Chapter 7

Debra's POV:

Ezekiel led me not to my room, but out onto a secluded stone terrace overlooking the pack gardens. The cool night air was a welcome relief after the suffocating atmosphere of the dining hall. The moon was high and full, casting a silvery glow over everything.

He finally released my hand and turned to face me, his tall frame silhouetted against the night sky. For a long moment, we just stood in silence.

"Thank you," I finally whispered, the words feeling inadequate. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes," he said, his voice a low rumble. "I did."

I looked up at him, confused. "Why? You and I both know we're not mates."

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips. "Do we? My wolf seems to think otherwise. He's been restless ever since I first saw you."

My own wolf, Ivy, who had been silent and sullen for days, stirred at his words. *He is strong,* she admitted grudgingly in my mind. *His scent is good.*

I shook my head, trying to clear it. "But the bond... it's not there. You're lying to protect me. Why?"

He took a step closer, and the scent of pine and winter frost enveloped me again. "Let's just say I don't approve of Alphas who treat their daughters like property to be traded. And I especially don't approve of men like Gareth." His silver eyes darkened. "I saw the way he looked at you. No she-wolf should be subjected to that."

His sincerity was disarming. He was a complete stranger, yet he seemed to see the injustice of my situation more clearly than anyone.

"But you've put yourself in a difficult position," I argued, a knot of guilt tightening in my stomach. "You've declared me your mate in front of two Alphas. You can't just take that back."

"I have no intention of taking it back," he said calmly.

My heart skipped a beat. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying the claim stands," he explained, his gaze intense. "Come back with me to the Black Moon Pack, Debra. As my chosen mate. I can offer you protection. A home. Respect. Something you clearly are not getting here."

It was a crazy, impulsive offer. To leave my home, my pack, everything I had ever known, and go with a man I barely knew. It should have been terrifying.

But the alternative-staying here under the thumb of Marley and my father, waiting for them to find another Alpha Gareth-was infinitely more terrifying.

"What do you get out of this?" I asked, my voice laced with the suspicion that had been my constant companion for years. "There has to be something you want."

He was silent for a moment, his gaze searching my face. "Perhaps I simply want a Luna with a strong spirit," he said softly. "Someone who isn't afraid to speak truth to power, even when it's dangerous. I saw that in you tonight."

He saw strength where my father saw only defiance. He saw spirit where my family saw a problem.

Tears pricked my eyes, but this time they were not tears of sadness or rage. They were tears of overwhelming relief.

"My father will be furious," I said, thinking of the political fallout.

"Your father," Ezekiel said with a dismissive shrug, "is no longer your concern. You will be under my protection. No one will harm you. I swear it."

I looked into his stormy silver eyes and saw an unwavering promise. He was offering me an escape. A new life.

It was a leap of faith into the unknown. But as I stood there on that moonlit terrace, I knew it was a leap I had to take.

"Okay," I whispered, my voice trembling slightly. "I'll go with you."

The corner of his mouth lifted in a true, breathtaking smile. "Good. Go and pack. I will meet you and your maid at the pack line at dawn."

He even remembered Vicky. This man missed nothing.

I nodded, turned, and walked back inside, my steps lighter than they had been in years. For the first time, I wasn't running from something. I was running *to* something.