Bonds

tack.”

Chapter 99

-Maya’s POV-

The world erupted into a cacophony of snarls, growls, and the sickening thud of flesh on flesh. Alex’s command echoed in my ears, a death knell shattering the fragile peace we’d all clung to for the past hour.

Before I could even blink, his wolves were a blur of fur and fangs, launching themselves towards the center platform where my father stood, his own wolves scrambling to meet the attack. A primal scream tore from my throat as I watched Alex himself shift. The human form I knew, the one that had haunted my dreams and stolen my heart, dissolved before my eyes. In his place stood a magnificent beast, a black wolf, its fur rippling with raw power.

A guttural roar ripped from Alex’s wolf, a sound that sent shivers down my spine and echoed the primal fear rising within me. My father’s pack didn’t hesitate. With snarls of their own, they too shifted, a wave of brown and gray fur surging forward to meet the oncoming black

tide.

The clash was instantaneous, a whirlwind of snapping teeth and thrashing claws. The air grew thick with the stench of fur and blood, the polished floor of the hall slick with crimson. I stood rooted in place, paralyzed by the sudden, brutal violence that unfolded before me.

Then, a cold realization washed over me, sharp and undeniable. This wasn’t a show of force, a fight for dominance. This was a massacre. Alex

hadn’t come here to negotiate peace; he’d come here to destroy.

A frantic voice broke through the haze of terror clouding my mind. “Amaya!” I whipped my head around, searching for the source of the shout. Relief flooded me as I saw Ivan pushing his way through the throng of fighting wolves, his face etched with concern.

Instinct took over. I needed to find Natalia and Sarah, get them out of this madness. “Ivan,” I shouted, my voice barely audible over the growing chaos, “Natalia and Sarah! I need to find them!”

He reached me, his grip firm as he pulled me towards a side door leading out of the hall. “We need to get you out of here first,” he yelled, his voice strained. “I’ll find them once I get you safe.”

logic, the need to get me out of harm’s way. But I couldn’t just abandon them. “No! I can’t leave

a steely edge I hadn’t heard

the exit.

darted frantically around the hall, searching for any sign of Natalia or Sarah amidst the swirling mass of fur and fangs. Then, in the distance, I saw them. My father and Alex, locked in a vicious light, their wolf forms

scream ripped from my throat. They were going to kill each other. In that moment, everything else faded away- the chaos, the fear, the need to escape. All I saw was my father, the man who raised me even though he hates me, and

locked in

arm free from his grasp and bolted towards them. “No!” he roared after me,

running,

closer, punctuated by the sickening crack of bone on bone. Each step felt like wading through mud, my breath coming

the outskirts of the fighting frenzy, a massive brown wolf, easily twice the size of any

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Chapter 99

My heart lurched, dread

escaped my lips as I saw my father trying to scramble to his feet, his wolf form diminished, ragged gashes marking his gray fur. Suddenly, a flash of black fur shot past me. Alex’s wolf, a blur of lethal grace, tackled the brown from the side. They tumbled across the floor in a whirlwind of snarling fury, the sound of teeth snapping and

be ripped to shreds. With a deep breath that did little to calm the frantic pounding of my heart, I felt my wolf finally break through the

I shifted.

rush of power surging through my body. My vision sharpened, the world narrowing to a predator’s focus. I saw the glint of the brown wolf’s fangs as he lunged for Alex’s throat, his

aiming for his side. With a primal roar, I slammed into him, driving him back a few steps. He whipped his

with him. His momentum faltered, giving Alex’s wolf a vital edge in their fight But whoever he was was a seasoned warrior, and his surprise quickly melted away, replaced by a snarl so vicious it sent shivers down my spine. He lunged at me, his massive

his brute strength. We danced around each other, a deadly ballet on the blood–soaked floor. I darted in and out, nipping at his flanks, trying to draw his

intelligence. Each missed attack left me vulnerable, and the growing pain in my leg, a result of a swipe from his paw

sluggish

rage and desperation, had managed to get back on his feet and was now charging towards Alex. With a sickening thud, he slammed

sprawling