Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Sera

Dante's hand closed over mine before I could take the vial.

"Not yet," he said quietly. "Sarah, if what you're saying is true, you're asking Sera to take an unknown substance hours before a Council evaluation. Even if it's genuine suppressant, it could make her drowsy or disoriented. Perfect for Marcus to claim she's unstable."

Sarah's face crumpled. "I didn't think about that. I just—I wanted to help before it was too late."

"Or you wanted to give Marcus exactly what he needs," Adrian said. "A drugged, confused Sera stumbling into the Council Hall."

"That's not—" Sarah looked at the warriors surrounding her, then back at me. "I know how this looks. I know I've been complicit in everything Marcus has done. But I'm trying to make it right."

"A bit late for that," I said, surprised by the steadiness in my voice. "You knew about the pregnancy three weeks ago and told him immediately. You knew he was planning to take my baby and you helped him set up the evaluation. Now you show up with medicine I'm supposed to trust?"

"You're right. You have every reason not to believe me." Sarah's shoulders sagged. "But please, have your own healers analyze the suppressant. They'll see I'm telling the truth. And if you won't take it now, at least take it after the evaluation. Before it's too late."

"How much time does she have?" Dante asked. "Specifically."

"If the pregnancy continues accelerating at the current rate? Ten days, maybe less, before the strain becomes critical." Sarah's voice shook. "And that's if everything goes perfectly. Any additional stress could trigger complications sooner."

"Like the stress of a Council evaluation," I said.

"Yes." Sarah wouldn't meet my eyes. "Marcus knows. He's been consulting with specialists, learning everything about accelerated pregnancies. He knows you're running out of time."

One of Marcus's warriors shifted uncomfortably. He was young, maybe twenty, and he'd been looking increasingly uneasy throughout the conversation.

"Is it true?" I called to him. "Has Marcus been researching pregnancy complications?"

The warrior glanced at his companions, then nodded slightly. "He has medical texts in his office. Lots of them. He's been reading about true mate bonds and accelerated gestation."

"Shut up," another warrior snapped.

"No." The young warrior stepped forward. "I joined this pack to serve with honor. What Alpha Marcus is doing isn't honorable. It's cruel." He looked at Sarah. "She's telling the truth. Marcus wants Sera to suffer. He said if she won't come back willingly, he'll make sure she comes back broken."

"You're committing treason," the other warrior warned.

"I'm telling the truth. There's a difference." The young warrior met Dante's eyes. "I request asylum in your pack, Alpha. I won't serve a leader who targets pregnant women."

Dante studied him for a long moment. "Cross the border. You're under my protection now."

The warrior didn't hesitate. He walked across the invisible line, leaving Marcus's group and joining ours. The remaining five warriors looked furious but didn't move. Pack law was clear—asylum requests at parley couldn't be denied.

"Anyone else want to reconsider their loyalties?" Dante asked.

Silence. But I noticed two of the remaining warriors wouldn't look at their companions. Seeds of doubt, planted and growing.

Sarah watched this all unfold with an unreadable expression. "The evaluation starts at two o'clock," she said finally. "Sera, please be careful. Marcus has planned for every possibility. He's not going to lose."

"He already has," I said, more confidently than I felt. "He just doesn't know it yet."

Sarah's sad smile suggested she wasn't convinced. She turned and walked away, the remaining warriors following. We watched until they disappeared into the trees.

"That was either a genuine warning or an incredibly elaborate setup," Adrian said once they were gone.

"Both, probably." Dante handed the vial to one of his healers. "Get this analyzed immediately. I want to know exactly what's in it."

The healer took the vial and left at a run. Dante turned to the young warrior who'd defected.

"What's your name?"

"Cole, Alpha." The warrior—Cole—stood straight despite his obvious nervousness. "I've served Clearwater Pack for two years. But I can't anymore. Not after what I've seen."

"What have you seen?"

Cole glanced at me, then back at Dante. "Marcus has been preparing a medical intervention. He has a van equipped with restraints and sedatives. He's planning to intercept Sera on her way to the Council Hall, claim she's having a medical emergency, and take her into 'protective custody' before the evaluation even happens."

My blood ran cold. "He's going to kidnap me?"

"He calls it protective custody. Says pack law allows him to detain a pregnant mate if she's at risk." Cole's jaw tightened. "He has Sarah and two other healers ready to sign documents saying you're mentally and physically unfit to make your own decisions."

"That's not legal," Adrian protested. "The Council would never—"

"The Council isn't there until two o'clock. If Marcus grabs her before that, he can claim it was an emergency intervention. By the time the Council investigates, he'll have Sera locked up and documented as unstable." Cole looked at me. "He's not trying to win the evaluation, Luna. He's trying to make sure you never get there."

