Bonds

Chapter 134

-Maya’s POV-

Burials have always been my least favorite thing. The finality of it all, the cold, hard truth that slams into you

with the thud of dirt against the coffin

the person you love is gone, and there's nothing, absolutely nothing, you can do to bring them back.

| blinked back tears, determined not to give those gathered men the satisfaction of seeingunravel. Powerful

men, men I'd only ever seen on television screens, stood a few feet away, their faces grim masks as the coffin

was lowered into the ground.

Not one of them looked remorseful. In fact, there was something almost...celebratory in the eyes of one man |

caught staring a little too long. A flicker of satisfaction that sent a fresh wave of nausea churning in my stomach.

That's why they were here, it dawned on me. To bask in the fact that Alex Thorne was officially dead. To see it

with their own eyes, to etch the image of his lifeless body into their memories.

The sound of shouts drew my attention to the far end of the cemetery, where the humans were being held back

by Riley’s father’s men. | knew as soon as we left, once these burly guards dispersed, they'd break through the

flimsy barrier and scrawl hateful messages across Alex's grave.

Here | was, friends with a Mafia princess, and completely clueless about the whole thing. At least her father had

been a goddess-sent, utilizing his muscle to keep the human protestors at bay. This war had beca twisted

global spectacle, each side vying for dominance in the battle between humans and werewolves.

Another tear escaped, tracing a cold path down my cheek as | continued to stare at the freshly turned earth.

Someone was speaking, offering words of solace or comfort, but my mind was a blank canvas, incapable of

registering the sounds around me.

822

My thoughts, without my permission, drifted to Ivan. The pain of his betrayal was a knife deep in my heart. |

hadn’t seen it coming. I'd entrusted him with everything my secrets, my body, my very soul. But maybe, a tiny

voice whispered in the back of my head, maybe | deserved it.

He'd stabbedright through the heart, figuratively and perhaps literally, and with my children gone, vanished

without a trace just like Miranda had, he was still twisting the knife. Riley's father at her request was pulling out

all the stops to find them, but the only shred of hope I clung to was a mother’s instinct, a primal belief that

somehow, for now at least,they were safe.

A hand touched mine, warm and comforting. | turned to see Riley, offering a sad smile that didn’t quite reach her

eyes.”We're going to find them,” she whispered, her voice firm but laced with a tremor of uncertainty.

“Everything will be fine.”

| desperately wanted to believe her. | wished | could.

My gaze returned to the grave, a silent farewell to the man who | had been predestined to spend the rest of my

life with. Then, in a blur of movement, the crowd dispersed, and | was alone. Just me, the freshly turned earth,

and the deafening silence that echoed the hollowness within

« me.

Memories flooded my mind, a relentless tide of happy moments with Alex. His playful smile, the warmth of his

touch, the corners whenever | managed to make him laugh which was a rare sight for him.

the

his way

eyes

crinkled at

A sob escaped my lips, raw and uncontrolled. | sank to my knees, the cold, hard ground a stark contrast to the

burning ache in my heart. My body wracked with sobs, each one a guttural cry of despair and grief. | screamed

until my throat was raw, releasing the torrent of emotions that had been dammed up for days.

Tseemed to lose all meaning. | could have been there for minutes, hours, or even days. All | knew was the

pain, the crushing weight of loss that threatened to suffocate me.

Finally, exhausted and emotionally spent, | slumped back onto my heels, tears streaming down my face then a

hand, warm and comforting, wrapped itself around my back, pullingcloser into a familiar embrace. | turned

my head slowly, vision still blurred by the relentless flow of tears. Natalia’s face swam into view, etched with raw

grief, mirroring the storm raging within me.

