Bound To The Prince ( REVERSE HAREM)

Chapter 27 : When the Bond Strikes Back

The retaliation didn't come loudly.

It came precisely.

The palace woke screaming.

Not with voices-but with magic.

I felt it before I saw it. The bond snapped taut inside me like a drawn bow, heat rushing through my veins so fast it stole my breath. I jolted upright in bed, heart racing, wrist burning with a fierce, pulsing light.

Caelum was on his feet instantly. "It's happening."

The windows shattered outward-not violently, but cleanly-as moonlight flooded the chamber in blinding waves. Runes carved into the walls ignited one by one, responding to something older than the palace itself.

Rowan swore. "That's not a flare. That's a warning."

Lucien stood unnervingly still near the center of the room, eyes closed, jaw tight. Silver light curled around him like a living thing.

"They touched the bond again," he said quietly. "From a distance."

The heat spiked.

I gasped, fingers clutching the sheets as the sensation sharpened-not pain, not pleasure, but a consuming pull. My body reacted before my mind could catch up, awareness narrowing until the room felt too small.

Caelum was beside me in seconds, gripping my shoulders firmly. "Stay with me. Breathe."

His touch grounded me-but the bond pushed back harder, demanding proximity. Not just closeness.

Alignment.

Rowan's voice came sharp. "Lucien, if this turns into a dominance surge-"

"It won't," Lucien snapped, eyes opening, blazing. "I won't let it."

The bond disagreed.

Magic surged outward in a visible wave, rattling the doors, bending the torches low. Somewhere in the palace, alarms rang-too late, too useless.

The court had crossed the line again.

Lucien moved.

He didn't rush me. He didn't grab.

He knelt in front of me, hands braced on either side of my legs, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him-but not touching.

"This is where consent matters most," he said tightly. "Look at me."

I did.

"Do you want me to anchor you?" he asked. "Say yes-or say no."

The bond pulsed violently, screaming yes through instinct alone.

But he waited.

"Yes," I whispered.

The instant his hand closed around my wrist-

Relief slammed into me so hard my breath broke. The heat smoothed into something heavy, coiling low and intense rather than sharp and overwhelming.

Rowan exhaled shakily. "Gods."

Caelum steadied himself against the bedpost. "It's stabilizing."

Lucien leaned closer now, forehead resting briefly against my knee, breath uneven. His grip was firm-not claiming, but holding the line.

"They wanted to see if they could force a reaction," he said darkly. "Instead, the bond flagged them as threats."

As if summoned by his words, the palace trembled.

Far below us, something ancient answered.

Moonlight speared through the corridors, targeting-not randomly, but selectively. Court wards shattered like glass under pressure, their magic unraveling in precise, humiliating failure.

Rowan's mouth curved into a grim smile. "That's going to be hard to explain."

"They'll know," Lucien said. "The bond marks interference as hostility."

I swallowed, heart pounding. "Did... did I cause this?"

Lucien lifted his head, eyes softening slightly. "No. You survived it."

The bond pulsed-warm, affirming.

But it wasn't finished.

The heat returned-different now. Slower. Deeper. It curled through me like smoke, awareness sharpening, senses dragging my attention back to touch and closeness.

Caelum stiffened. "It's shifting again."

Rowan's voice dropped. "It's not defensive anymore."

Lucien's grip tightened just slightly. "It's reclaiming equilibrium."

I knew what that meant before he said it.

"The bond needs reassurance," I whispered.

Not punishment.

Not pain.

Connection.

Lucien didn't move closer-but Caelum did, sitting behind me on the bed, his presence solid and anchoring. Rowan stayed where he was, watchful, resisting the pull with visible effort.

Lucien leaned in just enough that his breath brushed my skin. "This is where it becomes dangerous," he said quietly. "Because the bond will blur want and need if we let it."

My pulse thundered.

"Then don't let it," I said.

His eyes searched mine. "Tell me what you want."

I took a steady breath. "I want you to stay. I want to feel safe."

The bond surged-pleased.

Lucien exhaled slowly, relief cutting through the tension. He shifted closer, not on top of me, not overwhelming-just close enough that the heat eased, the pull settling into something steady and contained.

The palace stopped shaking.

The moonlight dimmed.

Far away, the court learned a lesson it wouldn't forget.

Lucien rested his forehead briefly against my wrist, voice low. "They won't try again soon."

Rowan scoffed softly. "No. They'll plan."

Caelum's arms tightened around me. "Then so will we."

The bond hummed-quiet now, satisfied.

It had defended itself.

And it had chosen restraint.

For tonight.