ELARA'S POINT OF VIEW
The elevator ascended, and with each floor, reality crashed back over me.
What had I just done?
I'd touched him. Repeatedly. I'd felt the bond strengthen with each contact, felt that pull become an anchor in my chest. And worse... I'd promised to help him escape. To betray everything Father had built.
The elevator dinged. Ground floor.
I stepped out and nearly collided with Thomas.
"Whoa, hey." He grabbed my shoulders to steady me. "You okay? You look...."
"I'm fine." I pulled away too quickly, and his eyebrows rose.
"You don't look fine. You look like you've seen a ghost." His eyes narrowed. "Were you in the cells?"
"Training exercise. Father wanted me to observe interrogation techniques."
The lie came easily. Too easily.
Thomas studied my face. "Elara, if you need to talk, I'm here"
"I don't." I forced a smile. "Just tired. I'm heading to my room."
"Wait." He caught my arm. "There's something I need to tell you. About the prisoner."
My heart stopped. "What about him?"
Thomas glanced around the empty corridor, then lowered his voice. "I overheard your father talking to Commander Hayes. They're planning something. Something big. And it involves you and the wolf."
"What kind of something?"
"I don't know exactly. But Hayes mentioned 'accelerating the timeline' and 'maximum psychological pressure.'" Thomas's grip on my arm tightened. "Elara, I think they're going to hurt him worse. Use you to break him faster."
The floor seemed to tilt beneath me.
"When?" I managed.
"Soon. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe tonight." His expression softened. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't want this assignment. But whatever they're planning, it's going to be bad."
"Thanks for the warning."
"Just... be careful. Okay?" He released my arm. "Your father's not himself lately. He's obsessed with this prisoner. With proving something. I don't want you caught in the crossfire."
If only he knew I was already standing in the blast radius.
"I'll be careful," I lied.
Thomas nodded and walked away, leaving me alone in the corridor.
I stood there, my mind racing. Father was escalating. Which meant I had less time than I thought. Kael and I needed to move faster, plan smarter.
But first, I needed to understand exactly how much Father knew.
My room felt like a cell when I entered.
I'd never noticed before, but the walls were too white, too sterile. The single window was reinforced, the view overlooking the compound's kill zone where hunters trained. Even the furniture was bolted down.
This wasn't a bedroom. It was a holding area.
I sat on my bed and pulled out my tablet, accessing the compound's security system.
Father had given me limited access years ago... enough to monitor training areas and common spaces. Not enough for anything sensitive.
But he'd also underestimated how much I'd learned from watching over his shoulder.
I pulled up the admin override screen and entered the six-digit code I'd memorized. My fingers trembled as I waited.
ACCESS GRANTED.
The security grid opened before me. Hundreds of cameras throughout the compound, all feeding live footage to Father's office and the central monitoring station.
I navigated to basement three. The cells.
Twenty different camera angles. Every cell had at least four... corners, ceiling, and the reinforced door. Kael's cell had six.
My stomach turned.
I pulled up the footage from earlier today. From when I'd touched him through the bars.
The video quality was crystal clear. The audio was perfect. Every word. Every gasp. Every moment of contact between us had been captured in high definition.
Father had seen everything.
My hand shook as I scrolled through more footage. Yesterday's visit. The day before. Every single interaction archived and labeled.
SUBJECT: E. ASHFORD / K. THORNHART
PRIORITY: ALPHA
REVIEW REQUIRED: DAILY
There were notes attached to each video. Father's handwriting in digital form:
Day 1: Initial attraction confirmed. Both subjects exhibit mate bond markers.
Day 2: E showing resistance but physiological response undeniable.
Day 3: First physical contact. Bond strengthening as predicted.
Day 4: E accessing restricted files. Confronting reality of hybrid status. Continue monitoring.
Day 4. Today.
He'd known I'd found the files. Known I'd discovered the truth about my mother. And he'd let me, because it served his purpose.
Every moment I thought I was making my own choices, he'd been three steps ahead.
I wanted to vomit.
But then I saw something that made my blood run cold.
A folder labeled: PHASE 2 - ESCALATION PROTOCOL
I clicked it open.
Documents filled the screen. Plans. Schedules. Detailed instructions for the next phase of Father's manipulation.
Goal: Intensify bond through increased exposure and simulated crisis situations.
Method: Stage perceived threats to Subject E. Subject K will instinctively react, strengthening protective instincts.
Timeline: Begin immediately. Complete within 72 hours.
Expected outcome: Subject K will become compliant to prevent harm to Subject E.
There was more. So much more. Plans to make Kael think I was in danger. Plans to use my emerging wolf against me. Plans to break both of us so completely that we'd do anything, give up anything, to protect each other.
And at the bottom of the document, in Father's handwriting:
Remember: The mate bond is the ultimate weapon. Once fully formed, the subjects will have no choice but to comply. E believes she's choosing this path. In reality, she's following the script perfectly.
The tablet slipped from my hands.
He'd known. From the beginning, he'd known what would happen. The attraction. The bond. My rebellion. All of it was part of his plan.
