Bonds

Chapter 94

-Alex’s Po

POV-

The blaring headline on my phone screen mocked me. Billionaire Tycoon Alex Thorne Announces Wedding Date to Miranda McCall Reality was a bitter pill I was forced to swallow every damn day. Two months. That’s all the time I had before I was shackled to Miranda for what felt like an eternity.

We’d made a deal. A twisted, soul–sucking deal. The truth for a public wedding announcement. Truth, a word that left a metallic tang in my mouth. The truth about her parents‘ death, the truth about her messed–up childhood, the truth about why she was the way she was. A broken doll, forever haunted by a past she couldn’t escape.

Her parents‘ deaths hadn’t been an accident. My father, the monster who haunted my every waking moment, was responsible. A revelation that should have ignited a firestorm of rage within me, but all I felt was a hollow echo. Maybe because deep down, a part of me already knew. My father leaving a trail of destruction wherever he went wasn’t exactly a secret.

But Miranda, she’d witnessed it all. The blood, the mangled metal, the terror in her parents‘ eyes – a nightmare she could never wake up from. And Ivan? The perfect older brother, the shining star, the embodiment of everything good, according to Miranda. He’d had their past scrubbed clean, a fresh start for his ‘damaged‘ little sister. Damaged. The word echoed in my head, a cruel reflection of my own fractured reality and as much as I hated to admit it, there was nothing I could find on him. He was truly just a knight in shining armor.

So here I was, staring at the wedding announcement. Pushing the phone away, I tried to focus on work. Paperwork blurred before my eyes, the scent of freshly brewed coffee a dull reminder of a life that once held meaning. The war with Daniel simmered in the background. Lives lost, territories claimed, the relentless pursuit of dominance – a game I was supposed to care about. But it all felt so hollow, so pointless but would I stop? No. My wolf needed his pound of flesh and this was the only way to give it to him,

A knock on the door shattered the silence. “Mr Thorne, there is someone here to see you,” Ruth’s voice, laced with a hint of trepidation, filtered through..

“I told you I wasn’t seeing anyone,” I growled, the words rough on my throat.

The door creaked open a fraction, revealing a sliver of Adrian’s face. “I think you can make an exception for an old friend,” he said, a smirk twisting his lips.

Ruth’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Thorne. I asked him to wait outside.”

“Just go,” I muttered, waving her off. The last person I needed to see right now was Adrian, a walking reminder of betrayal and shattered

trust.

Ruth shot me an apologetic look before scurrying out, leaving me alone with the ghost of our past. Ignoring him, I buried myself back in the paperwork, a futile attempt to silence the storm brewing inside..

“Aren’t you going to offer me a seat?” Adrian’s voice cut through the tense silence.

My weapon of choice. Maybe if I ignored

against the floor. He knew me well, knew exactly how to get under my skin. But this time,

getting married, his voice laced with

Sat, 22 Jun

Chapter 94

again.” I corrected, my voice

his eyes at my

congratulate me?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Or

of anger sparked in his eyes, a fleeting emotion quickly masked by a chilling coldness. “You haven’t changed a bit, Alex,” he spat, his voice low and dangerous. “Still the same cold, heartless bastard you’ve always been

did?”

with the woman I loved, his words. felt like

what exactly did I do

“You know what I find rather amusing? You spent years running from him, but you never really escaped, did

than

my voice

he schooled his expression back into a mask of indifference. “No, Alex I

hanging heavy in the air, ripped through the carefully constructed walls I’d built around

name,” I growled, a low rumble emanating from my chest. Every muscle in

the leash.

he smiled even bigger, his voice dripping with malice. “Especially since it concerns the little fact that she’s now claimed by

My blood ran cold.

Claimed?

She wouldn’t. My mark, the spot where she had cemented our bond, a

a dangerous growl. “There’s no way

through me. He knew something. Something I didn’t. And the thought of Amaya being marked filled me with a

I

Adrian taunted, his voice laced with a cruel edge. “Well I guess you will find for yourself eventually. Just thought i should do you a

suggestion hung heavy in the air, a challenge laced

out,” I snarled, the words laced with a dangerous edge.

all.”