BOUND AND BROKEN

Serena

No!! I scream as I jolt awake from a nightmare. I feel a dull pain at my throat, my body feels like lead and my head is pounding.

It takes me a second to realize that it was not a nightmare but a memory of last night.

Tristan Sinclair, one of the Alpha heirs to the Nythera pack marked me. I groan as my body hit the bed. I feel soft silk beneath my fingers.

This could not be the servant quarters. I blink, my vision adjusting. Moonlight filters through heavy curtains, casting long shadows and I realize I am mistaken. It is still night time.

The door across the room is slightly ajar, and through it, I hear raised voices. Tristan and Thorne.

“…beyond reckless, even for you.” I could instantly tell that it is Thorne because of the smooth voice, “You let your temper get the best of you…….again.” he says.

Tristan’s growl is unmistakable. “She’s a slave.”

“Then why are we having this conversation?” Thorne counters, and I can practically hear his smirk. “You marked her in front of the entire pack, Tristan. You made her yours.”

Silence follows and my fingers curl into the sheets. I am marked.

I suck in a breath, my hand flying to my throat. My skin is raw where Tristan’s fangs pierced it, a dull heat pulsing from the wound. I try to listen to my wolf, but there is no reaction, just as it has been since leaving my pack.

Suddenly, the door slams open and I flinch as Tristan steps inside, his silver eyes darker than I have ever seen them.

“You think you’ve won?” he seethes. “That because my brother played hero, you are something more than what you are?” “You'll never amount to anything. You're destined to be a failure.”

His words sting a little but I press my lips together, refusing to show fear or hurt.

Then, Thorne appears behind him, calm and composed, “You lost control, brother,” he says lazily, leaning against the doorframe. “Now, the council wants answers.”

My stomach twists. The council?

Tristan exhales sharply. “They think I made a claim.”

“You did.” Thorne’s smirk widens. “And now you’ll have to deal with the consequences.”

The next morning, I am dragged, quite literally, before the high council.

The hall is cold as it was the last time, grand, lined with elders and council members, all watching with stiff expressions. At the center, Tristan and Thorne stand side by side.

Tristan's jaw tightens and for the first time, he looks trapped. Thorne knows it. That’s why he’s so damn pleased.

One of the elders, a broad-shouldered man with streaks of silver in his hair, folds his hands. “A public marking is a declaration of claim. You are aware of this, are you not, Prince Tristan?”

Tristan’s lips press into a thin line.

The elder continues. “The pack has seen it. The council has seen it. For better or worse, this bond must be solidified.”

I inhale sharply. “No”, I whisper. I want to scream, yell at the top of my voice at someone to stop this, all of this but I stay silent. I am helpless, and there's no one coming to save me.

“There will be a Mating Ceremony,” the elder announces.

The weight of those words sinks like a stone in my stomach. I came here for revenge, not this.

Tristan’s entire frame tenses, his fingers curling into fists.

Thorne, on the other hand keeps a straight face. His gaze flickers to me briefly before he steps forward. “This is a wise decision,” he says smoothly. “It will show the pack that their prince is decisive.”

Tristan looks like he wants to punch him but I barely hear the rest of the discussion. All I know is that by tonight, I will be bound to the man who loathes me.

The sun hangs low in the sky when I step outside, my thoughts tangled in a mess I cannot unravel. It is time for the Mating Ceremony and the end for me.

I barely register the presence in front of me until I nearly walk straight into him.

It is Thorne Sinclair. He watches me with those sharp silver eyes, arms crossed casually. “You’re distracted.”

I swallow, taking a step back. “Shouldn’t I be?”

His expression softens. “I wanted to see how you were holding up.”

I let out a hollow laugh. “Oh, just fine. I’m about to be forced into a bond with a man who would rather see me dead.”

Thorne’s gaze darkens, and for a moment, I think I see something like regret flash across his face. Then, he exhales and steps closer, lowering his voice.

“You won’t have to go through this alone,” he says.

I blink. “Why are you doing this?”

He studies me, like he’s weighing his words. Then, with unnerving honesty, he says with a smirk, “Because I have taken a liking to you.”

My breath catches in my throat.

He continues, his tone gentler now. “Tristan is stubborn, reckless. He acts before he thinks. But I,” He pauses. “I see things differently and I see you.”

For a second, warmth blooms in my chest, but then reality crashes down again. This changes nothing. The ceremony is happening, whether I want it or not.

Still, as Thorne reaches out, brushing his fingers lightly over my wrist, I feel things that I should not be feeling.

“I’ll be there,” he murmurs. “No matter what happens.”

The moon is high, casting an eerie glow over the gathered pack.

Two guards escort me towards the gathering, and on the way I see Sylvaine. I am about to greet her when she passes by me without even acknowledging me.

I pause, worried and a little offended, but I choose to ignore it as I have more pressing matters to attend to. Like the silent crowd waiting and watching.

I stand at the center, my heart a frantic mess against my ribs. Tristan stands before me, rigidly and looks everywhere but me. Thorne is in the crowd, his eyes locked on me.

The elder’s voice cuts through the stillness.

“Alpha Prince Tristan Sinclair, you have marked this woman before the eyes of the pack. Do you claim her as your mate?”

A breathless hush falls over the gathering as Tristan meets my gaze.

He steps forward, his eyes stony and cold, and with a voice that echoes through the night, he speaks.

“I Tristan Sinclair reject you, Serena as my mate”.