Bonds at War: The Untouched is Mine novel Chapter 263

Chapter 263 Interrupted Bonding

ROWAN

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The river shimmered under the late morning sun, its surface sparkling like glass, broken by the occasional ripple of fish darting beneath. Calla’s hands clutched the fishing rod with determination, her tongue peeking from the corner of her mouth as she concentrated. I sat behind her, one arm steadying the pole, the other wrapped gently around her waist, guiding

her movements.

“Easy,” I murmured. “Let the current do the work. Patience is the secret to fishing.”

She tilted her head back to glance at me, her eyes wide. “Patience?” she asked.

I grinned. “Yes, patience. Which is hard when you’re my daughter, because you have too much fire in you already.”

She giggled. Then she shifted, her bare feet splashing in the shallow bank. “This is for Mommy,” she announced proudly.

My heart warmed at the certainty in her voice. I ruffled her hair, her braids slipping loose between my fingers. “You love your mommy so much, huh?”

Her smile widened, radiant as the sun above. “Yes, yes!”

Then she tilted her head again, her expression suddenly very serious for someone so small. “Daddy loves her too.”

I paused for a moment. Then I whispered the truth. “I do.”

Her face softened into a smile. She leaned back against my chest. “I’m happy,” she said suddenly.

I smiled slightly, looking down at her. “You’re happy?”

She nodded, her eyes on the river. “I wanted my daddy… but I never told Mommy.”

My breath caught.

She turned her head, giving me an innocent smile. “I’m happy it’s you.”

My vision blurred, and I had to blink hard to clear it. This was what it meant to be a father, wasn’t it? To have a little soul look at you and tell you they were glad you were theirs.

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Chapter 263 Interrupted Bonding

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I swallowed past the lump in my throat and pressed a kiss against her cheek. She squealed but didn’t pull away, leaning into it instead.

“Hold onto the rod, champ,” I told her, needing a moment to compose myself. “Show me how strong you are.”

She grabbed the pole with both hands. I loosened my hold, letting her take the full weight. My daughter didn’t falter. She braced her feet on the ground and held steady, her brows furrowed in concentration.

“Dang,” I muttered with a laugh. “My daughter’s hella strong.”

She beamed at the praise, her shoulders straightening with pride.

For years, I had felt hollow, wandering through a life without direction, convincing myself I didn’t deserve love or family. Now I had something to boast about.

Hell, I was going to brag to Cade about this later. I had something he didn’t! Well, at least, not yet. Arden was going to give birth soon, too.

I watched her for a long while, letting her giggles fill the silence between us. Then, suddenly, my pocket buzzed.

I frowned, reaching for my phone. The name flashing on the screen made me pause.

Elias.

He hadn’t called in a while. The last time we’d spoken, he was complaining about being single, which was unusual for the Strategist of the East.

I pressed the answer button.

“Elias?”

The voice on the other end wasn’t the steady tone I once knew. I knew right ahead that something was wrong… again.

It was deja vu. The same way Francis had called me back then. The same desperate cry for help.

“Rowan,” he growled. “Fucking help us right now.”

***

The moment Elias‘ voice rang through the phone, I hadn’t hesitated—I’d called Francis. Tessa,

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Chapter 263 Interrupted Bonding

:

B

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who appeared to be pampered by my parents when I arrived, also straightened and told me she was going to come.

She insisted, so I had no choice. In the end, Calla was left with her grandparents. She didn’t even cry when I told her we had to go.

Now, in wolf form, the forest whipped past us, the soil trembling under our paws. Tessa was right beside me, her fur brushing mine every now and then.

By the time we crossed into Eastern Territory, it was already afternoon.

The scent of blood lingered faintly in the air, but when I skidded to a halt and shifted back, what met me wasn’t what I expected. Houses still stood. Walls were upright, untouched.

But then I saw Elias.

He stood in the open square, his usually pristine composure cracked to pieces. His coat was thrown carelessly to the side, sleeves rolled up, hair disheveled, and hands pressed hard against his temples. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, though it couldn’t have been more than a night since this attack happened.

“Elias,” I called.

He spun around quickly. His sharp eyes locked on mine before flickering past me–straight to

Tessa.

For a second, his exhaustion gave way to something else. His brows rose, his jaw slackened. And then he, of all people, pointed like a fool. “Tessa?”

Right, he probably didn’t know she was back.

“It’s a long story,” I muttered, stepping between them instinctively. “Take us to the damage.”

He clicked his tongue and shook his head, though I caught the twitch at the corner of his lips. “Lucky bastard. If I were Tessa, I wouldn’t have forgiven you.”

Tessa smiled beside me. “Elias,” I said sharply. “Focus.”

His smirk faded like mist, and without another word, he turned on his heel. We followed.

“I thought you were in real danger,” I said, quickening my pace to match his.

He didn’t look back. “We might as well be.”

As we walked, Elias rubbed a hand over his face and groaned. “Cade told me about Montrose.”

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Chapter 263 Interrupted Bonding

I nodded once. “They attacked our faction.”

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“Well, we’re planning a counterattack,” Elias admitted. “However, it would be hasty to do that now, and we don’t want to stoop down to their level and affect the innocent civilians.”

“However, they’ve already done some damage during the planning phase.”

He stopped suddenly, whirling around to face us. “They poisoned our warriors with dark magic.”

Tessa inhaled sharply beside me. “Poisoned?”

Elias nodded grimly. “At the borders. They didn’t even need to fight. They slipped it through— food, water, smoke, I don’t know. By the time we realized, they’d collapsed. Dozens. Maybe more. If our security hadn’t been airtight, if our men hadn’t spotted the breach, they could’ve been inside already.”

I clenched my fists. Poison. Again.

“That’s why I called you,” Elias added, his voice quieter. “Cade said you’ve dealt with something like this before.”

I glanced once at Tessa, who nodded back.

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