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?"

picking at a chipped piece of nail polish. "He's probably still knee-deep in damage control after the explosion. Daniel, of course, is already planning a redo of the wedding since I, apparently, need to finish my vows. A smaller one this time,

hear the unspoken words simmering on Natalia's tongue, her silence crackling with disapproval. I knew

the dust and debris of today and paint the town red? Forget Daniel's mini-wedding plans, forget dinner with the pack higher-ups. Tonight, we're breaking free." "Natalia,"

shadow he casts, but damn it, Maya, that's not you. I miss the girl who could stare down a rogue wolf and laugh in his

the gut, jolting me

are we going?" I whispered, wiping the tears that threatened

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

what about Nathan and Ivy?"

vows, the piece of shit that broke your heart. Plus, I have this new outfit that practically screams 'watch me dance,' and you wouldn't want to deny me the audience, would

text you the address, you wear something that sets your inner warrior goddess on fire,

been buried under the rubble of the day. The Natalia Rant, as she affectionately called it, had a way of doing that, of stripping away the self-doubt and reminding

out on a breath of

promised, her voice already

there's dancing. Lots

down the hallway. "Tonight, my

fear and resignation. The girl who punched Nathan in the face and defied her father wasn't dead, she was simply hibernating. And tonight, Natalia was right, she was coming out to

air a welcome slap against my burning cheeks. My heart hammered in my chest, a wild hummingbird trapped in a cage

voice a familiar melody

breathed, pulling the collar of my leather

sharp as diamonds, seemed to pierce through my flimsy excuse. "The alpha

denied, though the lie tasted bitter on my tongue. "Just needed to...

closer, her smile soft and understanding. “I get it,” she said, "It's been

a shaky laugh, feeling the tension

she declared, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Now, about