Bound To The Broken Alpha (Amy and Daniel) novel Chapter 409

Chapter 409 Amy Is Missing

CLARA

“You said come now,” I replied. “That usually means something’s already moving.”

His mouth curved slightly. Not a smile. A signal.

“It is,” he said. “Sit.”

Finished

I didn’t argue. I took the chair across from him, keeping my back straight and my hands visible. Power plays are quieter when everyone pretends they’re not happening.

“What’s this about?” I asked.

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he nodded toward the far side of the room.

That’s when I saw the screens.

There were four of them, mounted against a concrete wall. Live feeds. Different angles. Different distances. I recognized the first location immediately. Carter estate perimeter. Secondary access road. The third feed made my stomach tighten.

Amy’s office corridor.

I stood before I realized I had moved.

“What is this?” I demanded.

Elias didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to.

“Preparation,” he said. “You did your part. The schedule helped confirm windows.”

‘You said exposure,” I snapped. “You said erosion. You did not say kidnapping.”

He looked at me then. Fully. Cold and assessing.

‘I didn’t say kidnapping,” he replied. “You said it.”

My jaw tightened. “You’re planning to take her.”

“We’re planning to remove her from control temporarily,” he corrected. “Words matter.”

“No,” I said. “They don’t, when the result is the same.”

Elias leaned forward slightly. “You’re emotional.”

“I’m informed,” I shot back. “This crosses lines you didn’t mention.”

“Because you didn’t need to know them.”

That landed harder than I expected.

1:20 pm PD

Chapter 409 Amy Is Missing

Finished

“I gave you access,” I said. “I gave you timing. I gave you proximity. I did not agree to this.”

“You agreed to destabilize leadership,” he replied. “This does that efficiently.”

“At what cost?” I asked. “You think the North will collapse quietly if their Luna disappears?”

“They won’t collapse,” Elias said calmly. “They’ll look for fault. And they already know where to look.

I felt cold then. Not fear. Calculation catching up.

‘You’re framing her again,” I said. “Only louder this time.”

‘She frames herself,” he corrected. “By standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

I stared at the screens. One of the feeds shifted slightly as a guard passed through frame. Northern Unaware.

‘You didn’t tell me this was the endgame,” I said.

Elias tilted his head. “I didn’t say it was.”

I turned back to him sharply. “What does that mean?”

‘It means,” he said, “this is not the final move.”

I hated that answer.

‘What is the second game?” I asked. “No–what’s the third? You don’t operate in pairs.”

He stood then, slow and deliberate, and walked toward one of the screens. He pointed at Amy’s corridor.

“This is the distraction,” he said. “This is what everyone will see. What they’ll react to.”

‘And the real play?” I pressed.

He looked over his shoulder. “You’re not cleared for that.”

Anger flared. Sharp and contained.

“I’m not a pawn you move without explanation,” I said.

“You are exactly that,” he replied evenly. “The difference is you’re aware of it.”

I clenched my hands. “Then why keep me in the dark?”

“Because if you know everything,” he said, “your reactions change. And people around you notice.”

That answer made sense. That didn’t make it acceptable.

“You’re using me,” I said.

“Yes,” Elias agreed. “And you’re benefiting.”

2/4

5:20 pm PD

Chapter 409 Amy Is Missing

Finished

“From what?” I asked. “Being disposable?”

He studied me for a moment longer than before.

“From survival,” he said. “You don’t last in this world by being clean.”

I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to stay seated.

“If you touch her,” I said, choosing my words carefully, “you create variables you cannot control. Daniel will respond.”

“Daniel will hesitate,” Elias corrected. “That’s his weakness.”

“And mine?” I asked.

He smiled then. Brief. Unpleasant.

“You still think there are lines,” he said.

I didn’t deny it.

“When does this happen?” I asked.

“Soon,” he replied. “Not tonight. Timing is still fluid.”

“You’re asking me to keep playing along,” I said.

“I’m telling you to,” he answered.

Silence stretched between us.

“I don’t like being shut out,” I said finally.

“I know,” Elias replied. “That’s why it works.”

I stood again, this time deliberately.

“If this goes wrong,” I said, “you will lose more than leverage.”

He didn’t look concerned. “If this goes wrong, you’ll be blamed first.”

That was the truth. Clear and unsoftened.

I turned to leave.

“Clara,” he said behind me.

I paused.

“You did well,” he said. “Don’t ruin it by asking for permission.”

I walked out without replying.

1:20 pm P

Chapter 409 Army Is Missing

Finished

The drive back felt longer than before. My thoughts stayed sharp, moving through consequences instead of guilt. He hadn’t told me everything. He never would. And I hated that more than the plan itself.

Because ignorance isn’t protection. It’s insulation. And insulation burns last.

By the time I pulled into Mark’s driveway, I had already decided one thing.

Elias thought he was the only one playing a deeper game.

He was wrong.

I didn’t sleep when I got back.

I lay beside Mark and stared at the ceiling, listening to his breathing, steady and unaware. That steadiness used to calm me. That night, it only reminded me how separate my life had become. By morning, I had already replayed Elias’s words too many times. Not the threats. The confidence.

At breakfast, Mark noticed the circles under my eyes.

“You’re up early,” he said. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Too much on my mind,” I replied, keeping my voice even.

He reached for his coffee. “Work again?”

“Yes,” I said. It wasn’t a lie. Just incomplete.

Later that day, I went through Amy’s shared calendar again, not to send anything, but to memorize it. I needed to know what Elias was using and what he was leaving out. There were gaps that made no sense. Meetings that ended too cleanly. Travel windows that felt staged.

That bothered me.

I sent Elias a short message. I asked if anything had changed. He replied an hour later with a single word.

No.

That answer told me more than he intended. He was already ahead, already moving pieces I couldn’t see. I hated that feeling. Not because I wanted control, but because I needed awareness to survive.

By evening, I understood one thing clearly.

If Amy disappeared, the fallout wouldn’t stop with her. And if Elias thought I would just wait to see how his third game played out, he had misjudged me.

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