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

growled. “This… this changes

back into his

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

of rage, frustration, and a gnawing fear

launched myself into the

Chapter 36

blurred into streaks of yellow as I pushed the

and wild forest. Without a second thought, I threw the

as familiar as it was brutal. Bones contorted, muscles ripped, and a deafening howl erupted from my

was the color of a moonless 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 was the release. The feeling of the wind whipping through my fur, the exhilarating

I slowed to a trot, my body finally starting to cool down. Collapsing onto a grassy knoll,

the trees, a lament for the bond I might have irrevocably

replaced by a deep, gnawing ache. Regret, heavy and bitter, settled

night air, but from the

pressing down on me. Shifting back into my human form, 1 winced

laced with cold sarcasm, sent a jolt of surprise through me.

her chest. Moonlight glinted off her icy eyes, hardening their usual warmth.

her hands ignoring the fact that I was naked, keeping her gaze on my face, “Maya’s

almost scoffed. Tell me something I don’t

there in case of an unexpected shift. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, I met her gaze, my jaw clenched

me was flat, devoid of any emotion, a stark contrast to the

“Should I My voice

-k how you

she snarled. “I’m not here for idle chit-chat.