Bonds

Chapter 82

-Alex’s POV-

I stood at the entrance of the facility waiting for them to prepare him to be seen. I knew once I stepped into that room and asked for his help. there would be no going back and as I sat there, replaying the day of the bombing in my head, I knew the decision had already been made.

-Three days earlier-

The news crackled over and over in my head, and I couldn’t stop grinding my teeth in anger. Land claim. My land. The territory that had been in my pack’s possession for generations, the one bordering his damn forest, was now apparently “up for grabs” according to the old bastard.

My fingers tightened around the phone, the plastic digging into my palm. This wasn’t some corporate takeover, some hostile bid I could counter with lawyers and financial maneuvering. This was a primal challenge, a land grab rooted in the oldest werewolf traditions. I’d tried the civilized route, the boardroom battles, but Daniel Stone understood only one language: force.

“Mr. Thorne?” The voice on the other end of the phone, my secretary Ruth’s, cut through the haze of anger clouding my mind. “Are you still

there?”

“I am,” I forced out, my voice tight. “Cancel all my meetings for the rest of the day and tomorrow.”

The silence on the other end stretched for a beat before Ruth spoke again, her voice laced with concern. “Mr. Thorne, are you sure? You have a very important presentation tomorrow with the Miller Group.”

“Cancel it.” I repeated, my tone leaving no room for argument. “Everything. I need to handle something… urgent.”

There was another pause, then a sigh. “Very well, sir, Will you be back in the office today?”

The city skyline shimmered under the soft glow of dusk, the construction that seemed to follow me everywhere I went. Renovation. It had been dragging on for weeks, a constant reminder of Amaya’s presence. She had gone on to ignore me after the outburst at the pack

I won’t

little to hide the sounds of hammering and drilling from within. My wolf stirred again, a restless energy coursing through me. Maybe I was hoping to catch a glimpse of her, to feel some semblance

heavy in the air. No more delays. No more corporate niceties. It was time to

the elevators. The battle was on, and

1:|:ངཅན

air clung to me, heavy and stale even after the ten–minute drive. Moonlight sliced through the gaps in the old Victorian house’s overgrown hedges, illuminating faces gathered around a crackling fire pit in the backyard. It wasn’t their usual hangout – most nights were spent in their own apartments, plugged

Chapter 82

faces flickering in the

from the old days of smoky dens and face–to–face meetings. Something that imitated me more than anything else in the world. Being Alpha wasn’t a job description 1 ever signed up for, but some nights,

was one

We were a large pack with over a thousand pack members so I expected them in numbers, I scanned the faces searching for two people specifically, the most likely to undermine my authority but Vargas and Raze

the task at hand. “Alright everyone,” I began, my voice cutting through the tense silence. “Thanks for coming here on such short notice. You all know about the merger. Stone and McCall. A

the pack, a low growl echoing from the side. I recognized the source

that should concern us all.” I paused, letting the silence stretch for a beat before

gasp escaped

firm, “is unacceptable. This land has been ours

anger was raw, the need to defend what was rightfully theirs burning bright in their eyes. But before the simmering tension could boil over, Vargas voice

he had come to me with the way his eyes danced around. I chose to ignore him. He was seeking a verbal war, one that I wouldn’t give to him. I faced back the Packmembers, “I know I haven’t been the most present Alpha but that is going to change. No one touches what belongs to me. This land claim, which I intend to put an end to, is just the beginning, there will be more and I have no plans of letting anyone who makes a play against my

battle glory, pressure was immense. My wolf stirred within me, its primal instincts urging me to meet force

thrill of the

pl. assess our