<h4>Chapter 187: Chaos...</h4>


    <strong>Charis</strong>


    "Since you came back," Rhett said softly. "Since we started spending time together, I’ve felt better and stronger. The effects are temporary—they fade when we’re apart for too long—but they’re real. And they’re working."


    I didn’t know what to say. My throat felt tight.


    "I did some research," Rhett continued. "About Direwolves. About what makes them different from regr wolves." He pulled out his phone and scrolled through something. "There’s not a lot of information—most of it is old legends and half-truths—but there’s a consistent pattern."


    "What kind of pattern?" ter asked.


    "Direwolves have healing abilities," Rhett said. "Not just for themselves, but for their mates. The bond between a Direwolf and their mates is... different. Apparently, they are more connected on a fundamental level. When the bonds are properly formed and epted, the healing effects are exponentially more powerful."


    He looked at me again, and his expression was so earnest it made my chest ache.


    "The reason I’m getting better," he said, "is because of our mate bond. Even though it’s not fully epted yet, even though we haven’tpleted the bonding ritual, just being near you helps. Your presence, your touch, even just talking to you—it all contributes to my healing."


    "Rhett..." I whispered.


    "I’m not trying to pressure you," he said quickly. "I know this isplicated. I know you’re dealing with a lot right now—your identity, your family, everything with the Academy. But I thought you should know. The bond is real. It’s powerful. And it’s helping me stay alive."


    The room fell silent. I could feel all three of them looking at me.


    "There’s more," Rhett continued, his voice gentle but firm. "ording to what I’ve found, the bond doesn’t just help me. It would help all of us: faster healing, stronger connection, better instincts. The mate bond between a Direwolf and its mates creates a... awork, I guess. Where we all benefit from being connected."


    "Like a pack bond," Kael said quietly. "But more intimate."


    "Exactly." Rhett took a step closer to me. "Charis, I don’t want to rush you. I really don’t. But I think it’s time you seriously consider epting our bonds. Not just for me, though I won’t lie—I need this to survive. But for all of us. For you, too."


    I looked at each of them in turn. Rhett, with his hopeful, vulnerable expression. ter, steady and supportive as always. Kael was watching me with those intense dark eyes.


    Three mates. Three bonds. Three people whose lives were tangled with mine in ways I was still trying to understand.


    "I..." I started, then stopped. What could I say? That I was terrified? Did the idea of epting three mate bonds feel overwhelming? That I wasn’t sure I was strong enough, or brave enough, or good enough for any of them?


    "You don’t have to decide right now," ter said gently, like he could read my thoughts. "But think about it. Really think about it."


    "Okay," I whispered. "I will. I promise."


    Rhett nodded, seeming satisfied with that answer. "That’s all I’m asking."


    But I could see it in his eyes—the unspoken plea. The fear that time was running out.


    And the terrible truth was, he might be right.


    ***


    Just as I was pondering what they had just said, we heard a loud crash followed by screaming.


    All four of us froze for a split second, looking at each other with wide eyes.


    Then, we rushed towards the door simultaneously.


    We rushed out of Kael’s room and into the hallway. The scene that greeted us was absolute chaos.


    Luna ra – Rhett’s stepmom had Elena – Rhett’s biological mother, by the hair, dragging her down the grand staircase. Elena’s hands were wing at ra’s grip, trying to break free, but ra’s hold was iron-tight. Both women were screaming at the top of their lungs.


    "You have some nerveing back here!" ra shrieked, yanking Elena down another step. Elena stumbled, nearly falling, but managed to grab the bannister.


    "Let go of me, you psychotic witch!" Elena screamed back, reaching up to grab ra’s perfectly styled hair and pulling hard.


    ra yelped and lost her bnce. Both women tumbled down the remaining stairs in a tangle of limbs, hitting thending with a sickening thud. A decorative vase on a side table crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces.


    But neither woman stopped fighting.


    They rolled across the marble floor, each trying to get on top of the other. ra’s designer dress was torn at the shoulder. Elena’s blouse hade untucked, her face flushed red with rage and exertion.


    "Rhett was fine without you!" ra snarled, managing to pin Elena for a moment. She raised her hand to p her, but Elena bucked her hips and threw ra off.


    Elena scrambled to her feet, breathing hard. Blood trickled from a cut on her lip. "Fine? He’s dying! And you’re so busy ying Luna that you don’t even care! "Oh," Elenaughed devilishly, "He’s divorcing you, so I heard. Guess he couldn’t put up with you again."


