

Rows of seats filled with witnesses. At the far end, seven Council members sat on a raised platform

behind a curved table.

୮

I recognized some of them. Elder Matthias in the center, the head councilor. Stern face, white hair, sharp eyes that missed nothing. Councilor Vera to his left, known for being traditional but fair. Councilor Henrik on the right, the one who’d challenged us before and lost. His face was hard as stone.

The others I didn’t know well, but Killian had briefed me. Councilor Aldric, progressive but cautious.

Councilor Thorne, old guard and hostile to change. Councilor Iris, younger, more open–minded. Councilor

Marcus, unpredictable.

We stopped at the designated spot in the center of the hall. All eyes on us.

Elder Matthias stood. “Luna Clara of Ashburn Pack. Alpha Darius of Blackridge. Alpha Killian of Silverpeak. Alpha Lucien of Red Moon. Alpha Ronan of Ironwood. You stand before this Council to answer for actions

that violate centuries of pack law and tradition.”

< CHAPTER 244.

His voice carried through the hall. Formal. Cold.

Claim

“You claim mate bonds with four Alphas,” he continued. “An arrangement unprecedented in modern times.

An arrangement that threatens the balance of power between packs and raises questions about your fitness to lead. How do you answer these charges?”

I stepped forward. “We answer that the Goddess creates mate bonds, not us. Not tradition. Not the

Council. We didn’t choose this. The bonds formed naturally, recognized by our wolves. To deny them

would be to deny the Goddess herself.”

“The Goddess does not create abominations,” Councilor Thorne said, his voice sharp. “One mate, one

bond. That is natural law.”

Lucien stepped forward. “With respect, Councilor, that’s not accurate. I’ve found documented cases of

multiple mate bonds in our history. Rare, yes. But they exist.”

He pulled out the ancient texts he’d brought, holding them up. “During the Great Pack Wars three hundred

years ago, Luna Aria was bonded to three Alphas. During the plague five hundred years ago, Alpha Kael

had two Lunas. Both instances occurred during times of great threat to our species. Both were accepted

by the Council of their time.”

“Legends,” Thorne dismissed. “Stories twisted over centuries.”

“Facts,” Lucien corrected firmly. “I have the original texts here. Written by Council scribes. Documented

and witnessed. The precedent exists.”

Councilor Vera leaned forward. “Even if we accept that precedent exists, those were extraordinary

circumstances. What extraordinary circumstance justifies this now?”

“Four major packs tied together through mate bonds,” Darius said, his voice hard. “That’s significant power

consolidated in one place. If you don’t see that as extraordinary, you’re not paying attention.”

“Exactly our concern,” Elder Matthias said. “Four Alphas, four territories, all bound to one Luna. That’s more power than any single entity should hold. It threatens the balance we’ve maintained for generations.”

“We’re not trying to threaten anything,” I said. “We just want to exist. To honor the bonds the Goddess gave

us without being forced to break them.”

“And if we refuse?” Councilor Henrik asked. His voice held anger, still bitter from his defeat at the

challenge. “If we rule these bonds invalid and order you to choose one mate like a proper wolf?”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

“Then you’d be starting a war,” Killian said quietly. “Because we’re not breaking these bonds. Not for you.

Not for anyone.”

Murmurs rippled through the watching crowd. Councilor Thorne’s face went red. “You dare threaten the

Council?”

“Not a threat,” Ronan said calmly. “A fact. The bonds are complete. Trying to break them would kill us. All

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of us. Is that what the Council wants? Five dead Alphas and a power vacuum across four territories?”

Claim

“We could strip your authority,” Elder Matthias said. “Remove you from leadership. Install new Alphas who will follow pack law.”

“You could try,” Darius said. “His voice carried an edge that made several Council members shift in their seats. “But our packs are loyal. They’ve seen us win battles together. They’ve accepted the bonds. Forcing new leadership would destabilize everything you claim to protect.”

Silence fell. Tense and heavy.

Councilor Iris spoke for the first time, her voice thoughtful. “Perhaps we’re approaching this wrong. Fighting against something the Goddess created seems foolish. But accepting it without conditions seems equally dangerous.”

“What conditions?” I asked carefully.

Elder Matthias looked at the other Council members. Some silent communication passed between them, Finally, he nodded.

“If we were to accept these bonds as legitimate,” he said slowly, “we would require assurances. Protections against the abuse of power you could potentially wield.”

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