Bonds

Chapter 53

-Alex’s POV-

Eight years old.

That was the first time the crimson color of blood stained my world. It wasn’t a scrape from a fall, a burst lip from a careless tumble. No, this blood flowed freely, painting a gruesome scene etched forever in my memory.

win I wasn’t supposed to see it. Tucked away in a forgotten corner of my father’s study, hidden amongst towering bookshelves and leather–bound tomes, I became an unwilling witness. The man on the floor wasn’t fighting back. There was no struggle, no desperate pleas for mercy. Just a look of utter defeat etched on his face, his eyes wide and vacant, staring sightlessly into the distance.

mirrored the spreading pool beneath the man’s body. A guttural growl ripped from his throat, a sound primal and terrifying. “Get him out of my sight!”

from the shadows, their faces obscured by the gloom. Without a word, they grabbed the now lifeless body. the man’s limbs dangling limply as they dragged him away, leaving a trail

a strange calmness washed over me. Curiosity, perhaps, or maybe a sense of detachment that shielded me from the horrific scene unfolding

voice, still laced with raw anger, echoed as he addressed someone

witness to my presence. It might be considered stupid hiding from the person who I didn’t want to find me but right under his nose but even at my age, I understood the term, keep your friends close and my enemies closer. Damon

elicit a flinch. I knew what awaited me when My father’s voice boomed once more, “Find him!” But they did. Training, Moulding. Shaping me into a reflection of his

to melt back into the shadows, a new conversation snagged

my m

Chapter 53

and a blush creeping up her cheeks stood in front of me. I hadn’t even realized when she walked up