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

the air between us. Natalia, bless her bluntness, knew me too well

a chipped piece of nail polish. “He’s probably still knee-deep in damage control after the explosion. Daniel, of course, is already planning

unspoken words simmering on Natalia’s tongue, her silence crackling with disapproval.

what? Why don’t we ditch the dust and debris of today and paint the town red? Forget

started, the protest forming on my lips. “It’s past

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 wolf and laugh in his face. I miss the firebrand who started a rebellion in

a punch to the gut, jolting

whispered, wiping the tears that threatened to

fog of despair. “There’s this new club that just opened,” she chirped, her excitement infectious. “Big Shot, it’s called, and rumor has it they have a dance floor that hypnotizes and cocktails that sing opera. I’ve been dying to check it out, and tonight, my

what about Nathan and Ivy?”

replied, “I’ve been itching for some girl time anyway, and you need a night to forget the bomb, the broken vows, the piece of shit that broke your heart.

you the address, you wear something that sets your inner warrior goddess on fire,

up from a place I thought had been buried under the rubble of the day. The Natalia Rant, as she affectionately called it, had a way

I agreed, the word slipping out on a breath

her voice already halfway

dancing. Lots and

laughter echoing down the hallway. “Tonight,

phone, a spark flickered to life in my eyes, chasing away the shadows of fear and resignation. The girl who punched Nathan in the face and defied her father wasn’t dead, she was simply hibernating. And

welcome slap against my burning cheeks. My heart hammered in my chest, a wild hummingbird trapped in a cage

you long enough, Rapunzel,” she teased, her voice

the collar of my leather

to pierce through my flimsy excuse. “The alpha throwing another tantrum?” she asked, her tone laced with knowing

the lie tasted bitter on my tongue. “Just needed

her smile soft and understanding. “I get it,” she said, “It’s been a hell of a day. But tonight, we

my bruised spirit. I let out a shaky laugh, feeling the tension

she declared, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Now,