Bonds

Chapter 118

-Maya’s POV-

The slam of the front door echoed through the empty house, a punctuation mark to the whirlwind of emotions I was feeling. The nerve of them

both

gut.

–

Alex waltzing in like he owned the place, and Ivan letting him. I fumed all the way down the sidewalk, my anger a hot coal burning in my

Reaching the house, I practically threw myself through the doorway, collapsing onto the couch with a sigh that could have rivaled a hurricane. My phone, nestled on the coffee table, buzzed once, the tiny notification light blinking accusingly. Figures. Just what I needed – Ivan checking in to see if I was okay. Another sigh escaped my lips, this one tinged with irritation.

They could all go to hell. This was going to be a me–day. A day of escape. Ivy and Nate were safely with Ms. Rodriguez’s for the afternoon at the park, leaving me with a glorious expanse of empty time. No work, no mind–numbing worry about the vanished mark, and definitely no Alex to disrupt my carefully constructed peace.

Today, I was taking back control. Today, I was going to be a woman with needs and desires that extended far beyond the tangled mess that was my relationship with werewolves and supernatural drama. It was a day for self–care, a day to recharge the emotional batteries that had been steadily draining ever since this whole madness started.

With a renewed sense of purpose, I pushed myself off the couch and padded towards the kitchen. Wine. That was what I needed. A nice, deep glass of something red and robust, something that would help me unwind and forget the world outside these walls for a while.

rummaged through the cabinets, finally pulling out a bottle that looked promising. After a brief struggle with the stubborn cork, I poured myself a generous glass, the deep crimson liquid swirling in

smile tugged at the corners of my lips. I kept flipping through the worn pages, a bittersweet smile playing on my lips as then as my fingers grazed a particular picture from my college days, a wave of emotions washed over me, strong enough to halt my nostalgic journey. It was a photo of Natalia and me, but it wasn’t the image itself that stopped me. It was the rush of memories it triggered. Memories I couldn’t escape, no matter how hard I

of a recent event. The insistent drumming of the professor’s voice faded into the background, replaced by

soothing balm against the storm of emotions brewing

cut her off abruptly, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. “We are

he found

replaced by a flash of fierce protectiveness. “For the last time,” she hissed, “screw Daniel Stone. He’s nothing but

whispered back, the weight of the name

put in some effort to fight for it. I know if I found my mate, it wouldn’t matter if it was going to be a Romeo and

about was the jolt of electricity that coursed through me the moment Alex touched me in the bathroom stall. My wolf had been a whirlwind of emotions, a primal urge pushing

to the billionaire alpha who was my father’s biggest enemy. It was a story written for tragedy, doomed before its first chapter. The weight of the situation pressed down

the fog in my head, its shrill ring snapping me back to

you coming?”

shook my head, the words catching in my throat. “I need some

with a silent nod, she gathered her things and left the classroom. The hollow echo of the closing door was

my life! Was

memory of Alex’s touch, the way my wolf responded to him, was

But the image of

to be a way. There had to be a way for us to be with him, even if it meant defying everything I

a click startled me, breaking the tense silence. I snapped my eyes open to see Natalia standing next to me again, a mischievous grin plastered on her face. Her phone was pointed

a mixture of surprise and irritation flooding