Like a hand to hold in the dark. Like knowing you're not alone, even when no one's speaking.
"How do you feel?" Lyrin asked softly, his words gentle and careful.
I considered the question. Really considered it.
"Whole," I said finally. "For the first time in my life... whole."
Through the bond, I felt their relief. Their joy. Their love.
Torvyn pressed a kiss to my hair. "The tether is complete."
"We're balanced," Vaelix added, happiness in his voice. "All five of us."
Kaedren's grip tightened slightly. "You're ours now. Officially."
"And you're mine," I said, snuggling against Torvyn's chest. "Don't forget that part."
I felt their amusement ripple through the bond—warm, genuine, andright.
"Never," they said in unison.
I closed my eyes, letting the tether hum through me—steady and sure and unbreakable.
Not control.
A mutual promise.
Five heartbeats aligned.
One shared bond.
I was anchored—not trapped, not claimed, butchosen.
And I had chosen them right back.
For the first time in my life, I wasn't afraid of what came next.
Because whatever it was, we'd face it together.
Chapter 13
The days that followed settled into a rhythm I'd never imagined possible.
Mornings in the lab with Vaelix, our minds moving in perfect synchronization as we worked through equations that would have taken me weeks to solve alone. He challenged me, pushed me, and never let me settle for good enough when brilliance was within reach. And through the bond, I felt his pride every time I proved him right about my capabilities.
Afternoons with Lyrin in the medical bay, analyzing the data and artefact we'd reclaimed from Voss. My research—the work I'd thought lost forever—was being used for good now. To heal, not harm. To protect, not exploit. Lyrin's empathy helped me see connections I'd missed, patterns in the data that spoke to deeper truths about how the tether worked. We were building something together. Something that mattered.
Evenings with Kaedren in the training rooms, learning to defend myself. Not because I was weak, but because I refused to be helpless ever again. He was patient and fierce, celebrating every small victory as if it were a triumph. Through the bond, I felt his satisfaction—not that he was teaching me, but that I waslearning. That I wanted to be strong.
Nights on the bridge with Torvyn, discussing strategy and logistics. The Corporation still existed—Voss was still out there, no doubt plotting his next move. But I wasn't afraid anymore. We had a plan. Multiple plans, actually. Contingencies, fallbacks, and brilliant tactical maneuvers that would make any corporate executive weep.
I belonged here, not as a captive, not as a scientist they were protecting.
As an equal.
Three weeks after the tethering, I stood in the lab, staring at a breakthrough that would have seemed impossible a month ago.
The artifact hummed softly in its containment field, its metallic structure pulsing with barely-contained energy. Unlimited power, Voss had called it—a weapon to control the galaxy.
