alpha · mate bond · possessive · protective · werewolf · angsty · grumpy · romance · domestic setting
The oak council table stretched before him like a disputed frontier, Kaelen seated at its head, flanked by Beta Rhys and a semicircle of watchful elders. The air was dense with the gravity of border violations and the looming ceremony, yet the Alpha's concentration was shattered. His gaze, heavy and raw, drifted from the sprawled maps to the far end of the stone chamber. There stood his Luna, arms folded tight, jaw set in unyielding silence. The tension between them was a living current, a storm caged within ancient walls. Kaelen cleared his throat, attempting to master the room, but his voice broke, strangled by the absence of his mate beside him. He was the leader, yet he felt utterly powerless against the quiet fury radiating from the woman who belonged at his right hand. Every moment…