Chapter 4 - Bound But Not Broken
1067 Words
The doors closed behind her as Thorne continued down the corridor ahead, his pace steady, his attention fixed forward as though she barely existed beside him.
He never looked back.
Even with the distance growing between them, Elara remained aware of him, and the constant presence of the bond already irritated her. Part of her attention stayed fixed on the wolf walking ahead of her regardless of how much space stretched between them.
Elara pushed the frustration aside and kept moving.
Soft lighting ran along the corridor walls while distant footsteps echoed somewhere deeper inside the territory. Everything about the place felt intentional. The halls guided movement naturally, forcing visitors exactly where Draegon wanted them.
Her thoughts drifted back toward the meeting.
Toward Valric.
Toward the silence that followed after she mentioned Draven.
That reaction stayed with her more than anything else.
They knew something.
The certainty grew heavier with every passing minute.
And Thorne’s expression had changed.
Recognition crossed his face too quickly to disappear completely, and the memory pulled her focus back to him immediately.
Draven’s death had never made sense.
The future Alpha of Valamere had been murdered inside his own room while guards remained stationed outside his door, and every answer given afterward raised more questions than it resolved.
The council’s carefully measured responses deepened her suspicion instead of easing it.
By the time she reached the end of the corridor, the anger twisting inside her had shifted into something colder and far more useful.
A narrow set of doors opened ahead onto an outer balcony overlooking the lower grounds of the territory. Cold air swept across her skin immediately, carrying the scent of pine, smoke, and distant rain.
For the first time since leaving the meeting, breathing came easier.
Below, wolves moved between stone pathways and training grounds illuminated by mounted lights along the outer walls. Guards patrolled the perimeter while distant voices drifted upward from deeper inside the settlement.
“You pushed harder than I expected.”
Nyra’s voice carried quietly from the shadows near one of the stone pillars.
Relief moved through Elara at the familiar sound.
“You stayed.”
Nyra stepped into view, the hood of her dark cloak pulled low while blue eyes moved briefly across the balcony before returning to Elara.
“Draco would’ve lost his mind if I left his daughter alone in Draegon territory.”
Despite everything weighing on her, the response pulled the faintest trace of a smile from Elara.
Her father had insisted Nyra come with her.
Draco trusted very few wolves completely, yet Nyra had remained beside their family for years. If Elara walked willingly into enemy territory, he wanted someone there he trusted without hesitation.
“You still need to be careful,” Elara said quietly.
Nyra leaned against the pillar beside her.
“I’m always careful.”
Nyra moved through darkness with an ease that unsettled even experienced warriors. Elara had watched trained wolves lose her trail entirely while Nyra remained hidden only a short distance away.
“You look angry,” Nyra observed.
“I am angry.”
“That’s probably helping right now.”
A quiet breath escaped Elara before she turned her attention toward the lower grounds again.
“They reacted when I mentioned Draven.”
Nyra’s expression changed immediately.
“Who?”
“The council,” Elara replied before adding, “Thorne.”
Silence passed between them briefly.
“That means he knows something,” Nyra said.
Elara nodded once.
“And Valric watched the entire exchange,” she continued. “The moment Draven was mentioned, his attention changed.”
Nyra’s gaze darkened slightly.
“I don’t trust him.”
“Neither do I.”
Wind swept across the balcony again, stirring loose strands of hair across Elara’s face.
“You think Draven’s death connects back here,” Nyra said quietly.
“I know it does.”
The certainty in her own voice surprised her slightly, though the feeling had been growing stronger since entering Draegon territory.
“Draven was careful,” Elara continued. “Too careful to let someone walk into his room unnoticed.”
Nyra remained silent while Elara’s thoughts drifted briefly toward her brother again.
“He trusted the wolves around him,” she said quietly. “That’s what made it possible.”
A grim understanding crossed Nyra’s face.
Someone had betrayed him.
Cold anger moved deeper through Elara at the thought.
“What now?” Nyra finally asked.
Elara looked toward the lights spread across Draegon territory below them.
The answer felt clearer now than it had an hour ago.
“While they watch me,” she said quietly, “you stay where they can’t see you.”
Nyra’s attention lifted immediately.
“You want me digging.”
“I want the truth.”
The words hung heavily between them.
“They expect me beside Thorne,” Elara continued. “Councils. Appearances. Obedience.” Her jaw tightened slightly. “Fine. I’ll play the role they created for me.”
Nyra listened without interrupting.
“But while I operate in the open, you operate in the shadows,” Elara said. “Find out what happened to Draven. Find out what they’re hiding before they realize we’re looking.”
A faint smile touched Nyra’s mouth.
“That sounds far more interesting.”
This time Elara managed a small smile in return.
Movement near the balcony entrance suddenly caught Nyra’s attention.
Her posture changed immediately.
“We’re not alone anymore,” she said quietly.
Before Elara could respond, Nyra stepped backward into the shadows beside the pillar and disappeared so smoothly it barely looked real.
A few seconds later, footsteps echoed through the corridor behind her.
Elara turned as a woman stepped onto the balcony.
Tall and broad-shouldered, she carried herself with the confidence of someone used to command. Dark hair had been pulled tightly away from her face, revealing strong features and cool grey eyes that assessed Elara carefully the moment they met hers.
The Beta of Draegon.
Kaia.
Unlike the council, Kaia’s attention carried less hostility and far more calculation.
“You disappeared quickly after the meeting,” Kaia said as she approached the railing beside her.
Elara kept her expression neutral.
“I needed air.”
Kaia’s gaze drifted briefly across the territory below them before returning to her.
“Most wolves leave that room needing something stronger than air.”
- Writer
