Updated Dec 14, 2025 • ~9 min read
CASS
The council of elders convened at dawn.
I’d been summoned—no, commanded—to appear before them. My mother’s grim face told me everything I needed to know: this wasn’t going to be pleasant.
The sacred grove where we’d buried Kael now hosted my trial. Thirteen elders in ceremonial robes formed a semicircle. I stood in the center, feeling like the accused.
Thaddeus, the eldest, spoke first. “Cassia Silverfang. You are bonded to a vampire.”
“I didn’t choose it.”
“Choice is irrelevant. The bond exists. And it threatens our entire pack.” His voice was harsh. Unforgiving. “Witch-vampire bonds are forbidden. Have been since the Ash Wars five hundred years ago.”
“I know the history—”
“Do you? Do you know that the last witch-vampire pair started a war that killed thousands? That their bond made them powerful enough to destroy entire armies? That both kingdoms had to unite to kill them before they consumed everything?”
I didn’t. The history books mentioned the Ash Wars but never explained the cause.
“The bond made them mad,” another elder said. Circe, my mother’s friend. “The power was too much. They tried to unite the kingdoms by force. When that failed, they tried to burn both kingdoms down. In the end, a coalition of witches and vampires killed them both to stop the destruction.”
“I’m not trying to burn anything down.”
“Not yet. But the bond will grow. Amplify your magic. Connect you to vampire power you shouldn’t have access to.” Thaddeus stepped forward. “We cannot risk history repeating. You must break the bond.”
“Breaking it will kill us both.”
“Then you have a choice to make. Your life or your pack.”
The grove went silent. I looked at the faces around me—people I’d known my whole life. People who’d mourned Kael with me. People who now looked at me like I was a threat.
“You’re asking me to die.”
“We’re asking you to protect your people. As your brother did.”
The comparison to Kael was a low blow. Intentional.
My mother stepped forward. “There might be another way. Ancient spells that can sever bonds without killing both parties. Dangerous, untested, but—”
“No.” Thaddeus cut her off. “We will not risk dark magic to save one witch. Cassia must choose: break the bond and accept death, or leave the pack forever.”
“Exile?” I stared at him. “You’d exile me for something I didn’t choose?”
“We would exile you to protect the many from the threat of the few. That is what leadership requires.” He raised his hand. “All in favor of exile should Cassia refuse to break the bond?”
Eleven hands rose. Only my mother and Sage’s mother abstained.
“You have one week,” Thaddeus declared. “Find a way to sever the bond or leave pack lands permanently. You will not be allowed to return. Your magic will be stripped from pack protections. You will be alone.”
“She won’t be alone,” Sage said from the edge of the grove. “I’ll go with her.”
“Sage, no—” I started.
“If she’s exiled for a bond she didn’t choose, I’m going too. Fuck this council and fuck these laws.” Sage’s magic crackled. “Cassia lost her brother. Now you want to take her family too? Her home? For something fate decided?”
“The law is clear—”
“The law is bullshit.” Sage moved to stand beside me. “And if enforcing it means abandoning one of our own when she needs us most, then maybe the law needs to change.”
Several elders looked uncomfortable. But Thaddeus remained unmoved.
“You have one week, Cassia. Choose wisely.”
The council dismissed. I stood there, numb, as everyone filtered away. Even my mother, though she stopped to squeeze my shoulder.
“I’ll research the severing spell,” she whispered. “Maybe there’s something—”
“Don’t.” I couldn’t bear the hope. “We both know there’s nothing. Bonds can’t be severed. Only rejected.”
“Then fight the exile. Appeal to the greater council—”
“And say what? That I want to keep a bond with the vampire who killed Kael? That I’m choosing my mate over my pack?” I laughed bitterly. “They’re right to exile me. I’m a threat.”
“You’re scared and grieving and dealing with an impossible situation. That doesn’t make you a threat.”
But it did. Because the bond was growing stronger. I could feel Alaric’s presence constantly now—a second heartbeat, a whisper in the back of my mind. And with that connection came power. Magic that wasn’t entirely mine. Vampire abilities I shouldn’t have access to.
Last night, I’d moved faster than any witch should. Had lifted something far too heavy. Had felt the burn of bloodlust—not my own—rising in my throat.
