Bonds

Chapter 26

-Maya’s POV-

Everything in my body seized tip. The world seemed to shrink down to a single point – Alex, his hand wrapped around my waist, his voice a low growl in my ear Silver. He’d called the Silver.

The clamor of the bar faded away, replaced by a ringing silence. Every eye in the room was locked on us. Miranda was still sprawled on the floor, a guttural stream of curses erupting from her bloodied mouth. In that moment, I almost felt a flicker of satisfaction. She deserved worse.

His scent washed over me, sending a purr through my wolf’s core then the warmth of his body against mine vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, leaving a hollowness in its wake as he moved away. Even after all this time, it was still him.

A sharp voice sliced through the fog clouding my mind. Riley. Right, Riley was here. “I’m so sorry, Amaya,” she said, her voice strained, “But you need to go. My manager will be out any second.”

My mind was a jumbled mess. I didn’t know what to do, where to go. Then, Natalia’s hand clamped onto my arm, a firm grip that tugged me back to reality. She gave Alexa withering stare. “Don’t you dare touch her again,” she spat.

She dragged me away, our path taking us directly over Miranda, who shrieked at Alex, demanding he help her up. He remained frozen, a mirror image of my own paralysis. He knew what he’d done.

Silver. The word echoed in my head, a single syllable loaded with a lifetime of memories – stolen moments, whispered promises, a love both fierce and forbidden. I stole one last glance over my shoulder. His gaze was locked on mine, intense and unwavering, even as I was pulled out of the bar and into the cool night air,

The sudden change in temperature sent a gasp through me. “Are you okay?” Natalia’s voice cut through the fog of emotions swirling within me.

“Silver.” Irasped, “He called me Silver.”

Her gaze held a depth of empathy that made my chest tighten. She shook her head slowly, as if searching for the right words, then sighed. “Let’s just get you home, Maya,” she said gently. “We can deal with all this later.

The deadbolt clicked open, revealing Nathan’s smiling face. His smile faltered the moment he saw mine. His eyes flickered between me and Natalia, concern etching lines onto his forehead.

gone wrong?” he asked gently, his smile replaced

silent observer. Nathan knew me well enough not to pry in that moment. He just held me close, his

magnet for female attention. Natalia hadn’t been immune to his charm. Their story was a complicated one, filled with unspoken feelings and missed opportunities. Finally, I’d taken matters into my own hands, literally, and punched some sense into Nathan. He needed to man up and tell Natalia how he

fingers brushed against my hair, sending a familiar tingle down my spine. “What happened?” he asked

her voice laced with

Nathan tensed. A low growl rumbled deep within his chest, “Of course it was,” he muttered under his breath. “Why can’t he just leave you alone? You’re trying to move

were no easy answers. For my part, I was exhausted. Exhausted by the constant tug-of-war between Alex, Ivan, and that infuriating

12:03

Chapter 26

Thu, 20 Jun

I had a whole new mess to deal with one that involved my

it coming.” Natalia declared, seemingly reading

up in

it had been when I’d “who p d Miranda’s a.” I knew she was trying to lighten the mood, but I couldn’t help but

feel pretty good. I could have ripped out every single one

hands. The weight of the evening, the encounter with Alex, the raw emotions it had unearthed-it all threatened to overwhelm me. “What am I going to do?” I mumbled

him is driving you crazy,” Natalia’s voice cut

off before a single word could escape. “Don’t even try to deny it, Amaya,” she said, her excitement dying down immediately. “It’s written all over you, and frankly, it’s exhausting to watch you torture yourself like

there’s Alex, the one who walked away without a backward glance, leaving

Nathan tried to

the hard truth, but

Getting married. He chose someone else. He threw you away when you needed him

Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. Natalia must have sensed my crumbling resolve because she was beside me in an instant, pulling me into a tight embrace.

wracking my body slowly subsiding into sniffles. When I finally pulled back, wiping at my damp cheeks with the back

thing. A fresh start, a chance to build something new