Bound To The Broken Alpha (Amy and Daniel) novel Chapter 368

Chapter 368 Signs Of Instability

CLARA

+5 Pearls

I woke before Mark did, the way I had learned to. Not because I needed to, but because it was safer to be awake first.

The room was quiet except for his breathing, slow and even. I lay still for a moment, listening, measuring the space between us. Living with Mark meant there was no room for carelessness. Every look, every pause, every word had weight.

I turned my head slightly and caught his scent. It had shifted over the past few weeks. Less guarded. Less sharp. It told me more than his words ever did. He was starting to trust me again. That knowledge didn’t calm me. It made me more careful.

I slipped out of bed and moved through the room without noise. I dressed simply, nothing that would stand out. Mark preferred things uncomplicated, even when his life wasn’t. In the kitchen, I made coffee and waited for the sound of him waking.

He came out a few minutes later, hair still messy, shirt half–buttoned.

“You’re up early,” he said.

“I couldn’t sleep,” I replied. That part was true.

He poured himself coffee and leaned against the counter. “I’ve got meetings all day. I’ll be back late.”

“I’ll be here,” I said. “I might work a bit.”

He nodded, distracted, then paused. “You’ve been… different lately.”

I looked at him. “Different how?”

“Quieter. Not in a bad way.” He shrugged. “Just different.”

“I’m trying,” I said.

That earned me a look. Not suspicion. Something softer. He didn’t ask more, and that told me everything I needed to know.

When he left, I waited until I heard his car pull away before I checked my phone.

One message.

A location. A time. No greeting. No explanation.

Elias.

I stared at the screen for a long moment. He didn’t need to say more. When Elias sent something like that, it wasn’t an invitation. It was a reminder.

I left the house shortly after, careful to erase any sign of urgency. The drive south took longer than usual.

1/4

10:50 am

Chapter 368 Signs Of Instability

+5 Pearls

Patrols were heavier near the border now. Wolves noticed things like that, even when humans didn’t. Territory mattered. Who crossed it, who lingered, who acted like they belonged.

The meeting place sat just outside recognized pack land. Officially neutral. In reality, watched from every direction.

Elias was already there when I arrived. He stood near his car, relaxed, like he had all the time in the world. He didn’t move when I approached.

“You’re late,” he said.

“Traffic,” I replied.

He looked at me then, really looked. “You’re living with him now.”

I didn’t deny it. “Yes.”

“And?”

“And nothing. It gives me access.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear.”

We walked a short distance, enough that anyone watching would assume we were just talking. Elias always chose his ground carefully. Wolves respected that instinct.

“How did it go with Amy?” he asked.

“She allowed the meeting,” I said. “She listened.”

He waited.

“She didn’t forgive us so it’s just same as before,” I added.

“Us?” He glanced at me.

“Mark and me.”

“That wasn’t the question.”

I met his eyes. “She didn’t shut the door.”

That pleased him. I could smell it in the slight change in his scent. Satisfaction, controlled,

“You’re moving too slowly,” he said. “Daniel is tightening his grip. Northern wolves are loyal, but loyalty depends on confidence.”

“I know.”

“Then act like it. I need signs of instability.”

“You said not to push directly.”

10:50 am

Chapter 368 Signs Of Instability

“I said not to attack. There’s a difference.”

+5 Pearls

He explained his plan without raising his voice. Delayed patrol responses. Confusion over jurisdiction. Complaints filed through neutral councils that would take time to resolve. Nothing illegal. Nothing obvious. Just enough to make people question whether Daniel was paying attention.

“It won’t look like chaos,” Elias said. “It will look like neglect.”

I understood then what he was doing. Wolves didn’t abandon an Alpha because of one failure. They left when doubt settled in and stayed.

“My role?” I asked.

“Social,” he said. “You listen. You repeat concerns without sounding like you own them. Mark helps. Amy helps more.”

“And if people get hurt?” I asked.

Elias didn’t answer right away. “That’s not your concern.”

It was a lie, but one he believed.

When I returned to Mark’s house, the place felt quieter than before. I stepped back into the role easily. By the time Mark came home, I had dinner ready.

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