ELARA'S POINT OF VIEW
I didn't take the pill the next morning.
The small white tablet sat on my nightstand where I'd left it, mocking me. Twenty years of obedience in a bottle. I stared at it while getting dressed, while checking my weapons, while braiding my hair into a tight plait.
Then I left it there.
My hands shook as I descended to the cells, but not from fear. From anticipation. From the strange energy building in my chest that felt like champagne bubbles and lightning all at once.
Something was waking up.
The elevator doors opened, and the scent of the corridor hit me differently than yesterday. Stronger. More layered. I could distinguish individual components... silver, wolfsbane, concrete, and underneath it all, something wild and alive that made my pulse quicken.
Kael.
I could smell him from here. Pine and snow and something darker, richer. Like earth after rain.
How had I never noticed before?
My feet carried me to his cell faster than I'd intended. I swiped my keycard with fingers that tingled, nerves firing in patterns that felt new and ancient all at once.
The door opened.
Kael's head was already up, his eyes locked on me before I'd fully entered. But this time, his expression shifted from wary to shocked.
"You stopped," he breathed.
"This morning."
"I can smell it. The wolfsbane is fading from your blood." His eyes tracked over me, and something hungry flickered across his face.
"And your scent is..."
"Is what?"
"Intoxicating." The word came out rough.
"God, Elara, come closer. Please."
Every rational part of my brain screamed that this was a terrible idea. He was a prisoner. I was supposed to be interrogating him. Father was watching.
But the pull was undeniable.
I moved toward the bars.
Kael shifted as close as his chains would allow, his entire body tense with restrained need.
"How do you feel?"
"Strange. Wired. Like I've had too much caffeine but also like I could run for miles and not get tired." I laughed shakily. "Am I supposed to feel like this?"
"Yes. Your wolf is starting to surface. The suppressants are wearing off faster than they can be replenished." His eyes searched mine.
"Any other symptoms?"
"My senses are sharper. I can smell things I couldn't before. Hear things." I tilted my head, listening. "There's someone three floors up. Agent Reynolds, I think. His footsteps have that limp from his injured knee."
Kael smiled. "That's the wolf. Enhanced senses are always the first sign."
"What comes next?"
"Depends. For some, the first shift happens within days. For others, it takes weeks or months. Especially for someone who's been suppressed as long as you have. Your wolf has been sedated for twenty years. She'll need time to fully wake up."
The way he said "she"... like my wolf was a separate entity, a person in her own right... should have felt strange. But it didn't. It felt right.
"Tell me about the mate bond," I said. "I need to understand."
Kael's expression grew serious. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything. How it works. What it means. Why Father is so convinced he can use it against you."
"That's not a short explanation."
"We have time." I glanced at the camera in the corner. "He thinks I'm interrogating you. Technically, I am."
"Clever." Kael shifted, chains rattling. "All right. The mate bond. Where to start?"
"The beginning."
"The beginning is biology. Wolves... true werewolves, not the infected kind... have a genetic predisposition to find one perfect mate. Someone whose DNA complements theirs so perfectly that bonding with them produces offspring with the strongest possible genetics. It's evolution's way of ensuring pack strength."
"That's very scientific for something that feels like magic."
"It is magic. But magic that's rooted in science." His eyes held mine. "When potential mates meet, their wolves recognize each other instantly. Scent, pheromones, something deeper we don't fully understand. It's involuntary. Undeniable."
"Like what happened when I first walked in here."
"Exactly. My wolf knew you before my brain caught up. That's why I reacted so strongly." He paused. "Why I tried to warn you away. I knew what your father would do once he realized."
"Use me as leverage."
"Yes. Because the mate bond doesn't just create attraction. It creates vulnerability. The longer we're near each other, the stronger the bond becomes. Eventually, it reaches a point where your well-being becomes more important to me than my own life. Than my pack's safety. Than anything."
I swallowed hard. "That's why you said I'd destroy you."
"You will. You already are." His voice was quiet.
"Every hour you spend near me makes you more essential. Makes the thought of losing you unbearable. Your father knows this. He's counting on it."
"He thinks you'll betray your pack to protect me."
"I will." No hesitation. "If it comes to a choice between my pack and you, I'll choose you every single time. That's what the mate bond does. It overrides everything else. Loyalty. Duty. Self-preservation. All of it."
