The word echoed in Helena's mind.
Engagement.
Not romance.
Not choice.
A decision made for her.
Her chest tightened—but she didn't let it show.
Silence filled the chamber again.
Heavy.
Expectant.
They were watching.
All of them.
Waiting.
Not just for her answer—But for how she would react.
Helena straightened slightly.
"You're not asking," she said calmly.
The central figure didn't hesitate.
"No."
At least they were honest.
Her lips pressed together briefly.
"And if I refuse?"
A pause.
"You won't leave this room."
There it was.
Simple.
Cold.
Final.
Helena exhaled slowly.
Her mind moved fast.
Faster than the fear trying to catch up.
This wasn't about love.
This wasn't even about Marcus.
This was about control.
About tying her to something they could monitor… manage… own.
Her eyes flicked to him.
Just for a second.
Marcus stood still behind her.
But his gaze—Locked onto the council.
Not her.
And something in it was… dangerous.
Not acceptance.
Not obedience.
Restraint.
That told her everything.
He didn't like this.
Good.
Because neither did she.
Helena turned back to the council.
"You want to bind me to him…" she said slowly.
A step forward.
"…to control me."
"No," the central figure replied.
A pause.
"To stabilize you."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"That sounds like control."
A faint smile.
"Call it what you want."
Helena let out a quiet breath.
Then—She laughed.
Soft.
Sharp.
Unexpected.
The sound cut through the tension like a blade.
Even the council stilled slightly.
"You're making a mistake," she said.
"Explain," the figure replied.
Helena's gaze didn't waver.
"You think binding me will make me predictable."
A pause.
"It won't."
Silence.
"You think putting me beside him makes me easier to control."
Another step forward.
"It doesn't."
Her voice dropped slightly.
"It makes me harder to break."
That—That landed.
The room shifted.
Because she wasn't rejecting it.
She was reframing it.
Marcus's eyes flicked to her now.
Sharp.
Focused.
Understanding.
Helena continued, her voice steady.
"If you want to bind me…"
A pause.
"Then understand what you're binding."
Silence.
The central figure leaned back slightly.
Watching her differently now.
Not just as a risk.
As something else.
"Go on," they said.
Helena didn't hesitate.
"I don't follow rules I didn't choose."
A beat.
"I don't obey power I don't respect."
Another step.
"And I don't belong to anyone."
The words hung in the air.
Final.
Unapologetic.
Then—A shift.
Subtle.
Marcus moved.
Just one step forward.
Now standing beside her.
Not behind.
The message was clear.
He wasn't stepping back anymore.
Helena didn't look at him.
But she felt it.
The alignment.
The choice.
The risk.
The central figure watched them both now.
Together.
Then—A slow, deliberate exhale.
"Interesting," they said quietly.
A pause.
"Very interesting."
The other members shifted slightly.
Murmurs too low to fully hear.
Then—Silence again.
Decision forming.
"You misunderstand," the figure continued.
"This is not about ownership."
A beat.
"It's about leverage."
Helena's stomach tightened.
"There it is," she said quietly.
The truth.
"You are both… unpredictable variables," the figure went on.
"And unpredictable variables must be contained."
Marcus's voice cut in then.
Cold.
Controlled.
"You don't contain me."
The room shifted instantly.
Because that—That was defiance.
Direct.
Dangerous.
The central figure's gaze moved to him.
"No," they said calmly.
"We don't."
A pause.
"That's why we're giving you something to lose."
Silence slammed into the room.
Helena felt it.
The weight of it.
Not just a bond.
A threat.
Marcus went completely still beside her.
And for the first time—She felt it.
His anger.
Not controlled.
Not distant.
Real.
Dangerous.
Helena inhaled slowly.
Then stepped forward again.
"You want leverage?" she said.
The council watched her closely.
"I'll give you something better."
A pause.
"An alliance."
Silence.
Sharp.
Immediate.
Because that—That wasn't submission.
That was negotiation.
Again.
"You don't force this," she continued.
"You don't threaten it."
A step closer.
"You make it worth choosing."
The central figure studied her.
Longer this time.
Deeper.
"You're in no position to negotiate," one member said coldly.
Helena didn't look at them.
"No," she said calmly.
A pause.
"But I'm in the perfect position to become a problem."
Silence.
Then—A quiet sound.
Not anger.
Not dismissal.
Approval.
The central figure leaned forward slightly.
"You already are," they said.
A pause.
"Which is why you're still alive."
Helena held their gaze.
"Then let me stay that way."
The room fell silent once more.
And this time—It felt different.
Because now—The power wasn't one-sided anymore.
Not completely.
Finally, the central figure spoke.
"The engagement stands."
Helena's chest tightened—But they weren't finished.
"But…"
A pause.
"It will not be forced."
Silence.
Helena's breath caught slightly.
"You have time," they continued.
"To prove your value."
Another pause.
"And to decide."
The tension didn't disappear.
But it shifted.
From a trap—To a countdown.
Helena stepped back slowly.
That was the best outcome she was going to get.
For now.
Marcus didn't move.
But his presence beside her—Closer now.
Stronger.
Different.
Because this wasn't over.
Not even close.