55. Chapter 55
Arwen
Maddox opens the door on the first knock, and the sight of him sends my thoughts into an unhelpful spiral. His chest is bare with low slung sweatpants. A delicious V peeks out.
His expression shifts the moment he sees me.
That rare, fleeting smile appears—softening the hard lines of his face, changing him entirely for a fraction of a second before he schools it away.
He steps forward, pulls me into him, and kisses me like I’m the air he breathes. It’s deep and grounding and completely Maddox.
He sets me on my feet, and his expression tightens as he realizes Atticus is behind me.
“Thanks for the escort, Willshire,” he says flatly. “I’ll take it from here.”
He reaches for the door to close it in Atticus’s face.
“Hey—wait.” I catch it before it shuts. “We need to talk to you, Maddox. Both of us. It’s important.”
That makes him pause. His eyes narrow, moving from me to Atticus in a slow, assessing sweep. He steps back and nods for us to move inside.
I reach the table, my throat closing. It’s littered with half-folded maps, loose sheets of notes, and pens that have rolled into little nests of clutter. I let out a slow breath, searching for the right words, but they scatter like dropped coins. There’s no elegant way to say this.
Blunt it is.
“Atticus and I have completed the bond.”
Silence descends as Maddox’s eyebrows lift.
“…What? But what about his father?” he asks, already turning toward Atticus.
Atticus answers before I can. “I’ve decided to break ties if he forces me to choose,” he says. “Or if he remains a threat to Arwen.”
Maddox looks between us again. I can see the wheels turning in his brain.
My hands tighten in my lap.
“I chose this, Maddox,” I say. “I want Atticus as a bonded.”
“And I choose you,” I add before I lose my nerve. “The proximity bond didn’t in work the same way or give us a choice in the matter, but I firmly believe we’re meant to be together. I need you. I want you in my life as my bonded. Just like I need Atticus in my life too.”
My voice wavers, but I force myself to keep going.
“I know you and Atticus have issues, but I hope you can see how much bigger this is than all of us. And I know right now you may be disappointed or angry, and I understand that. But at the end of it all, I really hope you choose me too.”
Maddox stays perfectly still, his face giving nothing away. Then he drags a hand down his face, slow and tired, like he’s trying not to react too strongly in either direction.
His eyes glow with gentle warmth as he looks at me again. He reaches out and takes my hand.
“Arwen,” he says quietly, “I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”
Relief floods me so hard I almost cry.
“You’re stuck with me. I don’t care if you become some unhinged recluse and want to move to the furthest edge of the Wastes with thirty cats,” he adds, voice dry but warm, “I’d follow you in a heartbeat. Nothing’s going to change that.”
I could melt.
Right now. In this chair.
His grip tightens once, reassuring.
“I’m surprised,” he admits. “That’s all. But I understand it. And I respect your decision. It was always your decision to make.”
The weight in my chest eases, and on impulse, I lean in and press a soft, careful kiss to his lips.
The second I realize what I’ve done, heat crawls up my neck. Atticus is sitting right there.
I pull back too quickly, very aware of the fact that I have no idea what the etiquette is for having two bonded partners in the same room and whether I’m supposed to be… coordinating this better.
Atticus doesn’t comment. His expression barely shifts, though I catch the faintest flicker in his eyes—something possessive and quickly controlled.
I clear my throat. “Something else happened.”
“After Atticus and I completed the bond…” I hesitate for only a second before forcing the rest out. “I developed a second power. A Pride power.”
Maddox seems to stop breathing.
“What?” he asks.
I swallow. “I can apparently issue commands that have people jumping to follow them. Like, literally jumping.” I say, looking to Atticus.
Maddox straightens. “You mean like Vex’s power? Do you gain influence over someone’s mind? Make them more susceptible to their will?”
“No,” I rush in. “I don’t think so. It’s not… sustained. It’s more like bursts. Short commands. I think it stops almost immediately the action is done.”
Maddox’s eyes narrow, already analyzing. “And you’ve tested it?”
I tap my chin, thinking. “…Not really.”
Atticus leans back in his chair, arms crossed, and a brilliant idea pops into my mind. I look at Atticus and focus on the power stirring under my skin. I let it slip into my voice as I put all my focus on Atticus.
“Strip. And then dance provocatively on this table.”
Hiss eyes go unfocused as he stands. “Oh no,” he mutters, but his hands are already moving. He unbuttons his shirt slowly.
Maddox jumps to his feet.
He takes a step back like he’s physically distancing himself from what’s about to happen, one hand half-raised like he can block out the sight.
Atticus gets halfway down his shirt before he blinks hard as the daze snaps.
He freezes and looks down at his hands.
Then at me. “Are you serious?”
I burst out laughing at the incredulous look on his face.
“I had a feeling it wouldn’t stick through the entire command! Although I’m sad, I missed out on the show.” I pout.
Atticus shoots me another look. “I can’t believe you were about to make me do that in front of him.” He points to Maddox.
“I can’t believe I almost had to burn my eyeballs out of my face,” Maddox replies.
