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.”

scoffed, “Why don’t you save the threats for someone

this changes everything. We’re done, Christian. If you

crept back into his voice,

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

of rage, frustration, and a gnawing fear for Amaya. I needed an escape. Needed to feel

ripped open the car door and launched myself into the countryside, the roar of the engine a muted

Chapter 36

blurred into streaks of yellow as I

hills and wild forest. Without a second thought, I threw the car into park and slammed the door shut. Taking a single, deep

Bones contorted, muscles ripped, and a deafening howl erupted from my throat as 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 was the release. The feeling of the wind whipping through my fur, the exhilarating power coursing through my veins as I took off into a sprint. There was no thought, no strategy, just the primal urge to run, to outrun the anger, the fear, the suffocating

but far from calm, I slowed to a trot, my

head, I let out 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

night wore on, the initial surge of rage subsided, replaced by a deep, gnawing ache. Regret, heavy and bitter, settled in my gut. How could I have let things get

air, but from the chilling realization of my actions. I n

the weight of the world seemingly pressing down on me. Shifting back into my

through

few feet behind me, arms folded across her chest. Moonlight glinted off her icy eyes, hardening their

ignoring the fact that I was naked,

almost scoffed. Tell me something

grabbing the clothes I always kept stashed there in case of an unexpected shift. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, I met

of any emotion, a

“Should I My voice

-k how you

play dumb with me, Alex,” she snarled. “I’m not here for