Bonds Unbroken

"Finn is with them?" Elara's voice shook. The mysterious rogue wolf who'd claimed to be helping her was now standing alongside her father and supposedly dead sister.

Kaelen's eyes darkened. "Who exactly is this Finn to you?"

"I barely know him. He found me after I ran from you at the stream." Elara wrapped her arms around herself. "He knew things about me—about you. He warned me about the mate bond."

Kaelen turned to Jorin. "Double the guards. No one enters without my permission." His voice dropped to a growl. "And find out everything you can about this silver-tipped rogue."

After Jorin left, silence fell between them. The pack house hummed with tension as warriors prepared for a possible attack.

"We need to talk," Kaelen said finally, guiding Elara to a small study off the main hall. The room was warm, with a crackling fireplace and comfortable chairs. He shut the door behind them, giving them privacy.

Elara paced the room, her mind racing. "My sister is alive. All these years, I thought—" Her voice broke. "Everyone told me she was dead."

"And now she returns with your father, full of hate." Kaelen watched her carefully. "There's more happening here than we understand."

Elara stopped pacing. "I need to leave. Now. If I go back to my cabin, they'll follow me and leave your pack alone."

"No." Kaelen's voice was firm. "Running won't solve this."

"You don't understand. My father won't stop until he gets what he wants."

"And what exactly does he want?" Kaelen stepped closer. "You? The alliance? Or something else entirely?"

Elara shook her head in frustration. "I don't know! Nothing makes sense anymore. My dead sister is alive, my father is offering her to you for marriage, and he's talking about powers I don't even have!"

Kaelen reached for her hand, and the moment their skin touched, the mate bond flared between them. Warm, electric, soothing.

"This is real," he said softly. "Whatever else is happening, this bond between us is real."

Elara wanted to pull away but couldn't make herself break the contact. "I can't be part of a pack again. I've been alone too long."

"Do you know how rare a fated mate bond is?" Kaelen asked. "Most wolves live their entire lives without finding their true mate. We're two halves of one soul, Elara."

"That's just a story mothers tell pups."

"It's much more than that." Kaelen guided her to sit beside him on a small couch. "A fated bond means our wolves recognized each other's souls. It gives us strength, heightened senses when we're together. In time, we'll be able to feel each other's emotions, maybe even communicate without words."

Despite herself, Elara was curious. "Why me? Of all the wolves in all the packs, why would fate choose me for you?"

A soft smile touched Kaelen's lips. "Because you're exactly what I need. Strong. Brave. Stubborn enough to challenge me."

"You barely know me."

"I know enough." His thumb traced circles on her palm, sending tingles up her arm. "I know you survived ten years alone when most rogues don't last one. I know you face danger head-on instead of running from it. And I know there's a mystery about you that even you don't understand."

The fire crackled in the hearth, casting shadows across their faces. Outside, the sounds of the pack preparing for trouble continued, but in this room, time seemed suspended.

"What if I don't want this?" Elara whispered. "What if I don't want to be anyone's mate?"

Pain flickered across Kaelen's face. "You can reject the bond, but it will hurt both of us. The pull won't stop—it will just turn painful again. Eventually, it could drive us mad."

"So I'm trapped."

"No." Kaelen released her hand. "I won't force you, Elara. I'm not that kind of Alpha." He stood and walked to the window, looking out at his pack grounds. "Stay for one week. Learn about the bond, about the pack. If you still want to leave after that, I won't stop you."

Elara stared at his back, surprised by the offer. "And my father? My sister?"

"I'll handle them." He turned back to face her. "But during that week, I need you to be honest with me about your past. About what happened the day your sister supposedly died."

A knot formed in Elara's stomach. How could she tell him what she couldn't remember herself? The events of that day were a blur in her mind—Liora playing by the river, Elara looking away to pick berries, then screams and darkness.

"I've told you everything I know," she said.

Kaelen studied her face. "Your father mentioned powers. Abilities. What did he mean?"

