Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 89: It is time.

The path to the cave was quiet, the forest and dark around them. Kael and Edris moved side by side, their steps steady but heavy with thought.

The papers rested inside Kael’s coat, their presence almost burning against his chest.

Neither of them spoke for a while.

The sound of rushing water reached them before the cave came into view. The river curved just below it, reflecting the faint glow of the moon. As they got closer, movement caught their attention.

Ronan.

He was in the river, waist-deep in the water, his back to them. His shoulders were tense, his head tilted slightly as if he was listening to something far away. The water moved around him in soft ripples.

Kael frowned. "What are you doing out here?"

Ronan turned at the sound of his voice. For a second, something unreadable passed through his eyes. Then it was gone.

"I needed air," he said simply.

Edris glanced toward the cave. "Where is Selena?"

"She is inside," Ronan replied. "Resting."

There was a short silence.

Kael nodded once. Edris did the same. Neither of them pushed further.

Ronan stepped out of the river, water dripping from his body as he reached for his shirt. He pulled it on slowly, then looked at them.

"How did it go?" he asked.

Kael let out a quiet breath. "Silas is being crowned tomorrow."

Ronan stilled.

For a moment, he said nothing. Then under his breath, almost like a thought he did not mean to say out loud, he murmured, "She has it coming."

The words hung in the air.

Kael and Edris both heard it.

They exchanged a quick glance.

It was strange. It should have felt wrong. But it did not. Not completely.

There was something bitter sitting inside all of them now. Something they had not felt before. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Kael did not question it.

Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out the papers. "We found these," he said. "Hidden in the house."

Ronan’s eyes sharpened slightly.

Without another word, the three of them moved toward the cave.

Inside, the air was cooler. The faint glow of a fire lit the walls, shadows flickering softly. Selena was deeper inside, out of sight, just as Ronan had said.

They did not call for her.

Not yet.

Kael sat down first, spreading the papers across the ground. The others joined him. For a moment, they simply stared at the stack.

Then they began.

Each of them picked up sheets, scanning quickly, eyes moving from line to line. The sound of paper shifting filled the cave.

Most of it was nothing.

Old records. Names. Trades. Small notes that meant little now.

Time passed.

The fire crackled softly beside them.

Frustration began to settle in again.

Then Kael paused.

His fingers tightened slightly around one of the papers.

"This one..." he said quietly.

Edris and Ronan looked up.

Kael unfolded it fully. The writing was older than the rest. Careful. Firm.

"It is from the king," he said.

He began to read.

As his eyes moved across the page, his expression changed.

"What is it?" Edris asked.

Kael swallowed once before answering. "It is addressed to our father."

That got their full attention.

Kael continued reading, his voice low but clear.

The letter spoke of gratitude. Of respect. The king praised their father and mother for their loyalty, their strength, their sacrifices as warriors of the pack.

For a brief moment, something softened in Kael’s chest.

Then he read the next part.

His voice slowed.

"He... proposed a marriage."

Ronan frowned. "What?"

Kael looked up at them. "Between his daughter and one of us."

Silence filled the cave.

Edris let out a quiet breath, rubbing the back of his neck. "If this is true, then how come nobody told us," he muttered.

Kael did not respond. His eyes had already dropped back to the paper.

Before he could continue, Ronan spoke again.

"I found something too."

They turned to him.

Ronan held up another sheet. "It is also from the king."

He glanced down at it, then read aloud.

"He promised them land," Ronan said. "A vast one. Enough to build their own pack. He said it was a reward for their service."

Edris scoffed softly.

"And yet we never got it," he said, his voice edged with something darker. "Why promise something like that and never follow through?"

Kael’s jaw tightened.

"Maybe it was all lies, something to make our parent think he has their best interest at heart." Edris continued. "Maybe he never intended to give them anything."

Ronan’s expression hardened slightly. "Would not be surprising."

The air in the cave shifted.

None of them meant it.

But the words kept coming.

"The king was not as good as they all believed," Edris said quietly.

Kael did not stop him.

"And Selena..." Ronan started, then paused.

For a second, it seemed like he might hold back.

He did not.

"She lived under all of that." he said. "All those promises. All those lies. She had the perfect and we were left to rot and fed for ourselves."

There was something sharp in his tone.

Something that did not sit right.

But again, none of them corrected it.

Kael exhaled slowly and set the letter aside.

"Keep looking," he said.

They returned to the papers.

The silence this time was heavier.

More tense.

It was Edris who found the next one.

"This..." he said, his brows pulling together.

Kael looked over. "What is it?"

Edris handed it to him.

Kael read it quickly.

Then again, slower.

"It is a warning to our father to be careful," he said.

Ronan leaned closer.

Edris frowned. "Careful of what?"

Kael shook his head. "It does not say."

Ronan’s eyes darkened slightly. "That means something was already wrong back then."

Kael nodded slowly.

They kept searching after that.

More documents.

House records.

Small pieces of information scattered across different pages.

But nothing clear.

Nothing strong enough to use against Silas.

After a long time, Kael dropped the last paper in his hand.

"That is all," he said.

Frustration filled his voice.

Edris leaned back slightly, staring at the pile. "We went through everything."

"And still nothing useful," Kael added.

Silence stretched between them.

Then Ronan spoke.

"Maybe it is time."

They both looked at him.

"Time for what?" Edris asked.

Ronan met their eyes.

"We ask Selena," he said. "She lived there. She must know something."

Kael hesitated.

Ronan did not stop.

"And we tell her who we are."

The words settled heavily.

Edris straightened slightly.

Kael looked toward the deeper part of the cave where Selena was.

Quiet.

Unaware.

Then he looked back at his brothers.

After a moment, he nodded.

"You are right," he said.

Edris nodded as well.

"It is time."