Chapter 2 The Weight of Chains

The great hall erupted in chaos.

"This is madness!" a wolf shouted from the crowd. "The Silent Beast has finally lost his mind!"

"A human cannot be a wolf's mate!"

"This is a curse! A sign of dark magic!"

Mara couldn't breathe. She stared up at Zevran, who stood over her like a dark shadow. His scarred face showed no emotion, but his pale eyes burned with something dangerous.

King Darius slammed his fist on the throne. "SILENCE!"

The room went quiet immediately. The King was the most powerful wolf in the kingdom, and no one dared to disobey him. He stood up slowly, his eyes fixed on Zevran.

"Zevran," the King said, his voice like thunder. "You dare to claim a human as your mate? In front of the entire pack? During our most sacred ritual?"

Zevran said nothing. He just stared back at the King without fear.

King Darius's face turned red with anger. "You will reject this bond. Now. Or I will have you both executed for this insult!"

Mara's heart was beating so fast she thought she might faint. She didn't understand what was happening. How could she be mated to a wolf? She was just a human servant! This had to be a mistake!

But the golden thread connecting her to Zevran was still there, glowing softly. She could feel it pulling at her chest, making her want to move closer to him.

"I said SPEAK!" King Darius roared. "Will you reject this bond?"

Zevran's lips moved, and his rough voice filled the hall again. "No."

The single word sent a wave of shock through the crowd. Wolves began talking all at once, their voices rising in panic and anger.

"He's really claiming her!"

"This will bring disaster to our pack!"

"The human must be using dark magic!"

Elder Theron stepped forward, raising his hands for quiet. "King Darius, if I may... the mate bond is sacred. It is created by the Moon Goddess herself. We cannot simply break it."

"Then what do you suggest, old wolf?" The King's voice was dangerous now.

Elder Theron looked at Mara with his ancient eyes. "We must test her. If she is truly meant to be a wolf's mate, then perhaps there is more to this human than we know."

"Test her?" Prince Ronan laughed cruelly. "She's a weak little servant! What is there to test?"

"The old ways," Elder Theron said quietly. "If she can survive three nights in the Shadow Woods without Zevran's protection, then we will know the bond is true. If she cannot..." He didn't finish the sentence.

Everyone knew what lived in the Shadow Woods. Dark creatures, rogue wolves, and things far worse. No human had ever survived a single night there.

King Darius smiled, showing his sharp teeth. "Very well. The human will face the Trial of Shadows. If she dies, then the bond dies with her, and Zevran will be free."

"No." Zevran's voice was like ice. "I will not allow it."

"You have no choice!" King Darius shouted. "This is my kingdom, and you will obey my law! Or I will have every servant in this house executed, starting with this one!"

Mara gasped. The King would really kill innocent people just to punish Zevran?

Zevran's hands curled into fists. For the first time, Mara saw emotion on his face—rage, pure and terrible. But after a long moment, he spoke again. "Fine. But if she is harmed because of your games, there will be blood."

King Darius's smile grew wider. "Is that a threat, Beast?"

"It is a promise."

The tension in the room was so thick that Mara felt like she was drowning in it. She wanted to run, to hide, to wake up from this nightmare. But she couldn't move.

"The trial will begin tomorrow at sunset," King Darius announced. "Take the human to the holding cells. And Zevran—you will return to your quarters. If you try to help her, I will know, and she will die immediately."

Two guards grabbed Mara's arms roughly. She cried out in pain as they dragged her toward the door. She looked back at Zevran, and their eyes met for just a moment.

In her mind, she heard his voice again. I will find a way. Stay alive.

Then the guards pulled her through the door, and he was gone.

The holding cell was cold and dark. It was underground, beneath the great hall, and it smelled like dirt and old blood. Mara sat in the corner, hugging her knees to her chest. She was shaking, but not from the cold.

How had her life changed so completely in just one hour?

This morning, she had been a nobody. A servant who carried water and cleaned floors. Now, she was supposedly mated to the most dangerous wolf in the kingdom, and tomorrow night she would be sent into the Shadow Woods to die.

The door to the cell creaked open. Mara looked up, expecting to see a guard. Instead, Isla slipped inside, carrying a small bundle.

