Five Days

Five Days
I woke to voices outside the room. Low. Urgent. Arguing.
I sat up slowly. The room was dark except for moonlight through the window. Late. Past midnight maybe.
The voices continued. Connor. And someone else. Male. Familiar.
My heart jumped. Darian?
No. Wrong voice. Too light. Too smooth.
Marcus.
I got up. Moved to the door. Pressed my ear against it.
"—told you to stay away," Connor was saying. His voice was hard. Alpha command clear.
"I couldn't," Marcus replied. "Not after I found out what she's been doing."
"What who's been doing?"
"Celeste. I need to talk to Lyra. Need to tell her what I discovered."
My hand went to the doorknob. Then stopped. They were talking about me. About Celeste. I should let them finish. Should hear what Marcus knew before I revealed I was awake.
"Lyra is resting," Connor said. "She just got back today. She's exhausted. Pregnant. She doesn't need more stress."
Silence. Then Marcus's voice, shocked. "Pregnant? Darian's?"
"Yes."
"Does he know?"
"Not yet. He left to find her before she returned. We've sent people to bring him back."
"Fuck." Marcus said it quietly. With feeling. "He's going to lose his mind."
"That's his problem. Right now my concern is Lyra. And keeping her stress levels down. So whatever you discovered can wait until morning."
"It can't. Because Celeste is planning something. Something that involves the High Council. Something that could destroy everything."
My blood went cold. I opened the door.
Both men turned. Connor's expression shifted to concern. Marcus looked relieved.
"Lyra," Marcus said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. But I need to talk to you. Need to tell you what I found."
"Tell me," I said. My voice was rough from sleep. From crying. From exhaustion.
Marcus glanced at Connor. Connor nodded once. Permission granted.
We moved to the main room. Elizabeth appeared from their room. Must have heard the commotion. She came and stood beside Connor. United front.
Marcus paced. Agitated. Worried. Not like the easy-going vampire I'd met at the Citadel.
"I started investigating Celeste a few days after Darian left," he began. "I heard that she had come here and something felt wrong. The way she talked about him. The way she acted. The timing of her arrival here. All of it felt calculated."
"It was calculated," I said. "She came to claim him. To remind him of the debt."
"It's worse than that." Marcus stopped pacing. Looked at me directly. "The debt is real. What her family did for Darian is real. But the extent of it has been exaggerated. Manipulated. Celeste has been lying about what the agreement actually entails."
Connor leaned forward. "Explain."
"The original agreement was financial. Political support. Character vouching before the High Council. Standard stuff for vampire families helping their own. But Celeste has been telling Darian that it included a blood oath. That her reputation and future were collateral for his good behavior. That she'd bear consequences if he failed."
"That's what she told me too," I said. "That she risked everything for him."
"She didn't. I found the original documents. Read them myself. There's no blood oath. No personal collateral. Just a standard political favor with expected future considerations."
The room went silent.
"You're saying she lied," Elizabeth said.
"I'm saying she embellished. Exaggerated. Made Darian believe the debt was more personal. More binding. More impossible to escape than it actually is."
Rage built in my chest. Hot. Consuming. "Why?"
"Because she wants him back. Wants him to feel obligated. Wants him to believe he has no choice but to honor the engagement."
"But he does have a choice."
"Yes. He always did. But she's been manipulating him into thinking otherwise. Playing on his guilt. His honor. His need to pay debts and maintain his reputation."
I stood up. Started pacing. My wolf pushed forward. Furious. Betrayed. Ready to tear Celeste apart.
"There's more," Marcus said quietly.
"More?" Connor's voice was dangerous. "What more?"
"Celeste petitioned the High Council three days ago. Filed a formal complaint. Claims Darian violated the terms of their engagement. Claims he dishonored her family. Claims he owes reparations."
"What kind of reparations?" I asked. Though I already knew. Already felt the answer in my gut.
"Marriage. She's asking the Council to force him to honor the original contract. To marry her. To bind himself to her family permanently."
My vision went red. "She can't do that."
"She can try. And if the Council believes her version of events. If they believe the debt is as extensive as she claims. They might rule in her favor."
"On what grounds?"
"Vampire law. Old law. The kind that prioritizes family alliances over individual choice. The kind that says debts must be paid. Contracts must be honored."
"He doesn't love her."
"That doesn't matter to the Council. Love is irrelevant. Honor is everything."
I felt sick. Actually sick. My stomach turned. I had to sit back down before I fell.
