Elder Torvin bowed curtly, his expression sour. "My apologies, Alpha. I see your Mate is recovering. My deepest regrets for the loss of your Pack members." He backed out swiftly, defeated.
The door sealed. Kaelan gently disentangled himself from Anya, looking down at her with a complex mix of frustration and something she couldn't identify.
"That was calculated," he stated, his voice flat.
"It was necessary," Anya replied, stepping back. Her heart was still hammering, but her body felt strangely grounded from the sustained contact. "You were losing ground. I stabilized your political position."
Kaelan stared at her, assessing her quick-witted betrayal. He ran a weary hand over his face. "The stress of the public display has agitated the bond. We require immediate stabilization."
Before Anya could protest the "ritual," Kaelan pulled her back to his side, but this time, the gesture was less dominance, more exhausted relief. He didn't scent her; he just held her close, letting his heavy weight rest against her shoulder.
The Mate Bond flooded her system with calm and a deep sense of shared relief. Anya realized that the bond was two-sided: it forced her obedience, but it also made her essential to his emotional recovery. She was both his prisoner and, devastatingly, his only source of peace.