The Council Hall was carved from black stone and lit by torches that burned with a strange blue flame. Their light danced across the massive wolf insignia etched into the marble floor. Ten seats stood in a half circle, each occupied by an Alpha from the ten ruling clans of the northern kingdom. Their presence filled the air with dominance and power, their wolves restless beneath their skins.

At the far end of the room, the Blood Moon throne sat empty, waiting for its ruler. Derek had yet to arrive, and the silence that filled the chamber was thick and tense.

Alpha Magnus of the Iron Fang Pack leaned back in his chair, his gray eyes glinting with irritation. He was a large man with scars across his neck and a temper that rivaled wildfire. “Late again,” he muttered. “Our great Alpha of Alphas believes time bends for him.”

“Watch your tongue, Magnus,” said Alpha Liora of the Silver Peak Pack. “You know Derek’s power surpasses all of us combined. You should tread carefully.”

Magnus scoffed. “Power or not, a true leader respects the council. Not strut in when it pleases him.”

The others remained silent, though some shifted uncomfortably. No one dared to challenge Derek openly. He had earned his title in blood. The stories of how he took down his father and unified the northern packs under one rule were not myths. Derek was feared, but more than that, he was obeyed.

The great doors swung open with a low groan. Every head turned.

Derek stepped into the hall, his presence immediately shifting the air. He wore his usual dark coat, his golden eyes sharp and unreadable. Behind him, two guards dragged Elena forward, her wrists still bound in silver. She stumbled as she was brought into the center of the hall, the torches casting eerie shadows on her pale face.

The room fell silent. The scent of witchcraft was faint but undeniable. Several of the Alphas growled under their breath.

Derek stopped near his throne but didn’t sit. His expression was cold, distant. His voice carried through the hall, calm yet edged with steel. “You all wanted proof. Here she is.”

Magnus rose from his seat, his lips curling into a smirk. “So the rumors were true. The great Demon Wolf captured a witch.” His tone was mocking. “Tell me, Derek, what do you plan to do with her? Surely you know the law. No witch steps into our land and lives.”

“I am aware of the law,” Derek said. “That is why we are here.”

He gestured to the guards. They shoved Elena to the center of the circle. She gasped as her knees hit the stone floor.

“Speak,” Derek ordered. “Tell them why you crossed into my forest.”

Elena looked up at the faces surrounding her. Ten powerful wolves, each watching her like predators circling prey. Her throat felt dry. The silver burned against her wrists, and her magic was silent inside her.

“I… I didn’t mean to,” she stammered. “I was being chased by shadows. I ran and used a portal spell. I didn’t know where it would take me.”

Magnus snorted. “Lies. Witches do not ‘accidentally’ appear inside Blood Moon territory. You were spying.”

“I wasn’t,” she cried. “I don’t even know who I am beyond my name. I don’t know where I’m from. I woke up one day and I was running. That’s all I remember.”

Her voice cracked. The hall echoed with her trembling words.

Derek watched her silently. His mind was a storm. He had planned to have her executed, to rid himself of the distraction she had already become. The mate bond had hit him like lightning, unexpected and unwanted. A witch for a mate was a curse, not a blessing. She would make him weak. She would make others question his strength.

But as she spoke, he felt the faint tug again in his chest. Her fear called to something inside him that he could not silence.

Magnus walked closer to her, circling like a vulture. “Convenient story,” he said. “A witch with no memory, lost and alone. How touching.” He crouched slightly, his voice low and cruel. “Tell me, little witch, what are you really doing here? Did your coven send you to spy on the Alpha of Alphas?”

Elena shook her head. “Please, I swear I’m telling the truth.”

Magnus grabbed her by the hair and forced her head up. She gasped, pain shooting through her scalp.

“Magnus,” Derek said warningly.

But the Iron Fang Alpha only smirked. “I’m simply interrogating, my lord. Or do you wish to do it yourself?”

He turned back to Elena. “You witches think you can fool us. I smell lies on you.” He tightened his grip, his claws slightly extending.

Elena whimpered. “I’m not lying.”

Magnus’ eyes darkened. “Maybe pain will remind you what you’ve forgotten.” He lifted his other hand and wrapped it around her throat, squeezing slowly.

Elena gasped for air, her vision blurring. The room spun around her.

“Stop,” she whispered. “Please…”

Magnus didn’t. The veins in his arm bulged as his grip tightened.

A low growl rumbled through the hall. It came from Derek. The sound was deep, primal, and filled with warning. The other Alphas froze.

Magnus looked up, his smirk widening. “What is it, Derek? Feeling protective of a witch?”

Derek’s jaw tightened. His wolf was pacing inside him, restless and furious. The bond was clawing at his chest, demanding he act.

“Let her go,” Derek said. His voice was low, but it carried power. The torches flickered as the air thickened with his dominance.

Magnus laughed. “You’ve grown soft. The great Demon Wolf defending a stranger?”

“I said let her go.”

Magnus squeezed harder. “You’re losing your edge, Derek. Maybe it’s time someone else took your place as Alpha of Alphas.”

The growl that came next was nothing human. Derek’s eyes flashed gold, his fangs bared as his wolf pushed to the surface. The ground beneath them trembled faintly. The council members shifted nervously.

Derek took a step forward, his voice dark and commanding. “Touch her again and I will rip your throat out.”

Magnus straightened slowly, still holding Elena by the neck. “You’re threatening me… for her?”

The words dripped with mockery, but beneath them was fear.

“She’s mine,” Derek said, his voice cold as ice. “Do not touch what belongs to me.”

The hall fell into complete silence.

Elena froze. Her mind could not process what she had just heard. Mine. The word echoed in her chest, wild and confusing. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Magnus released her instantly, stumbling back a step. “Yours?”

Derek didn’t repeat himself. His eyes stayed locked on Magnus, glowing brighter. The air around him pulsed with power. The wolf inside him was at the edge, furious that anyone had dared to lay a hand on his mate.

Magnus swallowed hard, his arrogance slipping for the first time. “You… mated with a witch?”

Derek’s expression didn’t change, but his silence was enough. The council began to murmur among themselves. Shock. Confusion. Fear.

Alpha Liora leaned forward, her silver eyes narrowing. “The Moon Goddess has strange humor,” she said softly. “A witch as mate to the Alpha of Alphas.”

“Blasphemy,” growled Alpha Toren of the Black Claw Pack. “This bond will doom us all.”

“Enough,” Derek said sharply. The murmurs stopped.

He turned to Elena, his tone suddenly colder. “Stand.”

Elena hesitated, her legs trembling. She obeyed, still gasping for breath.

“You said you don’t remember where you’re from?” he asked.

She nodded weakly. “Yes.”

“Then we will find out,” he said. “But until then, you remain in my custody.”

Magnus sneered. “You can’t keep her. The council must decide her fate.”

“The council,” Derek said slowly, “forgets whose territory this is.”

Magnus opened his mouth but quickly closed it again. The other Alphas said nothing. No one challenged Derek when his tone turned like that.

“Meeting adjourned,” Derek said.

He turned and walked toward the exit. The guards moved to follow. Elena stood frozen in the center of the hall until one of the guards grabbed her by the arm to pull her along. She stumbled after Derek, still dazed by what had happened.

When the great doors closed behind them, silence fell once more over the council chamber.

Magnus sat back down, fury darkening his features. “A witch as his mate. The great Demon Wolf has fallen.”

Liora looked at him calmly. “Or perhaps the Goddess has plans we cannot see.”

Magnus slammed his fist against the table. “Plans? He will bring ruin to us all.”

But deep down, even Magnus knew he could not fight Derek. Not yet.