The shift in Anya's status from disposable asset to vital partner did not go unnoticed. Zara, Kaelan's Beta, was the first to challenge it. She stormed into the office, ignoring the silent rules of professional distance.
"Alpha, the Council needs an immediate response to the Hybrid movement," Zara snapped, her ice-blue eyes fixed on Anya's face with cold contempt. "Why is she still here? She's a liability, not an asset."
"Anya is necessary," Kaelan said, his voice clipped, pulling his attention away from the holographic maps. "She broke the Hybrid code. You failed."
Zara's face flushed. She walked directly to Anya's side of the desk, invading her space. "You think a human's magic tricks can save us? Your Mate is a symbol of weakness, Kaelan. She is polluting the Pack's focus."
Anya stood her ground, fueled by a mixture of adrenaline and the bond's insistent demand for defiance. "The pollution is coming from the Beta who can't distinguish between a political opponent and the Pack's greatest threat, Zara."
Zara's eyes flashed, and she reached out, grabbing Anya's arm with bruising force. "I will not take insolence from a captive human!"
The Mate Bond exploded. A wave of primal, violent Rage surged from Kaelan, not directed at Anya, but at Zara for touching his Mate. Kaelan shot across the room, snatching Zara's wrist and twisting it with controlled force until she gasped and released Anya.
"You will not touch my Mate," Kaelan commanded, his voice a low, terrifying growl of the Beast. "She is my asset. You will respect her position, or I will break you."
Zara, humbled and terrified by the raw Alpha display, backed away. Anya was left staring at her wrist, where Kaelan's fingers had closed around the delicate bone. She was safe, but the terror was visceral. Kaelan hadn't protected her because he loved her; he protected her because she was his territory.