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 about the embers. They’re still there, glowing under the ashes. You just need to find the courage to

knew me too well to let it linger. Instead, she sidestepped, her voice sharp but

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

on Natalia’s tongue, her silence crackling with disapproval. I knew she wanted to cuss out my father but was

the dust and debris of today and paint the town red? Forget Daniel’s mini-wedding plans, forget dinner with the pack higher-ups. Tonight, we’re breaking

my lips. “It’s past ten. I don’t think my

cut me off, her voice firm despite the playful glint in her eyes I knew would be dancing in her eyes, “You are a grown woman, not a porcelain doll to be shelved 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 wolf and laugh in his

punch to the gut, jolting me out of

wiping the tears that threatened

the 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

about Nathan and Ivy?” I

you need a night to forget the bomb, the broken vows, the piece of shit that broke your heart. Plus, I have this new outfit that practically screams

I could answer, she was already planning the escape. “Don’t worry about details, I’ll handle everything. I’ll text you the address, you wear something that sets your inner warrior goddess on fire, and meet

Rant, as she affectionately called

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

her voice already

sure there’s dancing. Lots and lots

she declared, her mischievous laughter echoing down the

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

night air a welcome slap against my burning cheeks. My heart hammered in my chest, a wild hummingbird trapped in a cage of nerves and excitement. There she was, Natalia, silhouetted against the

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

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

flimsy excuse. “The

denied, though the lie tasted bitter on my tongue.

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

a shaky laugh, feeling the tension seep out of my shoulders. “Ready when you are,

mischievous glint in her