A Bargain with the Devil

The ancient chandeliers cast long shadows across the London Pack's meeting hall, their iron frames creaking softly in the night air. I stood before the towering windows, watching my reflection ghost against rain-streaked glass. Behind me, Callum's footsteps echoed off marble floors, each step a counterpoint to my racing heart.

Thunder rolled across the London sky, and I forced myself to breathe. The waxing moon hung heavy through the clouds, a silent witness to what we were about to do. To what we had to do.

"There has to be another way." My voice sounded hollow even to my own ears. The mate bond between us hummed with shared desperation, with fears neither of us dared voice.

Callum's pacing stopped. In the glass, I watched him run both hands through his dark hair, his broad shoulders tight with tension. When he spoke, his voice was rough. "I could challenge the council's decree."

I turned to face him, my throat tight. Even now, the sight of him made my heart skip – all that coiled po