Page 14 of Furever Bound (Hollow Oak Mates #7)

MADDOX

T he emergency Council meeting convened in Varric's private study rather than the forest glade, the escalating crisis requiring immediate response without regard for traditional protocols.

Maddox arrived to find Emmett pacing like a caged predator while Maeve cleaned her weapons with the focused intensity of someone preparing for war.

"How bad?" Varric asked without preamble.

"Catastrophic," Maddox replied, spreading printouts of Sera's viral analytics across the elder's desk. "Three hundred thousand views in four hours. The engagement is feeding manifestation energy faster than anything in our historical records."

"And the human woman?" Elder Bram's pale eyes held the kind of cold calculation that made Maddox's wolf bristle with defensive fury. "How has she responded to supernatural revelation?"

"She's processing the information," he said carefully, omitting the part where Elena had weaponized the revelation to make Sera feel like a dangerous threat rather than valued community member. "But she's committed to helping resolve the crisis her documentation accidentally triggered."

"Accidentally," Bram repeated with skepticism sharp enough to cut. "You're certain this isn't intentional manifestation designed to draw government attention to our sanctuary?"

The suggestion that Sera might be a deliberate plant triggered Maddox, and only Ember's warning squawk prevented him from responding with the kind of alpha dominance that would derail diplomatic discussion.

"She's not a government operative," he said through gritted teeth. "She's someone whose latent abilities responded to our community energy without understanding what was happening."

"Abilities strong enough to manifest folklore through social media engagement," Maeve observed, her practical intelligence cutting through emotional reactions to focus on tactical realities.

"That's not standard psychic sensitivity, Maddox.

That's power on a scale that could reshape supernatural community dynamics. "

The observation was accurate and terrifying, especially when combined with Elena's interest in documenting Sera's capabilities for organizations that viewed supernatural individuals as research subjects rather than people deserving protection.

"Which is why we need to integrate her properly rather than treating her as a threat to be contained," he argued, his protective instincts demanding he defend his mate's right to belong in their community.

"Integration requires trust," Emmett said, settling into a chair with the careful attention of someone monitoring multiple threat levels simultaneously. "How do we trust someone whose abilities could expose us all if she decides our secrets are worth sharing with her substantial audience?"

"The same way we trust anyone," Maddox replied, though the question hit vulnerabilities he'd been trying not to examine. "Through relationship, through demonstrated commitment, through giving her reasons to protect what matters to her."

"And if she decides what matters to her is career advancement over community welfare?" Bram's question carried the weight of someone considering permanent solutions to temporary problems.

"Then we deal with that when it happens," Maddox said, his alpha side finally overriding diplomatic caution. "But we don't preemptively destroy someone because they might pose hypothetical future risks."

The room fell silent as Council members processed his emotional investment in Sera's welfare, and Varric's knowing expression suggested the elder had recognized mate dynamics from the beginning.

"Personal attachment," Varric observed neutrally. "How serious?"

"Serious enough that her safety takes priority over political convenience," Maddox admitted, abandoning any pretense of professional detachment. "Serious enough that I'll fight anyone who treats her as expendable."

"Including the Council?" Bram's tone carried challenge that made the temperature in the room seem to drop.

"Including anyone," Maddox replied, meeting the elder's cold stare without flinching.

Emmett's sharp intake of breath suggested he recognized the implications of an alpha wolf declaring protective priority over pack authority, while Maeve's hand moved unconsciously toward her weapon in response to escalating tension.

"Maddox," Varric said carefully, "are you claiming mate rights over the human woman?"

The question forced him to acknowledge what his wolf had known from the moment Sera touched his hand but his rational mind had been reluctant to accept.

"Yes," he said simply, the admission carrying weight that transformed political discussion into supernatural law. "She's my mate."

The declaration changed everything about the Council's tactical considerations, because mate bonds carried protections under supernatural community law that superseded political expedience.

Harming a recognized mate constituted an act of war against their bonded partner, and even Elder Bram's coldness couldn't override centuries of established precedent.

"Claimed or recognized?" Maeve asked, her practical intelligence focusing on legal distinctions that mattered for political protection.

"Recognized," he admitted. "She doesn't understand mate bonds yet."

"Then you have forty-eight hours to initiate the claiming process," Varric decided with the authority of someone who understood supernatural law. "After that, unclaimed mates become community responsibility rather than individual protection."

The ultimatum sent panic racing through his system, because claiming required supernatural revelation that Sera wasn't ready for, trust that Elena's manipulation had damaged, and acceptance of a bond she didn't understand.

"Forty-eight hours isn't enough time for proper explanation," he protested.

"It's the time you have," Varric replied with finality that ended discussion.

"Because in forty-eight hours, whether she's claimed or not, we're implementing containment protocols for the manifestation crisis.

And those protocols won't include consideration for human casualties who happen to be in the wrong place when folklore becomes physical reality. "

The threat to Sera disguised as community protection made his wolf snarl with barely contained violence, but before he could respond, his phone exploded with emergency notifications that made everyone in the room go still.

"Grimjaw sighting," he read from Callum's urgent text. "Physical manifestation near Moonmirror Lake. Substantial presence, aggressive behavior, hunting pattern active."

"How substantial?" Varric demanded.

Maddox's phone buzzed with photographic evidence that made his blood run cold.

The creature in the image was no longer shifting between legend and reality—it was fully manifest, corporeal, and moving with predatory purpose through terrain that included the inn where Sera was currently alone with Elena.

"Substantial enough to kill," he said, already heading for the door despite Council protocol. "And it's moving toward town."