Bonds

Chapter 11

-Alex’s POV-

-Seven Years Agon

The phone clattered down on the polished mahogany desk, the sharp crack echoing through the office. I slammed my list onto the armrest, the growl already rising in my throat, raw and primal.

“What did Daniel Stone do this time?” Adrian drawled, sauntering in with the unruffled case that always grated on me in these moments.

I threw him a glare, the fury simmering beneath the surface. “Trying to bait me out again, the pompous ass. It’s getting hard to ignore,” I admitted, the growl escaping this time, low and guttural.

I could feel it, my wolf stirring within, claws scraping against the confines of my control. Daniel Stone, the Alpha of a rival pack had always enjoyed pushing my buttons, and lately, he’d taken it to a whole new level.

“You know he is. Alex,” he said, his voice calm and steady, a stark contrast to the storm brewing inside me. “Don’t give him the satisfaction. Let it roll–off your back like you always do. He’ll get bored eventually, fighting a war with himself.”

He had a point, damn him. Adrian, my right–hand man, confidante, and the only person who truly understood the beast I kept caged within. He was always the voice of reason, t

the anchor in my ever–churning sea of emotion and he was right. Reacting was exactly what he wanted.

I clenched my jaw, forcing the wolf back into the shadows. “Fine,” I conceded, the word grating like sandpaper on my raw nerves. “But he’s pushing it.”

A ghost of a smile played on Adrian’s lips. “Then let’s drown the frustration before it takes control. Drinks? My treat. Consider it your reward for not turing Daniel Stone into an overpriced paperweight. Besides I could use that broodiness that women find attractive to land a few.”

I shook my head, but the amusement flickered in

“You my eyes.

my help wooing

say it never gets old. Now, brooding billionaire or charming billionaire? Your

the day, Adrian,” I

futile.

he countered with a shrug. “If the boss has a problem

these days, I will,” I muttered, but a grin tugged at my lips. He

Friday night energy. Bodies pulsed on the dance floor, fueled by alcohol and adrenaline. Women adorned in glitter and jewels fluttered around like

into the VIP section, the world seemed to tilt amidst the kaleidoscope of color and movement,

music muted, the chatter dimmed,

burnished copper, cascaded down her back like a waterfall of fire. Her emerald eyes, sparkling with laughter, held the entire room captive. She moved with a grace that defied

Time stopped. The air crackled with an unseen energy. The words I was about to say evaporated. My wolf, ever–attuned to my emotions, let out

raw and powerful, leaving no

widened, mirroring the

as it appeared. But the echo remained,

brand

stark reality crashing down with the sting of a slap. The phantom pain of the brand throbbed on my shoulder, a constant reminder of what

voice yanked me back to the present, laced with

imitation simmering beneath the surface. My jaw clenched, and she could probably feel the heat radiating off me. “What the hell was that about?”

innocently. “What was what about?”

coy with me,” I growled, my words laced with frustration. “You

smile on her face not reaching her eyes. “Just trying to be friendly with my future sister–in–law, darling. Get to know her a

just happen to “know” that Ivan made reservations here?” I shot back, skepticism dripping from