All Chapters of BLOODBOUND: The Wolf, The King and The Killer: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Declan's POVI walked the hall with my hands clasped behind my back, fingertips grazing the ridge of my spine. The marble beneath my feet was cold, but I liked it that way. It kept the blood sharp. The house was quiet again—uncomfortably so. The kind of silence that made you feel like the walls had secrets they were still deciding whether or not to tell.Behind me, I could hear him. Nikolai. His footsteps weren’t heavy, but he didn’t bother trying to be discreet. He wasn’t trying to sneak—he was sending a message. Watching without hiding. Loyal or obsessive, I hadn’t decided which.I stopped at the balcony that overlooked the inner courtyard. The air tasted like steel and honeysuckle. A strange combination. Sweet and metallic. I stared out at the dark, let it stretch for a moment.“You know,” I said without looking back, “there are less pathetic ways to tell me you’re obsessed.”Silence.I turned slightly, just enough to glance at him over my shoulder. His expression was unreadable. T

Rhett's POVI closed the study door and locked it with a flick of my finger, sealing out the world. Silence blanketed the room like an old companion, and I allowed it to linger for a moment before moving to the edge of the desk.Midlink. Nikolai. Killian. My study. Now.They responded with curt affirmatives, as expected. I leaned back against the edge of the desk, arms folded, eyes trained on the dim glass of the window. The moon was high, casting fractured silver over the eastern gardens. Somewhere in the distance, the patrols had shifted routes. I could hear the faint static of their comms buzzing in and out as the compound’s pulse steadied.They arrived together. Killian came in first, ever sharp in his black utility suit, his hair damp from a fresh wash, eyes calculating. Nikolai followed, less rigid, more casual, but there was that perpetual edge to him, like a blade left just within arm’s reach.“Any update on the corpse?” I didn’t bother with pleasantries.

Rhett’s POVI was already at my desk before the sun had fully risen, the morning air crisp and still holding onto the night’s chill. The weight of everything was pressing against my chest like a steel plate. Declan. The assassin. The Red Cross. And now, the creeping silence from the board.I didn’t like silence. Silence always meant someone was preparing to strike.A knock came at the door—two sharp taps followed by one soft. Killian. He never changed his code."Come in," I said, not looking up from the documents splayed across my desk.The door opened and closed quietly, and I could hear the light rustle of his boots as he approached. Always smooth. Always composed. I leaned back in the chair and met his sharp eyes."Report," I said.Killian didn’t waste time."The Red Cross are moving."I narrowed my eyes, steepling my fingers under my chin. "How certain?""They’re using middle-tier contacts. No direct strikes, no obvious surveillance, but t

Rhett’s POVBefore I could press on that, the gym door flung open.“Seriously?” Colt’s voice rang across the room. “You two look like a pair of wild animals.”Declan looked at me. “Friend of yours?”“My younger brother,” I said, cracking my neck as Colt strutted toward us.Colt had that cocky grin that always made me want to smack it off his face. He looked between the two of us with a gleam in his eyes.“Well, damn. You guys left me out of the fun. That’s not very brotherly of you, Rhett.”Declan stepped back, catching his breath. “He fights too?”Colt rolled up his sleeves. “What do you think we do here? Fold napkins?”I shook my head. “You’ll get hurt.”“You mean you’ll get embarrassed.”He jumped into the ring before I could protest.“I propose a trio match,” Colt said, hands already moving in warm-up stretches. “All three of us, free-for-all. First one to tap out or stay down loses.”Declan’s brow arched. “You’re serious?

Declan’s POVThe hallways were unusually quiet. Maybe it was the hour, or maybe it was the mood hanging over the estate since last night. Red Cross. That name had been dropped during Rhett’s briefing, and I’d heard of them before. Assassins. Ghosts. Killers for hire. I’d dealt with that kind before… and I knew what kind of mess they left behind.The breakfast room was a large open chamber with high glass windows and a long wooden table. A few other men were already seated when I entered—some of them guards, others administrative types in suits. Nikolai sat near the head, sipping coffee like it was blood. Killian sat beside him, skimming through a digital file with sharp eyes.And there, of course, sat Rhett. Stone-faced. Regal. His gaze met mine as I walked in, unreadable."Declan," he said without expression. "Have a seat."I pulled a chair opposite him and slid into it. Colt wasn't here yet, and neither were a few others. The plates in front of us were fil