The council eting was arranged for the next day, where all the council mbers and necessary individuals were expected to attend. Draven and Ember arrived together in the hall, where everyone bowed to them.
Draven headed to the throne after leading Ember to her chair. As she was not the queen by title, she, as usual, sat among the other council mbers.
The main person for whom the council eting was arranged finally entered the council hall—Divine Eagle, Morpheus.
As Morpheus entered the council hall, his gaze first searched for his mate, whom he had not seen for a few days now, while trying to resist the pull of their bond.
His heart skipped a beat the mont he spotted her, but he cald himself and walked ahead, offering a light smile.
Ember looked at him and smiled back. Sohow, she found it really assuring to see him. Though they had been really good friends, this ti, seeing him made her feel different, as if she had been longing to see him.
She understood it was the feeling caused by the bond she shared with him. Ultimately, she wanted him to be around her, as he was now connected to her. The worry she felt from not being able to see him was not left to rest, but at the sa ti, she wondered what punishnt would be given to him. All she knew was that she didn't want him to go away.
Morpheus stood in the center of the hall as he bowed to the king and greeted him.
Aureus was standing next to the chair on which Agraleus was seated. Though the golden eagle was considered the king, Aureus had not accepted the position formally, and Agraleus was still the head and a council mber. Aureus preferred it this way so he could remain free on his own.
Though calm on the surface, Aureus and Agraleus were anxious inside about Morpheus's punishnt.
Evanthe, Leeora, Cornelia, and even every other person present there—no one wanted Morpheus to be punished, but they had to follow the rules.
As usual, Elder Halifax stood up from his place to address the council eting.
He greeted the king and proceeded, "Today we all have gathered to discuss the punishnt to be given to the Divine Eagle, Commander Morpheus, for creating a bond between him and Lady Ember by using a forbidden thod. According to the rules, the one who has used the forbidden thod is supposed to be exiled from the kingdom, punished to stay away from their mate till the end of their life, and not allowed to even see their mate, leaving them in agony for the rest of their life," Halifax stated, as he bowed his head once more. "We all await His Majesty's decision, but at the sa ti, we do expect you to consider all aspects of the commander's decision and be lenient with him. We do believe whatever His Majesty decides would be the best decision, and we accept it."
Halifax's words were like the words of all the council mbers, and they were asking the King to show rcy.
Draven nodded lightly, allowing Halifax to take his place, and he looked at Morpheus, who was standing there unaffected, as if he were not worried about anything. Even though he might be sent away, never to see Ember again in his life, he was prepared to accept it. Though it would hurt him, as long as she was fine, he was willing to endure anything.
Everyone waited for Draven to say sothing. Through the mate bond, Draven could feel the extent of the anxiousness Ember felt. He looked at her. The mont their gazes t, he could see her beautiful eyes staring at him, pleading for his rcy toward her other mate.
Draven had already made his decision and turned to address the entire council.
"Regarding Commander Morpheus' punishnt, he will get what he deserves for his action, which broke the rules set over centuries to ensure no one could exploit the thod of bond creation in the Divine Eagle clan," Draven began. "But punishnt should be sothing that makes the person regret their actions—that is the true aning of punishing soone.
"Commander Morpheus did not wish to have a usual mate bond with Ember just because he despised humans and could not accept a human as his mate. Using this forbidden way of creating bonds was his way to escape his responsibilities toward his human mate while keeping his responsibility toward this kingdom as the commander by ensuring the King would not lose his mate.
"Punishing him by exiling him from this kingdom would only grant him the wish he desired. It would make the punishnt aningless."
As everyone heard it, they realized Draven had no intention of punishing Morpheus with exile. So, what was he going to do, as there was no way Morpheus would be spared from punishnt?
Morpheus looked at Draven with a displeased gaze. He thought he would be given the sa punishnt and then leave this kingdom so Ember could live her desired life with only her one mate, but…
"Commander Morpheus, as you are so unwilling to have a human mate, your punishnt is to stay by her side, take care of her. You have to take the responsibility of being her mate," Draven said, shocking everyone. The most shocked person, however, was Morpheus himself.
'What are you doing, Draven?' he cursed in his mind.
"Also, you have shown too much dedication to your role simply as a commander and failed to see other aspects. So, from today, you are relieved of your title as a commander, which you have cherished the most all your life. From this mont onwards, you are no longer Commander Morpheus but is ant to live simply as the mate and protector of Ember Aramis. Your sole responsibility is to take care of your human mate and protect her from all kinds of danger. That is your punishnt."
The entire hall fell utterly silent; they had not expected this outco. They were happy that Morpheus wasn't exiled but shocked that his title as commander was taken away.
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