Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 66: We won’t.

The forest had fallen quiet.

Only the soft rustling of leaves and the faint, uneven breaths coming from Selena in Ronan’s arms disturbed the stillness. The night had grown colder, the stars sharp and distant above them, and the chill in the air crept steadily through their clothes.

A slow wind moved through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. Somewhere far off, an owl called once before the forest sank back into silence.

Ronan knelt carefully on the forest floor and lowered Selena onto a bed of pine needles and moss. Every movement was deliberate, cautious, as if even the smallest shift might hurt her further. Her head rolled slightly to the side, pale strands of hair falling across her face, and her breathing remained shallow and uneven.

Kael crouched nearby, his sharp gaze sweeping through the darkness between the trees. His body was coiled with tension, every muscle ready to react if anything moved.

"She’s still alive," he said quietly, though the words carried a hard edge. "But barely. That poison... whoever did this didn’t just want to weaken her."

His jaw tightened.

"They wanted her dead."

The healer quickly knelt beside Selena and began examining her pulse, her breathing, and the color of her skin. Her hands moved swiftly but with practiced care.

Edris watched her closely while resting a hand lightly against Selena’s temple. The bond between them hummed faintly in the back of his mind. Her wolf was still there, buried deep beneath the sickness pressing down on it.

Weak.

But still fighting.

"She’s conscious," Edris murmured. "Barely. Her wolf is suppressed, but it’s still there."

Ronan reached for Selena’s hand without thinking, his fingers closing around her cold ones.

"Selena," he whispered, his voice rough despite the effort he made to keep it steady. "You’re okay. You’re with us now."

For several seconds nothing happened.

Then her eyelids fluttered.

A faint groan slipped past her lips as she shifted weakly against the moss.

Kael immediately leaned closer.

"Selena," he said, softer now. "It’s us. You’re safe."

Her eyes slowly opened, clouded and unfocused. The forest above her seemed distant, the moonlight filtering through the branches in broken patches.

Then her gaze found them.

Ronan.

Kael.

Edris.

Watching her with fierce concern.

Her lips parted faintly.

"You... you found me..."

Ronan’s jaw tightened.

"Of course we did," he said firmly. "Did you think we’d leave you?"

She tried to lift her hand, but the effort barely moved it an inch. Ronan caught it gently and pressed it against his chest.

"Rest," he murmured. "We have you now."

The healer, who had been studying Selena closely, suddenly stilled.

Her brows slowly pulled together as she lifted Selena’s wrist again, her fingers pressing lightly against the pulse there. Her gaze lingered on Selena’s skin a moment longer than before.

Edris noticed the shift immediately.

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

The healer did not answer right away. She examined Selena again, her expression tightening with growing concern.

Finally she spoke.

"This... this isn’t just poison."

All three brothers looked at her at once.

"What do you mean?" Kael demanded.

The healer hesitated before answering, as if she wished she didn’t have to say the words aloud.

"It’s worse."

She looked up at them, worry clear in her eyes.

"She has been infected with Vermora."

For a moment the forest seemed to fall completely silent.

Ronan’s head snapped toward her.

Kael froze where he stood.

Even Edris stiffened.

They all knew what Vermora meant.

Ronan’s voice dropped low and dangerous.

"That’s impossible. People don’t just get Vermora overnight."

The healer shook her head slowly.

"I wish that were true," she said quietly. "And it didn’t begin tonight. It has been inside her system for some time now."

Her eyes returned to Selena.

"The fact that she’s still alive is nothing short of a miracle."

Kael leaned forward, anger already building in his chest.

"How did she get it?"

The healer swallowed.

"I’m not entirely certain," she admitted. "But I recognized the scent in the tea."

Ronan’s grip on Selena tightened.

"What tea?"

The healer looked down, guilt weighing heavily on her expression.

"Alpha Silas brought it himself earlier today," she said quietly. "He told me to give it to Selena. He said it would help her regain her strength."

The words landed like a blow.

Kael stood abruptly, rage flashing across his face.

"That bastard."

Ronan rose halfway as well, fury radiating from him like heat.

"I’m going back," he growled. "I’m tearing him apart."

Kael nodded immediately.

"He knew exactly what he was doing."

But Edris stepped in front of them before either of them could move.

"Stop."

His voice wasn’t loud, yet it cut through their anger instantly.

Ronan glared at him.

"You expect us to just stand here?"

Edris held his gaze without flinching.

"If you go now," he said calmly, "you leave her here alone."

That stopped them.

He gestured toward Selena lying weakly on the forest floor.

"Right now, she matters more than revenge."

Kael clenched his jaw hard enough that the muscle twitched.

Ronan slowly sank back down beside Selena.

Edris turned to the healer.

"Tell us the truth," he said quietly. "Is there a cure?"

The healer didn’t answer immediately.

Her fingers remained resting against Selena’s wrist, feeling the faint pulse struggling beneath the skin.

Her expression had grown grave.

"There are... treatments," she said slowly.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

"Treatments aren’t what I asked."

The healer finally looked up at them.

"Vermora isn’t like ordinary poison," she explained. "Once it spreads through the blood, it begins suppressing the wolf. When the wolf fades completely..."

She hesitated.

"The body follows."

Kael swore under his breath.

Ronan’s voice dropped dangerously low.

"How long?"

The healer studied Selena carefully before answering.

"If nothing is done..." she murmured, "perhaps two days."

The words settled into the cold night air like ice.

Ronan’s hand tightened around Selena’s.

For a moment he simply stared at her, as if sheer will alone could force her to stay alive. In the pale moonlight she looked fragile, far too still against the forest floor.

"Selena," he murmured softly, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. "Stay with us."

Her eyelids twitched faintly, but they did not open.

Kael turned away and began pacing, frustration radiating from every step.

"This can’t be how it ends," he said, his voice rough. "After everything she survived down there... after everything we just did to get her out."

Ronan didn’t look up.

"It won’t," he said quietly.

But the certainty in his voice was strained.

Edris finally knelt beside them, his expression calmer than the others, though tension showed in the rigid line of his shoulders.

Through the bond he could still feel Selena’s presence.

Faint.

Unsteady.

Like a dying flame struggling against the dark.

"She’s still fighting," he said quietly.

Kael ran a hand through his hair and stopped pacing.

"Then we fight harder," he said. "We can’t lose her."

Ronan nodded once, his jaw tightening as he looked down at Selena again.

"We won’t," he whispered.

And though none of them said it aloud, they all knew the same truth.

This fight had only just begun.