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She smiled up at him. “There you are.”

He straightened, still towering over everyone present but no longer crouched to attack. His eyes swept over the armed villagers, then back to her.

“Never left,” he rumbled, glancing meaningfully at the villagers. “Just… protected.”

Understanding dawned on her. “You were in control? The whole time?”

He shook his head. “Not… complete. Beast strong. But heard you.” His massive hand gently touched her cheek. “Always hear you.”

He looked over at the group of villagers and frowned.

“They came for you,” he said, the words a question.

“They thought they needed to rescue me,” she explained. “They were wrong.”

The mayor lowered his rifle completely, confusion evident on his face. “Bella, you can’t mean to stay with… with him.”

“That’s exactly what I mean to do,” she said firmly.

Seren stepped forward, studying Malrik with intense curiosity. “I’ve never seen someone so lost to his beast brought back like that.”

“Perhaps you’ve never seen true mates before,” Agatha suggested, her eyes twinkling.

Malrik’s hand—still clawed but more controlled—came to rest on her shoulder. The touch was gentle, reverent.

“Is this truly what you want, child?” Mayor Hendry asked, his bluster fading into genuine concern.

She nodded. “I’ve never been more certain of anything.”

Jared shook his head, his rifle now pointed at the ground. “I don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to understand,” Agatha told him firmly. “You just need to respect her choice and go home.”

The young man looked as though he might argue, but then his shoulders slumped. One by one, the villagers lowered their weapons completely.

“The negotiations,” the mayor said after an awkward silence. “The trade agreement. We still want that.”

Seren inclined his head slightly. “Then perhaps we should discuss it without weapons next time.”

The tension in the air gradually dissipated as the two groups regarded each other warily. The immediate threat of violence had passed, but years of mistrust couldn’t be erased in a moment.

She turned back to Malrik, reaching up to touch his face. The fur was receding further, revealing more of his Vultor features.

“Are you all right?” she asked softly.

He nodded, his yellow eyes bright with emotion. “You stood between me and danger.”

“Of course I did.”

“You could have been hurt.”

She smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t hurt me. And I wasn’t going to let them hurt you either.”

His arms encircled her, drawing her against his chest in a careful embrace. “My brave mate,” he murmured, the words vibrating through her.

Over Malrik’s shoulder, she saw the Council members watching them. Lena still looked disapproving, but Varro actually had a small smile on his face.

“It appears we have much to discuss,” Seren said, addressing both Malrik and the Council. “And perhaps much to reconsider about what we thought we knew.”