All Chapters of Bound to The Enemy of My Mate : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Thane froze completely. The word 'contract' hit him like a punch. He stared at Elira—really looked at her—like he was seeing something new. Wind stirred the grass on the hill. Down in the village, a child coughed wetly. "Two years?" The words came out rough. "You chained yourself to that wolf-killer... for freedom?" His mind swirled, his wolf howling. There was a faint hope laid in his chest at the mention of her freedom. A brave hope yet it came with the fear of the consequences that might cost her. "That was my last chance. I would never be able to free myself from my father's grip even if I can escape from this marriage. My father would find any other way to get the best use of me. I am really tired of living under this shell, Thane. Kael was my last chance to get my freedom," she explained desperately. "And he agreed just like that?" he asked with alertness and doubt. Elira fell silent for a while before giving him her response. "I gave him the best offer I could provide,

Elira kept her eyes closed even after they had traveled a long distance in the carriage. She maintained her sleeping act without budging. But when they crossed a stone path, the carriage stumbled, forcing Elira's body to bounce against Kael's. She lost her balance and accidentally touched Kael's hand. The uninvited contact made her flinch, and she pulled her hand back almost immediately before turning her back to him. She crossed her arms firmly and shut her eyes again. "Still pretending to sleep?" Kael's cold voice cut through the sound of rattling wheels filling the air.Elira just shrugged and didn't respond. Kael inhaled deeply, frustrated by her silent treatment. The silence felt heavy with everything he wanted to say. He needed her to look at him.He had just threatened her with Thane's safety, and now she was treating him like thin air. He wondered how far she would go if he actually killed Thane.Realizing Elira would remain silent no matter what he said, Kael decided not to f

Kael's collapse threw the journey into chaos. Guards scrambled to build an immediate campsite. Servants rushed to prepare their lord's needs. The doctor and his assistants worked frantically—examining Kael's condition while brewing medicine. Inside the main tent, the air thickened with urgency, but outside was no less frenzied as everyone carried out their duties.Yet through the commotion, one man's sharp eyes tracked Elira's movements. Richard. Kael's right hand. The very hunter who had stood in the hall and calmly received the order to find and, she suspected, kill Thane. The one whose report she had overheard, whose face she had memorized from the shadows of the staircase. He saw her slip out silently, scan the area, then snatch a small bundle from the tent entrance. Though he kept barking orders at other guards, his focus never wavered. He watched her disappear back inside... then minutes later, the doctor emerged—face pale with doubt, hands clutching that same bundle too tightly.

When Elira came back to the campsite, the guards and servants were still busy as before. She slipped carefully so no one noticed that she had returned from the woods—like she’d never left. Elira’s palms slicked with sweat as she passed guards. Pine resin clogged her throat—too sharp, too fresh. Like Thane’s embrace minutes agoShe walked casually. Some servants and guards who crossed her path bowed respectfully, clearly unaware she’d been missing for some time. She exhaled; no one noticed. Or so she thought, when a voice cut through her relief. "My lady. Lord Kael called your name during his sleep," Richard greeted, bowing.But his tone held something cold and calculated. As Richard spoke, Kael’s phantom tears burned her skin again. Drowning, Thane had called it.Elira caught it then—a sharp smell under the woodsmoke and horse sweat. Pine. Just like the woods she’d left. She frowned. But this whole damn forest was pine. She’d made sure no one followed : used her hybrid senses to detec

"Giving my father what he expects?" Elira’s voice was a low, deliberate hum. She closed the distance between them, her eyes holding his. Slowly, she lifted her hand. Her finger traced a line down the strong muscle of his uninjured arm, from shoulder to forearm, finally coming to rest, light as a whisper, in the center of his palm.A violent shiver racked Kael’s frame. It was torment, not affection. A calculated demonstration of everything he craved and everything she withheld."Like what? Hugging? Kissing?" Her voice was flat. "Performing marital bliss? I can do that. Pretending is what I was raised for."Then, she did the one thing that stole the air from his lungs. She took his calloused hand in both of hers and pressed his palm flat against her cool cheek, holding it there."But Kael," she whispered, the sound piercing the silence. "The pretense only works if you do one thing." Her eyes, so close, were chips of ice. "Don't put your feeling into it. You don't want to get hurt again,