I wasn't choosing Kael.
I was being herded toward him like livestock to slaughter.
I don't know how long I sat there, staring at nothing.
Eventually, my phone buzzed. A text from Father: My office. Now. We need to discuss your progress.
Progress.
Like I was a science experiment yielding results.
I stood on shaky legs and headed for his office.
Every step felt like walking toward an executioner. But I had to play along. Had to pretend I didn't know. Had to be the obedient daughter who was falling for her father's trap.
The game had started before I even knew I was playing.
Father's office door was open when I arrived.
He sat behind his desk, multiple monitors displaying various camera feeds. Including one showing Kael's cell.
"Sit," Father said without looking up.
I obeyed.
He tapped a few keys, and the monitor directly in front of me flickered to life. Footage of me and Kael. The moment I'd touched his ankle. The heat in both our eyes. The way my body had swayed toward him.
"Fascinating," Father said. "Look at the physiological response. Pupil dilation. Increased respiration. Flushed skin." He zoomed in on my face. "You're falling for him."
It wasn't a question.
"He's... not what I expected," I said carefully.
"No. He's exactly what I expected." Father switched to another angle. This one showed Kael's face after I'd left, his expression raw with longing. "And he's falling for you even faster. The mate bond is exceeding projections."
"What projections?"
Father smiled. "Did you think I captured a Beta by accident, Elara? I've been tracking Kael Thornhart for three years. Waiting for the right opportunity. The right leverage."
"I don't understand."
"You're his mate. I knew that before I brought him here." Father pulled up a document... genetic analysis. "Your mother's bloodline connects to his Alpha's family. The probability of a mate bond was ninety-three percent. I simply created the conditions for it to manifest."
The room spun.
"You planned this," I whispered. "All of it."
"Of course I did. The mate bond is the perfect tool. It makes even the strongest wolf vulnerable. Compliant." He looked at me directly. "And you, my dear daughter, are the key to breaking an entire pack."
"I won't do it."
"You already are." Father gestured to the screen. "Every moment you spend with him, the bond grows. Eventually, you'll be unable to resist. And when that happens, he'll tell me everything to keep you safe. From me."
"That's sick."
"That's efficient." He leaned back in his chair.
"But we can accelerate the process. Make it more... intense."
"What do you mean?"
"You've been gentle with him. Cautious. That changes now." Father's voice hardened.
"Tomorrow, you will begin aggressive interrogation. Use whatever methods necessary. Pain. Pleasure. Psychological manipulation. I don't care. But you will make him need you."
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I said no." My hands clenched into fists. "I won't torture him."
Father's expression didn't change, but something dangerous flickered in his eyes. "You will. Or I'll have Commander Hayes do it instead. And he won't be gentle. He'll make Kael scream for hours. Days. Until there's nothing left but pain and the desperate hope that you might make it stop."
The threat hung in the air like a blade.
"You're using me," I said flatly.
"I'm using you both. That's what tools are for." He switched the screen to live footage of Kael's cell. "Look at him, Elara. Really look. He's already yours. His wolf has claimed you. Every instinct he has is screaming at him to protect you. To possess you. To make the bond permanent."
On screen, Kael stared at the ceiling, his jaw tight with tension.
"And you're his," Father continued. "Your wolf recognizes her mate. That's why you keep going back. Why you touched him even knowing I was watching. The bond is stronger than your will. Stronger than your loyalty to me."
"You're wrong."
"Am I?" He pulled up more footage. Me in the archives, looking at my mother's photo. Me returning to the cells at midnight. Me touching Kael over and over, unable to stop. "The bond is forming faster than expected. Good. That means we can move to phase two immediately."
"Phase two?"
"Escalation." Father pulled up the document I'd read earlier. "Starting tonight, we increase psychological pressure. I'll stage situations that make Kael think you're in danger. His protective instincts will override everything else. And when he's desperate enough, he'll give me what I want."
"Pack locations."
"Among other things. But yes, that's the primary goal." Father stood. "Go get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be challenging. You'll need to be convincing when you pretend to be under threat."
"Pretend?"
"The danger won't be real, obviously. But he won't know that. He'll see you scared, hurt, threatened. And he'll break." Father moved to the door. "That's what mates do, Elara. They break for each other."
He left me alone in his office, surrounded by monitors showing every angle of Kael's suffering.
I stared at the screens, my mind racing.
Father thought he was controlling this. Thought he'd orchestrated everything. But he'd made one critical mistake.
He'd told me the plan.
And now I knew exactly what to expect. Which meant Kael and I could prepare. Could turn Father's escalation against him.
But first, I had to warn Kael. Had to get back down to that cell and tell him what was coming.
I stood and headed for the door, but stopped when I heard voices in the corridor.
"ready for phase two?"
Father's voice.
"Everything's prepared," Commander Hayes replied. "The girl won't know what hit her. And when the wolf sees her in danger? He'll sing like a canary."
"Good. Begin tonight. I want him desperate by morning."
Their footsteps faded down the corridor.
Tonight. They were starting tonight.
I ran for the elevator, my heart pounding. I had to get to Kael. Had to warn him before Father's people made their move.
