Page 19 of Furever Bound
"The same way we trust anyone," Maddox replied, though the question hit vulnerabilities he'd been trying not to examine. "Through relationship, through demonstrated commitment, through giving her reasons to protect what matters to her."
"And if she decides what matters to her is career advancement over community welfare?" Bram's question carried the weight of someone considering permanent solutions to temporary problems.
"Then we deal with that when it happens," Maddox said, his alpha side finally overriding diplomatic caution. "But we don't preemptively destroy someone because they might pose hypothetical future risks."
The room fell silent as Council members processed his emotional investment in Sera's welfare, and Varric's knowing expression suggested the elder had recognized mate dynamics from the beginning.
"Personal attachment," Varric observed neutrally. "How serious?"
"Serious enough that her safety takes priority over political convenience," Maddox admitted, abandoning any pretense of professional detachment. "Serious enough that I'll fight anyone who treats her as expendable."
"Including the Council?" Bram's tone carried challenge that made the temperature in the room seem to drop.
"Including anyone," Maddox replied, meeting the elder's cold stare without flinching.
Emmett's sharp intake of breath suggested he recognized the implications of an alpha wolf declaring protective priority over pack authority, while Maeve's hand moved unconsciously toward her weapon in response to escalating tension.
"Maddox," Varric said carefully, "are you claiming mate rights over the human woman?"
The question forced him to acknowledge what his wolf had known from the moment Sera touched his hand but his rational mind had been reluctant to accept.
"Yes," he said simply, the admission carrying weight that transformed political discussion into supernatural law. "She's my mate."
The declaration changed everything about the Council's tactical considerations, because mate bonds carried protections under supernatural community law that superseded political expedience. Harming a recognized mate constituted an act of war against their bonded partner, and even Elder Bram's coldness couldn't override centuries of established precedent.
"Claimed or recognized?" Maeve asked, her practical intelligence focusing on legal distinctions that mattered for political protection.
"Recognized," he admitted. "She doesn't understand mate bonds yet."
"Then you have forty-eight hours to initiate the claiming process," Varric decided with the authority of someone who understood supernatural law. "After that, unclaimed mates become community responsibility rather than individual protection."
The ultimatum sent panic racing through his system, because claiming required supernatural revelation that Sera wasn't ready for, trust that Elena's manipulation had damaged, and acceptance of a bond she didn't understand.
"Forty-eight hours isn't enough time for proper explanation," he protested.
"It's the time you have," Varric replied with finality that ended discussion. "Because in forty-eight hours, whether she's claimed or not, we're implementing containment protocols for the manifestation crisis. And those protocols won't includeconsideration for human casualties who happen to be in the wrong place when folklore becomes physical reality."
The threat to Sera disguised as community protection made his wolf snarl with barely contained violence, but before he could respond, his phone exploded with emergency notifications that made everyone in the room go still.
"Grimjaw sighting," he read from Callum's urgent text. "Physical manifestation near Moonmirror Lake. Substantial presence, aggressive behavior, hunting pattern active."
"How substantial?" Varric demanded.
Maddox's phone buzzed with photographic evidence that made his blood run cold. The creature in the image was no longer shifting between legend and reality—it was fully manifest, corporeal, and moving with predatory purpose through terrain that included the inn where Sera was currently alone with Elena.
"Substantial enough to kill," he said, already heading for the door despite Council protocol. "And it's moving toward town."
15
SERA
The power outage hit at exactly 9:47 PM, plunging Sera's inn room into darkness just as she was monitoring the terrifying spread of her viral Grimjaw content across social media platforms. Her laptop screen went black, her phone lost signal, and even the emergency lighting in the hallway failed to activate, leaving her in absolute darkness that felt somehow intentional.
"Not good," she muttered, fumbling for the flashlight app on her phone only to discover the device had died completely despite showing full battery minutes earlier.
The darkness felt different than normal power outages—thicker, more oppressive, charged with the kind of malevolent energy that made her skin crawl with primitive fear. When she moved toward her window to check for lights elsewhere in town, she discovered that the mist outside had grown so dense it looked solid, like gray walls pressing against the glass.
That's when she heard the sound.