The tension breaks enough for the room to feel normal again. Atticus sits back down, still irritated, while Maddox returns to his chair and exhales.
“Arwen,” Maddox says, his face serious. “You cannot tell anyone about this. Not right now.”
The reality of the danger of this situation returns.
“This is unheard of,” he continues. “Forget my family. You’ll become a target for the entire Council. A threat.”
“I understand,” I murmur, looking down at my hands. “But I don’t like hiding things from my friends.”
Atticus’s voice softens. “He’s right, Arwen.”
I glance up at both of them staring at me with concern and protection in their eyes.
“I won’t tell anyone,” I agree.
“But we need to look into this more,” Atticus says, his gaze still fixed on me like he’s trying to map out every possibility. “Two different faction bonds. Two different faction powers. A 100% power rating…”
The words ‘two bonds’ catch in my chest like a knife, filling me with the guilt of my secret. It’s time. I can’t keep delaying this.
“There’s something else I need to tell you both,” I say, rubbing my palms against my skirt.
I draw in a breath that feels too small for what I’m about to say. “I hope you can forgive me.”
Maddox’s face does something quiet and unreadable. Then his hand finds mine, fingers settling between mine without hesitation.
“I know what it is, baby,” he breathes.
My eyes snap up to his face. “You do?”
He exhales through his nose, like he’s been holding something back. “I do,” he says. “The Dean told me when I arrived back at the academy. She was concerned.”
“The Dean?” The words come out in a squeak as panic spikes. My pulse kicks up as my thoughts spiral.
“How long has the Dean known?” I ask. “Who told her? What’s going to happen?”
“Hey,” Maddox says. “Hey. Calm down. It’s going to be okay.” He tightens his grip on my hand.
“Okay?” I repeat. “How is it going to be okay? How does she even know?”
Maddox gives a short huff, like I’m missing something obvious.
“Arwen,” he says. “She’s the Dean. She’s aware of all student grades.”
“Grades?” I echo, completely thrown. I look to Atticus and then back to him, forehead wrinkled in confusion.
“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Atticus cuts in, irritated at being left out.
Maddox glances at him with mild annoyance.
“Arwen is failing potions,” he says.
I stare at him, mouth agape. Silence fills the room for a moment. Then I break.
Laughter spills out of me before I can stop it, sounding slightly hysterical. Maddox watches me like I’ve lost my mind.
“It’s not surprising considering you didn’t grow up in Gluttony. I’ll tutor you,” he adds. “Just like you did for me.”
I wipe at my eyes, still laughing, trying to get myself back under control. “I appreciate that,” I manage, “but potions class is the least of my concerns right now.”
The humor fades from Maddox’s expression as he studies me again.
Atticus leans forward. “What’s going on, Arwen?” he asks, more quietly this time; suspicion laces his tone.
The word vomit comes out all at once.
There’s no elegance to it. No structure. Just everything I’ve been carrying suddenly spilling into the space between us.
“I have three more bonds. None of them are bonded to me,” I say quickly, “and I don’t think they want to be.
Well—except maybe Maylo, but he’s under some kind of intense pressure from someone he calls ‘Master.’ I think he’s being controlled or chained in servitude or something because nothing about him is normal and—”
I cut myself off only long enough to inhale.
“They’re bonds all revealed themselves at the bonding ceremony last year. The same time as Atticus. Oh! And they only know about themselves. Well…” I gesture vaguely between Atticus and Maddox, “…and now you two, I guess. But it’s not like it’s going to be a problem.”
The words are coming faster now, tripping over each other.
“Alexi is a Luster, so he doesn’t even want to bond.
I don’t think he cares. Even if he’s always popping up around me and likes to shove my face into his proclivities.
And Professor Gabriel—he’s not interested, like, at all.
There’s no way he crosses that line; he’s very professional, extremely unromantic, deeply committed to boundaries, so, yeah, that’s fine. ”
Stay on track, Arwen.
“And Maylo—well, Maylo is… I mean, he’s barely ever here. Which is weird for an academy student, right? Shouldn’t he have a schedule? Classes? Accountability?”
I realize I’m rambling and force myself to stop. Just for a breath.
“But anyway,” I finish more quietly, “they’re all mostly anti-bond.
So they shouldn’t be a problem. I just thought you should know because we’re doing full transparency now and also I have two powers and I’m just very sorry it hasn’t come up yet.
It seemed like there was never a good time and, well… maybe I was a little bit of a coward.”
My eyes squeeze shut at the end. Like if I can’t see them, I won’t have to see the reaction.
Silence stretches long enough that my stomach drops.
I risk squinting open one eye. They’re both staring at me. Completely and utterly still. Like I’ve short-circuited something fundamental in both of them.
Oh no.
I’ve broken them.
Maddox opens his mouth, shuts it, opens it again. Nothing comes out. Atticus is staring at the table like he’s doing math that won’t balance.I swallow.“Somebody say something,” I whisper.
Then Atticus exhales hard, leans back in his chair, and stares at the ceiling. Then he says the most unhelpful, most un-Atticus thing ever…
“Well…”
He drags a hand down his face.
“…shit.”