Chapter 12 The Trap

• The biological feedback of the separation began within six hours of Tahlia’s departure.
• Elena sat at her desk at seven-hundred hours, her computer displaying the draft of the proxy agreement Marcus had demanded. The document was legally sound, configured to transfer fifty percent of her administrative authority over the Redwood security protocols to Marcus upon the formalization of their union. It was a flawless simulation of surrender. But her physical system was operating under a severe deficit.
• The absence of Tahlia’s proximity had triggered a physiological reaction. Her heart rate was elevated by twenty percent, her cognitive processing speed was reduced by fifteen percent, and her internal wolf was pacing behind her ribs, interpreting the lack of connection as a systemic failure. The bond, designed to synchronize their systems, was reacting to the artificial distance with an acute stress response.