Page 32 of Fated (The Bonded Legacy #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

LENA

L ena tugged at the hem of her cropped black sweater, the soft material weak armor against the morning ahead.

She paired it with high-waisted jeans and her favorite leather boots—the ones that gave her an extra inch of height, steadying her against what was to come.

Her fingers trembled as she secured her hair into a low ponytail, leaving a few strands to frame her face, a habit born of nervousness.

The simple gold hoops in her ears and her mother’s pendant at her collarbone finished the look, though no amount of jewelry could disguise the strain in her golden-brown eyes.

The summit’s triumphs—her connections with the leaders, the respect she’d earned—felt hollow in the shadow of last night.

Her stomach churned as unwanted images played like a horrific highlight reel in her mind: Kai’s hands on Ava, their bodies pressed together, the moment she’d nearly lost everything that was meant to be hers.

Each image scraped against her insides like broken glass.

Acid scorched her esophagus, crawling up her throat with each breath, though she tried to tell herself it wasn’t truly betrayal. He wasn’t hers.

Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

Her hand steadied as she reached for her lipstick. The crimson shade was her final defense, painted carefully over lips that had demanded more from him: “Fix it. I can’t bear to see you again until you do.”

Questions echoed in her mind, sharp and heavy as she gathered her things to leave: Will he show up? Do I even want him to? Yet, a small, traitorous part of her hoped he would—that he’d make the effort, that he’d choose her.

Elara’s presence singed like hot embers shifting beneath Lena’s skin as she made her way down to the lodge’s parking lot. “He doesn’t deserve us if he’s too weak to fight.” The wolf’s simmering fury was like steel scraping against bone, reverberating through Lena’s ribcage.

The crisp morning air hit Lena’s face as she stepped outside and joined her family near the Jeep. She forced her shoulders back, chin high—the picture of composure she needed them to see. No one needed to know how close she was to falling apart.

Ryker spotted her first, his grin cutting through the tension. “Well, well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence.” He swept into a mock bow. “Your Royal Highness, the future Luna Bloodstone herself.”

A genuine smile tugged at her lips. “Someone has to keep you in line. Goddess knows you can’t be trusted unsupervised.”

“Wounded!” Ryker clutched his chest dramatically. “After all I’ve accomplished this summit—”

“Like what?” Aiden’s eyebrow arched as he cut in. “Drinking all the champagne? Hitting on every female who made eye contact?”

“Hey, I made a genuine love connection!” Ryker shot back, earning a snort from Cian.

The easy rhythm of their banter loosened the tightness in Lena’s shoulders—until Ryker’s smile faltered, his usual bright eyes dimming as he glanced down at his boots.

“She told me about her mate.” His voice was thread-thin, shoulders curving inward.

“Tessa. She lost her fated in a rogue attack. Said their bond was stronger than anything, even without completing the ceremony or claiming rite.” He scuffed a boot against the ground.

“She’s asked for space. Says she likes me— really likes me—but doesn’t want to rob me of finding my fated. ”

“How do you feel about that?” Lena asked softly, hand resting on his arm.

Ryker’s grin returned, though it was tinged with melancholy. “She’s…different, you know? Feels like there’s something real there.” He paused, voice dropping. “No offense, Lena, but I can’t imagine a fated bond feeling better than I’ve felt with Tessa these last few days.”

His raw honesty squeezed Lena’s chest, each breath requiring conscious effort. She knew that ache, that barbed-wire pull between desire and destiny.

“Maybe space isn’t a bad thing,” Aiden offered gently. “If she is the one for you, give it time. See what happens when you visit for the delegation.”

Ryker’s mood shifted. “Oh, I plan to make the most of that delegation visit,” he said, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

“Speaking of, did I tell you Asher bought me a butt plug training kit? When I visit Redridge, Tessa and I are going to cement her status as my beta-female with a proper pegging, and I need to be ready for her.”

“Ryker!” Lena yelped, playfully swatting at his shoulder.

“It’s game-changing,” he continued, undeterred. “Cian, you’re missing out. Anal play is the difference between feeling your orgasm in your balls and through your entire body.”

Cian’s brow furrowed with genuine curiosity. “Wait...is it really that good?”

Ryker dove into his bag, emerging triumphantly with a bottle of lube. “Lesson one: prep, prep, and more prep.” He tossed the bottle into Cian’s hands. “If you think you’ve got enough, add more. Practice on yourself to find what feels good. Personally, I’m a ‘come hither’ guy.”

Lena buried her face in her hands, laughing despite herself. “Why am I friends with you?”

The laughter died in her throat as Kai’s frame cut through the morning bustle.

He moved like a marionette with damaged strings—shoulders hunched as if bearing an invisible weight, feet dragging against gravel with each step forward, gaze darting to her face then away as if the sight burned him.

A chink formed in the armor she’d erected around her heart as his ravaged expression registered—eyes sunken, skin pallid, shadows beneath his lashes betraying a sleepless night.

He came.

Relief and terror crashed through her in alternating waves as she realized this moment would either be their beginning or their end.