Bonds of the Alpha Billionaire (Maya and Alex)

Chapter 131

-Alex's POV-

The world spun around me, a sickening spree of blurry colors and muffled sounds. Yet, despite the dizzying sensation, my feet remained rooted to the spot, a strange paralysis gripping my body. Natalia's words echoed in my head, a relentless mantra that drilled into my skull. Children. I had children. Not one. Two. Twins.

The revelation hit me with the force of a sledgehammer, stealing the air from my lungs. My legs buckled beneath me, the sudden weakness a stark contrast to the turmoil raging within. Children. My own flesh and blood, walking, breathing proof of a life I'd discarded.

"Alex?" A distant voice pierced through the haze that registered somewhere in the back of my mind. Christian. He was calling my name. Air. I needed air. My lungs felt like they were constricting, each desperate gasp a shallow imitation of a proper breath.

My hand grasped at the empty space around me, a futile attempt to steady myself in this storm of emotions. "Alex," Christian called again, his voice closer now, laced with concern. "Are you okay?" Finally, my eyelids fluttered open, the world coming back into focus with agonizing slowness. Natalia's face swam into view, etched with a mix of tear stains and raw anger. Beside her stood Riley, her gaze filled with a pity that felt like a punch to the gut. And then there was Christian, his expression mirroring Riley's, but tinged with a hint of something else - maybe regret, maybe sorrow.

"Did you know?" I wasn't even sure if it was me who spoke, the words seeming to detach themselves from my body and float into the air of their own accord.

Christian sighed, "Not before today. Riley called me an hour ago, said Amaya was missing and Natalia needed to get a hold of you. That's all I knew."

Another deep breath hitched in my throat, a struggle to fill my burning lungs.

"Where are you going?" Natalia asked but I was already turning away, my body moving on autopilot. Behind me, I heard Christian murmur, "Give him a moment." The sound faded as I stumbled blindly towards one of the empty rooms, the walls closing in like a suffocating cage.

A moment. It wasn't a moment I needed. It was a lifetime. A lifetime to come to terms with the colossal mess I'd created. A lifetime to grapple with the knowledge that I'd thrown away my own children, my own flesh and blood, all because I couldn't bring myself to fully trust someone.

My legs finally gave way, and I crumpled to the floor. My wolf was silent. Uncharacteristically quiet, as if stunned into submission by the bombshell revelation.

Twins.

pups.

A single tear escaped the corner of my eye, tracing a warm path down my cheek. It was a tear even begin. A future with Amaya, with our children.

of regret,

of loss,

of a

future

stolen before it could

What had I done?

of the knife. I was standing in the garden, irritation twisting my features, as I

annoyance simmering in my eyes.

me?" I scoffed, unimpressed by her

eyes with a playful exasperation that always managed to disarm me a little. "You are so grouchy," she teased, stepping closer and instinctively molding her body against mine.

two months, yet her presence already had this

shift the focus, to

with a dismissive shrug. "Why were you glaring

shouldn't be here," I grumbled, my irritation returning. "They're wrapping

she explained,

weather here isn't perfect for them,

resilience."

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Cunn

I countered, my voice still laced with annoyance. "The gardener is

you want. But you know," she added, a mischievous glint returning to her gaze, "if

to the plants, her voice soft and wistful. "Like them, she'd

nothing to do with the summer

was

the last time I cried. Maybe I couldn't even remember what it felt like

a tidal wave of emotions threatening to drown me. The rest of Natalia's words,

Amaya was missing.

twins, my children, were

from deep within my gut. What the hell was I

tilting slightly as my body re-adjusted to the vertical position. The air crackled

swiped the tears from my face, a surge of anger replacing the despair. I was

them still there. Natalia paced the floor like a caged animal, her face etched with a desperate