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.”

me out of

is not up for debate!” Ivan’s voice held a steely edge I hadn’t heard before. He

the exit.

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 a tangle

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 Alex, the man I knew I

in a

he roared after me, but I

running,

floor felt like running through an adrenaline–fueled dream. The snarls and growls intensified as I got closer, punctuated by the sickening crack of bone on bone. Each step felt

frenzy, a massive brown wolf, easily twice the size of any I’d ever seen, slammed

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Chapter 99

ground. My heart

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

wolf within, urged me forward. I wouldn’t stand by and watch him 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 cage that had bound her in my head and I did the one thing I hadn’t done in four

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

With a primal roar, I slammed into him, driving him back a few steps. He whipped his head around, 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

advantage against his brute strength. We danced around each other, a deadly ballet on the

fool. He anticipated my attacks with surprising speed, his yellow eyes gleaming with predatory intelligence. Each missed attack left me vulnerable, and the growing pain in my leg, a result of a swipe

sluggish

hall, drawing my attention back to the central brawl. My father’s wolf, fueled by rage and desperation, had managed to get back on his feet and was now charging towards Alex. With a sickening thud, he slammed into

sprawling