Chapter 5: Best Friend Betrayal (Lena POV)

With that, he turned to leave as Kai led me back into the room, how had everything gone so wrong?

I woke to arguing.

For a moment, I was disoriented, unfamiliar ceiling and soft sheets and Kai's arm around my waist, when had that happened? Then I heard the voices outside the door and came fully awake.

"…don't care what your protocols are, I need to see her!"

Theo.

I untangled myself from Kai, who was also waking up, and went to the door. Two guards stood outside, looking uncomfortable, while Theo faced them down with a fury I'd never seen from him before.

"Theo?" I said, and he spun around.

"Lena. Thank god." He tried to push past the guards, but they blocked him. "These idiots won't let me…"

"It's okay," I told the guards. "He's my friend."

They looked uncertain until Kai appeared behind me. "Let him in. But stay posted outside."

The guards stepped aside, and Theo practically fell into the room, grabbing my shoulders.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you? I heard about your mother… He stopped, looking at me. At the bedroom visible behind me and at Kai standing there in rumpled sleep clothes. "Did you…"

"We slept," I said firmly. "Just slept, nothing else."

"Yet," Theo said bitterly.

"Theo…"

He gestured wildly. "You accept his mate claim, move into his rooms, and now you're sleeping in his bed while your mother is facing execution?"

"That's not true," Kai said quietly.

Theo rounded on him. "You're using her. Everyone can see it. You claim this mate bond bullshit to…"

"It's not bullshit," I interrupted. "The bond is real, Theo. I felt it."

He looked at me like I'd slapped him. "You can't actually believe…"

"I do. I don't understand it, and I definitely didn't ask for it, but it's real." I took a breath. "And Kai is trying to help. He's pushing for an investigation into my father's death and…"

Theo's voice cracked. "Lena, they're going to destroy you. The high-bloods hate you, the Alpha wants to use you, and you're just going along with it because of some magical bond that's probably manipulated anyway…"

"That's enough," Kai said, his voice dropping to something dangerous.

Theo laughed. "Lena, I've been in love with you since we were kids. I've protected you, supported you, been there for every awful thing this pack did to you. And the second some high-blood prince claims you, you just… accept it?"

The room went silent.

I'd known. Of course I'd known, on some level. But hearing him say it out loud, with such raw pain, made my heart crack.

"Theo," I said softly. "I love you too. As my best friend. As family. But not…"

He turned to leave, but I grabbed his arm. "Don't do this. Don't let this destroy our friendship."

"Our friendship?" He pulled away gently but firmly. "Lena, our friendship ended the moment you accepted his claim. Now you're just… someone I used to know. Someone who became someone else."

"That's not true…"

But he was already walking out, brushing past the guards and disappearing down the hall.

I stood there, frozen, feeling like something vital had just been ripped out of my chest.

Kai's hand touched my shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Don't." I stepped away from his touch. "Just… give me a minute."

I went to the window, pressing my forehead against the cool glass. Below, I could see pack members going about their day, normal and oblivious to the chaos swirling in the compound. Somewhere out there, Theo was hurting because of choices I'd made. My mother was under guard. Seventeen dead wolves were still waiting for justice.

And I was supposed to complete a mating bond with a man I barely knew to stabilize a pack that had never wanted me in the first place.

"This is all wrong," I whispered.

"I know," Kai said from across the room, giving me space. "But we'll fix what we can. Starting with your mother's trial. I've already contacted sympathetic council members. We'll make sure she gets real justice."

I turned to face him. "And Theo? How do we fix that?"

"I don't know if we can. Not right now." His expression was pained. "He loves you. Seeing you with me, bound to me, that's not something that heals quickly."

"He's part of the Resistance. Your father is planning a raid. If something happens to him because I chose you…"

"I won't let that happen," Kai said firmly. "I'll get word to the Resistance about the raid. Give them time to scatter or hide evidence. Your friend will be safe."

"Why would you help him when he clearly hates you?"

"Because you care about him. And because he's right that you deserve better than being caught in the middle of pack politics." Kai moved closer but didn't touch me. "I meant what I said before. When we complete the bond, it'll be your choice. And if you decide this is too much, if you want to reject it and figure out another way, I'll understand."

I studied his face, searching for the manipulation Theo had accused him of. But all I saw was sincerity and a bone-deep weariness that matched my own.

"I don't want to reject the bond," I admitted. "I hate that I don't want to, because it would be so much simpler if I did. But every time I think about it, something inside me screams no."

"That's the bond talking."

I took a breath. "I'm not ready to complete the mating ritual. But I'm not ready to give up on this either. Can we exist in that in-between for a while?"

"As long as you need," he said. "Though my father won't be patient forever."