Duty Versus Desire

Gideons POV I paced the length of my war room, the heavy oak table between Eric and me strewn with maps, border reports, and intelligence files. My mind wasn't on troop counts or supply routes. It was stuck five floors up, in the quiet suite where my true mate was currently sleeping. Eric leaned over the table, rubbing his temples with a heavy sigh. "Gideon, we have to think logically here. We still need to at least send word to Lucian and tell him we have her. Maybe he’ll negotiate to get her back. We could trade her for the trapped civilian packs." "She’s not going back to him," I said, my voice dropping into a register so dark and absolute that the air in the room instantly thickened. Eric stopped, looking up at me with a mixture of frustration and grave concern. He let out another slow breath. "So what do we do then? Just hold the Luna of our greatest enemy in your bedroom forever?" "I don't know," I admitted bitterly, resting my hands on the edge of the map table and staring down at the ink lines marking Lucian’s expanding empire. I hated being cornered, especially by logic. Kane was practically clawing at my ribs, demanding I go back upstairs and wrap myself around her until the scent of that bastard Lucian was entirely scrubbed from her skin. Every strategic bone in my body knew Eric was right to worry, but every instinct as an Alpha—and as a fated mate—recoiled at the thought of handing her back to the monster who had bruised her face. Eric stepped closer, his tone turning dead serious. "Gideon, look at this from a military standpoint. She’s been his Luna for a year. We don't know her loyalty. She could use this mate bond to manipulate you, play along, and the second she gets a chance, run right back to him with our location, our guard rotations, and our entire defense layout." I closed my eyes, my jaw clenching so hard my molars ached. The thought of her manipulating me made my blood run cold, but the memory of her trembling under my hands in the dungeon spoke a completely different truth. I opened my eyes, fixing Eric with a lethal glare as the anger I’d been shoving down finally boiled over. "They chose each other, Eric," I gritted out, slamming a hand onto the wooden table with enough force to rattle the glass inkwells. "They took a chosen bond. And he decided to lay his hands on her? To hit his own Luna hard enough to leave a bruise that isn't even healing right? Who does that?" Eric held my gaze, his expression softening with a heavy, troubled grimace, but he didn't back down. "An Alpha who thinks he’s untouchable, Gideon. That’s who. But chosen bond or not, she is still his female, and until we know where her heart actually lies, she is a massive security risk to every soul in this camp." A heavy knock came at the door, cutting off our heated debate. "Enter!" I barked, torn between snapping Eric's neck and tearing down Lucian's front gates. The heavy oak door swung open, and one of the tower guards stepped inside, looking flushed and visibly rattled. His hand rested nervously on the hilt of his sidearm. "Sorry, Alpha," he panted, bowing his head quickly. "But the Luna is up in your room yelling for you... and she is starting to yell out the window." "What the hell," I grumbled, shoving my chair back so hard it scraped loudly against the stone floor. Me and Eric headed out the door to go see what was going on, my mind racing through every worst-case scenario. Did she find a weapon? Was she trying to jump? As we took the steps two at a time, I shot a dark glance back at the guard. "Did she say why she needed me?" "No, Alpha," he replied, struggling to keep up with my swift stride. As we reached the top floor, her voice drifted down the quiet stone corridor, muffled by the heavy door but utterly unmistakable. "Hello!" My blood ran cold. The window in my suite faced the central courtyard—the heart of the pack village, where dozens of my warriors, scouts, and patrol leaders were currently gathering for morning drills. If she kept shouting, every wolf in the stronghold would know Lucian’s Luna was locked in my private quarters before the sun even reached its peak. I reached the suite in three long strides, shoved the iron key into the lock, and threw the door open.