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.

wrong?” he asked gently, his smile replaced with a cautious

as he pulled me inside. Natalia took a seat on the opposite couch, a silent observer. Nathan knew me well enough

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

familiar tingle down my spine. “What happened?” he asked

snorted, her voice laced with exasperation.

rumbled deep within his chest, “Of course it was,” he muttered under his breath. “Why can’t he

Exhausted by the constant tug-of-war between

12:03

Chapter 26

Thu, 20 Jun

all off, I had a whole new mess to deal with one that involved my father finding out I’d

Natalia declared,

shot up in surprise “Who had it

with barely contained excitement. She couldn’t resist adding des about how “amazing” 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

admitted with a wry grin, it did feel pretty good. I

The weight of the evening, the encounter with Alex, the raw emotions it

wanting him is driving

before a single word could escape. “Don’t even try to

the world, you said. And then there’s Alex, the one who walked away without a backward

Nathan tried

It’s the

someone else. He threw you away when you needed him most, with no explanation, no apology. You. Have. To. Let

the weight of her words settled in, a wave of despair washed over me. 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. “I know,” she murmured, her voice thick with sympathy. “I know you love him. But sometimes, love isn’t enough. Sometimes, you have to choose

me close, her arms a silent source of strength as I clung to her, the s s wracking my body slowly subsiding into sniffles. When I finally pulled back, wiping at my damp cheeks with

“This new job you got, that’s a good thing. A fresh start, a chance to build something new for yourself. Focus on that. Throw yourself into your work, prove yourself. Don’t let Alex