    "How dare you!" ra lunged at her again.


    They collided in the middle of the foyer. Elena’s fist connected with ra’s jaw with a sharp crack. ra’s head snapped to the side, and she stumbled backwards into a floormp. It toppled over, the bulb exploding as it hit the ground.


    ra touched her jaw, eyes zing with fury. Then sheunched herself at Elena like a wild animal.


    They crashed into the wall, knocking down a painting. The frame splintered as it hit the floor. ra had Elena by the throat now, pressing her against the wall. Elena’s face was turning red, her hands scrabbling at ra’s wrists.


    "Stop it!" Rhett yelled, running down the stairs. "Both of you, stop!"


    But they didn’t hear him. Or didn’t care.


    Elena brought her knee up hard into ra’s stomach. ra gasped and loosened her grip. Elena shoved her away, and ra stumbled backwards, crashing into the entrance hall table. A crystal bowl fell and shattered, scattering ss across the floor.


    ra grabbed the table for support, then picked up a heavy candlestick. "I’ll kill you!"


    "Luna ra, no!" ter shouted, racing toward them.


    But ra was already swinging. Elena ducked just in time, and the candlestick smashed into the wall, leaving a dent in the ster. Elena tackled ra around the waist, and they both went down hard on the ss-covered floor.


    Both women were bleeding now—cuts on their hands and arms from the broken ss. But they kept fighting, rolling across the foyer, grabbing at each other’s hair, scratching, hitting.


    ra managed to get back on top. She raised her fist, about to bring it down on Elena’s face—


    Kael grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her and trying to pull her off. "That’s enough!"


    ra twisted in his grip, surprisingly strong. She elbowed him in the ribs, and Kael grunted but held on.


    Rhett reached Elena and tried to help her up. "Mom, please—"


    Elena shoved him away and lunged at ra again, even though Kael was still holding her. Her nails raked down ra’s arm, leaving bloody scratches.


    ra screamed in rage and pain. She broke free from Kael’s grip and threw herself at Elena again.


    This time ter stepped between them, his hands raised. "Stop this! Both of you!"


    But ra was beyond reasoning. She tried to get around ter, her perfectly made-up face twisted with fury. Her hair hade loose from its bun, hanging wild around her shoulders. Her dress was torn and bloodstained.


    Elena looked just as dishevelled. Her eye was swelling, turning purple. Blood dripped from her nose and the cut on her lip. Her hands were bleeding from the ss.


    "You ruined everything!" ra screamed at her. "Everything was perfect until you showed up!"


    "Perfect?" Elenaughed bitterly, the sound half sob. "You call a dying boy perfect? You call a loveless marriage perfect?"


    "At least I stayed!" ra shot back. "At least I didn’t abandon my family!"


    "I didn’t abandon anyone! I was driven out! There’s a difference!"


    They surged toward each other again. All three boys moved at once, trying to keep them separated. I stood frozen at the top of the stairs, watching in horror as the pack house was destroyed around them.


    A mirror cracked as someone was shoved into it—more ss scattered across the floor. A curtain rod came loose, the heavy fabric falling in a heap.


    "Enough!" Rhett tried again, his voice desperate. "Please, just stop!"


    But they wouldn’t stop. They were like two forces of nature colliding, unstoppable and destructive.


    ra broke free from ter’s grip and managed to grab Elena’s hair again. She yanked hard, pulling Elena’s head back at a painful angle. Elena’s scream of rage echoed through the foyer.


    Elena grabbed ra’s wrist and twisted viciously. I heard something crack—not break, but close. ra’s face went white with pain, but she still didn’t let go.


    They were both crying now, I realised. Tears streamed down their faces as they fought. This wasn’t just about Alpha Terry or status. This was years of pain and jealousy and betrayal all exploding at once.


    Kael and ter grabbed ra together, finally managing to pull her back several feet. Rhett wrapped his arms around his biological mother, holding her in ce even as she struggled against him.


    "Let me go!" Elena was shouting. "I’m not done with her!"


    "You’re never done!" ra screamed back, fighting against the boys holding her. "You just take and take and destroy everything you touch!"


    "I’m trying to save my son!"


    "He’s not your son anymore! You gave up that right!"


    The door to the pack house suddenly flew open with such force that it mmed against the wall.


    Everyone froze.


    It was Alpha Terry standing in the doorway.