《Bonds at War: The Untouched is Mine》全部章節：第 381 章 - 第 390 章

MINAEven though I had pushed it to the very back of my mind, buried beneath everything else I didn’t want to face, I couldn’t stop the thoughts from creeping back in.What they said was valid.That was the worst part.I was a witch without a power. Or maybe I wasn’t a witch at all. If a witch was defined by the single gift she was born with, then by that definition, I was empty-handed. A misprint.Insecurity. That was what this was.It startled me how unfamiliar the feeling was. I hadn’t even felt this small in the hands of my oppressive aunt and her venomous children. Back then, I knew exactly what I was up against. Cruelty was easier to survive when it was honest.Rebecca and Hazel had been ridiculous. However, their words had slid into cracks I didn’t realize were already there. They hadn’t created the doubt. They’d only named it.I sat alone in the extra house, perched on the couch in the living room. According to the doctor, my scent “disrupted” Elias’ rest, so even though I wan

MINA “Are you sure you’ll be okay here?” Luna Carmen asked gently as she and Alpha Alfie helped me settle into Elias’ house. I looked around, taking in the quiet space that still smelled faintly of him. “Yes,” I said softly. “I’ll be alright here.”Three days had already passed.Three days since I said words I couldn’t take back. Three days since Elias looked at me like I’d carved something out of him and then nodded, once, and said, Okay.He didn’t argue. He didn’t plead. He didn’t follow me.He respected what I asked for.It was ridiculous, really. I was the one who told him not to look for me. I was the one who said this wouldn’t work if he didn’t rest, if he didn’t stop worrying about me. And yet here I was, standing in a house he had clearly arranged for me, far from the relatives who stared too long and spoke too sharply.He must have known.He must have realized I wasn’t comfortable staying near some of them, even if I never said it out loud. Even when I pushed him away, he

MINA “Let us welcome our very own Alpha Elias!”Applause erupted around the venue. I stayed where I was, rooted to the spot, watching him walk up onto the stage. His shoulders were straight and his expression composed, appearing like he had done this plenty of times. It was like the space itself bent to accommodate him.He was shining.The thought came easily to me. The speaker continued, praising him brightly. “He is remarkable,” the man said, gesturing toward Elias. “Not only does he extend his aid to neighboring countries, but he never forgets our faction. He has done a lot for us, even at his young age.” The crowd began chanting his name then. “Elias! Elias! Elias!” At that moment, it truly felt like a spotlight existed only for him—like the rest of us were shadows by comparison. He began to speak, and the crowd quieted immediately.“Thank you for coming here. I’m guessing you must be sick of events like this,” he started his speech lightly. A series of “no’s” were heard a

MINAHe looked at me like I had spoken a language no one else ever bothered to learn. His eyes finally hesitated, just for a second.I guess I could understand him, in a way.No one is born evil. I had learned that early in life, long before I learned how to fight back or how to survive. Some of us are simply more predisposed to darkness. Some of us are thrown into it so young that it becomes the only thing we recognize as home. And some—some are exposed to so much cruelty that it seeps into their bones until it feels natural.“That doesn’t mean we don’t feel,” I said softly, my voice echoing faintly.I watched his face carefully as I spoke, measuring every inch of his reaction. His shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t interrupt me.“Do you still love your mate?” I asked again, quieter this time.He still didn’t answer.Silence stretched between us. I took that silence as permission or maybe as desperation. Either way, I kept talking.“It seems like you’re tender about this,” I continue

ELIASI looked around for a moment, but there was truly not a person here—only traces. Just then, we heard whistling. However, it suddenly stopped. Edison must have sensed we were here. I turned sharply, my vision narrowing. I saw him—just the edge of his silhouette slipping between trees, already preparing to bolt.“Fuck,” I muttered.He ran.However, that was a big mistake. He didn’t get far.Ezra and two of the guards cut him off from the left while I came in hard from behind. Edison didn’t even have the time to curse before he was slammed into the ground. He thrashed, snarling, trying to shift into his wolf, but the chains were already locking him in place.He screamed in fury. I ignored his cries and planted a boot against his spine and forced him flat, pressing him into the dirt until he stopped struggling. My breathing was heavy, but my voice was steady when I spoke.“Where is she?”He laughed.I crouched down, grabbed a fistful of his hair, and yanked his head back to the p