Bonds

Chapter 114

-Maya’s POV-

My birthday was still a few months away, but if I could have wished on a shooting star right now, I knew exactly what it would be. My father and Alex, crammed together in a tiny car, driving off a cliff straight into the fiery depths of you–know–where.

Okay, maybe that was a bit much. But seriously, the nerve of those twol Here I was, having to call Ms. Rodriguez back yet again to watch the twins while Ivan and I dealt with their latest explosion.

Did this drama ever freaking end?

And to top it all off, Alex had the audacity to stand there, completely unapologetic, like he hadn’t just thrown my father through a wall. As if that wasn’t bad enough, my jerk of a father practically blamed the whole thing on me. Of course he did.

Now, here I was, staring down at a pile of massacred carrots at 1 am in the morning. My wolf was practically clawing its way out of my skin. She was furious, and let’s be honest, so was 1. We both needed to rip something to shreds, but I knew unleashing her wouldn’t exactly be the

best course of action.

With all the chaos, I still hadn’t fully processed the fact that I’d shifted. It felt surreal, like a scene from a movie that had somehow landed smack dab in the middle of my very real life.

“Those carrots would beg for mercy if they could–talk,” a voice said behind me.

I jumped, startled. Ivan stood at the entrance of the kitchen, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a hint of amusement. He raised an eyebrow, silently conveying the message with his eyes.

Following his gaze, I looked back down at the chopping board. What had I been doing? Slicing carrots? More like brutally murdering them. Each one was reduced to mangled shreds, a testament to my simmering frustration.

He chuckled softly and walked towards me. “Maybe you should put down the knife for a bit,” he suggested gently. He took the knife from my hand without a struggle and carefully pushed the destroyed carrots aside.

“They’ll never learn to behave, will they?” he muttered, more to himself than to me.

draining away. There wasn’t much point in arguing. He was right and also, chopping vegetables wasn’t exactly the most therapeutic

warmth a welcome comfort. “Your father is an ass,” he murmured into

finally tugged at the corners of my lips. “You just had to switch things up and make me feel like a complete goofball,

you?”

the sound rich and warm. “Just speaking

fingers tilting my chin up. “ignore what he said,” he muttered softly. “It’s not worth your energy, especially if it

really did know how to disarm me, how to make me see the ridiculousness of the situation. “Thank you,” I whispered, feeling a wave

Chapter 114

in his eyes. “I don’t know why you were

adrenaline from the whole Alex fiasco had kept me going for a while, but now it was wearing off, leaving me

hallway, his hand warm and steady on my lower back. The twins‘ room was quiet, the soft glow of a nightlight casting

big,” I whispered, the wonder of motherhood washing over me even

“They are,” he agreed. “And they wouldn’t be

warmth through me that had nothing to do with the exhaustion. He always knew how to make me feel cherished,

the worst of days.

silence thick with unspoken thoughts. I sank onto the edge of

to help you get changed?” he

“I can manage,” I mumbled, pulling off my shirt and tossing it onto the laundry

lamp, plunging the room into a soft twilight. The exhaustion, finally unburdened of the adrenaline rush, washed over me in waves. My

to get

of the night. But sleep, that elusive friend, remained just out of reach. My mind, despite its fatigue, was a whirlwind of thoughts and

word echoing in the quiet of the night. My frustration simmered alongside a dull ache of

father. His dismissive words about me causing the fight stung, even though I knew better. He was a master at deflecting blame, always leaving

the silence, I rolled onto my side, facing away from Ivan, needing a

okay?” he asked softly, his voice laced

considered lying, saying yes just to appease him. But the knot of tension in my stomach wouldn’t allow

it gently on my back. The warmth of