Chapter 20 The Great Gathering
"There are so many," Isla whispered. "I have never seen this many wolves in one place."
Mara's heart pounded as they walked toward the stone circle. Thousands of eyes watched her. Some curious. Some angry. Some afraid.
"Stay close," Zevran said. His hand found hers and squeezed.
A group of wolves blocked their path. The leader was a massive male with gray fur and a scarred face.
"So you are the Moon Wolf," he growled. "You do not look like much."
"And you are?" Mara kept her voice steady even though her knees wanted to shake.
"Alpha Brutus of the Southern Packs. I supported King Darius. He was a strong leader."
"He was a murderer," Zevran said coldly.
"Says the wolf who was cursed for killing his own bride." Brutus smiled, showing his teeth. "Oh yes, we all know about you, King's Blade. Or should I call you prince now?"
"Call me whatever you want. The truth remains the same. Darius was guilty. The Moon Goddess herself showed his crimes."
"The Moon Goddess can be deceived. Dark magic can create false visions." Brutus looked at Mara. "This half breed probably used witch magic to trick everyone."
Several wolves behind Brutus growled in agreement.
"Careful what you say about my daughter," Riven stepped forward. His eyes blazed with anger.
"Your daughter?" Brutus laughed. "So the rumors are true. The great Riven bred with a human. How low you have fallen."
Riven's fist moved so fast Mara barely saw it. One moment Brutus was laughing. The next he was on the ground, blood pouring from his broken nose.
"Insult my daughter again," Riven said quietly. "I dare you."
Brutus's wolves surged forward. Riven's pack moved to meet them. The two groups were seconds away from tearing each other apart.
"ENOUGH!"
The voice boomed across the stone circle like thunder. Everyone froze.
An ancient wolf walked toward them. She was small and thin, with white fur and milky eyes. But power radiated from her like heat from a fire.
"Elder Sage," Marcus whispered. "The oldest living wolf. She must be three hundred years old."
The old wolf stopped between the two groups. "You dare to fight on sacred ground? Before the trial has even begun?"
"He attacked me!" Brutus scrambled to his feet. "Riven should be punished!"
"You insulted his daughter. You insulted the Moon Wolf." Elder Sage turned her blind eyes toward Mara. "Come here, child. Let me see you."
Mara walked forward on shaking legs. The old wolf reached out and touched Mara's face with wrinkled fingers.
"Yes," Elder Sage whispered. "The power is real. You truly are blessed by the Moon Goddess." She pulled her hand back. "But you are also very young. Very untrained. The power inside you is like a wild river. If you do not learn to control it, it will drown you."
"Can you teach me?" Mara asked.
"Perhaps. If you survive the trial." Elder Sage turned to address the crowd. "The sun is setting. We will begin the trial at first light tomorrow. Until then, all wolves will keep the peace. Anyone who breaks this law will be exiled from all packs. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Elder Sage," everyone said together.
"Good. Now separate. Make your camps. Rest." The old wolf walked away, leaning on a twisted wooden staff.
Brutus glared at Riven one more time before leaving with his wolves.
"That was close," Luna said. "We almost had a war before the trial even started."
"We might still have one after," Kira said grimly. "Did you see how many wolves are on Brutus's side? Maybe a thousand."
"And how many are on our side?" Mara asked.
"Hard to say. Maybe five hundred. Maybe less."
"So we are outnumbered."
"As usual," Corin said cheerfully. The spirit fox had been quiet during the confrontation. "But we have you. The glowing Moon Wolf who can tame Shadow Wolves. That has to count for something."
They found a spot near the edge of the stone circle to make camp. Other wolves gave them space. Whether out of respect or fear, Mara could not tell.
As night fell, fires sprang up all around the circle. The smell of cooking meat filled the air. Wolves talked and laughed and argued.
Mara sat by their fire, not eating. Her stomach was in knots.
"You need to eat," Zevran said, sitting beside her. "Tomorrow will be hard."
"I am not hungry."
"Eat anyway." He handed her a piece of cooked rabbit. "Please."
Mara took it and forced herself to chew. It tasted like ash in her mouth.
"What if the trial goes wrong?" she asked quietly. "What if they decide King Darius was right? What if they try to execute us?"
"Then we fight our way out and run. We have done it before."
"I am tired of running."
"I know." Zevran put his arm around her shoulders. "But sometimes running is the smart choice."
"When did you become so wise?"
"I have always been wise. You just did not notice because I was too busy being cursed and angry."
Mara laughed despite herself. She leaned against him, feeling the warmth of his body and the steady beat of his heart.
The bond between them hummed softly. Content. Safe.
