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Ch. 13 The Price of Defiance

Author: Cara Anderson
last update Last Updated: 2025-03-22 11:50:19
Dane

The Mountain Ridge compound rises from the mist as I approach, its stone walls and watchtowers as imposing as they were when I left. Home. Though it feels less like a sanctuary and more like a battlefield today.

Summit stirs restlessly as we pass through the main gates, guards snapping to attention as they recognize me. Three hours of driving with my wolf pacing anxiously beneath my skin has left me raw, on edge. Every mile that separated me from Finley was physical torture, the mate bond pulling me back toward Forest Trails with increasing urgency.

But this needs to be done. I made her a promise, and I intend to keep it.

"Alpha Parker is expecting you in his study," the head guard informs me, his expression carefully neutral. News travels fast in wolf packs. No doubt everyone knows what happened at Forest Trails by now.

I nod my acknowledgment and head toward the main house—a sprawling stone structure that looms over the rest of the compound. The building has stood for over a ce
Cara Anderson

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  • Not Their Luna: A Female Alpha Story   Their Fractured Bond Ch. 71

    RhettThe drive home from Denver feels endless, but the moment I pull into our driveway, I can sense Brynlee's presence through the mate bond—not the fractured, uncertain connection that marked her early recovery, but genuine warmth and anticipation.She's been waiting for me, I realize. Worried about how the testimony went, hoping for good news.I find her in the kitchen with Maya, both of them working on what looks like celebration preparations. Homemade cookies cooling on racks, Maya's artwork displayed like party decorations, the kind of scene that speaks to hope rather than mere survival."How did it go?" Brynlee asks immediately, studying my face for clues about the trial's outcome."Good, I think. The jury seemed engaged, and Santos is confident we made our point about the psychological torture."Though whether that translates to conviction remains to be seen."The attorney said Dr. Gorian might face twenty years if convicted on all counts," I continue. "And the Enhanced Indivi

  • Not Their Luna: A Female Alpha Story   Their Fractured Bond Ch. 70

    RhettThe federal courthouse in Denver is surrounded by media trucks and protesters carrying signs that read everything from "Justice for Enhanced Individuals" to "Government Accountability Now." Dr. Gorian's trial has become a lightning rod for public debate about the Enhanced Individual Research Act, and today is the day I testify about what they did to my pregnant mate.The thought still sends rage through me so intense that Kian paces restlessly beneath my skin, demanding violence against everyone who participated in Brynlee's torture."Remember," Harper says as we approach the courthouse steps, "stick to facts, stay calm, and let your testimony speak for itself. The jury needs to see the human cost of this program, not just the legal violations. And they certainly don’t need a reason to think our kind deserve to be locked away."Right. I can do that. Brynlee's fractured ability to trust reality, her constant need to verify that our life is genuine, the weeks of careful healing re

  • Not Their Luna: A Female Alpha Story   Their Fractured Bond Ch. 69

    BrynleeAfter the appointment, grocery shopping feels almost normal. Rhett pushes the cart while I navigate our usual list, both of us automatically coordinating around each other's movements in ways that speak to years of shared domestic routine.Muscle memory, I think, watching how naturally we fall into familiar patterns. Our bodies remember how to be together even when my mind questions everything."Rhett," I say suddenly, stopping in the middle of the cereal aisle. "Can I touch you?"The request catches him off guard, and I see him struggling not to read too much into it while trying to respect whatever boundaries I need."Of course," he says carefully. "However you want, whenever you want."However you want, whenever you want. No pressure, no expectations, just permission to reconnect physically at whatever pace feels safe.I reach out and place my hand flat against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat through his shirt. Real pulse, real warmth, real presence th

  • Not Their Luna: A Female Alpha Story   Their Fractured Bond Ch. 68

    Brynlee Three weeks home, and I'm finally starting to believe that some things are too detailed, too emotionally complex, too perfectly imperfect to be made up.Like the way Rhett makes coffee every morning—not the careful, precise measurements that a programmed simulation would use, but the slightly haphazard approach of someone who's still half-asleep. One morning too strong, the next morning too weak, always accompanied by soft cursing when he can't find his favorite mug.Real people have inconsistencies, I tell myself, watching him search through cabinets for the ceramic mug Maya made him last Father's Day. Fabrications would be more polished."Found it," he says with satisfaction, producing the lopsided mug that says "World's Best Daddy" in five-year-old handwriting.The genuine pleasure in his voice over something so mundane sends warmth through me that I'm finally learning to trust. Dr. Gorian's lies were sophisticated, but they focused on dramatic emotional moments rather tha

  • Not Their Luna: A Female Alpha Story   Their Fractured Bond Ch. 67

    Rhett "I'm going to try very hard to stay home forever," Brynlee tells Maya honestly. "But sometimes I might feel confused or scared because of what the bad people did to me. When that happens, I need you to be patient and remind me that we're safe."She's asking our five-year-old daughter to help anchor her to reality when her own mind can't be trusted. I dig my nails into my palms, the biting pain a reminder not to give in to the need to roar in frustration. Maya nods with the seriousness she brings to important responsibilities. "I can do that. I've been taking care of Daddy while you were gone, so I know how to take care of people who are sad."The innocent observation reminds me that Maya has been watching me struggle through grief and desperation for the past two weeks, learning that adults need care too sometimes."I brought you something," Maya announces, producing the garden drawing she's been clutching. "I drew new pictures of our vegetable garden, but I added a nursery se

  • Not Their Luna: A Female Alpha Story   Their Fractured Bond Ch. 66

    RhettThe emergency room at Denver General is chaos when we arrive—media crews trying to get statements, federal agents attempting damage control, and medical staff struggling to process twelve individuals who've been subjected to systematic psychological torture.But all of that fades to background noise when I see Brynlee sitting on an examination table, allowing a doctor to check her vital signs while she stares at her hands like she's still not entirely convinced they're real.Two weeks, I think with rage that threatens to overwhelm my need to be supportive. Two weeks of systematic psychological destruction that might take months or years to heal completely."Mr. Bennett?" Dr. Martinez—not the federal agent who took Brynlee, but a trauma specialist who's been briefed on what our people endured—approaches with the kind of careful expression that means she has news I won't want to hear."How is she?" I ask."Physically, better than expected. The pregnancy is progressing normally desp

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