Michael POV

The council chamber was too quiet. The fire in the fireplace had died down, leaving shadows on the walls of stone. My inner circle took their places at the table, sharp in features and unease. I had known this moment would come. I had hoped to delay it, to let Matilda settle before the questions began, but rogues did not sleep on gossip.

Maya spoke first, of course. She never waited, never bit her tongue when it came to me. “Tell me I heard wrong,” she said, arms crossed over her chest. Her dark eyes locked on mine, unblinking. “Tell me you did not marry her.”

I leaned back in my chair, letting her words settle. “I did.”

Theo exhaled slowly, shaking his head. “You could have warned us, Michael. The camp is already restless. Whispers are spreading like wildfire.”

“Whispers do not concern me,” I said flatly.

“They should,” Maya snapped. She slapped her hand against the table, the sound cracking through the chamber. “Do you know what they’re calling her? Wolf-less. Weak. Exile. They are mocking you, and by extension, all of us.”

Her words stirred something hot in my chest, but I kept my expression unreadable. “She is my mate.”

Maya scoffed. “You expect us to believe that? A wolf-less woman, abandoned by her pack, just happens to be your mate? You think the rest of us are blind?”

Theo raised a hand, his voice calmer, measured. “Maya, enough. Whether we believe it or not, the fact is she is here. Married to him. Anger will not change that.” He turned to me, eyes narrowing. “But patience runs thin. You owe us an explanation.”

This I was ready to do, but not fully. I could not tell them the reality of the curse that harried me, the sequence of destiny that required me to marry before my thirtieth year. They were not the ones who were to bear some of these secrets.

I folded my hands on the table. “Matilda has a role to play in my larger plan. Her presence is not a weakness. It is a necessity.”

Maya’s jaw clenched. “Necessity. What do you call this? Bringing an outsider into the heart of Blood Moon? Do you not see how it undermines you?”

I fixed my gaze on her. “You think I'm so easily undermined?”

For the first time, she hesitated. Her lips pressed together, but her eyes did not waver. “You built this pack on strength. On fear. On loyalty earned in blood. And now, you stand beside a woman who has none of that. How long before they begin to wonder if you have gone soft?”

Theo shifted in his seat. “She does not inspire confidence, Michael. Not yet. The pack watches her every move. If she falters, it will reflect on you.”

I let their words wash over me. They did not understand. How could they? They had not felt what I felt when I touched her, the bond thrumming beneath my skin. They had not seen the way her defiance sparked, even under the weight of scorn. She was more than they believed, even if she had not proven it yet.

“She will not falter,” I said.

Theo leaned forward, his voice quieter now, but sharp. “You are asking us to trust her. To trust you. Without answers. That is a dangerous thing, Alpha.”

“I am not asking,” I replied.

Silence fell. The fire crackled.

Maya pushed her chair back, the legs scraping against the stone. “You may not be asking, but you will listen. I will not risk everything we built because you suddenly decided to play husband to an exile.”

My suppressed anger broke out. I stood up, looming above the table and my voice was a low growl. “Mind your tongue, Beta, before I remind you where you belong.”

She did not retreat and her eyes flared. “Remind me all you want. I will not watch you throw us into ruin for the sake of a woman who does not belong here.”

Theo’s hand shot out, gripping her arm. “Maya.” His tone carried a warning.

She jerked herself up, and looked at me angrily, and at last sat down again in her chair. Her rebellion scalded and she suppressed whatever she thought about flaming on her tongue.

I forced my breath steady, lowering myself back into my seat. I had to control the fire, not let it consume me.

Theo cleared his throat. “If she has a role, as you say, then what is it?”

The question lingered. The truth pressed at my lips, but I could not speak it. Not fully.

“She is part of a bargain,” I said carefully.

Theo frowned. “A bargain with who?”

“With fate,” I answered.

Maya groaned. “You speak in riddles. Do you hear yourself? You sound desperate.”

I ignored her. My eyes stayed locked on Theo. “There are things at play beyond your understanding. Beyond even mine. Matilda is not here by chance. She is here because she must be.”

Theo studied me, his sharp eyes searching for cracks in my words. Finally, he leaned back with a slow nod. “You truly believe this.”

“I do.”

“And if you are wrong?” he asked softly.

“I am not.”

Even I was surprised to see how confident I was in my voice, but I could think of no other response.

“You are blinded,” Maya said, shaking her head.

I looked at her once more. “I am Alpha. My choices are not up for debate.”

“Then do not expect blind loyalty when you make reckless ones,” she shot back.

Theo cut in before I could respond. “Enough. We will support you, Michael. But you must give us something to stand on. Let her prove herself. Let her show them she is not weakness. Otherwise, this marriage will tear us apart.”

His words echoed what I already knew. Matilda had to rise. She had to carve her place here, or she would be devoured by their scorn.

I rose again, slower this time, more controlled. “Then she will prove herself. And you will stand beside her when she does. Do I make myself clear?”

Theo inclined his head. “Yes, Alpha.”

Maya wavered, and stiffly nodded, but her eyes were still blazing with skepticism.

The conference broke after a little time but their words were left behind. At the time the room was cleared I was left to myself before the hearth. The crown I carried was invisible but its pressure was as much as iron.

Matilda was the key. To my survival. To Blood Moon’s future. To everything.

But if she stumbled, if she broke under their hatred…

I clenched my fists, the flames reflecting in my eyes.

Then I would burn the world before I let her be taken from me.