Page 18 of Heart of the Rebel Mate

The fog in my head clears, but beneath the adrenaline, something lingers.

The bond.

I extend a hand, smirking. "Still got it."

Garret laughs, brushing off dirt. "You got lucky."

For the next hour, it's all movement—no thoughts, no doubts. Just the fight. By the time he pins me, my chest heaves and my muscles burn, but itfeels good.

"Not bad," he grins, helping me up.

"Not bad? You're lucky I didn't break your nose."

He laughs, clapping my shoulder, and for a moment, the world is simple again.

Then—

"Elara."

I freeze mid-sip.

Zara stands at the entrance, face pale, phone clutched tight.

My stomach twists.

Something's wrong.

"Can we talk?" she asks, glancing around the room. Her voice is tight, almost brittle, and I feel my stomach drop further.

I lead Zara down the back hallway, where the hum of the gym fades to a distant murmur. The fluorescent lights flicker slightly, casting long shadows against the scuffed tile floor. She paces, restless energy radiating off her in waves, fingers tapping rapidly against her phone screen.

"Zara," I say, firmer this time. "What is it?"

She stops, thrusting her phone toward me, her dark eyes burning with intensity. "This," she says, swiping through multiple files before landing on a document filled with dense text and highlighted sections. "The Council. Their real methods for keeping control."

I take the phone, my fingers brushing against hers. The words blur for a second before coming into focus.

Manipulation of fated mate bonds. Forced pairings. Severed connections deemed 'strategically necessary.'

My stomach twists.

"This can't be real," I whisper, but the conviction in my voice falters.

Zara exhales sharply. "It's very real. They've been doing this for decades, Elara. Controlling wolves through their own instincts, deciding who rises and who falls."

She swipes to another file—a list of names, some highlighted, others struck through. Dates line up beside them.

Velmar Summit, 1976. Alpha Geraint of Blackmere, bonded to a human woman. The bond was forcibly severed weeks before he was expected to challenge the Council's expansion into Blackmere territory. Within a month, he withdrew his opposition. Two months later, he vanished.

The Aurex Uprising, 1989. A coalition of packs led by Alric Faelan had begun organizing resistance against the Council's territorial restrictions. His mate, Lara Faelan, disappeared without a trace before their first summit. Days later, Alric called off the rebellion. A year after that, he was dead, a 'hunting accident' no one questioned too closely.

The Selwyn Incident, 2003. A young, progressive leader—Lysander Selwyn—challenged the Council's economic policies. He had been set to bond with a powerful female alpha, a union that would have solidified his influence. His bond snapped weeks before the announcement. The Council called it 'natural incompatibility.' Within a year, he had faded into obscurity, stripped of all political power.

I read faster, my pulse thundering in my ears, my grip on the phone tightening.

"This isn't just control," I murmur, voice unsteady. "It's targeted dismantling. They break people before they become a threat."

Zara nods grimly. "Every wolf on this list was either a political threat or had the potential to reshape power dynamics. And every single one of them had their mate bond tampered with."

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