The weight of that settled over me. "That's terrifying."
"It is. But it's also beautiful. Mate bonds are permanent, Elara. Once fully formed, they last until death. Maybe beyond. I've seen bonded pairs who died within days of each other, even when the survivor was miles away. The bond is that strong."
"How does it fully form?"
Kael's gaze intensified. "Physical intimacy. Specifically, a marking bite during... during mating."
Heat flooded my face. "Oh."
"Yeah." A slight smile curved his lips. "Oh."
"So right now, we're what? Partially bonded?"
"The bond exists. Our wolves recognize each other. But it's not complete. Not sealed. That gives us... gives you... a choice."
"A choice?"
"To walk away. To reject the bond." His voice went flat. "It would be painful. Probably emotionally devastating for both of us. But it's possible. Once the bond is sealed, there's no going back."
I moved closer to the bars, close enough that I could see the flecks of amber in his eyes. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you deserve to know what you're getting into." His jaw clenched. "I'm a werewolf, Elara. I'm dangerous, I'm centuries old, and I'm currently chained in your father's dungeon being used as bait to manipulate you. I'm not exactly prime mate material."
"You're also kind. Honest. You tried to protect me even though it meant enduring worse torture. You told me the truth when everyone else in my life has lied." I met his eyes. "That sounds like pretty decent mate material to me."
Something raw flashed across his face. "You don't know me."
"I know enough. And I want to know more." I reached through the small opening again, my hand seeking his ankle.
"Elara..."
"Please. I need to touch you."
He went very still. "Do you understand what you're asking?"
"I'm asking to touch my mate." The word felt strange and right on my tongue. "Is that okay?"
"It's more than okay." His voice dropped to a growl. "It's everything."
My fingers found his skin again, right above the silver shackle.
The reaction was even stronger this time. Heat exploded through me, racing down my spine and pooling low in my belly. My gasp echoed in the small space.
Through the connection, I felt him. Not just his pain from the burns, but deeper. His longing. His barely-restrained need. The way his wolf was clawing at his control, demanding he break these chains and claim his mate properly.
"I feel it," I whispered. "I feel you."
"I feel you too." His breathing was ragged. "Every touch feeds it. Makes it harder to resist."
"Do you want to resist?"
"No. God, no." His eyes were pure gold now.
"But I have to. Because touching you like this, through bars and chains, when I can't hold you properly... it's torture. Sweet, perfect torture."
My thumb traced circles on his skin, and his whole body shuddered. I could feel the effect in my own body, pleasure sparking along my nerves.
"What's it like?" I asked. "When mates touch without barriers?"
"Overwhelming. Consuming. Every nerve ending lights up. Every touch feels like the first time and the thousandth time all at once." His voice was rough. "When we kiss, you'll taste like home and honey and everything I've ever wanted. When I touch you... really touch you... you'll feel it everywhere. And when we finally..." He cut himself off, jaw clenched.
"When we finally what?"
"Complete the bond." His eyes burned into mine. "When I sink into you and mark you and make you mine forever, it'll be the best and most terrifying moment of our lives. Because after that, there's no going back. We'll be two halves of one whole. Forever."
The image his words painted made my thighs clench. I'd never wanted anything more.
"I'm not ready for that," I said honestly. "Not yet. But I want to be."
"That's enough." His expression softened. "
"That's more than enough."
We stayed like that, connected through that single point of contact, for I don't know how long. Minutes. Hours. Time felt meaningless.
Finally, reluctantly, I pulled my hand back.
Kael's eyes had returned to their normal amber, though they still held heat. "You should go. Before your father gets suspicious."
"Yeah." But I didn't move. "Kael?"
"Hmm?"
"My father's right. The bond is your weakness. He can use me to control you."
"I know."
"But it's his weakness too."
That got his attention. "How?"
"Because he thinks I'm still his obedient daughter. He thinks I'll play along with his plan." I smiled grimly. "He's wrong. And by the time he realizes it, it'll be too late."
Understanding dawned in Kael's eyes. "What are you planning?"
"I'm not sure yet. But I know this... I'm not letting him use us against each other. And I'm not letting you rot in this cell while he orchestrates genocide." I moved toward the door. "Give me a few days. I'll find a way."
