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.

weapon of choice. Maybe if I ignored him long

let out a frustrated sigh, followed by the unmistakable scrape of a chair against the floor. He knew me well, knew exactly how to get under my skin. But

married, his voice laced with something that sounded suspiciously like…

Sat, 22

Chapter 94

my voice

in his eyes

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

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 and you aren’t

did?”

clenched. Cold? Heartless? Coming from the man who betrayed our friendship, who chose to sleep with the woman I loved, his words. felt like a punch to the gut. But

what exactly did I do to you?” I asked,

rather amusing? You spent years running

stung, more than I

to play therapist?” I asked, my voice laced with a bitter edge-“Analyze

back into a mask of indifference. “No, Alex

hanging heavy in the air, ripped through the

low rumble emanating from my chest. Every muscle in my body tensed, my wolf

the leash.

will,” he smiled even bigger, his

My blood ran cold.

Claimed?

be claimed by him? They were married but I didn’t think. She wouldn’t. My mark, the spot where she had cemented

voice a dangerous growl. “There’s no way

twisted amusement in his eyes sent a tremor of doubt through me. He knew

I

with a cruel edge. “Well I guess you will find for yourself eventually. Just thought i should do you a solid, you know

heavy in the air, a challenge laced with

words laced with a dangerous edge. “Before I beat

all.”