All Chapters of Bonds at War: The Untouched is Mine: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

​​ARDENTessa didn’t say another word after that. I wanted to ask—had Rowan known all along? What were they to each other now? But the way her fingers twisted nervously in her lap and her eyes steadfastly avoided mine told me that pressing further would only cause her to retreat into herself. It had already taken so much for her to admit it.Still, it made my chest ache. Mates weren’t supposed to be secrets. Mates weren’t supposed to hurt. I had hoped she would have a different fate than mine. In the short time I had known Tessa, I had come to realize she was a remarkably kind girl, devoid of sharp edges.We didn’t speak of it again, and I allowed the silence to linger. Tessa would open up when she was ready.By the time the third period rolled around, I was halfway through a textbook on the political dynamics between packs when the announcement buzzed through the speakers overhead.“All students, report to the assembly hall. Immediately.”Students shuffled in their seats, hastily gat

“Hey,” Elias said quietly, “are you alright?”I hadn’t noticed how tightly I was gripping the pages until he reached across and gently pried one of my hands away.“I…” My voice shook. “Yeah. I just… I need a second.”He studied me, concern in his features. “We don’t have to keep going today. If you’re tired—”“No,” I said quickly. “No, I’m okay.”But I wasn’t.This was proof. It was not solid, undeniable proof, but it was enough to know that the rabbit hole went even deeper than we thought. These girls—these victims—had been trapped for nearly ten years. And no one even remembered their names.I glanced at Elias.If there was anyone who knew more about this country, it would be him. And as much as it terrified me, I knew I had to ask.I turned to him. He was back to flipping through one of the preparation manuals, focused again.I cleared my throat. “Elias?”He hummed, still scanning a page.“What do you think about Headmaster Winters?”The question cut through the silence. Elias st

ARDENCade didn’t come back the next day. Or the day after that. And now—on the eve of the Academy Wars Finale, the match that would ultimately decide which Academy would claim victory for the year—I still hadn’t seen him. His seat in class remained conspicuously empty. He didn’t respond during the roll call. Even his friends didn’t seem to know where he was. But I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I tried to shake it off. I attempted to focus on the big match ahead, but everything around me became nothing more than noise in the absence of Cade. As I rounded the corner of the east hall, lost in distraction, I collided with someone tall and cold. “Oh—sorry,” I muttered, instinctively pulling back. But the scent that came from him froze me in place. Mr. Winters. He looked down at me, a polite cruelty dancing in his smile. “Arden Stone,” he said smoothly. “I remember your name this time.” “Good job at the eliminations last time. I didn’t think you’d be so… smart.” I pursed my

CADE I would always do everything for the people I loved. That was just who I was—no matter how much I tried to pretend otherwise. If they were in pain, I felt it acutely. If they cried, I could feel their anguish in my chest. It didn’t matter whether they knew how deeply I felt or even if they wanted me to carry that weight.The truth was—living this kind of life was… exhausting.So many nights, I longed to disappear. I wanted to close the door on everything, to retreat into silence and solitude. But I couldn’t.Because out there, someone always needed saving. And more than anyone, she did.I stared out the kitchen window, my knuckles tense as I leaned against the counter. My mother stood behind me, quietly drying a dish, while my dad sipped coffee at the table, both of them watching me like I was about to fall apart right in front of them.“You should go back,” my dad finally said. “Don’t miss school anymore.”I turned away from the window. “How can I when she’s like this?”A sile

ARDENSister? Honey was… Cade’s sister?The word rang in my ears like a soft bell. For a moment, I stood frozen, staring at the two of them. The way she hugged him, how she looked at him like he was a star in the sky. How she hid behind him, making him her shield and her warmth.Before Cade could explain further, the same nurse from earlier popped her head through the open door. “Cade, dear?” she called out kindly. “Could you help get the ball out of the maple again? I swear the wind here has a personal vendetta against our afternoon games.”Cade turned to her, already smiling—a smile that was soft and boyish, one that made my heart stutter all over again. “I’ll be right back,” he told me, gently releasing Honey’s hand. “Wait—” I tried, but the words slipped out too late. He was already out the door, leaving me alone in the room with the sister I had mistaken for someone else entirely.Honey watched me with wide, uncertain eyes, her fingers wringing the edge of her cardigan.I shift