Chapter 109: Rhea's Warning

Logan POV.

Rhea summons us urgently hours before the trials. The messenger arrives just after Cassandra leaves. Breathless. Running.

"The Oracle requests Alpha and Luna immediately. She says it cannot wait."

I exchange glances with Rune. The trials begin in three hours.

"Tell her we're coming."

We make our way to Rhea's chambers quickly. The fortress is already bustling with preparation. Guards taking positions. Witnesses gathering. The arena being finalized.

We enter Rhea's space.

She's standing at her window. Staring out.

"You summoned us." I say.

Rhea turns. The expression on her face makes my stomach drop.

"I've had visions. About Viktor's ritual. About what he plans."

"Tell us." Rune moves closer.

Rhea takes a breath. "Viktor's ritual is specifically designed to corrupt mate bonds."

The words hang in the air.

"Explain." I demand.

"Not just any magic. He's targeting the most sacred connection werewolves have. The mate bond itself is his weapon and his target."

"How?" Rune asks.

"He needs willing sacrifice born from love. Specifically, he needs the ritual to activate during... consummation."

I tense. "Define that."

Rhea meets my eyes. "The ritual requires mated pairs to join intimately during the blood moon eclipse. While you're most vulnerable. Most open to each other. Most deeply connected. That's when his magic infiltrates."

Rune's face goes pale. "He wants us to make love during his spell?"

"He wants to corrupt the act itself. Turn the most intimate connection into a weapon. Use your openness to each other as a gateway for dark magic."

My hands ball into fists.

"How does it work?"

"When mates are intimate, the bond opens completely. No barriers. No shields. Total vulnerability to each other. Viktor's ritual uses that openness as a conduit. The dark magic infiltrates through the connection. Corrupts the bond from inside."

"Turns love into enslavement." I finish.

"Exactly. Once corrupted, the mate bond becomes a chain. Whoever controls the ritual controls all bonded pairs."

Rune reaches for my hand. I squeeze tight.

"He'll force you. Or manipulate you into it. The ritual requires the act to happen during the eclipse. He'll do whatever necessary to make that occur."

I'm processing the implications. Every intimate moment with Rune could be vulnerable.

"He wants to use our love against us."

"Against all werewolves. Your bond is just the key. Once he corrupts it, he can use the same method on every mated pair. Create an army of enslaved wolves who can't resist because their bonds force obedience."

My jaw clenches.

"Every time we're together, we're potentially vulnerable?" Rune asks. Her voice is small.

"Until the ritual is stopped or the blood moon passes, yes."

I watch Rune's expression shift.

"How do we stop it?"

"Kill Viktor before the blood moon. That's the surest method."

"And if we can't?"

"Avoid intimacy during the eclipse itself. The ritual only works during the peak of the blood moon. Before and after, you're safe."

Rune and I exchange glances. Forty-two days until the eclipse. Then avoiding intimacy for what—hours? Days?

"Or strengthen your bond so much that his magic can't infiltrate."

"How?" Rune asks immediately. "It's already completed. Already as strong as possible."

"Make it stronger through choice. Every time you choose each other freely, the bond reinforces. Love freely given is harder to corrupt than love commanded."

I see the trap. "He wants us afraid to be intimate."

"Yes."

"Fear weakens the bond. But intimacy makes us vulnerable to his magic."

"Either way, he wins." Rune realizes. Her eyes widen.

Rhea nods.

Silence falls.

"We don't let fear control us." Rune says finally. Her voice is firm despite the tremor underneath.

I look at her. See the defiance in her silver eyes.

"We strengthen the bond by continuing to choose each other. Every day. Every moment."

"But carefully." I add. "Aware of the risk."

"Aware but not paralyzed. We won't let Viktor's threat destroy what we have."

Through the bond: her certainty. Her refusal to surrender.

"The trials are in three hours. After that, you have forty-two days to prepare. To strengthen your bond. To find a way to stop him."

"We will."

"I hope so. Because if he succeeds, every mated pair in the realm becomes his puppet. And that includes you."