I turned to Elder Sarrok, whose ancient eyes revealed nothing. "You don't seem surprised."
The elder sighed, motioning for me to follow him to a private alcove away from the others. When we were alone, he spoke in hushed tones.
"I was informed this might happen."
My hide bristled. "You knew?"
"The Thorneclaws approached the Magnus Terra officials. They suggested you specifically for the program."
"And you didn't warn me?" I felt betrayed. Heat rose in me, the distinctive rumble that preceded a mapinguari's roar building in my throat.
Sarrok held up a weathered claw. "Listen before you rage, Redmon. I supported the match."
The rumble died in my throat, replaced by shock. "You what?"
"Our position grows more precarious each season. The Thorneclaws gain influence with the humans. They trade with them, adopt their ways." He gestured to the cave walls, our ancestral home for generations. "They would see us removed from these lands."
"So you throw me to the humans instead?"
"I secure our position." His ancient eyes hardened. "With our war chief bound to a human mate, Magnus Terra will view our tribe more favorably. They will listen when we speak of territory rights."
I paced the small alcove, my claws leaving marks in the earth. "You've sacrificed me for politics."
"I've elevated your sacrifice into strategy." Sarrok placed a heavy claw on my shoulder. "This human, this Kalyndi, she is a healer of some renown. The match is not random."
I shrugged off his touch. "I am not a pawn to be moved on your game board, Elder."
"We are all pawns, Redmon. The question is whether we move with purpose or are simply taken." He turned back toward the council chamber. "Sunset approaches. You should prepare."
I stormed from the council cave to my dwelling, a spacious cavern adorned with the trophies of hunts and battles. My reflection caught in a polished metal shield, a relic from some forgotten human war. I barely recognized myself in that moment. The proud arch of my back now hunched with tension, my usually alert eyes clouded with conflict.
What did I know of humans, really? I'd advocated for peace, yes. Argued against raids on their settlements. But to be bound to one? To share a dwelling, a life?
I gathered my ceremonial garments of leather and bone, symbols of my rank as war chief. The Thorneclaws had orchestrated this to weaken me, to remove me from the tribe's daily affairs. And Sarrok had allowed it, thinking he was being clever.
As I prepared, doubts gnawed at me. Was my fate now to be some political token? A monster husband kept to show how civilized humans had made us?
"Chief Redmon." A young mapinguari stood at my entrance. "It's time."
The Sacrarium loomed like a bad omen against the twilight sky, a massive glass and steel structure where Magnus Terra conducted their most important business. Humans in formal attire mingled with monsters from various tribes, all watching me with curious eyes as I entered.
I scanned the space, noting the unusual number of high-ranking officials present. Ministers and tribal liaisons who normally wouldn't bother with a simple binding ceremony. Whatever was happening here went beyond routine politics.
A commotion erupted at the far entrance. Two human guards appeared, flanking a struggling figure between them.
Kalyndi.
My first glimpse of my supposed mate wasn't the demure, willing participant I'd somehow expected. Instead, I saw a fierce, wild-eyed woman fighting against her captors with every step. Her dark skin gleamed with sweat from her efforts, her black hair falling in disarray around her face.
"I refuse!" she shouted, her voice carrying clearly across the Sacrarium. "You have no right!"
Something stirred in me at the sight, not desire, but a spark of recognition. She was as unwilling as I was.
"Proceed with the ceremony," ordered a human official, ignoring her protests.
They dragged her to the central platform where I stood. Up close, I could see the intelligence in her eyes, the stubborn set of her jaw. A fighter, this one. Not in my way, perhaps, but a warrior nonetheless.
"Is this how you treat your healers?" I asked quietly as they forced her to stand beside me.
