Bonds

Chapter 121

-Maya’s POV-

Have you ever gotten to that point in your life where it feels like everything you built, everything you held dear, just crumbled around you, leaving nothing but a pile of smoking ruins? I shouldn’t have asked because I know the answer. At some point, everyone has felt that way but I didn’t think it would ever get to this point. Except, that’s exactly where I stood, tears blurring my vision as I stared at the wreckage before me.

Except, it wasn’t just the building or the blood on the concrete. It was… well, everything else. It was everything that had imploded in the aftermath of that stupid, impulsive kiss with Alex. I wouldn’t lie and say I didn’t know why I did it. Natalia had spelled it out for me an hour ago, calling me a selfish bitch after she told me she didn’t ever want to ever see me again.

Nothing, not a single thing, not the rejection, not when my father told me he hated me, had hurt me more than the moment those words left her lips and she turned her back on me. The worst part? I deserved it. Every ounce of her anger, every bit of her hurt, I had earned it all. And it was all because of him.

Here I stood, lost and confused, with no idea where to even begin to pick up the pieces. Maybe, I thought, I should rewind. Go back to that moment before everything spiraled out of control. Go back to the beginning. Right after the kiss.

In that single, stolen moment, all I could think about was how strangely perfect it felt. Our lips were fused, and it was like his whole being was pouring into mine. I never wanted to let go, to disconnect from that feeling. But then, slowly, the reality of the situation started to seep in, and with a jolt, I pushed him away.

We stared at each other, both panting for breath. “Amaya,” he whispered, his voice thick with something I couldn’t decipher. “I–”

But I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear whatever excuse or apology he was about to offer. So I did what I do best – I ran. I was a master at running away from my problems, a hypocrite through and through. And that’s exactly what I did. I ran.

That was the beginning of the end.

reassurance, some validation that maybe I wasn’t the horrible

all over my computer screen. I’d made plenty of mistakes in my life, but as I realized then, pushing whoever was behind the blackmail to the back of my mind had been a

–

everything – my marriage, my reputation, my life. I naively thought that was the worst it could get. But

into a frenzy. The news broke, splattered across every screen and headline imaginable. It wasn’t about me, thank Goddess but it was way worse. It was a video. A video of a man, a stranger, someone I’d never met and would never get the chance to meet because he was shot dead right after it happened. Shot

I needed her help, needed a plan to stop this blackmailer before they

goddamn world

world went nuts after that. Humans started hunting us down like monsters in the night, calling us all sorts of names. Riots erupted everywhere. Every unsolved death, every unexplained attack from the past few years, they were all getting pinned on us now. Werewolves were scrambling to disappear, to find somewhere safe

Nobody was safe.

like a rabid dog, driving them to do crazy things. Buildings were burning, shops getting looted. It was complete and utter pandemonium. For the first time ever, my father actually spoke to me without spitting fire.

understand what had gotten into him but it was something I chose

The worry was eating me alive, making me want to tear my hair out. Alex? Nobody had heard a peep from him

The Billionaire

–

his restaurants, his company headquarters – setting everything

fool, I went and made the biggest mistake of my entire life. I had to know he was okay. My

Chapter 121

straight into the fire. Natalia begged me not to go, warned me about the dangers of venturing out with crazed humans rampaging through the city. But I didn’t listen. I just bolted, straight for his company

my best friend afterall. The next thing I knew, I was pushing through a throng of bodies,

shifting right there to protect me. A gunshot rang out, sharp and sudden. It hit him. Nate. The bullet tore through him, and he