"Elara, wait."
I turned back.
"Your father knows," Kael said quietly. "Why do you think he locked us in here together? You're not the interrogator, Elara. You're the bait."
The words hung in the air like a blade.
I felt the blood drain from my face as the full implications hit me. All those cameras. All that footage. Father watching every interaction, every touch, every moment the bond grew stronger.
He wasn't just allowing it.
He was engineering it.
"He wanted this," I whispered. "Wanted us to bond."
"Yes. Because the stronger our bond becomes, the more control he has over me through you. Eventually, I'll tell him everything just to keep you safe. From him."
My stomach turned. "That's why he told me to use whatever methods worked. Including myself."
"Exactly." Kael's expression was grim. "He's betting that my need to protect you will override my loyalty to my pack. And he's probably right."
"So what do we do?"
"I don't know." For the first time since I'd met him, Kael sounded truly helpless. "If we pull back, if we stop seeing each other, the bond will weaken but never disappear. We'll spend the rest of our lives feeling like we're missing a limb. But if we let it grow stronger..."
"He wins."
"He wins."
I stood there, my mind racing. Father had anticipated everything. Every move. Every feeling. He'd created a perfect trap that would tighten with every moment Kael and I spent together.
Unless...
"What if we give him exactly what he wants?" I said slowly.
"What?"
"He wants us bonded. Wants me to be your weakness. Wants you to be so desperate to protect me that you'll betray your pack." I met Kael's eyes. "What if we let him think it's working?"
"I don't understand."
"We play along. Let the bond grow. Let him see what he wants to see... me falling for you, you becoming vulnerable. But we control the information you give him. Feed him lies mixed with truth. Make him think his plan is succeeding."
Understanding sparked in Kael's expression.
"Use his own trap against him."
"Exactly. And while he's congratulating himself on his manipulation, we're actually planning our escape. He won't see it coming because he'll be too focused on his apparent success."
"That's dangerous. If he suspects..."
"He won't. Because I'll sell it. I'll make him believe I'm conflicted, guilty, but ultimately doing my duty." I smiled bitterly. "I've been the obedient daughter for twenty-three years. I know how to play the part."
Kael studied me for a long moment. "You're sure about this?"
"No. But I'm doing it anyway."
"Why?"
"Because you're my mate." The words came easier now. "Because my father murdered my mother. Because I'm done being his weapon." I moved back to the bars, close enough to lower my voice. "And because when I close my eyes, all I see is you. When I breathe, all I smell is you. When my heart beats, it's in time with yours. The bond might be his trap, but it's also the first real thing I've ever felt in my life. I'm not giving that up. Not for him. Not for anyone."
The look Kael gave me was so intense it stole my breath.
"God, you're magnificent," he said softly.
"I'm terrified."
"That too. But still magnificent." He leaned as close to the bars as his chains allowed. "All right. We'll do it your way. Let the bond grow. Play his game. But Elara? We have to be careful. Your father didn't get to his position by being stupid. One mistake and..."
"I know." I reached through the opening one more time, needing to touch him. "But we don't have a choice. This is the only way forward."
My fingers found his, and even that small contact sent sparks racing up my arm. Through the bond, I felt his determination mixing with mine. His fear and hope tangling with my own.
"Together," I whispered.
"Together," he agreed.
I pulled away and moved to the door. My hand on the keycard reader, I looked back one more time.
"Kael? One more thing."
"Yeah?"
"Tell me it's worth it. The bond. The risk. All of it."
He didn't hesitate. "You're worth everything, Elara. Every risk. Every danger. Every possible consequence. I've waited three centuries for you. I'd wait three more if I had to. That's what mates means. You're worth all of it."
The certainty in his voice settled something in my chest.
I swiped my card and stepped into the corridor.
But as the door sealed behind me, I knew I was crossing a line I could never uncross. I was choosing Kael over Father. Choosing truth over lies. Choosing to become the wolf Father had tried to kill.
And there would be consequences.
But as I felt the ghost of Kael's touch still tingling on my skin, felt that pull drawing me back to him like gravity, I knew I'd make the same choice a thousand times over.
Whatever came next, we'd face it together.
Mate bonds, Father's manipulation, and all.