Chapter Fifteen: The Alpha's Mark
The council fire burned high, casting long shadows over the circle of gathered wolves. Elders, warriors, and the young sat in respectful silence. Tonight was not for celebration — it was for reckoning.
Rina stood at Kael's side, her tunic stained with battle, her hands bandaged but steady. She could feel their eyes on her — curious, cautious, calculating.
"She's not one of us," someone muttered.
"She bled for this pack," Kael snapped, rising to his full height. "She fought beside me. She shifted."
A ripple of surprise moved through the gathered wolves.
One of the elders, a silver-haired she-wolf named Elira, leaned forward. "Did you feel the bond, girl? Not the mate-bond. The Alpha's call?"
Rina met her gaze, unwavering. "I did. And I answered."
A silence fell. Then Kael stepped closer to Rina and turned to the council.
"I've made my choice. She is not just my mate—she is my equal. My partner. I ask for the ritual of the Marking."
Gasps.
The Marking was sacred — a ceremony reserved for bonded Alphas. Not even Kael's father had marked a mate in his lifetime. It was a symbol of unbreakable unity. Of shared rule.
Elira's eyes narrowed. "You would bind her to the land, to the pack, to the Alpha's law?"
Kael didn't hesitate. "Yes."
Then, with a breath that shivered her soul, Rina stepped forward. "And I accept."
That night, beneath the full moon, the fire was relit — this time with sacred herbs. Kael stood bare-chested, his eyes glowing like molten gold. Rina stepped toward him, heart pounding.
"Do you accept the weight of the pack?" Elira intoned.
"I do," Rina said, voice strong.
"And the bond of blood?"
"I do."
Kael took a ceremonial dagger and drew it gently across his palm. Without fear, Rina did the same. They pressed their hands together, and the fire surged.
A wind howled through the trees — not harsh, but wild and ancient.
Power rushed through Rina, flooding her veins, echoing her heartbeat.
She could feel the land. The wolves. Every soul tethered to the Blackridge Pack.
She was no longer becoming.
She was.
Kael bent his forehead to hers, eyes shimmering. "Mine."
Rina whispered back, "Yours."
The fire roared. The bond sealed.
And the pack howled in reverence.