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

a silent observer. Nathan knew me well enough not to pry in that

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 felt, or let her go. Thankfully, he’d chosen the former, and now, years later, they were happily married and I don’t know what I have

my hair, sending a familiar tingle down my spine.

voice laced with exasperation. “Alex,” she

within his chest, “Of course it was,” he muttered under his breath. “Why

was exhausted. Exhausted by the constant tug-of-war between Alex, Ivan, and that

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Chapter 26

Thu, 20 Jun

off, I had a whole new mess to deal with

coming.” Natalia

in

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

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

Alex, the raw emotions it had unearthed-it all threatened to overwhelm me. “What am I

is driving you crazy,” Natalia’s voice

whipped my head up, glaring at her. My mouth opened to defend myself, to deny the truth that hung heavy in the air, but she cut me off before a single word could escape.

decision,” She continued, her voice softening slightly. “Ivan’s still there, offering you the world, you said. And then there’s Alex, the one who walked away without a backward glance, leaving you pregnant and heartbroken, with nothing but broken promises echoing

Nathan tried

hear this, babe. It’s the hard truth, but someone

He chose someone else. He threw you away when

in my eyes, threatening to spill over. Natalia must have sensed my crumbling resolve because she

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 hand, her gaze held a mixture of concern and fierce

but firm. “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