<h4>Chapter 567: Fake Runes</h4>


    The scream that tore from Zara’s throat when the Matebond sealed was so shrill that the guards instinctively mped their hands over their ears.


    "No, no, no..." Zara stumbled back, tears streaming down her face. This can’t be. This can’t be happening!


    But her cries were drowned out by the sounds of the newly bonded couple, lost in the throes of primal pleasure.


    ric groaned, a guttural sound of bliss, as he released inside her, his body trembling from the overwhelming rush. Violet gasped, her nails digging into his skin as her own climax shattered through her, sealing them togetherpletely.


    When it was over, Violet and ric stayed joined, breathing raggedly, their bodies shaking from the raw force of what had just urred. Then, slowly, Violet moved,


    climbing down from ric’s body and he let her go.


    The Violet of the past—the fragile, naive human girl—would have been drowning in shame at being caught in such apromising situation. She would have


    scrambled to cover herself, to hide from their stares.


    But that Violet no longer existed.


    Werewolves had no qualms about nudity. They embraced it, unashamed, and now Violet stood boldly before them all, utterly naked. Even as ric’s seed slid down her thighs, she didn’t flinch. Her chin was lifted high, her gaze defiant, and she faced the gathered members of the North Pack without a single shred of fear.


    Yet it wasn’t her nakedness that held them spellbound.


    Their gazes moved as one, not daring to meet her eyes. They began at the red mating rune etched at her throat. Then they trailed lower, to the older green rune etched into the left side of her belly, and finally, to the newest mark, still fresh and raw, pulsing with the magic of a newly sealed bond on the right side of her abdomen.


    The rune was in ric’s signature color, blue, and had a long vertical main line with two smaller diagonal strokes branching out at the top left, forming a shape simr to an angr "R".


    ric shifted at that moment, and they saw his own purple rune, which had a diamond shape intersected by a vertical line. At the top, a small branch extended diagonally to the right, almost g shaped.


    But before anyone could marvel, ric growled. His lips peeled back to reveal long, razor-sharp teeth, his eyes raw with fury, while his stance was rigid and aggressive.


    Mates were naturally possessive, and though none of them dared outrightly challenge him for his mate, there was only one female in that room —the shocked Zara.


    Everyone else was male. That much testosterone in the air was a provocation, and ric’s primal instincts saw it as a threat.


    His wolf didn’t just im Violet with a guttural, "Mine!", he sent themand surging through the newly forged pack link, a raw wave of dominance that crashed over the room.


    Every knee hit the ground at once, bowing in submission not just to ric’s power but to the sacred bond they had just witnessed.


    "She’s goddess-touched!" one of them shouted from the back.


    "Goddess-blessed!" another echoed.


    "The goddess has visited the North Pack!"


    Various praises rang out, echoing across the warehouse.


    The North Pack might not be as deeply religious as the East, but they were still werewolves who respected tradition. And right now, the sight of three mating runes zing across Violet’s body struck them with overwhelming awe.


    But one person was not awed.


    Zara’s face twisted with pure horror, unable to process what she was seeing.


    "No," she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. Then louder, "No!" Her voice broke into a scream. "I will not ept this!" There was no way in hell she would ept Violet as a daughter-inw.


    "She’s a witch!" Zara snarled, pointing a finger at Violet. "She’s a fucking witch! Those runes are fake! She’s fooling you all!"


    From the wild look in Zara’s eyes, it was clear she hadpletely lost her grip on reality.


    Everyone else thought so too. There was no way to fake a matebond. To suggest a fake matebond was sphemy, a direct insult to the goddess herself.


    Zara seemed to realize this as her gaze swept over each person, seeing only disbelief and silent condemnation staring back at her.


    The realization hit her like a physical blow.


    "You traitors," she hissed, lips curling into a vicious snarl.


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    Then her expression hardened into cold resolve. "Fine. I’ll handle this myself."


    She took a threatening step forward, but ric immediately yanked Violet behind him, his lips curving back into a warning snarl that promised blood.


    Zara barely made it three strides before her entire body went rigid. She convulsed violently and copsed to the ground.


    Every gaze swung to Ace.


    He stood over their fallen Luna, clutching a baton that hummed with crackling electricity.


    The warehouse fell into utter silence. No one moved, nor spoke.


    For a long moment, they simply stared at Ace. Ace stared back at them, then cleared his throat and forced authority into his voice. "Take the Luna out of here! Lock her up!"


    For a tense second, he thought no one would obey. Then a guard stepped forward, scooped Zara over his shoulder, and carried her out.


    Ace let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. For once, he actually felt proud of himself.


    His gaze drifted to ric and Violet—but he quickly looked away, not wanting to provoke his brother’s matebond-fueled rage.


    And in that moment, Ace wondered why he had hated his brother so much. Seeing everything unfold, he realized maybe ric hadn’t had the perfect life he had always imagined. Maybe his brother had been fighting his own battles all along.


    Just when the ce seemed to calm, a thunderous roar shattered the peace.


    A massive, seven-foot form of Griffin barreled into the warehouse, and guards scattered like frightened rabbits at the sight.


    "Down, boy!" Violet rushed forward before Griffin could rip through them. Judging by the blood already smeared across his chest, she might have been toote.


    The Beast’s brown eyes locked on her. He sniffed the air, his massive body tense.


    Then, shockingly, the deadly snarl melted into a wide, almost puppy-like grin of delight.


    In the next breath, his monstrous form shrank and shifted, revealing Griffin himself, grinning like a madman.


    "Wee to the circle of the bond, ric Storm."