Bonds

Chapter 144

-Alex’s POV-

It had only taken meeting them, Ivy and Nate, to know that truly I had made the biggest mistake of my life when I kicked Amaya out. The guilt gnawed at me constantly, and I knew I would spend the rest of my life apologizing for it and there was still Ivan out there, a constant threat. It had taken that kiss, that spark of reconnection with Maya, to jolt me into action. And people were already on it, moving fast. It sure had its advantages being a billionaire alpha sometimes.

What confused me though, was why Ivan hadn’t gone after my father. Damon Thorne was clearly the start of his madness, the reason for the whole war. But just in case, I still had men positioned around the facility, keeping a watchful eye in case Ivan decided to finally stop playing his twisted games. Right now, though, I had something more important to do.

I stepped out from the shadows, the fairy lights casting a warm glow on the clearing. Amaya’s green eyes, sparkling with surprise, flew “Alex, what is all this?” she asked, her voice laced with bewilderment.

to mine.

I closed the distance between us, my heart pounding in my chest. “Amaya,” I began, my voice thick with emotion, “I

Her gaze flickered to the sign, then back to me. “There’s no question mark,” she pointed out, a hint of amusement dancing in her

“Exactly,” I replied, a grin spreading across my face. “So you don’t have the option to say

want you to marry me.”

eyes.

no.”

to say no because there’s no question asked, Alex.”

worry crossing her features. The light in her eyes seemed to dim slightly. “Alex, I

my gut at the mention of his name, but I forced it down. She continued, her voice filled with concern, “Then there’s the whole thing with your wolf, we don’t even know what happened to him. And the war is still going on, and Ivan is still out there. There are just

You wouldn’t be dealing with getting out of a marriage if I hadn’t been such a coward. I am so sorry, Amaya, but I want to make things right because I love you. I didn’t know I could ever

taking in every detail. It had taken me all day to pull this together, to make it perfect. I didn’t want anyone’s

a mix of hope and nervousness, as a tear slid down her cheek. “Amaya,” I began, my voice thick with emotion, “I am

to finish the sentence. In a flash of movement, she was on me, tackling me to the ground with a joyful laugh. She

my life suddenly felt right, like all the pieces had finally fallen into place. “I still didn’t ask,” I teased, pulling her

she whispered, a contented sigh escaping

of happiness woven from laughter, tears, and unspoken promises. She finally lifted her head, her glistening with

eyes

lingering doubts. My hands instinctively wrapped around her

the moment was shattered. My phone, which I had purposely silenced for this evening, chose that exact moment to erupt with its insistent ringtone. A groan escaped my lips. With everything happening, with the war and the uncertainty surrounding her legal situation, I knew I

Christian’s name flash on the screen. “We have a problem,” his voice cut straight to

the weight of responsibility settle back on

everything that’s happened, your companies have mostly taken a physical hit,” Christian explained quickly. “But I just got a call. The situation just got a whole lot more complicated, more indepth and apparently, Adrian is the name behind it. I

about it,” I interrupted, my voice hardening. “I’ll

Chapter 144

and stood up, offering Amaya my hand. She took it immediately, her brow furrowed with concern. “Is something wrong?”

can’t handle,” I reassured her, even though a part of me wished I could just whisk her away from all the chaos and hide her

of the clearing, the fairy lights cast long shadows as we walked back towards my car. The romantic interlude felt like a distant memory now,