The elevator descended too slowly. Each second felt like an eternity.
Finally, basement three.
I sprinted down the corridor to Kael's cell and swiped my keycard.
The door opened. Kael's head snapped up, his expression immediately concerned. "Elara? What's wrong?"
"Everything," I gasped. "My father... he planned this. All of it. The mate bond, the interrogation, everything. And he's about to make things worse."
"Slow down. Start from the beginning."
So I did. I told him about the surveillance, the documents, Father's plan to stage threats against me to break him. All of it came pouring out in a rushed, panicked stream.
When I finished, Kael's expression was grim.
"I should have known," he said. "It was too convenient. Me getting captured right before he assigns you to interrogate me."
"He's been planning this for years. He knew we were mates before either of us did."
"That doesn't change anything," Kael said.
"The bond is still real. Our feelings are still real. He can't fake that."
"But he can use it. He's going to make you think I'm in danger. Make you so desperate to protect me that you'll tell him everything."
"I know." Kael's eyes met mine. "And it'll probably work."
"What?"
"If I think you're genuinely in danger? If I see you hurt or threatened?" His jaw clenched. "I'll tell him whatever he wants to know. That's what the mate bond does. It makes your safety more important than anything else."
"Then we can't let him succeed. When he stages these situations, you have to remember... I'm not really in danger. It's all manipulation."
"Knowing that intellectually and resisting it emotionally are two different things." Kael's chains rattled as he shifted. "But you're right. We need a plan. A counter-move."
"What kind of counter-move?"
"Give him what he wants. But not really." Kael's eyes gleamed. "Feed him false information. Make him think his plan is working while we figure out how to actually escape."
"He'll know if you're lying."
"Not if I believe it when I say it. Not if the information is plausible enough that he can't immediately verify it." Kael smiled grimly. "I've been alive three hundred years. I know how to play the long game."
Before I could respond, an alarm blared through the compound.
Red lights flashed in the corridor.
"What's that?" I asked.
Kael's expression went cold. "Lockdown. They're sealing the compound."
"Why would..."
The cell door slammed shut behind me.
I spun around and grabbed the handle, but it wouldn't budge. My keycard didn't work. Nothing worked.
"Elara." Kael's voice was urgent. "Get away from the door."
"Why..."
Gas hissed through the ventilation system. Thick. Gray. Stinging my eyes and throat.
Wolfsbane.
But concentrated. Much stronger than the usual trace amounts.
I stumbled backward, coughing. My eyes watered. My throat burned.
Through the viewing window in the door, I saw Father's face appear.
"Impressive response time," he said, his voice coming through speakers. "Phase two has begun ahead of schedule. Let's see how well you both perform under real pressure."
"Father, stop!" I banged on the door. "I can't breathe!"
"You'll be fine. The concentration isn't lethal. To you." His eyes shifted to Kael. "But for a full wolf? It's agony."
I looked back at Kael.
He was on his knees, the chains suspending his arms above him the only thing keeping him upright. Blood ran from his nose. His skin had gone gray. Every breath was a wheeze.
"Stop it!" I screamed at Father. "You're killing him!"
"Not killing. Teaching." Father's voice was clinical. "You see, Elara, this is what happens when mates are threatened. When you're in danger, his wolf will do anything to save you. Even break his own body trying to reach you."
On the floor, Kael was fighting the chains. Despite the silver burning him, despite the wolfsbane poisoning him, he was trying to break free. To get to me.
"Please," I whispered. "Father, please stop."
"Tell me where the Silverpine safe houses are," Father said to Kael. "Tell me, and I stop the gas."
Kael's eyes, now streaming with tears from the wolfsbane, met mine. In them, I saw the battle. The desperate need to save me warring with loyalty to his pack.
"Don't," I gasped. "Kael, don't tell him anything."
"She's suffocating," Father said calmly. "In approximately three minutes, her hybrid physiology will start shutting down. Brain damage follows shortly after. Unless you tell me what I want to know."
Kael's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
"Montana," he choked out. "Small town called Whitefish. Abandoned lumber mill on the north side. That's one of our safe houses."
The gas stopped immediately.
Fresh air flooded the cell. I collapsed against the wall, gasping and crying.
"Excellent," Father said. "See how easy that was? We'll continue this exercise periodically until I have all the information I need. Rest well, both of you."
His face disappeared from the window.
I crawled across the floor to Kael, who'd collapsed completely, held up only by the chains. Blood dripped from his wrists where he'd fought so hard the silver had cut deeper.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry. I tried not to..."
"Don't apologize." I reached through the bars, my hand finding his. "You did what you had to do."
"I betrayed my pack. For you."
"You saved my life. That's not betrayal."
"Your father is going to kill me anyway. After he gets what he wants." Kael's eyes met mine, and they were full of anguish. "But before he does, he's going to make me watch him hurt you. Over and over. Until there's nothing left of either of us."
The truth of it settled over me like a shroud.
Father wasn't just manipulating us.
He was destroying us.
And we'd just proven that his plan was working perfectly.