Page 49 of Fated Wolf's Redemption

“Tell me what she’s planning. Or I swear to whatever ancient rot you worship, you won’t leave this room with your bones intact.”

His pupils dilate. But he laughs. A low, broken sound that scrapes down my spine.

“She’s going to finish what the Elders were too afraid to complete,” he breathes. “She’s going to bind your power and Sophia’s. Permanently. No separation. No turning back.”

I tighten my grip, claws pricking through my restraint, but Ryder is already moving—pulling me back by the arm, voice sharp.

“Enough.”

I let go. Barely.

The wolf stays crouched, tongue lolling like he’s pleased with himself.

“She’s not just opening the gate,” he says, his voice dropping to a whisper. “She’s making sure it never closes again.”

I don’t bother knocking on Sophia’s door. I storm in, blade still sheathed on my hip, the operative’s words still burning under my skin. She’s at the map table, poring over a series of glyphsketches. Her head snaps up, and the second she sees my face, she straightens.

“What happened?”

“Lina’s using us. She needs your bloodline. Our bond. That’s what this has all been about.”

Sophia folds her arms. “You want to tell me what this is about or keep pacing like a pissed-off jaguar?”

I stop. My voice drops. “The ritual. The one your father tried to destroy. What is it?”

She goes still. Then moves slowly to the window. Her silence is answer enough.

“I need the truth, Sophia.”

Finally, she turns. “Lina believed she could create a permanent conduit. Not a link. A fusion. Two bloodlines, fused by the gate, anchored through stormblood. She called it the Binding. My father found her research. He tried to burn it.”

“And you have it.”

“I have the parts she didn’t find,” she says, lifting her chin. “But even then, it’s incomplete.”

I stalk toward her, close the distance. “But it could work.”

Her gaze flickers. “If the bond is strong enough.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you were already unraveling!” she snaps. “Because the moment we step over that line, there’s no going back. This isn’t just about magic or power. This is forever. Every part of you and me fused into something the world hasn’t seen since the gates were first sealed.”

“You don’t trust me with that?”

“I wasn’t sure you trusted yourself.”

My power surges, unbidden. I feel it under my skin—my wolf clawing, snarling, slamming against the walls of my control. She sees it, doesn’t back up. Doesn’t even flinch.

“You want to lead me through this?” she asks, stepping closer, chest against mine. “Fine, but stop trying to carry me. I’m not something you protect. I’m something you fight beside. You want this to work? Then trust all of me. Including the storm.”

I grab her wrist, press it to my chest. “Then let’s burn the damn sky together.”

She grins. “Not until you survive me first.”

SOPHIA

The sparring ground is quiet. No one watching now except Isabella, leaning against the gatepost like she’s cataloguing every movement we make.

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