The bond was changing me. Making me something other than purely witch.
And that terrified the elders more than anything.
“I’ll figure something out,” I told my mother. “I always do.”
But walking back to my cabin, I knew it was a lie.
There was no figuring this out. No solution that kept everyone happy. No way to be both loyal to my pack and faithful to a bond I didn’t want but couldn’t break.
I’d have to choose.
And either choice would destroy me.
Sage caught up to me halfway home. “I meant what I said. If you’re exiled, I’m coming with you.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“Don’t be noble.” She grabbed my arm. “You’re my best friend. I’m not letting you face this alone.”
“Sage, if you leave the pack, you lose everything. Your family. Your magic support. Your home.”
“And you lose all that too. At least if we’re together, we’re not alone.”
I wanted to argue. Wanted to push her away for her own good. But the truth was, I was terrified of being alone. Of facing exile with nothing and no one.
“One week,” I said. “Let’s see what happens in one week. Maybe—” I couldn’t finish. Maybe what? Maybe the bond would miraculously disappear? Maybe I’d find a loophole? Maybe I’d wake up and this would all be a nightmare?
“Maybe you talk to him,” Sage suggested. “The vampire prince. If he’s really your mate, he should be willing to help. To find a solution that doesn’t end with you exiled.”
“Why would he help? This doesn’t affect him.”
“Doesn’t it? If you’re exiled, you have nowhere to go. No pack. No protection. Where would you end up?”
Vampire territory. With Alaric. The bond would drag me there eventually.
The realization hit like a slap. “They’re forcing me toward him. The elders. They want me gone so badly they’re pushing me right into his arms.”
“Or they’re idiots who can’t see past outdated laws,” Sage countered. “Either way, you need allies. And like it or not, your mate is the most powerful one you’ve got.”
She was right. I hated it, but she was right.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Think fast. You’ve got six days.”
That night, alone in my cabin, I felt him. Alaric. Reaching through the bond. Not forcing connection, just… there. Offering presence if I wanted it.
I almost rejected it. Almost slammed my side of the bond closed and dealt with the pain.
But I was tired. Scared. Facing exile and loss and impossible choices.
So I let the connection flow.
Felt his immediate relief. His concern. His question—wordless but clear: Are you okay?
No, I sent back. The elders are exiling me if I don’t break the bond.
His rage was immediate. Protective. They can’t—
They can. They have every right. Witch-vampire bonds are forbidden. For good reason, apparently.
What reason?
I sent him the history. The Ash Wars. The pair who’d gone mad with power and tried to burn both kingdoms. The fear that we’d do the same.
His horror matched mine.
That won’t happen, he sent firmly. We’re not them. We won’t let the bond control us.
How do you know?
Because we’re both too stubborn to let fate dictate our actions. And because neither of us wants war. We just want—
He didn’t finish. Didn’t have to. I felt it through the bond: he wanted peace. Understanding. A chance to make things right.
I have six days, I sent. After that, I’m exiled. No pack. No home. Nowhere to go.
A long pause. Then: You could come here.
To vampire territory?
To me. You’re my mate. That gives you rights. Protection. A place in my court if you want it.
Your mother would never allow it.
My mother doesn’t control who I bond with. And if the witches won’t have you, the vampires will.
The offer was genuine. I felt it through the bond—his certainty that he’d fight his own people to keep me safe.
It should have been comforting.
Instead, it was terrifying. Because accepting his protection meant accepting the bond. Accepting him. Accepting that the man who’d killed my brother might actually be capable of keeping me safe.
I’ll think about it, I sent.
Don’t think too long. Six days isn’t much time.
I know.
I closed the connection. Sat in my cabin surrounded by everything I’d ever known. Everything I might lose.
Pack lands. Family. The only home I’d ever had.
All of it disappearing because fate had decided the most impossible, cruel pairing in history.
But underneath the grief and fear was something else: the tiniest spark of curiosity.
What would it be like? Living with vampires. Learning their ways. Being with Alaric not as enemies but as—what? Mates? Partners? Something in between?
The thought should have repulsed me.
Instead, it whispered possibilities I wasn’t ready to examine.
Not yet.
But soon, I’d have no choice.
Six days.
Then everything changed.
Again.
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