All Chapters of Dark Chains: Bound by Fate & Passion: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Lisa’s POVHe wasn't bound. That immediately caught my attention.The guards had weapons, yet none of them were touching him.In fact, they seemed determined to keep a safe distance from him.Derek looked completely relaxed, almost bored.His eyes swept across the room before finding mine. For a brief second, our gazes locked.His expression didn't change, but somehow I felt calmer.The elder spy immediately stood. His eyes narrowed.The room became so quiet I could hear my own breathing. He walked slowly toward Derek, studying him.Examining every detail. Derek remained perfectly still. The elder circled him once, then twice.The confidence on his face slowly began to disappear.Rasha frowned. “Well?”The elder didn't answer immediately.Instead, he leaned closer. His eyes moved over Derek's face, his jaw, his scar.Then suddenly he stepped back, A strange look appeared on his face.Everyone noticed it. “Elder Wane?” Rasha asked.The old man stared at Derek for several long seconds.

Lisa's POV"You have to stop!" My voice echoed through the hall.The Priestess stood with one hand still raised toward Derek. The invisible force holding him against the wall seemed to hum through the air itself.She turned her head slightly toward me. "Only if Derek respects himself."I stared at her in disbelief. "You don't understand," I said quickly. "Derek will kill you."Her lips curved faintly. "I don't think so."My heart sank. She really believed that. She really believed she had won.Then Derek moved. One second he was lying in the shadows. The next he was standing. His eyes flashed bright red.The speed of it made several elders flinch. Even the Priestess looked surprised."Derek," I said quickly. "Calm down. We can talk our way out of this."His gaze remained fixed on the Priestess "This is me being calm." The way he said it made chills crawl down my spine. "And I'm only calm because they're girls," he continued. "Not a worthy opponent for me."The room fell silent.Rasha'

Lisa's POVBy the time Derek and I arrived at the meeting hall, everyone was already gathered.The atmosphere felt noticeably different from before.Earlier, the room had nearly turned into a battlefield. Now, despite the tension hanging in the air, everyone seemed determined to at least pretend to be civilized.Rasha sat at the head of the round table. The elders occupied their usual seats around her.Ava sat quietly on one side, her expression calm and unreadable as always.The moment she saw me enter, she gestured toward the empty seat beside her. "Lisa." I nodded politely and walked over.As I sat down, Ava extended her hand toward Derek, indicating the empty chair beside mine.For a second, I thought he would refuse. Derek looked at the chair. Then at Ava. Then at the chair again. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he sat down.The elders visibly relaxed. Apparently, getting Derek to sit down without threatening somebody counted as progress.Rasha cleared her throat. Ever

Lisa's POV"As soon as the war begins," Ava said calmly, looking around the table, "Bloodshot Pack is going to know. So it's best we inform them that their long-lost prince is alive and fighting for Silverfang. That way, they wouldn't try to attack us while we're busy fighting the hybrids."Several elders nodded. One even muttered, "A smart precaution."I immediately shook my head. "I don't think that's a good idea."The room turned toward me. Derek remained silent. But I knew that silence. I knew exactly what he was thinking. The idea was terrible.Rasha, however, seemed to like it. "For once," she said, "I agree with Ava."The elders nodded in approval. "It's a good course of action.""It removes one threat.""It buys us time."I felt frustration building in my chest. "If you do that," I said, "you'll be inviting a whole lot of trouble into your territory."Ava raised an eyebrow. "Apart from the hybrids and Bloodshot, I don't see any other trouble to deal with."I swallowed. Because

Lisa's POVHe's feeding on the livers of gorillas. He has killed several already," Ava said slowly.I swallowed hard. For a second, my mind went blank. Then relief washed through me. At least he was killing animals. Not humans.That would have been much worse. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.Ava noticed."You seem relieved.""I am."She tilted her head. "Most people would be horrified."I shrugged."Trust me, there are worse things Derek could be hunting."Ava studied me carefully. The firelight danced across her pale face. "Is that what he feeds on?""Who?""Derek."I frowned. "Uhm..." The truth was I didn't know.I had seen Derek do many strange things.Kill rogues. Rip apart monsters. Fight impossible battles. Survive wounds that should have killed him.But feeding on fresh animal organs? I had never seen that."I've never seen him feed on animals," I admitted. "In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him eat anything with fresh blood."Ava looked surprised. "That's