"Isla!" Mara whispered. "You shouldn't be here! If they catch you—"

"Shh!" Isla knelt down beside her. "I had to see you. Everyone is talking about what happened. Is it true? Are you really mated to the Silent Beast?"

Mara touched her chest, where the bond still pulled gently. "I don't know how, but... yes. I think so."

Isla's eyes were wide. "That's amazing! But also terrifying. Mara, everyone says you're going to die in the Shadow Woods."

"I know," Mara whispered. Tears started to fall down her cheeks. "I'm so scared, Isla."

Isla grabbed her hand. "Then you have to be strong. Stronger than you've ever been." She pushed the bundle into Mara's arms. "I brought you some food and warm clothes. It's not much, but..."

"Thank you," Mara said, hugging her friend. "You're the only one who has ever been kind to me."

"That's not true anymore," Isla said quietly. "The Silent Beast—Zevran—he protected you tonight. Did you see the way he looked at the King? He would have fought the entire pack for you."

Mara remembered Zevran's cold voice saying, "Touch her, and I will burn this entire kingdom to the ground."

"I don't understand any of this," Mara said. "Why me? I'm nobody. I'm not special."

"Maybe the Moon Goddess sees something in you that you don't see in yourself," Isla said. She stood up. "I have to go before the guards notice I'm gone. But Mara... don't give up. If anyone can survive this, it's you."

After Isla left, Mara sat alone in the darkness. She unwrapped the bundle and found bread, cheese, and a thick cloak. She ate slowly, trying to calm her racing heart.

Tomorrow night, she would be sent into the Shadow Woods. She had heard stories about that place her whole life. Wolves who went in sometimes never came out. And she was just a weak human girl.

But she had to survive. Not just for herself, but for Zevran too. She didn't know why, but she felt it in her bones—if she died, something terrible would happen to him.

Stay alive, his voice echoed in her mind.

"I'll try," she whispered into the darkness. "I'll try."

The next day passed slowly. Guards brought her water but no food. They wanted her weak for the trial. Mara used the time to rest and think. She tried to remember everything she had ever heard about the Shadow Woods.

As the sun began to set, the cell door opened again. This time, it was Elder Theron who entered. The old wolf looked at her with eyes that held secrets.

"Come, child," he said softly. "It is time."

Mara stood on shaky legs. The Elder led her through dark corridors and up stone stairs. Finally, they emerged outside, where a crowd of wolves had gathered. The sun was just touching the horizon, painting the sky red and gold.

King Darius stood at the front of the crowd, with Prince Ronan beside him. And there, standing apart from everyone else, was Zevran.

His ice-pale eyes found her immediately. Even from a distance, Mara could feel the bond pulling between them.

"Bring the human forward," King Darius commanded.

Elder Theron guided Mara to stand before the King. Her legs felt like water, but she forced herself to stand straight.

"You will enter the Shadow Woods at sunset," King Darius said, looking down at her with disgust. "You must survive there for three nights. You may take nothing with you except the clothes on your back. If you survive, you will return here at dawn on the fourth day. If you do not return..." He smiled. "Well, then nature will have decided your fate."

Mara swallowed hard. "What if I refuse to go?"

"Then you will be executed here and now, along with ten other human servants," King Darius said coldly. "Choose."

Of course. She had no choice at all.

"I'll go," Mara said quietly.

King Darius nodded. "Then go. The sun is setting. Your trial begins now."

Mara turned toward the dark line of trees in the distance. The Shadow Woods. Even from here, they looked evil. The trees were twisted and black, and no light seemed to reach inside them.

She took one step forward, then another. Behind her, she heard Zevran's rough voice.

"Mara."

She stopped and turned. Their eyes met across the distance.

"Come back," he said. Just those two words. But Mara heard everything he didn't say in them.

Come back to me. Don't die. I need you.

"I will," she promised.

Then she turned and walked toward the Shadow Woods. With each step, the sky grew darker. The crowd of wolves behind her grew quieter. And the dark trees ahead seemed to reach out for her like skeletal hands.

As she reached the edge of the forest, she heard a sound that made her blood run cold.

A howl. Long and lonely and full of hunger.

Something was already hunting her.

Mara took a deep breath and stepped into the darkness.

Behind her, she heard Zevran's voice one more time, carried on the wind.

"Stay alive, little one. I'm coming for you."