"I love you," Mara said. The words came easily now.
"I love you too." Zevran kissed the top of her head. "No matter what happens tomorrow."
"Promise me something."
"Anything."
"If things go wrong, if they try to kill me, you run. You take everyone and you run."
"No."
"Zevran—"
"No." His voice was firm. "I will not leave you. Not ever. We live together or we die together. That is what mates do."
"But—"
He turned her face toward his and kissed her. Hard and desperate and full of love.
When he pulled back, his ice pale eyes were blazing. "I am done talking about dying. We are going to survive. We are going to win. And then we are going to build a life together. Understand?"
Mara's throat was tight with emotion. She could only nod.
"Good. Now finish your food before I feed it to you like a pup."
Mara laughed again and ate the rabbit. It tasted better now.
Around them, the camp grew quiet as wolves settled down to sleep. But Mara knew she would not sleep tonight. Too much anxiety. Too many fears.
"Walk with me," Zevran said, standing and holding out his hand.
"Where?"
"Anywhere that is not here."
They walked away from the camp, toward the forest that surrounded the stone circle. Shade followed silently behind them like a living shadow.
The trees were old and tall. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, creating patterns of silver on the ground.
"It is beautiful here," Mara said.
"It is."
They walked in comfortable silence until they found a small clearing. A stream ran through it, the water sparkling in the moonlight.
Zevran stopped and turned to face Mara. His expression was serious.
"What is wrong?" Mara asked.
"Nothing is wrong. Everything is right." He took both her hands in his. "Mara, when I was cursed, I thought my life was over. I thought I would spend forever alone. Empty. Dead inside."
"You are not alone anymore."
"I know. Because of you." Zevran's voice was rough with emotion. "You saved me. In every way a person can be saved. And I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how grateful I am."
"You do not have to be grateful. I wanted to save you."
"Let me finish." Zevran took a deep breath. "I know we completed the mate bond already. I know we are tied together by the Moon Goddess herself. But I want more than that."
"More?"
"I want to marry you. Properly. With witnesses and vows and everything." Zevran looked nervous. "I know it is a bad time. With the trial tomorrow and the Shadow Wolves coming and the war brewing. But I almost lost you so many times these past few days. And I do not want to waste another moment."
Mara stared at him. Her heart was racing.
"Are you asking me to marry you right now?"
"Yes. I know I do not have a ring. I do not have anything fancy to offer you. Just me. Just my heart. Just my promise that I will love you until the stars fall from the sky." Zevran's hands tightened on hers. "So what do you say, Mara? Will you marry me?"
Mara's eyes filled with tears. Happy tears.
"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I will marry you."
Zevran's face broke into the biggest smile she had ever seen. He picked her up and spun her around, laughing.
When he set her down, they kissed. Deep and long and full of promise.
"When?" Mara asked when they finally pulled apart. "When do we get married?"
"Right now."
"What? But we do not have anyone to perform the ceremony. No witnesses."
"We have the Moon Goddess as our witness. And we have each other. That is all we need." Zevran looked up at the full moon above them. "Moon Goddess, hear our vows."
The moonlight seemed to grow brighter. Like the goddess was listening.
Zevran took Mara's hands again. "I, Zevran, take you, Mara, as my wife. I promise to protect you. To cherish you. To stand beside you in joy and sorrow. To be your partner in all things. Until death takes one of us and beyond."
Mara's voice shook but she spoke clearly. "I, Mara, take you, Zevran, as my husband. I promise to love you. To support you. To fight beside you. To be your equal and your partner. Until death takes one of us and beyond."
The moonlight exploded into brilliance. It wrapped around them like a blanket of pure silver.
They heard a voice. The Moon Goddess's voice. "I bear witness to these vows. By my power, I bind you together. Not just as mates but as husband and wife. May your love endure forever."
The light faded. The forest returned to normal.
But something had changed. The bond between Mara and Zevran was different now. Stronger. Deeper. More complete.
"We are married," Mara said in wonder.
"We are married," Zevran agreed. He kissed her again. "My wife."
"My husband."
They stood in the clearing, holding each other, until Shade cleared its throat.
"This is very touching," the Shadow Wolf said. "But we should return to camp. I sense something approaching."
"What kind of something?" Zevran asked, immediately alert.
"Trouble. The worst kind."
They ran back toward the camp. As they got closer, Mara heard shouting. Screaming.
The camp was in chaos. Wolves were running everywhere. Some were fighting. Others were fleeing.
"What happened?" Mara grabbed Garrett's arm as he ran past.
"Assassins! They came out of nowhere! They are trying to kill King Darius!"
"Where is he?"
"In the holding tent! Hurry!"