Bonds of the Alpha Billionaire (Maya and Alex)

Chapter Six

-Maya's POV-

Natalia's voice, muffled through the phone, jolted me out of a daze. "You really think he did it?" Her words felt like sandpaper against my raw nerves.

I let out a sigh, "I don't know," the confession scraping my throat, "But think of it, Natalia. If I were to bomb a place, why would I leave evidence that it was me on the bomb?" "Exactly!" Natalia's sharp tone crackled through the receiver. "My thoughts exactly. But still, he's the only one with a motive to stop the wedding. Maybe he realized what he lost."

I shook my head, the gesture echoing the hollowness inside me, "I looked into his eyes. The Alex that loved me... I didn't see that man anymore. There was anger, yes, but also a stranger, someone consumed by something I couldn't understand."

A beat of silence hung between us, thick with unspoken doubts. "So maybe it was his way of making good on that threat. Maybe this was his way of showing Everton that he means to really go to war with your father."

"And my father, of course, couldn't help but blame me," I muttered, bitterness lacing my voice.

"When are you going to stand up-?" Shebegan, her question hanging in the air.

"No, Natalia, please don't," I interrupted, my voice laced with a plea. "I did that once, and it ended with my heart in pieces. That fire..." I choked back a sob, the memory a barbed wire twisting in my gut. "It's gone."

"Amaya..." Her voice was laced with concern, reaching across the miles to wrap around me in a virtual hug.

I clutched the phone tighter, "It's gone," I repeated.

Silence followed as I stared at myself in the mirror. A stranger stared back, her eyes dull with pain, her lips drawn in a tight line of resignation.

Natalia's voice broke through the fog. "Amaya..." she began, her tone softer now, filled with understanding. "It's not about the fire, darling. It's about the embers. They're still there, glowing under the ashes. You just need to find the courage to fan them back into life."

"Maybe," was my only reply, a single word that hung heavy in the air between us. Natalia, bless her bluntness, knew me too well to let it linger. Instead, she sidestepped, her voice sharp but warm. "Has Ivan called you yet?"

in damage control after the explosion. Daniel, of course, is already planning a redo of the wedding since

words simmering on Natalia's tongue, her silence crackling with disapproval. I knew she wanted to cuss out

red? Forget Daniel's mini-wedding plans, forget dinner with the pack higher-ups.

Maya, that's not you. I miss the

a punch to the gut, jolting me

we going?" I whispered, wiping the

just opened," she chirped, her excitement infectious. "Big Shot, it's called, and rumor has it they have a dance floor that

Nathan

up till tomorrow,"She replied, "I've been itching for some girl time anyway, and you need a night to forget the bomb, the broken vows, the piece of shit that broke your heart. Plus, I have this new

I could answer, she was already planning the escape. "Don't worry about details, I'll handle everything. I'll text you the address, you wear something that sets your inner warrior goddess on fire, and meet me by the back gate in ten minutes. We're painting the town ruby

laugh, the sound bubbling up from a place I thought had been buried under the rubble of the day. The Natalia Rant, as she affectionately called it, had a way of doing that,

word slipping out on a breath of newfound defiance. "Just one favor,

promised, her voice

sure there's dancing. Lots and

done," she declared, her mischievous laughter echoing down the hallway. "Tonight, my friend, we dance like there's no

eyes, chasing away the shadows of fear and resignation. The girl who punched Nathan in the face and defied her

a wild hummingbird trapped in a

you long enough, Rapunzel," she teased, her voice

the collar of my leather jacket tighter against the wind. "Just... needed a

excuse. "The alpha throwing another tantrum?"

the lie tasted bitter on my tongue. "Just needed to... collect

“I get it,” she said, "It's been a hell of a day. But tonight, we forget all that.

out a shaky laugh, feeling the tension seep out of my

mischievous glint in her eyes. "Now,