Bonds

Chapter 36

-Alex’s POV-

Fury gnawed at me, a bitter, acidic knot that tightened with every ragged breath I took. The image of Amaya flinching back from my touch, her eyes wide with fear, was branded into my skull. The air in the cell was thick with the suffocating weight of my mistake. I shouldn’t have touched her.

I stormed out of the station, the slam of the heavy door echoing my own internal turmoil. Grabbing my phone, I punched in Christian’s number, my thumb hovering over the call button. This mess, this whole ch a a de – it was all his fault.

He picked up after two rings, his voice dripping with his usual twisted amusement. “Alex, what a pleasant surprise. Did you miss me already?”

“Get her out,” I growled, the words a low rumble in my chest.

“Ah, Amaya,” he chuckled, a sound that grated on my nerves. “Seems the little mate wasn’t too thrilled to see you.”

I ignored his jibe. “I don’t have time for your games, Christian. Get her out of that cell. Now.”

A beat of silence stretched between us, then Christian sighed, a theatrical display of exasperation. “Alright, alright. Calm down. It’s happening. She’ll be out in no time.”

“See that it happens,” I growled, my voice laced with a dangerous edge.

“Now, now, Alex,” he cooed, but the amusement was gone from his voice, replaced by a hint of something… caution? “Don’t get your fur in a twist. It was just a little nudge in the right direction. I was trying to be a good friend. Give you a little nudge in the right direction, Afterall it won’t take a blind men to see that you are still in love with her.”

“This wasn’t a game, Christian,” I snarled, each word laced with venom. “You kept me in the dark about her father getting her involved. If I hadn’t found out…

“Hey,” he interrupted, his voice sharp. “Don’t try to pin this on me. You gave the go ahead. I was just following orders.”

“Don’t ever pull a stunt like this again, Christian,” I warned, my voice low and dangerous. “If you ever put her in harm’s way again, there will be consequences. And trust me, you won’t like them.”

the threats for someone that actually fears

promise,” I growled. “This… this

amusement crept back into his voice,

each word clipped and full of menace. Then, without another word, I slammed

of rage, frustration, and a gnawing fear for Amaya.

ripped open the car door and launched myself into the

Chapter 36

inside me. The city lights blurred into streaks of yellow as I pushed the car to

I reached the edge of my property, a sprawling expanse of rolling hills and wild forest. Without a second thought, I threw the car into park and slammed the door

brutal. Bones contorted, muscles ripped, and

night, a deep, inky black that shimmered with an otherworldly sheen under the pale moonlight. Towering over eight feet at the shoulder, I was a hulking mass of muscle and bone. Razor-sharp claws extended from my massive paws, and my teeth, bared in a silent snarl, were as long and deadly as daggers. My senses, amplified a hundred fold, took in the world around me. But the only thing that mattered

blood filling my mouth. But still, I couldn’t stop. Finally, exhausted but far from calm, I

a long, mournful howl, the sound echoing through the trees, a lament for the bond I might have irrevocably broken. The sound hung in the air, unanswered, a stark reminder of the

deep, gnawing ache. Regret, heavy and bitter, settled

wracked my massive form, not from the cool night air, but from the chilling realization of my actions. I

heavy sigh, I rose to my feet, the weight of the world seemingly pressing down on me. Shifting

laced with cold sarcasm, sent a jolt of surprise through

feet behind me, arms folded across her chest. Moonlight glinted off her icy eyes, hardening their usual warmth. She looked like a storm about

that I was naked, keeping her gaze on my

Tell me something I

tree, grabbing the clothes I always kept stashed there in case of an unexpected shift. Pulling on a pair

emotion, a stark contrast to

“Should I My voice

-k how you

she snarled. “I’m not here for idle