Elizabeth was beside me immediately. Hand on my shoulder. Steady. Present.
"When does the Council convene?" Connor asked.
"In five days. They're sending representatives here. To interview Darian. To interview Celeste. To make a ruling on the petition."
"Here? To my settlement?"
"Yes. Neutral territory. Celeste claimed it would be easier. More convenient. Less formal than bringing everyone to the Citadel."
Connor's expression darkened. "She's cornering him. Making it public. Making it impossible for him to refuse without causing a scene."
"Exactly."
I looked up at Marcus. "Can we fight it? Can we present evidence that she's lying?"
"I have the original documents. I can show them to the Council. Prove that she exaggerated the terms. But that might not be enough."
"Why not?"
"Because vampire law is complicated. Even if the debt isn't as extensive as she claimed, there's still a debt. There's still an agreement between families. And Celeste's family has significant influence. If they push for enforcement, the Council might rule in their favor just to maintain political stability."
"So we're fucked."
"Not necessarily." Marcus sat down. Looked at me intently. "The mate bond changes things. If Darian is bonded to you. If you're carrying his child. That supersedes previous agreements. That makes you his priority. His family. His future."
"But only if he chooses me."
"Yes. Only if he chooses you. Publicly. Before the Council. Without hesitation or doubt."
The weight of it settled on my shoulders. Heavy. Crushing. Everything came down to that. To Darian choosing. To him standing before vampire law and political pressure and family debt and saying I choose her.
Could he do that? Would he do that?
I didn't know. Didn't trust that I knew.
"There's one more thing," Marcus said. He looked uncomfortable now. Reluctant.
"What?" I asked. Though I wasn't sure I wanted to know.
"Celeste has been spreading rumors. To pack members. To visiting vampires. To anyone who'll listen."
"What kind of rumors?"
"That you trapped Darian. That you used the mate bond to manipulate him. That you got pregnant on purpose to force his hand."
My claws extended. "That's not true."
"I know. But she's convincing. And people believe her. Especially vampires who don't understand mate bonds. Who think they're just wolf superstition."
"Let them think what they want."
"You can't. Not if you want Darian to have a fighting chance with the Council. Not if you want them to rule in your favor. You need to present a united front. Need to show them that the bond is real. That the baby wasn't manipulation. That you chose each other."
"We haven't chosen each other. Not really. I ran. He let Celeste stay. We've been a mess."
"Then you need to fix it. Before the Council arrives. Before they make their decision. You have five days."
Five days. To fix weeks of damage. To repair broken trust. To convince Darian to choose me. To convince the Council we were real.
Five days.
It wasn't enough time. Couldn't possibly be enough time.
But it was all we had.
"When will Darian be back?" I asked Connor.
"Tomorrow evening. Maybe the next morning. Depends on how fast they travel."
So I had less than two days before I'd see him. Before I'd have to tell him about the baby. Before I'd have to ask him to fight for us. Before I'd have to trust him to choose.
The exhaustion was overwhelming. The fear. The anger. All of it pressing down at once.
"I need to sleep," I said. "Need to process this. Figure out what to say."
Marcus stood. "I'm staying. In the settlement. Until this is resolved. If you need me. If you need someone to testify. If you need anything. I'm here."
"Why?" I asked. "Why are you helping us?"
He smiled. Sad. Genuine. "Because Darian is my friend. My brother in everything but blood. And I've watched Celeste poison him for years. Watched her manipulate and control and trap him with guilt. I won't watch her do it anymore. He deserves better. Deserves to be free. Deserves to choose his own future."
"He might not choose me."
"He will. If you give him the chance. If you trust him enough to be honest. If you stop running long enough to let him catch you."
The words hit hard. True. Painful. Necessary.
"Okay," I said quietly. "Okay."
I went back to the guest room. Closed the door. Sat on the bed and stared at nothing.
Five days. The Council was coming in five days. And Darian would be back in less than two.
I had to figure out what to say. How to explain. How to ask him to fight for us when I'd been the one running. When I'd been the one who gave up.
How to trust him when I'd seen him with her. When I'd heard her say she missed him. When I knew he was still tied to obligations I didn't fully understand.
My hand went to my stomach. This baby deserved parents who could figure their shit out. Who could trust each other. Who could build something stable and real.
I didn't know if we could do that. Didn't know if we were capable.
But I had to try. Had to give Darian the chance to choose. Had to give us the chance to be more than just a bond and a mistake and a mess of fear and doubt.