Bonds

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.

“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

bless her bluntness, knew me too

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

hear the unspoken words simmering on Natalia’s tongue, her silence crackling with disapproval. I knew she wanted to cuss out my father

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

my lips. “It’s

at 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 who could stare down a rogue

punch to the

going?” I whispered, wiping the tears that threatened

“There’s this new club that just opened,” she chirped, her excitement infectious. “Big Shot, it’s called, and rumor has it they

what about Nathan and Ivy?”

broken vows, the piece of shit that broke your heart. Plus, I have this new outfit that practically screams ‘watch me dance,’ and you wouldn’t want to deny

wear something that sets your inner warrior goddess on fire, and meet me by the back gate in ten minutes. We’re painting the town ruby red,

laugh, the sound bubbling up from a place I thought had been buried under the rubble of the day. The Natalia Rant, as

word slipping out on a breath of newfound defiance. “Just

her voice

Lots

done,” she declared, her mischievous laughter echoing down the hallway. “Tonight, my

to life in my eyes, chasing away the shadows of fear and resignation. The girl who punched Nathan in the face

burning cheeks. My heart hammered in my chest, a wild hummingbird trapped in a cage of nerves and excitement. There she was, Natalia,

you long enough, Rapunzel,” she teased, her voice a familiar melody

my leather jacket tighter against the wind. “Just… needed

“The alpha

lie tasted bitter on my tongue.

she said, “It’s been a hell of a day. But

laugh, feeling the tension seep out of my shoulders. “Ready

she declared, a mischievous glint in her eyes.