Elara stood, suddenly defensive. "I don't have powers. I'm just a normal wolf."

"Are you?" Kaelen stepped closer. "The legends say that those with a fated bond often have hidden strengths. Gifts that emerge when they find each other."

Before Elara could respond, a knock sounded at the door. Jorin entered, his expression grim.

"The Northern Ridge wolves have withdrawn to the border," he reported. "But they've sent a message. They want to meet with Elara—alone."

"Absolutely not," Kaelen growled.

"That's not all," Jorin continued. "The rogue wolf—Finn—he left this for her." He held out a small wooden box.

Elara took it cautiously. When she opened it, she gasped. Inside lay a small silver amulet shaped like a crescent moon, identical to one Liora had worn as a child—the amulet that had been lost the day she supposedly drowned.

"How did he get this?" she whispered.

Attached was a note in Finn's handwriting: The answers you seek are in your blood. Three days, little wolf.

Kaelen leaned closer, examining the amulet. "What does it mean?"

Elara closed the box with shaking hands. "I don't know. But Finn clearly knows more about my sister's disappearance than he told me."

"All the more reason to stay here where it's safe," Kaelen insisted.

Elara looked up at him, her decision made. "One week. I'll stay for one week to learn about this bond. But I'm not making any promises beyond that."

Relief crossed Kaelen's face. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," Elara warned. "I'm still not convinced this fated mate thing is anything more than wolf mythology."

A hint of challenge glinted in Kaelen's amber eyes. "Then I have one week to prove it to you."

Their conversation was interrupted by shouts from outside. Jorin rushed to the window. "Alpha, you need to see this."

They joined him at the window. In the center of the pack grounds, a lone wolf with silver-tipped fur stood, surrounded by Silver Moon warriors but making no move to fight or flee. As they watched, the wolf shifted into his human form—Finn, standing tall and unafraid.

"What's he doing?" Elara asked, bewildered.

"Making a statement," Kaelen growled. "Showing he can enter our territory whenever he wants."

Elara squinted, noticing something strange. "Look at his shoulder."

On Finn's right shoulder, clearly visible even from a distance, was a tattoo—a crescent moon surrounded by stars. The exact symbol that had been on Liora's amulet.

"I need to talk to him," Elara said, moving toward the door.

Kaelen caught her arm. "It could be a trap."

"Or it could be the only chance I have to find out what really happened to my sister." She met his gaze steadily. "You promised me one week. Let me use it to get answers."

For a moment, Kaelen seemed torn between his instinct to protect her and his respect for her determination. Finally, he nodded. "We'll talk to him together."

As they left the study, Bryn, the pack healer, stepped into their path. Her ancient eyes fixed on Elara with an intensity that made her shiver.

"The bond between you is strong," Bryn said, her voice soft but clear. "But beware, child. Some bonds are meant to be broken for greater purposes."

"What do you mean?" Elara asked.

Instead of answering, Bryn handed her a small vial filled with amber liquid. "Drink this before you sleep tonight. It will help you remember."

"Remember what?"

Bryn's eyes gleamed with secrets. "What happened at the river that day. What you did to save your sister. And why your father fears the power in your blood."

Before Elara could question her further, the old healer walked away, leaving her clutching the vial and filled with a mixture of hope and dread.

Kaelen watched the exchange with concern. "Bryn rarely gives warnings without cause."

"Do you trust her?" Elara asked.

"With my life," he replied. "But the decision to drink that is yours alone."

Elara stared at the amber liquid, wondering if it held the key to the memories she'd lost—and the truth about what really happened the day Liora disappeared.

"One week," she murmured to herself as they walked toward the pack grounds where Finn waited. "One week to learn about the bond, discover the truth about my past, and decide my future."

Little did she know that forces beyond her understanding were already in motion—forces that would test the fated bond between her and Kaelen in ways neither of them could imagine.

And somewhere in the forest, Liora watched and waited, her heart full of secrets that could destroy them all.