Bonds

Chapter 12

-Maya’s POV-

My silence hung heavy in the air, thicker than the city mist clinging to the car windows. Ivan finally broke it, his voice laced with an apology I wasn’t ready to accept. “You are upset with me,” he stated, the obviousness grating on my already raw nerves.

I swivelled towards him, my glare hot enough to melt the ice currently residing in my veins growing every second from the encounter with Alex.

“My relationship with Miranda… it’s complicated,” he offered, his voice trailing off like an unfinished sentence. But complications meant nothing to me in that moment. My hurt, a gaping wound, demanded clarity, not excuses.

“Does this complication make you SCARED of her?” I spat, each word laced with venom. “Because you just puppet on her strings. I don’t even know her, so what is her problem with me?!”

sat there and let her make jabs at me, like a

My voice escalated, mirroring the turmoil within. The frustration of the encounter with Miranda, the sting of Alex’s reappearance, all converged into a torrent aimed at Ivan. He flinched at the force of my outburst, but it did little to get rid of the firestorm.

He sighed, a weary sound that spoke volumes. “It’s not you,” he began, attempting to soothe the tempest. “Miranda is like that with everyone. She thrives on feeling superior, tearing down those around her to build herself up. I’m sorry she ruined our dinner.

But his apology rang hollow. “She didn’t ruin the dinner, Ivan,” I snarled, my wolf straining at the leash, baring her fangs at the perceived weakness. “You

did.”

The accusation hung heavy in the air, a stark contrast to the soft hum of the engine. His eyes widened, surprise battling with hurt. But it was the hurt that stung, a flicker of vulnerability exposing the truth beneath his carefully constructed facade,

My wolf whined, urging me forward, demanding answers. Yet, a sliver of reason held me back.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm the storm within. The questions wouldn’t disappear, but the accusations wouldn’t get us anywhere. I needed a different approach.

you let her treat me like that? Why the silence when I needed you? We are going to be married and you said you didn’t want it to be on my father’s terms but I need to know that I can count on you

It

Is that why you went to my father to marry me out of all the options you could have had…. Because you think I am so weak and go with whatever I’m told?,” I stated, the accusation hanging heavy in the stagnant air of the car. It wasn’t a question, but a

true. I don’t think you are weak and it’s not that simple,” he

cage of my control. “Because right now, all I see is you letting your sister walk all

a whisper. “A complicated one, filled with….baggage not like

seconds.”

laced with a flicker of curiosity. “What kind of baggage?” I pressed, needing to understand the invisible strings

cityscape, a million unsaid words battling for release. Finally, he spoke, his voice laced with pain. “Our parents were killed right in front of us. She was five

Chapter 12

me, striking a chord of empathy. “How old were you?” I

Seven.”

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the anger disappear in seconds, “I am really sorry, I cannot imagine what that coud have been like or for her. You had your childhood stripped. away

it was the two of us against the world and then things changed when we were old enough to start dating. She is really possessive of me. Seeing you

me with you? You make it sound like I’m some kind of trophy or

reaching out to grip mine, but I instinctively pulled away. “it’s not like that. You… you represent something new, something good in my life. And Miranda… she doesn’t like change. She fears losing the only constant she has left. It has always been like that. She can date but I can’t. Now that

relationship, of loyalty twisted by loss and fear, My anger softened, replaced by a sliver of

actions, Ivan,” I said, my voice gentler now. “You have to stand up

will,” he vowed, his voice firming with resolve. “But it won’t be

chest. “We face this, whatever it is,

else’s drama.”

lighting up his features. “As equals,” he echoed, squeezing my hand

the silent agreement warming my skin.

confusion tugging at my brows. But a thrill, unexpected and exhilarating, fluttered in my chest. He didn’t wait for my question, stepping out

on our terms,” he stated, his voice firm despite the tremor in his