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.

growl ripped from his throat,

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

have been my first reaction. But as I huddled in my makeshift hiding place, a strange calmness washed over me. Curiosity, perhaps, or maybe a sense of detachment that shielded me from the horrific scene unfolding before my

echoed

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 Thome was a man I considered my enemy right

thunderous command failed to 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 own monstrous being. Anything but that. I was never going to be

as I rose to melt back into the shadows, a new conversation snagged my attention, anchoring

my m

Chapter 53

soft voice startled me. A petite nurse with a dazzling smile and a blush creeping up her cheeks stood