Bound To The Broken Alpha (Amy and Daniel) novel Chapter 517

MARK

I woke up really early, already tense.

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The room felt smaller than usual, though nothing had changed. Same walls. Same security clearance panel by the door.

Same silence that followed me everywhere now. I dressed carefully, choosing neutral colors, nothing that drew attention. Appearances mattered today. This was not about innocence. It was about control.

I had requested to testify. That part was true.

No one forced me.

That alone gave me leverage.

By the time I reached the tribunal wing, the corridors were already active. Guards moved with purpose. Record keepers passed with slates pressed to their chests.

I noticed who avoided my eyes and who did not. Avoidance meant fear. Direct looks meant curiosity. Both were useful.

I was escorted into a waiting chamber adjacent to the main hall. The door sealed behind me with a soft sound. Not a holding cell. Not yet. That distinction mattered.

I sat.

I thought about Amy without meaning to.

I hated that she still did this to me. Years later, after everything, her presence lingered like an unresolved argument. People liked to rewrite that part of the story. They said she left me because of politics. Because of obligation. Because of Daniel.

That was easier than the truth.

She left because I chose Clara.

I had chosen ambition dressed as loyalty, influence dressed as love. At the time, it felt rational. Amy was gentle. Too gentle for what the North required back then. Clara understood power. She understood how to move people. I believed I was choosing the future.

Now Clara sat in holding, and Amy stood beside Daniel as his mate, carrying his child, protected by the very system I once thought I could manage better.

The door opened.

A guard nodded. “You’re up.”

The chamber was full when I entered. Daniel sat at the council table, posture controlled, expression unreadable. Cole stood near the wall, watching everything. Clara was not present. This session was not

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about her testimony. It was about fallout.

I stood where instructed.

“State your name for the record,” the adjudicator said.

“Mark Halden.”

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“You have requested to testify voluntarily in the ongoing trial of Clara,” he continued. “You understand you are under oath.”

“I do.”

The Northern counsel rose. “Mark, let’s establish your position. At the time of Amy’s removal, what was your official role?”

“I served as an external liaison and data coordinator,” I said. “My access was limited.”

“Limited,” she repeated. “Yet records show you accessed restricted archives multiple times during that peripd.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“To understand what was happening,” I replied. “There were irregularities.”

“You did not report those irregularities.”

“No,” I admitted. “I was still assessing them.”

She nodded once. “Let’s talk about your relationship with Clara.”

I expected this.

“You were romantically involved,” she said.

“Yes.”

“And prior to that, you were engaged to Amy.”

“Yes.”

A murmur moved through the chamber. Daniel did not react.

“You ended that engagement publicly,” the counsel continued. “In a manner that caused reputational harm.”

“I made mistakes,” I said carefully. “I won’t deny that.”

“Did those mistakes influence your judgment later?”

“I don’t believe so.”

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She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t believe.”

“I was professional.”

“Were you loyal to the North?”

“Yes,”

“Were you loyal to Amy?”

That question landed harder than the rest.

“I believed I was,” I said.

“Belief and action are not the same,” the counsel replied. “Did you ever share Northern information with external parties?”

“No.”

“Not with Elias?”

“No.”

“Not with Southern intermediaries?”

“No.”

I felt the room hold its breath.

“Then how do you explain data transfers traced to your clearance appearing in Southern channels?” she asked.

“I can’t,” I said. “Which is why I believe Clara used my access without my consent.”

There it was.

Daniel shifted slightly in his seat. Cole’s eyes sharpened.

“You’re claiming your credentials were compromised,” the counsel said.

“Yes.”

“You did not report that either.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because by the time I realized it, the damage was already done,” I replied. “And reporting it would have escalated things.”

That excuse sounded thin even to my own ears.

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The adjudicator leaned forward. “Mr. Halden, you are asking this council to believe that throughout a prolonged security breach, you noticed irregularities, suspected misuse, and yet took no formal action.”

“I was trying to contain it quietly,” I said. “To avoid panic.”

Silence followed.

Then the adjudicator said, “Containment without authority is negligence.”

The defense advocate rose, attempting to redirect. “Mark, did Clara ever explicitly instruct you to pass information to Elias or the Southern Alpha?”

“No.”

“Did she ever state intent to harm Amy?”

“No.”

“That is important,” the advocate said.

The Northern counsel did not argue. She simply stepped closer.

“Mark,” she said, “did you ever believe that if Daniel fell, Amy might return to you?”

The room froze.

Daniel looked at me then. Calm. Focused.

“No,” I said. “That was never my motivation.”

“Never?” she pressed.

“No.”

She held my gaze for a long moment, then nodded. “No further questions.”

The adjudicator conferred briefly with the council.

“Mark Halden,” he said, “your testimony raises significant concerns regarding negligence, failure to report, and possible complicity. This council orders a formal investigation into your actions and access history.”

The words hit harder than any accusation.

“Your clearance is suspended effective immediately,” he continued. “You are not under arrest at this time.”

At this time.

I was escorted out through a side corridor. Not to holding. Not yet. But the distinction felt thinner now.

As the door closed behind me, one truth settled in my chest, heavy and unavoidable.

Volunteering has not given me control.

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KHR