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?"

of course, is already planning a redo of the wedding since I, apparently, need to finish my vows. A smaller one

tongue, her silence crackling with disapproval. I knew she wanted to cuss out my

know what? Why don't we ditch 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," I started, the protest forming

his will. I know it's easier to just comply, to shrink into the shadow he casts, but damn it, Maya, that's not you. I miss the girl

the gut, jolting me out of

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

excitement infectious. "Big Shot, it's called, and rumor

what about Nathan and

need a night to forget the bomb, the broken vows, the piece of shit that broke

your inner warrior goddess on fire, and meet me by the back

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, of stripping away

agreed, the word slipping out on a breath of

voice already halfway out the

dancing. Lots

declared, her mischievous laughter echoing down the hallway. "Tonight, my friend, we dance like there's

up the phone, a spark flickered to life in my eyes, chasing away the shadows of fear and resignation. The girl who punched

a welcome slap against my burning cheeks. My heart hammered in my chest, a wild hummingbird trapped in a cage of nerves and excitement. There she was, Natalia, silhouetted against the streetlamp,

long enough, Rapunzel," she teased, her voice a familiar melody

I breathed, pulling the collar of my leather jacket tighter against the wind. "Just...

my flimsy excuse. "The alpha

denied, though the lie tasted bitter on my tongue.

"It's been a hell of a day. But tonight, we forget all

out a shaky laugh, feeling the tension seep out of my shoulders. "Ready when you

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