Bonds

Chapter Izo

-Maya’s POV-

My head felt like a hollow shell, devoid of any thoughts or memories. The very concept of death, something I’d always pushed to the back of my mind, was now a terrifying reality I couldn’t escape.

Would it be like this?

My soul leaving my body, a helpless observer as my physical form grew cold and lifeless?

The inside of my skull was a vast emptiness, yet a searing pain pulsed through my body, so intense it threatened to consume me whole.

Was this it?

Was this what death felt like?

Had I finally received the answer to a question I hadn’t dared to ask myself before?

Then, a noxious stench, sharp and acrid, invaded my senses, snapping me back to a semblance of awareness. It filled the void in my mind, forcing reality back into focus. The hospital. The drive to the airport. The sickening crunch of metal as our car collided with another. The concrete wall looming impossibly close… and then, darkness.

My eyes flew open, a scream tearing from my throat. “Ivy! Nate!

Panic surged through me as I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn’t obey. I was strapped tightly to a rickety wooden chair, my arms and legs secured with rough rope that bit into my skin. Fear, cold and primal, clawed at my throat.

Where was I?

What was happening?

I renewed my struggles, desperate to break free. But with each strained movement, a wave of weakness washed over me. My breath hitched in my throat, and I screamed again, my voice hoarse and raw. “Ivy! Nate! Someone please! Who’s there? Where are my children? Let me go!”

of sewage and decay. Rough, damp stone formed the walls, and the floor was slick with a layer of

moisture–laden spiders scuttled across them, their movements jerky and unsettling. Exposed pipes snaked along

some dangling ominously empty, others bearing the weight of

throat, constricting my airways. My mind raced, desperate for answers. Where was I? Who had taken me? Most importantly, where were the

to connect with my wolf to get out of here, I reached out with my mind. But the familiar presence was numb. She was

screamed again, my voice echoing off the stone walls, a pathetic sound swallowed by the oppressive silence that

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Chapter 128

answer, no sound except for the dripping water and the frantic hammering of my

a voice sliced through the oppressive silence, making me jump. “Will

the flickering light and I saw Adrian standing in the shadows, his face contorted in

me go right now! Where are my children? I swear on the

with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Stop the shouting. You’re getting on

to get back at Alex, leave

it is. The good old Alex finally gets a mention. How’s my dear

in my mind. “It was you! You sent

the world. You were too busy chasing after him to see anything else. Seems you lean more towards the ‘stupid‘ side than the ‘smart‘

mixture of fear and

let out a dark chuckle. “Don’t flatter yourself, Amaya. You’re not that important for me to blackmail. Alex is the one I want

kidnap me? Where are the twins?” My mind raced, desperately searching for an escape plan, anything

on me as if he was studying some fascinating specimen. “I can’t believe you still love him. After everything he did to you, to us. You’re nothing

you have some sick revenge plot with Alex, take it up

smile played on Adrian’s lips as he took a step back. “I didn’t bring you here, Amaya. I’m just here to enjoy the show,” he added with a theatrical flourish, “Besides I always give credit where credit

a mixture of terror and fury. “Screw you and screw whatever this is all about! Let me go right now! I’m supposed to be at the airport with

a smile that sent shivers down my spine. It wasn’t a friendly smile, it was a smile filled with a chilling amusement, a promise of something dark and twisted. He held my gaze for a moment, a long,