THE BROKEN BOND

TRUST NO ONE

Three days pass before Kael brings me downstairs.

My ribs are mostly healed by then—just tender, not broken. My leg is strong enough to support my weight without the brace. I've spent the time alone in that room, thinking, pacing, and trying not to think about the alpha king who showed up at my door and promised to change things.

People lie. I've learned that the hard way.

But Kael keeps his promises. He brings me fresh clothes (they fit). He brings me books (paranormal history and strategy). He brings me meals (good ones, clearly made by someone who knows how to cook). And every night, he stands in the doorway for exactly five minutes before leaving without a word.

It's maddening. It's also exactly what I need—proof that maybe, just maybe, he actually means what he said.

When the knock comes on my door at midday, I'm not surprised to see him. I'm surprised by the formality of his posture.

"The Council wants to meet you," he says without preamble. "My inner circle. They know someone is here, and they're getting impatient. I can keep them out indefinitely, but eventually—"

"It's better to let them see me," I finish. "Gives you control of the narrative."

Something flickers across his face—approval, maybe. "Exactly."

"Will they hurt me?"

"No." The certainty in that word is absolute. "They know what I'll do if they so much as breathe wrong near you."

There's something possessive in that statement that should bother me. Something alpha-like and controlling. But coming from Kael—from someone who explicitly told me he's not interested in forced bonds—it feels like protection. Like choice.

"Okay," I say. "Let's meet your people."

The dining hall is massive—all exposed stone and roaring fireplace, with a table that could seat twenty. Only five of us gather around it: Kael at the head, Rowan (his beta, massive and intimidating), Cassidy (head of security, all sharp eyes and sharper wit), Elias (who smiles at me like an old friend), and Marcus.

Marcus is the problem.

I don't know how I know it. Something about the way he watches Kael. Something about the careful distance he maintains. Something about the slight discrepancy between his scent (wolf, paranormal) and his presence (which feels... off).

"So you're the mysterious guest," Marcus says. He's handsome in a conventional way—blond, built, the kind of wolf who probably gets what he wants without trying. "Kael's been very protective of you."

"He's protective of his territory," I say coolly. "I'm in it."

Rowan laughs. It's a genuine, belly-deep laugh that makes the tension ease slightly. "I like her."

"She's not here for you to like," Cassidy says, but she's smiling. "She's here because she's valuable."

"I'm here because Kael offered me protection," I correct. "Everything else is negotiable."

Kael is watching me with an expression I can't quite read. Something predatory and pleased in equal measure.

"Isla has rare genetic markers," Elias begins, pulling out a tablet. "She's descended from Minerva Thorne and possesses the ability to sense broken mate bonds. Her genetics suggest she also has the potential to—"

"Heal them," Marcus interrupts. "Kael mentioned. That's convenient."

There's something in his tone that makes my wolf bristle. I can feel her under my skin, ready to fight, ready to prove dominance.

"Is it?" I ask mildly. "I can sense them. Healing them is a different skill entirely."

"But you could learn," Marcus presses. "With the right motivation. The right partner."

"Enough." Kael's voice is soft, but every wolf at this table immediately goes still. "You're out of line, Marcus."

Marcus leans back, unfazed. "Just making conversation, alpha. The Council will want to know her full capabilities. It's my job to ask the hard questions."

"Your job," Rowan says flatly, "is to advise on pack security. Not interrogate our guests."

The tension ratchets up another notch. There's history here—something between Marcus and Kael that goes beyond simple hierarchy. Something broken.

Dinner passes with careful politeness and underlying hostility. Marcus keeps testing boundaries, asking increasingly pointed questions about my abilities, my bloodline, my connection to the bond crisis. Cassidy keeps deflecting. Rowan keeps threatening. Elias keeps apologizing. And Kael keeps watching me.

After we eat, Kael escorts me back upstairs personally.

"Marcus is the traitor," I say once we're alone in the hallway.

Kael stops walking. "How do you know?"

