Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 93: Lay finger.

Even though they had not made it obvious, they had been watching her the entire evening. Seeing her sitting alone and isolated should have stirred something inside them. It usually did. But this time, they felt nothing.

Nothing except an unexplainable bitterness toward her.

Kael had watched her rise from where she sat and begin walking toward them, her face calm, her hands tight at her sides.

The firelight flickered over her features, casting shadows that made her look smaller than she was. Fragile. Almost breakable.

Kael, Edris, and Ronan sat together with their heads close, speaking in low murmurs. They glanced at her but said nothing.

"I think I want to leave," she said.

Her voice was steady, though a faint tremor slipped through.

The three of them went still for a brief moment. Kael lifted a brow. Edris shifted slightly. Ronan’s face remained neutral and unreadable.

"Leave?" Kael asked, his tone casual, almost like he did not believe her.

"Yes. I need to go back home."

Her eyes searched theirs, waiting for something that did not come.

They exchanged quiet, deliberate glances. After a moment, Edris leaned back and spoke.

"If you’re tired, you should go back inside and sleep."

Selena pressed her lips together, forcing herself to stay composed.

"I am not going back inside," she said softly. "I am going home."

Kael’s mouth twitched as if he wanted to argue.

"Home? That’s far. Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said, her throat tightening. "I cannot stay where I feel unwanted."

They said nothing.

The silence stretched, heavy and unmoving.

Edris broke it.

"Go, then. If that’s what you want."

Something flickered across her face. Surprise. Hurt. It was gone just as quickly.

She straightened her back and turned toward the mouth of the cave.

None of them stopped her.

None of them called her back.

She walked into the trees without looking behind her.

The moment she disappeared, Kael’s jaw tightened.

"She actually went," he muttered.

Edris let out a dry snort. "Spoiled as always. She still thinks she’s in the palace, not out here in the woods."

Ronan shook his head, his voice low and sharp.

"The same wolf who couldn’t walk a few miles without nagging is out there now, acting like she owns the forest."

Kael’s fists clenched at his sides.

"And she has no idea what it means to survive out here."

Their eyes met.

No words were needed.

The decision was already made.

They waited a few seconds longer, as if giving her a head start, then moved.

They slipped into the forest like shadows, silent and controlled, keeping enough distance so she would not notice them.

Selena did not see them.

That was how it would remain.

They would watch. They would judge. They would make sure she did not walk into real danger.

All without her knowing they were there.

The forest stretched around them in quiet stillness. Leaves shifted softly underfoot.

Then laughter drifted through the trees.

Low. Mocking.

Kael raised a hand, and they stopped.

Ahead, shadows moved.

Rogues.

A small group stepped into view, rough and careless, circling her like she was prey. One of them moved forward, a grin spreading across his face.

"Lost your pack, little wolf?"

Selena’s hands twitched. A low growl rose from her chest as Lyra stirred beneath her skin, claws pressing forward, her body coiled and ready. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"I can handle myself," she said.

Her voice was firm, but tight.

Another rogue laughed, slow and cruel.

"Can you really? Or are you just running from your little friends?"

"Back off," she snapped, her teeth flashing.

"Oh, we’re just playing," another said. "Don’t tell me you’re scared already."

The brothers watched in silence.

She did not call for help.

She did not hesitate.

She faced them.

Kael’s teeth clenched. "She’s... still acting stubborn. I mean, why can’t she just call out to us to help her."

Edris frowned, his voice quieter now. "You think she can actually do this?"

Ronan’s expression hardened. "Or maybe she’s been pretending all along. Acting weak just to keep us around her."

They watched closely as she moved.

She dodged the first strike. Then she struck back.

Fast. Clean. Precise.

The rogues staggered as her claws cut through them. Lyra’s presence surged with each movement, her growl sharp and alive.

"She’s good," Kael said under his breath. "Too good."

"She’s been playing us," Edris muttered, jaw tight. "She’s supposed to be ours," he added, his voice low with irritation. "Not out here proving herself to anyone else."

Ronan’s gaze stayed fixed on her. "Look at her. Acting like she doesn’t need anyone."

The fight ended quickly.

Selena stood there, breathing hard, scratches lining her arms, but her stance remained strong. Steady.

She had handled them.

On her own.

That was what settled uneasily in the brothers’ chests.

"She thinks she can do this without us," Kael said, his voice hard.

Edris shook his head slowly. "I don’t care what she thinks. She doesn’t get to walk out on us."

His eyes darkened slightly.

"She belongs to us."

Before anything else could be said, movement shifted at the edge of the clearing.

All three of them noticed it at the same time.

More shadows.

Another group stepped forward from the trees.

Larger. Stronger. More organized.

Not careless like the first.

These ones moved like predators.

Ronan’s gaze sharpened. "We’ve got company."

Kael’s eyes narrowed as he studied them. "Do you think she can take them?"

Edris let out a short breath, something close to a smirk touching his lips.

"She’s been acting all high and mighty. Let’s see."

He tilted his head slightly.

"Besides, she hasn’t called for us. If she needs us, she knows what to do."

They stayed where they were, watching.

The rogues approached her slowly, speaking in low tones.

Selena stood her ground, but something in her posture had changed.

Even from a distance, they could see it.

This was different.

Kael’s jaw tightened.

"Are we really going to do nothing?" he asked.

Ronan did not look at him.

"If anyone is going to hurt her," he said quietly, "it should be us."

Edris remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the rogues as he studied their movements, their positions, their numbers.

His expression darkened.

"If they lay a finger on her," he said slowly, "they won’t live long enough to regret it."