Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 58: The Bargain.

Selena blinked against the harsh sunlight, the edges of the room still blurred by lingering haze.

Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton; each breath a labor against the heaviness in her chest

For a moment she lay still, her mind struggling to catch up with her senses.

The first thing she realized was that she was not in her own bed.

The scent of herbs and antiseptic reached her next—sharp, earthy, and unmistakable. It lingered thickly in the air, slowly pulling her from the fog of unconsciousness.

Her gaze drifted across the unfamiliar room until it settled on him.

Silas sat rigidly at her side, his posture perfectly straight, his dark gaze fixed on her with a stillness that made the room feel smaller. One of his hands rested near hers on the edge of the cot, close enough to touch but not quite doing so.

"Silas?" Her voice came out hoarse, barely more than a whisper. Even that small effort made a dull ache spread through her chest.

His expression did not change.

"You’re awake," he said quietly.

His voice was low and controlled, but it carried a weight that pressed against the corners of the room.

Selena’s gaze swept the chamber again, searching instinctively—for the triplets, for any familiar presence that would assure her the world had not shifted while she slept.

There was no one else.

"Where am I?" she asked, her eyes slowly scanning the walls, the shelves lined with jars, the narrow window letting in too-bright light.

"At the healer’s clinic," Silas replied. "You collapsed. I had you brought here immediately."

Fragments of the day returned to her in slow, disjointed flashes.

The courtyard.

The argument.

The dizziness that had crept into her limbs like creeping frost.

A faint sense of relief passed through her when she realized she was alive and conscious—but the heaviness in her body remained, pressing down on her muscles as if she had been running for days.

Silas watched her carefully.

"What were you doing alone with those rogues?" he asked, his voice stripped of any softness.

Her heart lurched.

Her thoughts immediately turned to the triplets.

They would have been here. She knew they would have been here unless something had happened.

Her throat tightened.

"Where... where are the triplets?"

Silas’s expression did not soften.

"That is not the answer to my question."

A cold knot formed in her stomach.

"Silas," she said, forcing strength into her weak voice. "What did you do? Where are the brothers?"

"They’re not here," he replied simply.

His dark eyes remained fixed on her face, studying every flicker of confusion and worry with unsettling precision.

Selena tried to push herself upright, but her body protested immediately. Pain rippled through her muscles, and the dizziness from earlier returned in a dull wave.

She stopped, exhaling slowly.

Pressing one hand against the cot, she steadied herself.

"And if they are not here," she said, her voice steadier now despite the urgency hammering in her chest, "then where are they?"

"They’re safe," Silas said.

His tone was carefully measured.

But something cold flickered in his eyes.

"But you nearly died."

Selena froze.

The words struck her harder than the sunlight burning through the window.

"Nearly died?" Her pulse quickened, adrenaline slicing through the lingering weakness. "What do you mean? Where are they?"

Silas did not hesitate.

"The dungeon."

He spoke the word almost casually.

"I’ve already ordered their arrest."

The air left her lungs in a sharp breath.

Her fingers clenched against the blanket, twisting the soft fabric in her grip.

Her pulse pounded in her temples.

"Who—who gave you the right?"

The words came out brittle and sharp.

Her entire body trembled, anger rising for the first time since she had woken.

Silas’s expression remained composed.

"I didn’t realize I needed approval before arresting the rogues who tried to kill my fiancée."

He spoke evenly, as though the decision required no explanation at all.

Selena felt her wolf stir beneath her skin.

It coiled with indignation, with instinctive protectiveness.

"You knew I wasn’t well this morning," she said, her voice rising despite her effort to stay calm. "You knew I was weak—and you locked innocent people up because of your jealousy?"

Silas’s dark gaze never wavered.

"They threatened you. I protected you."

"No," Selena snapped. "You protected your ego."

Her chest rose and fell faster now.

"Release them at once. I order it."

Silas leaned back slightly in his chair.

His hands clasped together loosely as his expression hardened into something distant and unreadable.

"You may feel strong, Selena," he said slowly, "but you cannot see everything. Not yet."

Her fists clenched beneath the blanket.

She forced herself to breathe slowly, but anger still laced every syllable when she spoke.

"I don’t care. I am not letting you decide justice for me."

Her eyes locked onto his.

"Release them. Now."

Silas held her gaze.

The silence stretched long enough to test her patience.

Then he exhaled slowly.

"You nearly died today," he said quietly.

His voice was deliberate now, carefully measured.

"I warned you about those rogues, and yet, seeing you defend them openly in front of the pack was embarrassing."

His gaze darkened slightly. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"You should consider how that reflects on you."

Selena stared at him.

"Excuse me?"

"I know you had... feelings for them," he continued calmly, as though discussing something mundane rather than exposing his wounded pride. "But that does not give you the right to endanger yourself—or interfere with justice."

His voice hardened.

"They will be tried. If guilty, they will be punished accordingly."

Selena’s hands curled into fists at her sides.

"No."

Her voice cut through the room like steel.

"You have no right to lock them up like that. They did nothing wrong. Free them at once... or forget the wedding."

For the first time, tension flashed across Silas’s face.

His jaw tightened.

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze pressing down on her like a physical weight.

"On second thought..." he said slowly, "perhaps there is a way to settle this."

Selena’s eyes narrowed.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"I will let everything go," Silas said carefully. "I will release the rogues."

He paused.

"Under one condition."

Selena’s voice sharpened.

"And that is?"

"You fix a date for the wedding."

His tone was final.

Unyielding.

As though that alone could restore the order he believed had been disrupted.

Selena stared at him in disbelief.

One moment he was telling her she had nearly died.

The next he was bargaining for a wedding date.

The sudden shift unsettled her.

She had always known Silas was desperate to bind her to him—but hearing it spoken so plainly only deepened her resentment for him.

Her chest rose with a quiet exhale.

Frustration threaded through the ache in her muscles.

But she forced herself to remain calm.

"Fine."

Her voice was steady when she spoke.

"One week from today."

Silas’s eyes sharpened.

"I will marry in one week," she continued. "But the triplets must be released immediately."

Her gaze hardened.

"No excuses."

Something bright flickered in his eyes—satisfaction mixed with possessive triumph.

"Agreed," he said.

"One week."

He rose slowly from his chair.

"And they will be freed."

His voice lowered.

"But understand this, Selena... I will be watching. Always."

Silas turned toward the door, his shadow stretching across the healer’s floor.

Selena watched him go, her fingers tightening in the blanket.

One week.

She had bought the triplets their freedom.

Now she would have to survive the consequences... and hope Silas hadn’t set more traps in motion.