We hadn't spoken, not a single word since Riley’s father's men had found us in that place and me, along with

Alex's body, to his secluded safe house. There had been no time, no space for conversation when the world had

tilted on its axis, plunginginto this abyss of despair. Natalia had kept a respectful distance, a silent

acknowledgment of the raw wound | carried. Riley had filledin on what happened. Natalia, it turned out, had

been the one to tell Alex | had gone missing and about the existence of the twins.

| wasn’t even mad. All | felt was emptiness.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, broken only by the ragged gasps of our shared grief, she finally spoke.

Her voice was a broken whisper, “I am so sorry for all the things | said. | was just so mad and-

my throat. “I deserve everything that’s happening to me. I've been so stupid, so selfish.

caught

up in-"

“And | deserved it,” | whispered back, the words catching in To you, to everyone around me. So lost in my own

world, so

She cutoff, her voice thick with emotion. “You are not the villain here, Amaya. And I'm so sorry for making

you one. | should never have said all

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2:52 PM

Chapter 134

FD

those things.” She choked back a sob, tears streaming down her face. “If they hadn't found you, if that was how

we left things, | would...” The words trailed off, replaced by a shuddering breath. “I would never have forgiven

myself. I'm so sorry, Amaya.”

My own tears welled up again, a fresh wave of grief washing over me. | wrapped my arms around her back, I'm

so sorry for being so selfish,” | choked out. “For always putting him first. I'm sorry.”

We stayed like that for what felt like hours. Finally, Sarah’s voice, firm yet gentle, pierced the thick fog of grief.

“Alright, it's tto get you both back to the safe house.”

| looked up, my vision blurry once

more. Sarah stood there, wiping

away a stray tear, a look of Wea

concer etcfeckon Hef ace Riley

stodd beside her, her shoulders

q q )

slumped in defeat. They didn't need

words to express their sorrow; the

unspoken understanding hung heavy

in the air. The content is on

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Silently, they helped us up, their touch a reminder of the support that surrounded me. One last look at the

freshly turned earth, and | allowed them to leadaway.

As we pulled up to the entrance of

the safe house, | noticed Christian

standing outside, phone presgedito

his ear, fguncreasing his

f&rehead. He looked tense, agitated,

but the moment he spotted Riley, a

smile transformed his face. He ended

the call abruptly, his entire demeanor

shifting as he hurried towards her.

| watched their interaction, a pang of something akin to jealousy twisting in my gut. Then, with a sigh, | pushed

myself out of the car and headed for the house. The others followed close behind, and as | stepped through the

doorway, a subtle shift in the atmosphere prickled my senses.

Instinctually, my feet stopped moving.

One...two...three...

His voice cut through the silence. “Is it done?” The question wasn’t directed at me, and Christian offered a curt

nod in response. “Yes. I'm sure the news will reach Ivan too, wherever he is.”

My breath hitched in my throat at the Ivan’s of his nbut then a jolt of electricity shot throughas | raised

my head, my gaze colliding with a pair of blue eyes. His stare was unwavering, fixed directly on me.

Seconds ticked by, an eternity stretched thin. Then, as if on cue, everyone around us began to disperse, a silent

acknowledgment of the tension crackling in the air. They shuffled away leaving us alone in the vast expanse of

the living space.

| turned to follow them, but his voice stopped me. “Amaya.”

My body froze, but this time, it wasn’t fear that heldcaptive. Slowly, | turned back, meeting his gaze head-

on, but my lips remained sealed.

He closed the distance between us

and when he reached me, his hands

reached out, Prshigg aya toned

tear ranks St ed my cheeks. |

sucked in a sharp breath, a shiver

dancing down my spine at his touch.

He immediately retreated, stepping

back and letting out a frustrated sigh.

“We're going to have to talk about this eventually, Silver.”

A traitorous warmth bloomed in my chest at the sound of that nickname, a flicker of my wolf responding to the

familiar term. | quickly pushed the feeling down, forcing my expression to remain passive.

“I don’t need to talk,” I replied, my voice hoarse. “I just need to find them.”

| paused, taking a deep breath before forcing the next words past the lump in my throat. “I need to find our «

children, Alex.”