63: Emma

‘Not certain. But... different now. Stronger. The true mate bond... it changed something in us.’ I felt her gathering herself, her presence growing more distinct behind the fractures in the barrier. ‘Not like before, when we were younger. When he took advantage.’

She was right. When Benjamin had marked me years ago, I'd been barely twenty, intimidated by his position and power. Artemis had been subdued by the force of his dominance. But now? After finding Theo, after experiencing a true mate bond? Something fundamental had shifted in both of us.

‘You need to save your strength then, Artemis, please,’ I urged, the reality of our situation weighing heavily. ‘I can't go back to him. I can't.’

The thought of being under Benjamin's control again—of his hands on me, his will dominating mine—made my heart race with panic. The memory of those years was a darkness I couldn't face again, not after tasting true freedom, true partnership with Theo.

‘We won't, Em,’ Artemis replied, her mental voice hardening with determination despite its weakness. ‘We're stronger than Benjamin knows, and we always have been.’

There was truth in that. Benjamin had never seen the real me—the strength I'd hidden, the resistance I'd masked behind compliance. He'd believed his own myth: that I was broken to his will. It had been safer that way, to let him think he'd won.

‘What about reaching the others?’ I asked, thinking of my brother, of Theo. If they only knew where I was...

‘We should be able to reach Elijah through the pack bond,’ Artemis replied. ‘But I don't have the strength for a conversation, not if I'm going to be able to fight the mark when Benjamin tries again.’

The "when," not "if," hung between us like a shadow. Benjamin would try. It was only a matter of time.

‘Let's do it,’ I decided, steeling myself for the effort it would require. ‘Just enough to let him know where we are.’

Together, we turned our attention from widening the barrier's cracks to sending a thin thread of communication along the pack bond I shared with my brother. The pack bond was different from my connection with Artemis—older, spanning back to childhood, rooted in blood and shared experiences. Even with Benjamin's barrier, it might be possible to reach Elijah, if only briefly.

I gathered what remained of my strength and reached out, feeling Artemis doing the same beside me. ‘Elijah…’

At first, nothing. The basement seemed to close in around me, the air thickening with despair. Then—faintly, like a distant radio signal—I felt my brother's presence. Not words, not at first, but recognition. Concern. Alarm.

There was no time for pleasantries or explanations. Every second spent maintaining this connection drained Artemis further, and she would need all her strength when Benjamin returned.

‘Artemis is weak,’ I pushed the thought through as clearly as I could, each word taking enormous effort. ‘I can't talk for long. I'm in a basement with Krea, Stavros, Bennett, Cassius, Benjamin Thorne, and Michael Barker.’

I sensed shock rippling through the connection—Elijah recognizing the danger of that particular gathering.

‘Benjamin wants to mark me again,’ I continued, feeling Artemis trembling with effort inside me. ‘To force Theo to snap so he can be forced out of his position. Please, find me.’

I felt a surge of emotion from Elijah—rage, fear, determination all tangled together. The intensity of it was almost painful, his protective instincts as both brother and Alpha flaring to life. For a brief moment, I caught fragments of his thoughts: gathering warriors, talking to Theo, rage at Benjamin's audacity.

Then pain lanced through me as Artemis collapsed in our shared mental space, unable to maintain the connection any longer. I shut the link abruptly, knowing my message had reached him but unable to bear his anguish flooding back through our bond. The last thing Elijah needed was to feel my pain alongside his own; it would only cloud his judgment when clarity was essential.