Chapter 31 031
Dimitri
The morning after our wild night, I had business to attend to. It was unpleasant business, but it was necessary.
Ruth knelt in the center of the dungeon, chains binding her wrists and ankles. She looked up as I approached, and I saw the moment fear truly registered in her eyes.
Good. She should be afraid. What she did was unforgivable.
"Alpha," She whispered. "Please, I—"
"Silence," My voice echoed off the stone walls and it was cold and absolute. "You poisoned my mate. You conspired to harm her, to undermine the sacred bond between true mates. Do you deny this?"
Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She couldn't deny it. The evidence was in plain sight for everyone to see.
"For your crimes against the pack, against my mate, and against me," I continued, my voice devoid of emotion, "I strip you of your wolf."
The scream that tore from her throat was inhuman. The pack's shaman stepped forward, beginning the ancient ritual that would sever Ruth's connection to her wolf.
It was the worst punishment that could be inflicted on a shifter, worse than death for many, but she had earned it.
I watched impassively as the ritual completed. Ruth collapsed, sobbing on the floor, suddenly and completely human. She was now weak and mortal.
"Take her to the lower cells," I ordered the guards. "The ones carved into the mountain. No windows. No chance of escape. She'll remain there for the rest of her natural life."
The lower cells were reserved for the worst offenders, traitors and kinslayers. The walls were reinforced with iron and mountain stone and the only entrance was through a single heavily guarded door.
No one had ever escaped from them. No one ever would.
As they dragged Ruth away, still sobbing, I felt no satisfaction. Only grim necessity. I would do whatever it took to protect Seraphina, to protect our bond.
Anyone who threatened that would face the same fate.
Three days later, I stood before the Council of Elders with Seraphina at my side.
The council chamber was imposing. It had high ceilings and ancient tapestries depicting our pack's history with the stern faces of the elders arranged in a semicircle before us.
They had put us through every test imaginable. Blood tests to verify the mate bond. Interviews separately and together.
Evaluation of Seraphina's strength, her character and her worthiness to stand beside an alpha.
She passed everything with flying colors. How could she not? She was magnificent.
The oldest and most traditional of the elders rose from his seat and my jaw clenched. If anyone was going to object, it would be him.
"Alpha Dimitri," He began, his voice gravelly with age. "We have completed our evaluation of your mate bond with Seraphina."
The silence stretched and Seraphina's hand found mine, squeezing gently. I squeezed back, trying to convey confidence I didn't entirely feel.
"After careful consideration," He continued, "And in light of the clear evidence of a true mate bond, as well as her proven strength of character and resilience..."
He paused, and I swear the old bastard was enjoying this. "The Council unanimously approves this union."
Relief flooded through me so intensely that I nearly staggered. Seraphina made a small sound beside me, and when I looked at her, tears were streaming down her face.
"Furthermore," He continued, a rare smile crossing his weathered face, "We have not seen a true mate bond this strong in over a century. You have our blessing, Alpha, and our congratulations."
The other elders rose, offering their own words of approval and blessing. Even the most skeptical among them seemed genuinely pleased.
A true mate bond was rare and precious. It strengthened the entire pack. As we left the chamber, I pulled Seraphina into my arms, not caring who saw.
"We did it." She whispered against my chest.
"You did it," I corrected. "You won them over completely."
"We're really going to be together. Officially."
"Officially," I agreed. Then, pulling back to look at her, I made a decision I'd been considering since the moment I had claimed her. "Seraphina, I want you to be Luna. Not just my mate, but the official Luna of the Blue Howl Pack. Will you accept?"
Her eyes went wide. "Luna? But I'm just—"
"You're not 'just' anything. You're my mate, my equal. You're strong and smart and the pack already loves you." I cupped her face in my hands. "I don't want to rule without you beside me. So I'm asking, will you be my Luna?"
"Yes," The word came out breathless, awed. "Yes, of course, yes!"
I kissed her then, pouring every ounce of what I felt into it. She was my mate. My Luna.
The pack exploded with preparations for the coronation ceremony. It would be the first Luna coronation in years, since my mother's death.
The pack house was transformed. Decorators hung banners in our colors, the kitchens worked overtime to prepare the feast while the seamstresses created Seraphina's ceremonial gown.
I watched it all with satisfaction, seeing my pack come together in celebration. This was what we needed. Not just an alliance or a political marriage, but a true bond. Hope for the future.
I was reviewing the ceremony protocols with my head advisor when Viktor burst into my office, his expression grim.
"Alpha, we've received word from the northern border."
Something in his tone made my stomach clench. "What is it?"
"Your brother, Mikhail. He's on his way back."
The scroll I had been holding crumpled in my fist. "When?"
"He'll arrive within three days. Just before the coronation."
I let out a sigh, running my fingers through my hair. Fucking perfect.
I had sent Mikhail away after he had tried to break into Seraphina’s room during her heat. I sent him to our allied pack in the north with strict instructions not to return until I summoned him.
The fact that he was coming back on his own, without permission, was a direct challenge to my authority.
Technically, I knew it was not his fault. He was affected by Seraphina’s scent at the time just as the other males were, but I could not help the anger which flowed through my veins when I thought of it.
"Can we deny him entry?" Viktor asked carefully.
I wanted to say yes. I wanted to bar him from ever setting foot in our territory again, but I couldn't.
He was still my brother. He was still a high-ranking member of the pack, and even though we were not blood brothers, he was still family and turning him away would cause exactly the kind of division and gossip we didn't need right now.
"No," I said grimly. "He has a right to return, but make sure he understands that if he so much as looks at Seraphina wrong, I'll rip his throat out myself."
Viktor nodded and left to make arrangements. I sat back in my chair, rage simmering beneath my skin.
Mikhail had always been ambitious, always resentful that I was alpha and he wasn't, but going after my mate?
That crossed every line. I had shown mercy by merely exiling him rather than executing him on the spot. That mercy was wearing thin.
"Dimitri?"
I looked up to find Seraphina in the doorway, concern etched on her beautiful face. She must have sensed my agitation through the bond.
"Come here." I said, opening my arms.
She came immediately, settling into my lap. I buried my face in her neck, breathing in her scent, letting it calm the beast raging inside me.
"What's wrong?" She asked softly.
"Mikhail is coming back."
I felt her tense. She remembered what he had tried to do. The memory made me want to hunt him down right now and finish what I should have finished then.
"He can't hurt me now," She said firmly. "I'm not in heat, I'm bonded to you, and I'm about to become Luna. He has no power over me."
She was right, but that didn't make me feel better. "If he tries anything—"
"Then you'll handle it, and so will I." She pulled back to look at me, her eyes fierce. "I'm not the same woman he tried to intimidate before. I'm stronger now. We're stronger."
I kissed her forehead, her cheeks and her lips. "You're incredible, you know that?"
"You may have mentioned it once or twice." She smiled, then sobered. "We won't let him ruin this. The coronation, our bond, none of it. He's just one wolf. We're a pack."
Her confidence bolstered mine. She was right. Mikhail could challenge all he wanted, but he couldn't break what we had built. Our bond was too strong and the pack's support was solid.
Still, as I held my future Luna in my arms, I couldn't shake the feeling that Mikhail's return was going to bring trouble, but that was a problem for another day.
Right now, I had a coronation to prepare for and a mate to cherish. Everything else could wait.