Core Bound: Forbidden Echoes

Cain has Lyra pinned against the wall when the hunters break through the door. “Want to live?” the cold Galactic Enforcer whispers, offering her one choice: sign the soul-binding contract—or die with the forbidden star-core inside her. The contract makes him her protector, jailer, and master, binding her survival to his every command. He was supposed to deliver her to the Star-Core Council, yet every touch burns through her defenses—and every order awakens a dangerous power neither of them can control. Then a signal reaches Lyra in her missing brother’s secret code, while Cain reveals he already knows it’s a trap. Will Lyra trust the man who owns her soul—or betray Cain to save the brother who may be leading her straight into death?