"Because he's afraid of you. Afraid of what I represent. He's involved in the conspiracy, or at least sympathetic to it." I meet his eyes. "You already know this."

"I suspect it," he admits. "But suspicion isn't proof. And I can't move against him without proof. The Council would see it as a power play, and half my faction already thinks I'm unstable."

"So what, you let him stay? Let him spy?"

"I let him think I trust him while Cassidy monitors every move he makes." Kael starts walking again. "It's strategic. The moment he makes an overt move, I'll have grounds to execute him."

"Execute?"

"What did you think would happen, Isla? Paranormal politics aren't civilized. We don't have legal systems or trials. We have power and blood and the code of the pack." He glances at me. "Is that a problem for you?"

It should be. By all rights, it should terrify me. But I've spent seven years as a rogue, and rogues live by different rules. I know what wolves are capable of. I know what justice looks like in our world.

"No," I say. "It's not."

We reach my room. Kael doesn't leave immediately like he usually does. Instead, he steps inside and closes the door behind us.

"You did well today," he says. "Standing your ground. Not showing fear."

"I was terrified," I admit.

"I know. That's what made it impressive." He moves closer, and I feel my wolf wake up. Feel her attention snap to him like a compass finding north. "You held your composure even when Marcus was trying to provoke a reaction."

"What does he want from me?"

"Access to your abilities. For the conspirators. If he can convince you to teach them how to break bonds, they can weaponize it. They can destroy every paranormal faction's hierarchy in one coordinated strike."

"I don't know how to teach it," I say. "I don't know how to break bonds on purpose. I can sense them, but—"

"He doesn't know that yet," Kael says. "He's hoping he can convince you that cooperating is in your best interest. That turning against me is safer than standing with me."

"And what if he's right?"

The question hangs between us. Kael's expression hardens.

"Is he?" he asks quietly.

"I don't know yet."

He nods like that's the answer he expected. Like it's honest in a way that matters. He reaches out, his hand lifting to my face, and I don't pull away. His thumb brushes my cheekbone, and the touch sends electricity down my spine.

My wolf wants to lean into it. My wolf wants to claim him, mark him, bind him.

My wolf is an i***t.

"I need you to trust me," Kael says. "I know that's hard. I know you have every reason not to. But I need you to understand that everything I'm doing—keeping you safe, isolating you, questioning you—it's all to keep you alive. To keep you away from people who would use you without hesitation."

"And what about you?" I ask. "What will you do with me once I'm no longer useful?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" His hand drops. "Honestly, Isla, I don't know. But I promise you this—whatever happens, I won't make you choose between your freedom and your survival. You'll never be trapped. Not by me."

He leaves before I can respond.

And I'm left standing in the middle of my room, my wolf pacing, my heart racing, and my brain spinning with a dangerous question:

What if he means it?

What if, for the first time in my life, someone actually means it?

I can't sleep that night. I try—God knows I'm exhausted—but my mind won't quiet. I keep replaying the dinner. Keep analyzing Marcus's questions. Keep thinking about Kael's promise.

Around midnight, I get up. I pace. I stare out the window at the compound below, at the wolves patrolling the perimeter, at the carefully maintained fortress that's supposed to keep me safe.

There's a sound outside my door. Soft, deliberate. Someone moving through the hallway.

I open the door silently and peer out. Marcus is at the far end of the corridor, talking quietly into his phone. I can't hear the words, but I can hear his tone—urgent, conspiratorial, afraid.

"...understand the risk, but she's different... no, I don't think she knows what she's capable of yet... yes, I can get to her... tomorrow, maybe the day after..."

He hangs up and I retreat back into my room, pressing myself against the wall as he walks past. His scent lingers in the hallway—paranormal, yes, but underneath it is something else. Something chemical. Something wrong.

Whatever Marcus is mixed up in, it's bigger than I thought.

The question is: do I tell Kael?

And the dangerous follow-up question: do I trust him enough to believe he'll protect me, or do I protect myself the way I've always done—alone?