C5 Chapter Five – The First Strike

The night after Riven left stretched longer than any Elinora could remember.

Snow whispered against the high window of her cell, its sound swallowed by the thick stone walls. The silver torchlight in the corridor beyond her door flickered under the draft, casting restless shadows through the narrow gap beneath the frame.

She didn’t sleep.

Every time she closed her eyes, the bond pulled at her, tugging her mind toward something distant — a flicker of silver light in the dark, the steady rhythm of hoofbeats, the metallic tang of cold air rushing past. Somewhere far from the tower, Riven Drayke was riding, and the connection between them wouldn’t let her forget it.

You could find him if you wanted to, the voice in her head murmured, warm and low.

“I don’t want to,” she whispered back, though her chest tightened in a way that felt dangerously close to a lie.

The voice chuckled softly. The bond is already inside you. It will pull until you move. Or until he does.

She shoved the thought away, forcing herself to focus on the silence of the cell. But silence was rarely safe. In her life, quiet was what came just before something went wrong.

And she was right.

The first sign was the soft scrape of metal — the slow, deliberate turn of a key in the lock.

Elinora straightened, her bare feet cold against the stone floor. The door opened not to reveal a guard or Riven, but Lady Sylra.

She was swathed in a pale fur cloak that trailed behind her like spilled frost. The faint scent of some expensive floral perfume drifted into the cell. In one gloved hand, she carried a small silver lantern, its glow casting her sharp cheekbones into stark relief.

“I thought I’d come meet the girl who’s caused such… trouble,” Sylra said, stepping inside.

Elinora stayed where she was, her fingers tightening on the blanket still draped around her shoulders. “The Alpha told me not to let you near me.”

Sylra’s smile was all teeth. “Did he? How charming. And yet, here I am.”

She set the lantern on the narrow stool, the light bright enough to catch the calculating glint in her eyes. “You must think this is some kind of miracle — a mate mark on the Mateless Alpha. But you don’t understand what it means for you.”

Elinora kept her voice steady. “I understand enough.”

“No,” Sylra said, taking a step closer. “You understand nothing. That bond you wear like a badge? It’s a death sentence. For him, perhaps. But for you, certainly. The court will never accept you. You’re nothing but a stray dragged in from the snow.”

The words struck harder than Elinora wanted to admit. Sylra’s beauty, her poise, her place in the Alpha’s world — all of it was everything Elinora had been told she could never touch.

But before she could speak, the voice in her head rose, silken and dangerous. She underestimates you. Let me show her why that’s a mistake.

Elinora ignored it, focusing on Sylra. “If you’ve come to kill me, get on with it. If not, leave.”

Sylra’s smile turned cold. “If I wanted you dead, girl, you wouldn’t see me coming.” She reached into the folds of her cloak and drew out a thin chain of silver. At its center hung a moonstone pendant that seemed to hum faintly in the cold air.

“Do you know what this is?”

Elinora shook her head.

“It severs bonds,” Sylra said softly. “Even mate bonds. Painfully. Permanently.”

Her gaze sharpened. “I could use it on you right now and save him from you. But I think I’d rather watch you unravel slowly. The bond will burn through you. When it does, you’ll beg for someone to end it.”

She tucked the chain away and lifted her lantern. “Sweet dreams, little outsider.”

The door shut behind her with a click, leaving the room darker than before.

Elinora sat frozen, her heart pounding.

She’s afraid of you, the voice said with clear satisfaction. Good.

“I’m afraid of her,” Elinora muttered.

You should be afraid of me, the voice replied, and the sound of its low laughter carried her into a restless, fractured sleep.

The next morning came dim and cold. The narrow window let in only a faint, gray light, but the Keep beyond her walls was stirring. She could hear the distant clang of metal, the barked orders of soldiers drilling in the courtyard below.

She didn’t see Riven that day. No one came but a servant with a tray of food at midday, who left without meeting her eyes.

By evening, the pull in her chest was sharper, almost aching. It came in waves — moments where she swore she could feel the heat of Riven’s skin under her palm, the rush of his breath.

He’s close, the voice murmured.

Her hands clenched in the blanket. “How do you know?”

Because I am part of you. And the bond carries more than heat. It carries knowledge. He’s on his way back.

The sound of boots in the corridor came after nightfall. This time, she rose to her feet before the lock even turned.

Riven entered, snow melting on his shoulders. The scent of the outside clung to him — pine, steel, and the faint tang of blood. His silver eyes swept over her, as if checking for damage.

“You’re unharmed,” he said.

“Should I not be?”

His gaze hardened. “Did anyone come to you while I was gone?”

She hesitated. “Lady Sylra.”

His jaw tightened. “What did she want?”

“To warn me. Or threaten me. I’m not sure which.”

Riven stepped farther into the room, his presence filling the space. “Stay away from her.”

“That’s difficult when she comes to me,” Elinora said.

Something flickered in his expression — frustration, maybe, or something darker. “You are under my protection. Anyone who violates that will answer to me.”

The voice in her head whispered, He’s telling the truth. But it’s not protection you need from him. It’s distance.

She took a small step back, the wall pressing cold against her spine. “Why did you come back here first?”

“Because the bond pulls both ways,” he said, his voice low. “And it was pulling hard enough to distract me.”

Her pulse stumbled. “You… felt it?”

“Yes.” He held her gaze for a long moment. “And so did you.”

The silence between them was heavy, charged with something she didn’t dare name.

Then he stepped back toward the door. “Rest while you can. Tomorrow, you leave the tower.”

Her breath caught. “Where are you taking me?”

He didn’t answer, but the faint curve of his mouth was enough to make her stomach knot.