Dante's expression went dark and dangerous. "When is he planning this?"

"Noon. He knows you'll transport her to Council Hall around one-thirty to arrive early. He's setting up an ambush on the main road, half a mile from the border."

"How many warriors?"

"Twelve. Plus the medical team." Cole hesitated. "And he's asked for backup from Riverside Pack."

My birth pack. The one that had exiled me six years ago. "Why would they help him?"

"Because Marcus promised them access to northern hunting grounds if they support his claim. They have twenty warriors ready to assist."

Thirty-two against our group. Terrible odds, especially since I couldn't fight in my condition.

"We don't take the main road," Adrian said immediately. "We go through the forest, approach Council Hall from the east."

"He'll have scouts watching alternate routes," Cole said. "He's thought of everything."

"Then we don't go at all." Dante's voice was cold. "We request the Council come here, claim Sera is too high-risk to travel."

"That plays into his narrative that she's unstable and can't function normally," I said. "The Council will wonder why I can't make a simple trip if I'm fit to be a mother."

"Better they wonder than Marcus succeeds in taking you," Dante shot back.

"No." I straightened my shoulders, trying to project confidence I didn't feel. "We go. We show up exactly as planned. But we're ready for the ambush."

"Sera, you can't fight. Not pregnant, not against thirty-two warriors."

"I don't have to fight. I just have to survive long enough to get to Council Hall and tell them everything." I looked at the assembled group. "Marcus wants me broken and silent. I'm going to show up and speak the truth. That's the only way to actually win this."

Dante looked like he wanted to argue, but something in my expression stopped him. "If we do this, we do it my way. Full security detail, decoy vehicles, aerial support."

"Aerial support?" I asked.

"Wolves who can shift mid-air and scout from above. They'll spot any ambush before we reach it." Dante was already planning, his tactical mind working. "We leave at noon instead of one-thirty, catch them before they're fully positioned. Cole, you'll guide us through their setup."

"Yes, Alpha."

"And Sera stays in the armored vehicle at all times. No matter what happens, you don't get out until we reach Council Hall."

"Agreed." I could accept that condition. As long as I got there, as long as I faced the Council and exposed Marcus's manipulation, the method didn't matter.

Adrian was studying me with a new expression. Not trust exactly, but maybe the beginning of respect. "You're braver than I gave you credit for."

"Or more stubborn," I said.

"In my experience, those are the same thing." A slight smile. "If we're doing this, we should prepare. The ambush is in five hours."

Everyone dispersed to their tasks. Dante stayed close, his hand finding mine.

"You don't have to prove anything," he said quietly. "Not to Adrian, not to the pack, not to anyone."

"Yes, I do. Not to them—to myself." I turned to face him. "I've spent my entire life letting other people decide who I am. Marcus decided I was broken. My birth pack decided I was guilty. Even you, in a way, decided I was your mate before I had a chance to decide for myself." I squeezed his hand. "Today I decide. I'm going to that evaluation and I'm speaking my truth, no matter what Marcus tries. That's my choice."

Dante looked at me for a long moment, something shifting in his expression. "You're going to be an incredible Luna."

"Let's survive the day first. Then we can talk about what comes next."

He pulled me close, and I let myself lean into him for just a moment. The mate bond hummed between us, steady and reassuring. Whatever happened in the next few hours, I wouldn't face it alone.

A healer came running back, slightly out of breath. "Alpha, we analyzed the suppressant."

"And?"

"It's genuine. Suppressant compound with a blood pressure stabilizer, exactly what Sarah said. No sedatives, no toxins." The healer looked at me. "If you need to slow the pregnancy, this would do it safely."

I took the vial from Dante's hand, studying the clear liquid inside. Trust Sarah or don't. Take the medicine or refuse it. Another choice.

I uncorked the vial and drank it in one swallow.

Dante's eyes widened. "Sera—"

"If there's any chance it helps, I'm taking it. I'm not giving Marcus the satisfaction of a medical crisis." The liquid tasted bitter but not unpleasant. "Besides, if Sarah wanted to poison me, she had three years to do it. Why start now?"

"Because now you're a threat to Marcus instead of his convenient wife," Adrian pointed out.

Maybe. But my gut said Sarah had been genuine. That somewhere under all the loyalty and manipulation, there was still a healer who'd taken an oath to do no harm.

I'd find out soon enough if my instincts were right.

"Four and a half hours until noon," Dante said. "Let's get ready for war."