Bonds of the Alpha Billionaire (Maya and Alex)

Chapter 121

-Maya's POV-

Have you ever gotten to that point in your life where it feels like everything you built, everything you held dear, just crumbled around you, leaving nothing but a pile of smoking ruins? I shouldn't have asked because I know the answer. At some point, everyone has felt that way but I didn't think it would ever get to this point. Except, that's exactly where I stood, tears blurring my vision as I stared at the wreckage before me.

Except, it wasn't just the building or the blood on the concrete. It was... well, everything else. It was everything that had imploded in the aftermath of that stupid, impulsive kiss with Alex. I wouldn't lie and say I didn't know why I did it. Natalia had spelled it out for me an hour ago, calling me a selfish bitch after she told me she didn't ever want to ever see me again.

Nothing, not a single thing, not the rejection, not when my father told me he hated me, had hurt me more than the moment those words left her lips and she turned her back on me. The worst part? I deserved it. Every ounce of her anger, every bit of her hurt, I had earned it all. And it was all because of him.

Here I stood, lost and confused, with no idea where to even begin to pick up the pieces. Maybe, I thought, I should rewind. Go back to that moment before everything spiraled out of control. Go back to the beginning. Right after the kiss.

In that single, stolen moment, all I could think about was how strangely perfect it felt. Our lips were fused, and it was like his whole being was pouring into mine. I never wanted to let go, to disconnect from that feeling. But then, slowly, the reality of the situation started to seep in, and with a jolt, I pushed him away.

We stared at each other, both panting for breath. "Amaya," he whispered, his voice thick with something I couldn't decipher. "I-"

But I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to hear whatever excuse or apology he was about to offer. So I did what I do best - I ran. I was a master at running away from my problems, a hypocrite through and through. And that's exactly what I did. I ran.

That was the beginning of the end.

Ivan again, desperate for some kind of reassurance, some validation that maybe I wasn't the horrible person I felt like. But he was still out of reach, his phone going straight to voicemail. Two days later, the first blow landed. Pictures. Pictures of me and Alex, locked in that damning kiss, plastered all over my computer screen. I'd made plenty of mistakes in my

person, whoever they were, was relentless. They were determined to destroy everything - my marriage, my reputation, my life. I naively thought that was the

A video of a man, a stranger, someone I'd never met and would never get the chance to meet because he was shot dead right after it happened. Shot dead right

at Natalia's house when the news broke. She was the only one left who I could turn to. I needed her help, needed a plan to stop this blackmailer before they destroyed my life. But the

goddamn world knew

everywhere. Every unsolved death,

Nobody was safe.

went so far as to assign some wolves from the pack for my protection and let the twins stay at the house with my mother saying it would be safer for them there. I didn't understand what had gotten into him but it was something I chose to

from him until the biggest bomb of all hit the

Thorne: The

restaurants, his company headquarters - setting everything on fire, smashing windows, tearing it all down. And then, like

the fire. Natalia begged me not to go, warned me about the dangers of venturing out with crazed humans rampaging through the city. But I didn't listen.

He must have seen me take off and decided to come after me. He was still my best friend afterall. The next thing I knew, I was

terror in Natalia's eyes when she arrived at that exact moment just as Nate's body hit the ground. We both scrambled to his side, the world tilting on its axis. He was bleeding out, fast. I reached out a hand, desperate to touch him, to do something, anything. But

as the scene replayed on a loop in my head. "You just don't know when to stop, do you?" she screamed, her voice raw with a mixture of grief and rage.

voice broke, her words a torrent of pain. "Are you happy? You just couldn't leave Alex alone, and look what happened! I told

spray of blood crupting from his mouth. Natalia cradled him in her arms, her own tears flowing freely. "Shh, it's okay," she whispered, her voice thick