Feather Bound

Chapter 54

"Hawks, stop!" Keigo's red-hot fury collided with a sudden force, knocking him away from Mamoru. The force of the push sent Haruki stumbling, landing roughly on her hands and knees as she tried to catch her breath. Haruki's desperate intervention had disrupted the dangerous trajectory he was on. The feathers that had been poised like sharp blades now retreated, folding back against his wings as he panted on the ground.

The reality of the situation began to break through the rage-induced haze as he sat up with a groan. Haruki's deep breathing and Y/N's scared sniffles echoed in his ears, a painful reminder that he had come so dangerously close to losing control completely. Haruki looked at him with a mix of fear and concern. Y/N had moved, pressing her back against the doorway, her eyes wide with shock. Keigo's gaze shifted from Haruki to Mamoru, who was coughing and gasping for breath on the floor.

A moment of silence hung in the air, heavy with the weight of what had just happened. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he struggled to regain control of himself. He couldn't let the Commission puppeteer him into doing something irreversible, couldn't let Fierce Wings take control like that again. At least not until Himari was safe.

"Mamoru," he hissed, his voice low and seething with anger as he stood up and walked towards Haruki. "You've got ten seconds to explain yourself, or I swear to every god in existence, I won't be responsible for what happens next."

Mamoru, still gasping for breath, managed to utter, "I... I came here to help. I know you don't believe me, but I need to make things right." His voice was rough and low, damaged from the pressure and Keigo avoided his gaze out of guilt.

"What the hell is happening?" Y/N asked, pushing herself off the ground to stand. "Why did you say Himari is sick? Do you know where she is?"

"The Commission has her," Haruki whispered, and Keigo bent down to help her up to her feet. He fussed over her slightly before she pushed him away and looked at Mamoru with a frown. "You owe that girl's mother a fucking explanation."

Mamoru shakily got up onto his legs, Keigo wincing at the mark already forming around his neck. He'd really almost killed him, and that thought was enough to send his stomach turning. It was that moment of distraction that left him unable to stop what happened next.

Y/N suddenly charged, grabbing Mamoru by the shirt and forcing him up against the large glass windows that made up the back wall of his office. It all happened so quickly that it left Keigo frozen to the spot in shock, unable to believe what she was doing. In any other situation, watching her take control like that, defending her baby, would've been extremely fucking hot. But now wasn't the time for those thoughts.

"What the hell do you mean the Commission has her?" She roared, and Keigo's brain finally seemed to start working again, pushing him into action. He walked over towards her, stopping when she turned around to glare at him, her expression a mixture of fury and betrayal.

"Don't you fucking dare come over here and tell me to stop. If the Commission has her, that means you knew! You've been lying to me this entire time. You said you would help me, you said you cared and you fucking lied." She yelled, the hurt so obvious across her face it made his own heart clench. She really thought he'd hidden this from her? His stomach twisted so hard; he almost wanted to be sick himself.

"I didn't lie to you," he said, his voice low and filled with desperation. "I just found out about the Commission's involvement this morning. I swear, Y/N, I had no idea they took Himari."

"He's telling the truth," Haruki said softly, stepping forward and wrapping a hand around Y/N's wrist gently. "We were all kept in the dark about the Commission's true intentions. It's an absolute fucking mess, but what we need to do now is figure out how to get Himari back. That starts with getting the full story. So put him down, let's get these chairs flipped back the right way, and discuss this like rational adults."