Bonds

Chapter 132

-Maya’s POV-

The cruel smile on Ivan’s face widened, “The boy wasn’t a fool,” he said, his voice dripping with a twisted satisfaction. “He knew he wouldn’t be able to take Damon Thorne on in a straight fight. But he also knew, no matter what happened, he was going to make him feel his pain. Make everyone who meant anything to him know what it felt like to hurt then something profound happened. He discovered the game of chess.”

A memory flickered through my mind, a sharp image of us playing chess together on a rainy afternoon. The way his brow furrowed in concentration, the way he moved the pieces with a calculated precision that belied his usual carefree demeanor. The truth had been there, right in front of me, but I’d been so caught up in a fairytale that I’d chosen not to see it.

“He became obsessed with it,” Ivan continued, his voice a low murmur. “Moving the pieces around from a position of power, controlling the board. And then the plan started to take shape. Damon Thorne took his parents away from him, leaving him to drown in a sea of pain. So Damon Thorne would too. And then his focus shifted to Alex Thorne – his son. Blood for blood.”

The pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place, a horrifying picture emerging from the chaos.

“As the years passed, he started moving the pieces. Setting the stage for the final act. And then, when you met Alex, the boy who had become a man, knew the time to strike had come. So,” he shot a glance at Adrian, “he made those photos and sent them to him.”

My gaze darted to Adrian, searching for a flicker of remorse, a hint of humanity in his cold stare. But there was nothing. Just a detached amusement, as if he were watching a particularly gruesome play unfold.

“Don’t look at him,” Ivan scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. “Adrian already made peace with whatever role he played in this twisted game. Now he’s just here to see Alex suffer the way he made him suffer.”

He threw his head back and let out a harsh laugh that echoed in the cavernous room. “Isn’t it all fascinating? A real–life game of vengeance, played out over years.”

I stared at him, a hollow numbness settling over me. My body ached from the ropes that bound me, but the emotional pain was far worse.

It was crushing, suffocating.

How could I have been so blind?

laughter subsided, replaced by a dark smile. “Anyway,” he drawled, “he was going to ruin Alex’s life. How dare the man be happy when his father had taken away the man’s happiness. As it turned out, Alex did most of the work himself by throwing you out. By doing that, he made himself utterly miserable. But that wasn’t enough. The man discovered something else a few years later – Alex had children. Another line carrying the blood of a

strangled gasp escaping my lips. The room seemed to tilt on

cave in on

dismissing my threat with a sneer. “Oh, shut up with your empty threats, Amaya. You’re in no position to make any demands.” He leaned closer, his breath hot and fetid against my ear. “Don’t worry about yourself. My children

yours!” I roared, my voice hoarse with fury. I thrashed against the ropes that bound me, the desperate need to protect my children

out about the children, he wanted to bring them here, end their lives in front of Alex, and then finish Alex off

his eyes gleaming

amusement. “But what fun would that

eyes sparkling with a manic delight. “He went to your father and proposed a marriage that would lead to a merger of the packs. Then he’d have control of two packs.”

mind, a drumbeat against the rising tide of terror. My father. The way the merger felt rushed, preordained. It hadn’t been about strengthening the pack, it had been about giving Ivan power. Power he could use to destroy Alex, to fulfill

puzzles fell into place, “The video… the messages… the man Ivy saw… that was all you?” I stammered, my voice

finally using your brain. This would have been a proud moment for us under different circumstances,” he mocked, his voice dripping with

blurted out, another question tumbling

1/2

E

Cuna

me, a flicker of annoyance crossing his features. “My darling sister here,” he began, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “was supposed to be my secret weapon, my inside woman in Alex’s life.” He narrowed his eyes at her, his gaze heavy with disappointment. “Unfortunately, she turned out to be bad at her job. So, I needed another way in, a way to get inside his

by begging for his help, painting myself as a damsel in distress. He, too busy basking in his own self–importance, never noticed that by intertwining himself with my company, he was handing me a roadmap to his entire operation – his thought processes, his business strategies, the key to dismantling his empire from the inside out.” He paused,

me with disbelief and pain and him with gleaming satisfaction, “Anything else you’d

a mix of anger and despair. “Your problem is with him, with his family.

a betrayal of the trust you thought I placed in you.” He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a low hiss. “I was truly hoping for a showdown, a bloody one at that. Alex and your father locked in