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Jo’Nay huffed a quiet laugh, but it lacked bitterness this time. “I have had worse,” he said, though he didn’t resist when Elara offered him the med disc from her pocket. He scanned it across his lip, before glancing at Zar’Ryn and passing the disc back. “You should let her take care of you. You look worse than me.”

Zar’Ryn grunted but didn’t argue. Instead, he turned to Elara, his expression softening slightly. “You are right,” he admitted. “We should… patch things up.”

Elara smiled faintly, relief washing over her. As she helped Zar’Ryn tend to the abrasions on his knuckles, she felt the bond settle into a calmer rhythm, the worst of the tension ebbing away. For the first time in what felt like hours, the air in the room felt breathable.

Jo’Nay cleared his throat, drawing their attention. “I should go,” he said. “Winn and I have a long journey ahead of us. Fourth’s not going to find himself.”

Elara’s brow furrowed. “Fourth?”

“Another member of our Prime unit,” Jo’Nay explained. “If there is a chance he is still out there, he deserves to know about the apples. About what they can do for us.”

Zar’Ryn nodded slowly. “Be careful,” he said, his voice steady. “The galaxy is not kind to those who stray from the path.”

Jo’Nay smiled, ahint of his usual confidence returning. “I have never been much for staying on the path. You know that.”

The two men shared a look, amoment of understanding passing between them while Winn and Elara gave each other a hard hug. Then Jo’Nay turned and strode toward the door with his mate, pausing just before it opened. “Take care of yourself, Zar’Ryn. And take care of her.”

Zar’Ryn glanced at Elara, then back at Jo’Nay. “I will.”

With that, Jo’Nay and Winn were gone, leaving the room quieter but no less charged. Elara let out another breath, her shoulders relaxing. She glanced at Zar’Ryn, offering him a tentative smile.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly.

He nodded, his gaze thoughtful. “I will be,” he said. And for the first time since the fight started, she believedhim.

Tor’Vek gestured toward the door. “If the two of you will follow me.” Though phrased like a question, it was anythingbut.

The room was filled with a tense silence as Zar’Ryn and Elara followed Tor’Vek into his lab. The air smelled faintly of antiseptic, the surfaces spotless. Elara couldn’t help but glance around at the sleek, sterile equipment and the faintly glowing monitors lining the walls. It was a space that radiated precision and control, much like Tor’Vek himself.

“Sit,” Tor’Vek said, gesturing to two chairs positioned near an imposing central console. He didn’t wait for them to respond before turning to a nearby panel and activating a series of holographic displays. “These bracelets you wear. They are not natural.”

Elara exchanged a glance with Zar’Ryn, her nerves fraying at the edges. The bond between them pulsated with his frustration and unease, amplifying her own. She sat carefully, folding her hands in her lap as she tried to calm the whirlwind of emotions pressing in onher.

“Tell me everything,” Tor’Vek said as he approached them, his gaze sharp. “How did you come to be bound by these bracelets? Leave nothing out.”

Zar’Ryn leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “It was during a mission,” he began, his voice low and measured. “I was sent to infiltrate a Marauder facility and retrieve a group of human captives. Elara was among them and already wearing a bracelet. After I released her from the manacles that held her, Ibrushed against her bracelet and another appeared on my wrist, connecting us.”

Elara’s stomach tightened at the memory, but she stayed silent, letting Zar’Ryn continue.

“While we were inside, we were captured by a scientist,” Zar’Ryn said, his violet eyes darkening. “He was Vettian, but not like any I have seen before. He was… disheveled, erratic. His hair was not white or black but something in between. Asteely gray. His eyes… they were yellow, and there was something unnatural about the way they glowed.”

Tor’Vek’s hands froze over his console, his posture stiffening. “Go on,” he said, his tone sharper than before.

Zar’Ryn’s gaze flicked to him briefly before continuing. “The scientist planned to use us as test subjects. When we were in his lab, he activated different abilities of the bracelets. He said they were a part of his… experiments.”

Tor’Vek lifted an eyebrow. “There is more.” Again a statement and not a question.

Elara swallowed hard. “He was controlling them with a device,” she added, her voice quieter. “He altered something on the device, and the bracelets… changed. Suddenly, it felt like he’d turned up every emotion to the maximum. Everything became overwhelming. And the… the physical pull between us…”

She broke off, her cheeks burning, but Zar’Ryn picked up the thread. “He turned the emotional and sexual aspects of the bond to unbearable levels,” he stated bluntly, his jaw tightening. “It was a deliberate manipulation. We had no control over it.”

Tor’Vek’s face remained impassive, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of unease. He turned back to his console, his fingers moving rapidly over the controls. “This scientist you describe,” he said after a moment. “Did he have a name?”

“Not one he shared,” Zar’Rynsaid.

Tor’Vek’s hands stilled again, and this time he turned to face them fully. “Selyr,” he bit out, his voice low. “I am fairly certain it is Selyr. If it is the same individual I am thinking of, then this is far more troubling than I anticipated.”

Elara’s pulse quickened. “You know him?” she asked, her voice laced with apprehension.

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