Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 59: No wedding.

The dungeon beneath the pack house carried a cold that seeped into the bones, gnawing at every joint.

Stone walls held the damp scent of earth and iron, and a narrow slit of a window high above allowed only a thin blade of gray daylight to slip into the cell. It was enough to reveal three wolves, far from calm.

Ronan had been pacing for nearly an hour. Back and forth across the narrow space, his boots scraping against the stone floor with a restless rhythm that echoed down the corridor. Every few steps he dragged a hand through his hair, jaw tight, muscles twitching with tension.

Kael sat on the wooden bench bolted against the wall, elbows resting on his knees, hands loosely clasped together. At first, his stillness seemed relaxed, but his dark eyes followed Ronan’s pacing with quiet intensity, measuring each step like a threat in motion.

Across from them, Edris leaned back against the far wall with arms folded. Unlike his brothers, he had barely moved since they were thrown into the cell. His composure was deliberate—but even calm had its limits.

Silence lingered, broken only by the scrape of Ronan’s boots and the distant shuffle of a guard down the corridor.

Finally, Ronan stopped pacing and turned sharply toward Edris.

"You should have let us fight."

The words came out rough, frustration raw and jagged.

Edris did not immediately respond.

Ronan took a step closer. "I’m serious. We had them outnumbered in skill if not in bodies. Ten guards, maybe twelve. We could have taken them before Silas even realized what was happening."

Kael exhaled quietly from the bench. "He realized exactly what was happening," he said. "That was the whole point."

Ronan shot him a sharp look. "And you’re fine with this?" He gestured sharply at the stone walls. "Sitting in a cell while he walks around pretending he saved her?"

Kael’s gaze hardened slightly. "No," he said evenly. "I’m not fine with it."

Ronan let out a frustrated breath and turned away again, running a hand over the back of his neck. "She collapsed in my arms," he muttered. "And it still doesn’t make sense."

Kael glanced up. "What doesn’t?"

"She was fine before we brought her here." Both of his brothers looked at him. "In the woods, she kept up with us without slowing once," Ronan continued. "She walked for miles and still had enough energy left to train with us."

Kael gave a quiet snort. "Goddess, I miss our life in the woods."

Ronan ignored him. "She wasn’t weak then," he said firmly. "Nothing like what we saw today."

The words left a brief silence in the cell before Kael’s gaze slowly shifted toward Edris. The memory alone was enough to stir their temper again.

Kael leaned back slightly. "She didn’t collapse because of us," he said quietly.

Ronan looked at him sharply. "I know that."

Kael held his gaze. "Do you?"

The question hung in the air for a moment before Ronan looked away. His anger softened into something more complicated. "I just keep thinking about how pale she looked," he admitted. "And the way she couldn’t even stay on her feet."

Edris finally spoke. "She will recover." His voice was calm, but it carried a quiet certainty that cut through their frustration.

Ronan frowned slightly. "You sound very sure."

Edris lifted his gaze toward the narrow window. "Selena is stronger than either of you are giving her credit for." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Kael tilted his head. "That strength didn’t stop her from collapsing."

Edris did not argue. Instead, he studied the floor thoughtfully before speaking again. "There is a difference between weakness and something interfering with strength."

Ronan frowned. "What does that mean?"

Edris looked at him steadily. "It means whatever happened today may not have been natural."

Before Ronan could respond, footsteps echoed through the dungeon corridor.

All three brothers turned toward the iron bars of their cell.

A guard appeared a moment later, stopping cautiously outside their cell. None of the brothers moved.

"Princess Selena has regained consciousness," the guard said.

The tension in the room shifted instantly.

Ronan stepped forward. "She’s awake?"

"Yes." Relief flashed briefly across his face, quickly replaced by suspicion. "And...?"

The guard hesitated. "She has agreed to set a date for the wedding."

The words dropped like stone into still water. For a moment, none of the brothers spoke.

Then Ronan laughed—not amusement, but disbelief. "You’re joking."

The guard did not smile. "The wedding will take place in one week."

The silence that followed felt heavier than the dungeon walls themselves.

Kael was the first to react. He leaned forward slowly, hands tightening slightly. "One week?"

Ronan shook his head. "She would never agree to that."

Kael’s gaze shifted toward Edris, who was already thinking.

Ronan shook his head again. "No. That doesn’t make sense."

The guard cleared his throat. "She made the agreement herself."

Ronan stepped closer to the bars. "Under what conditions?"

The guard hesitated. "Prince Silas agreed to release you once the arrangements are finalized."

Kael let out a quiet breath. "There it is."

Ronan turned toward him. "What?"

"She traded something for our freedom," Kael said calmly.

The realization struck Ronan like a physical blow. His hands tightened around the cold iron bars. "You’re telling me she agreed to marry him in a week just to get us out of here?"

The guard shifted uncomfortably. "That appears to be the case."

Ronan’s jaw clenched so tightly the muscles along his neck stood out sharply. "Damn him."

Kael’s expression darkened as well, though his voice remained controlled. "He forced her hand."

Ronan slammed his fist against the bars, the sharp clang echoing through the corridor. "She should never have been put in that position! She was barely conscious when we carried her out of that room, and he’s already making deals with her while she’s lying in a healer’s bed."

Kael rose slowly from the bench. "He knows exactly what he’s doing."

Edris finally pushed himself away from the wall, movements slow and deliberate. But a colder edge now touched his eyes.

"What he’s doing," Edris said quietly, "is trying to secure his position before anyone has time to question it."

Ronan turned toward him. "And you’re just standing there like that doesn’t bother you?"

Edris met his gaze evenly. "It bothers me a great deal."

Kael folded his arms. "Then say something useful."

Edris considered them both before speaking again. "Selena agreed to the wedding because she believed it was the only way to protect us."

Ronan scoffed. "That was never her responsibility."

"Perhaps not," Edris said calmly. "But that has never stopped her from carrying burdens that belong to other people."

The truth of that statement settled heavily in the room.

Kael looked toward the narrow window again. "One week," he repeated quietly.

Ronan shook his head. "That wedding isn’t happening."

Edris’s gaze shifted toward the cell door. "No. It isn’t."

Ronan frowned slightly. "And how exactly do you plan to stop it while we’re sitting in a dungeon?"

A faint smile touched the corner of Edris’s mouth. "By the time that wedding arrives," he said calmly, "the entire pack will know exactly what kind of man Silas truly is."

Kael studied him carefully. "You already suspect something."

Edris did not deny it. "What happened to Selena today was not coincidence."

Ronan’s expression darkened. "You think he had something to do with it."

Edris’s voice remained steady. "I think Silas benefits from her weakness."

Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly. "And you don’t like coincidences."

"No," Edris said quietly. "I don’t."

The dungeon fell silent again. But this time, the silence felt heavier, loaded with unspoken dread.

None of them believed Selena had agreed to that wedding willingly. And if Silas had forced her hand—then the week ahead was going to become far more dangerous for everyone involved.