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.

he asked gently, his smile replaced with

inside. Natalia took a seat on the opposite couch, a silent observer. Nathan knew me well enough not to pry in that moment. He just held me close, his strong arms a comforting anchor in the storm

werewolves. Nathan, the former college basketball star, had a way with using his enhanced abilities to his advantage on the court, making him a 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

hair, sending a familiar tingle down my spine. “What happened?”

voice laced with

“Of course it was,” he muttered under his

exhausted. Exhausted by the

12:03

Chapter 26

Thu, 20 Jun

whole new mess to deal with one that involved my father finding out I’d beaten up Ivan’s

coming.” Natalia declared, seemingly

up in surprise

situation, her voice laced with barely contained excitement. She couldn’t resist adding des about how “amazing” it had been when

good. I could have ripped

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

is driving you crazy,” Natalia’s

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

said. And then there’s Alex, the one who

Nathan tried to

It’s the hard truth,

someone else. He threw you away when you

to the gut, a reminder of the reality I desperately wanted to escape. They were harsh, laced with anger on my behalf, but undeniably true. I knew it. As 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 yourself. It’s time

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 the back of my

A fresh start, a chance to build something new for yourself. Focus on that. Throw yourself into your work,