Bonds

Chapter Five

~Maya’s POV~

The voices floated all around me as I stirred back into consciousness. Every bone in my body hurt and I sensed my wolf stirring within, an instinctive response to the chaos around, ready to defend. Swiftly, I pushed her back knowing I needed my human side taking charge in this moment of disarray.

Gentle hands reached out, pulling me from the cloud of confusion. Struggling to stand, I grappled with pain coursing through every bone. Through the fog in my mind, I met Ivan’s concerned gaze.

“Are you okay?” His voice echoed through the haze.

Battling dizziness, I nodded, allowing him to guide me to a nearby chair. “What happened?” I managed to utter.

“An explosion,” Ivan explained, “Someone planted a bomb to stop the wedding.”

“Who would want to stop the wedding?”

My wolf stirred, giving a possible answer to the question but I refused to believe that Alex had anything to do with it.

I had seen it— the look on his face. There was nothing but hate. Alex wouldn’t be interested in stopping me from getting married unless it wasn’t to stop the wedding and this was him showing that he meant the statement against my father,

“Maya, did you just hear me?”

“I’m sorry.. I was just.. Why would someone plant a bomb?”

“That’s not important right now. I think we need to get you to a hospital.”

“No. I’m fine,” Realization dawned on me, glancing around, “My father, my parents, where are they?”

“I saw Daniel and your mother after the explosion,” Ivan reassured me, “He was trying to get her away from harm’s way. They are okay.”

A bitter taste lingered in the air, the realization hitting me hard.

Of course, he didn’t come looking for me.

“I didn’t finish saying my vows. We aren’t married yet,” I uttered, still trying to process everything happening.

humor into the grim scene. “Wow. If I had known it would take an explosion to get you to admit you want to marry me, then I would have planted

wreckage and the chaos, a laugh bubbled up from

should probably go find my parents,” I murmured, acknowledging the unspoken responsibility even though they hadn’t come looking for me. “I

will talk about completing

to leave but before I could take another step, he pulled me back, a sudden and unexpected force. Without giving me a chance to

lips giving him the opportunity to deepen the kiss. His hands

of my hair to the tip of my toe, yet something felt

like Alex, a small voice whispered, snapping me

those beautiful lips taste like.” A blush rose to my cheeks as he

without a doubt dropped panties everywhere

to do with your legs?” my father’s voice cut

his unmistakable death glare. “I

standing there, staring into space like an idiot,” he remarked, his tone as

“Father, there was an explosion. Am I not allowed to take a moment to collect my

eyes narrowed even more, a silent warning. “Are you talking

I wasn’t… I

have time to waste, child. Where

to do some damage control after he came to find me when the bomb went

leave, and if you choose to stop standing around like an idiot, I would like to get moving,”

hurriedly nodded, not daring to provoke

the remnants of the once festive venue, my mind buzzed with a mixture of emotions and questions. The shock of the explosion still echoed in

voice called out as we approached her. She looked

Mom,” I replied, “What happened? Why would

at her wondering. My mother and I had always had an awkward relationship.

her eyes, there was only loss and emptiness. Never a look that

I knew she didn’t love

felt like a forced moment, his tone clipped, “We can discuss that later. Right

from the chaos, where emergency

the parking area, my father directed us towards the car. “Amaya, we’ll need to have a talk about what happened. And

What had

myself for what I knew would be a lecture.

mysterious explosion, and Ivan’s seemingly calculated exit. I

ushered us into the living room. “Sit down. We need to address

a glance with my mother.

do,

hand through his graying hair. “Firstly, are you hurt? Did Ivan ensure your safety or did he run like a coward? I need to know the type of man he is in this

that Daniel Stone was only thinking about himself yet