FAZER LOGINTheodora's POV
I heard commotion outside my door. Shouting. Then silence. Too much silence. My heart hammered against my ribs. I grabbed the only weapon I could find which was a pathetic table lamp and positioned myself behind the bed. If someone was coming to hurt me I would at least go down fighting.
The door burst open. I raised the lamp ready to swing. Then I saw Marcus and Jake standing there with Nate right behind them. Relief floo
Nate's POVPain drowned everything else. My ribs screamed with each breath. My jaw throbbed where Richard broke it. Blood filled my mouth. But none of that mattered because I could feel Dora through the bond. Feel her teetering on the edge of something dark. Something she could not come back from. I had to reach her. Had to pull her back before she crossed that line.My shift reversed. Bones cracked as they reformed. Fur receded. The process hurt worse than it should have because of the injuries. Every transformation pulled at broken places. Tore at damaged tissue. I gasped when I finally became human again. Naked. Bleeding. Barely able to stand. But I could speak now and that was what mattered."Dora."My voice came out rough. Damaged. But she heard it. I saw her flinch. Saw the silver light in her hand flicker. She was listening. Still there. Still my Dora
Theodora's POVThe collar hit the floor and everything inside me exploded. Power flooded through my veins like liquid fire. Hot and wild and hungry. It burned away every suppression. Every limitation. Every carefully constructed wall I had built to contain what I was. The sensation was overwhelming. Intoxicating. Terrifying. I felt drunk on it. Dizzy with the sheer magnitude of energy coursing through my body.But it was not just power. It was awareness. I could feel every person in the compound. Every supernatural. Their essences pressed against my consciousness like voices in a crowded room. Guards. Trainees. Council members. Each one is distinct. Unique.I knew where they were without looking. Knew if they were hurt or afraid or ready to fight. The information flooded my brain faster than I could process.Richard stood across the hall. His essence felt dark. Corru
Nate's POVRichard's threat cut through me like a blade. My father's voice echoed in the halls promising to kill me and every shred of control I had left was shattered. I did not think. Did not plan. I just moved.The shift ripped through me so fast it hurt. Bones cracked and reformed. Fur burst through skin. My wolf took over completely and threw the guards off like they were children. One of them hit the wall hard. Another stumbled back. I did not stop to check if they were okay. Nothing existed except the need to reach Richard and tear his throat out.My paws hit the floor running. Claws scraped marble. The sound of my growl bounced off the walls and made the compound feel smaller. Somewhere behind me I heard Marcus yelling my name. Jake too. They must have been visiting when the attack started. Good. I would need backup because I was about to do something incredibly stupid.
Theodora's POVThe guards grabbed us before we could react. Their hands were firm on our arms as they pulled us toward the corridor. My heart pounded against my ribs. The alarms kept screaming. The sound drilled into my skull and made thinking impossible. Nate fought against the guard holding him but the man was stronger. Trained for situations exactly like this."Let me go. I need to fight.""Trainees stay in secure locations. Council orders.""I am not just a trainee. I am her mate. I need to protect her."The guard ignored him. Kept dragging us down the hallway toward what I assumed was some kind of safe room. But I pulled back. Dug my heels into the floor. "Wait. I need to see what is happening. I need to know.""Miss Steele, we have protocols.""I do not care about your protocols. Someone just breached Cou
Nate's POVI stared at the note in my hand and felt something cold settle in my chest. Thomas Steele had been dead for five years. I had been at his funeral. Watched them lower the casket into the ground. Stood beside Dora while she cried until she could not breathe. This made no sense. None of it made any sense."Maybe someone forged it." My voice sounded weak even to my own ears. "Someone who knew his handwriting and wanted to mess with you.""Look at it." Dora took the paper back. Traced her fingers over the words. "Every letter is perfect. The way he crossed his t's. The slight curve on his s's. I have boxes of his old notes at home. This is identical. No one could fake this so perfectly.""Then what are you saying? That he is alive?""I do not know what I am saying." She sat on the edge of the bed. Her hands shook. "But this is his writing. I know it is."
Theodora's POVThe bond changed over the next few weeks. Deepened in ways that felt impossible. At first, it was just emotions. Nate's anger. His fear. His love. I could sense them like weather patterns. Distant but present. Then it became more. Stronger. I started seeing through his eyes during training. Feeling his muscles burn when Kael pushed him too hard. Tasting the blood in his mouth when he bit his tongue during a particularly brutal sparring match.It was disorienting. Overwhelming. Like living two lives at once. I would be meditating with Elder Moira and suddenly I was in Nate's body. Feeling his fists connect with another wolf's jaw. The impact vibrates up my arms. Then I would blink and be back in myself. Shaking. Confused."You are projecting again." Elder Moira's voice pulled me back to the sanctuary. "I can see your consciousness splitting. Where did you go?""Nate's trai







