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

never gets old. Now, brooding billionaire or charming billionaire?

day, Adrian,”

futile.

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

of these days, I will,” I muttered, but a grin tugged at my

usual Friday night energy. Bodies pulsed on the dance floor, fueled by alcohol and adrenaline. Women adorned in glitter and jewels fluttered around like exotic butterflies, while men, fueled by ego and bravado, tried to outdo each other with

I stepped into the VIP section, the world seemed to

axis. The music muted, the

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

about to say evaporated. My wolf, ever–attuned to my emotions, let out a guttural growl, a primal

and powerful, leaving no

mirroring the shock in

quickly as it appeared. But

a brand

The phantom pain of the brand throbbed on my

Miranda’s voice yanked me back to the present, laced with a tinge of annoyance. “You

feel the heat radiating off me. “What the hell was that about?” I demanded, my voice low

“What was what

I growled, my words laced with frustration. “You know exactly what I’m talking

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

Ivan made reservations here?” I shot back, skepticism dripping from my