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.

the grim scene. “Wow. If I had known it would take an explosion to get

wreckage and the chaos, a laugh bubbled up from

even though they hadn’t come looking for me.

talk about

he pulled me back, a sudden and unexpected force. Without giving me a chance to prepare,

gasp escaped my lips giving him the opportunity to deepen the kiss. His hands wrapped around my waist,

my hair to the tip of my toe, yet something

like Alex, a small voice whispered,

smiling down at me, “I didn’t want to leave this hall without knowing what those beautiful lips taste like.” A blush rose to my cheeks as he bent down, his lips brushing against my ear, “You taste even better than

I knew without a doubt dropped panties everywhere he went, he turned around,

nothing better to

was met with his unmistakable death glare. “I

into space like an idiot,”

attempting to defend myself, “Father, there was an explosion. Am I not allowed to

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

I wasn’t…

have time to

when the bomb went off.” I

want to leave, and if you choose to stop standing around like an idiot, I

hurriedly nodded, not daring to provoke him further. “Yes,

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

out as we approached her. She looked frazzled but unharmed.

replied, “What happened? Why would

had always had an awkward

stared into her eyes, there was only loss and emptiness. Never

my father, I knew she didn’t

discuss that later. Right now, we need to leave. The situation is

the chaos, where emergency personnel

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

What had I even

bracing myself for what I knew would

drive back home was uncomfortably silent. My mind raced with thoughts of the interrupted wedding, the mysterious explosion, and Ivan’s seemingly calculated exit. I stole glances at my

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

a glance with my mother. The air in the room was thick

did I do, Father?” I

running a 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