The councilman’s face turns a deeper shade of red as he sits, scooting his chair back in.
“Which means you can have heirs, but your wolf won’t reach its full strength. And I don’t need to remind you that in your position, you need your people to be behind you without a shadow of doubt.”
My laughter fades. No heirs for my ancestral powers? No marking? Weakness? None of this works for me.
“Why is that?”
“No one knows with complete certainty, but there is no indication that the marking process would do anything but cause a witch to bleed to death. Not to invalidate a witch’s immortality, but their genetic makeup is almost entirely human. Their life expectancy is the same, their build—unless they use magic to alter it—too. They don’t have longevity like a vampire, or our strength to withstand such a process.”
“So you’re saying, if I were to bite her, she’d die?”
“Most likely, yes.”
Fuck. Marking, pups, immortality—all of these things are important in leadership, to wolves. How could I give up any of these things? And why would the council suggest it and let me explore that damned list, knowing this?
A councilman chimes in. “Correct. It’s different from when the king and queen mated. Both species have the same mating instinct. A bond is completed with a bite. A witch’s mating ritual is more of a spiritual bond than one of true, bodily entanglement.”
“So how would they become one—a wolf?” Tyler asks a good question.
My pack is wavering in their faith in my family as it is. They need a strong united front. A Luna they can believe in.
“You wouldn’t. Your partnership would be one of a human standard,” another says.
My wolf growls.We have a mate. And we have a bond. Anything else won’t be enough.
“I gotta be honest with you, I’m concerned my pack won’t take to that. They need a bond they can believe in. What if I find my fated mate, and I haven’t marked anyone?”
“The urge to mate her would still be there. Unless she were mated as well, you’d have to resist them. A spiritual bond requires your strength and loyalty. You would be expected to devote yourself to the bond, but the Moon Goddess would not make that easy for you. Now, if you act on those urges, the consequences could be dire.”
Not that I’d ever think of cheating, but kings and queens have been known in the past to have agreements to benefit them both. It’s good to know my options. Specifically, ones I wouldnevertake on. “Dire... how so?”
“Well, it’s a spiritual bond you’d be breaking. Can you imagine what would happen if you upset centuries and centuries of ancient witches?” The councilman snorts. “I mean, they’d probably curse you, and I can’t imagine they’d stop there. I imagine your pack would suffer at their hand as well. Now, that is, unless you and your partner can agree to some arrangement...”
“Arrangement? Like a mistress?”
“Essentially, yes.”
“That’s not an option,” I say.
My wolf would never forgive me, and I couldn’t forgive myself.
“Then, a witch it is. You should know that witches have a funny way of doing things. You’ll have to go through various trials.”
“What kind of trials?”
“Witches are deeply connected to the elements in nature. You will undergo a detox of impurity, a fast, a declaration to protect the elements that usually involves a night in the forest naked and other various witchy trials.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. This is all starting to sound more complicated than it’s worth.
“It’s unorthodox but a wise decision. One the council really approves of,” one of the council members says, while the others nod eagerly.
Odd.I know they heard the same information as I did. “Why?”
One uncomfortably clears his throat at my questioning of him. “The line she comes from is one of great reputation. They have connections that could benefit your pack—”
Got it. Money.
“—Magic that stems from generations that could help rebuild your lands—”
