Bonds

Chapter 26 -Maya's POV- Everything in my body seized tip. The world seemed to shrink down to a single point - Alex, his hand wrapped around my waist, his voice a low growl in my ear Silver. He'd called the Silver.

The clamor of the bar faded away, replaced by a ringing silence. Every eye in the room was locked on us. Miranda was still sprawled on the floor, a guttural stream of curses erupting from her bloodied mouth. In that moment, I almost felt a flicker of satisfaction. She deserved worse.

His scent washed over me, sending a purr through my wolf's core then the warmth of his body against mine vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, leaving a hollowness in its wake as he moved away. Even after all this time, it was still him.

A sharp voice sliced through the fog clouding my mind. Riley. Right, Riley was here. “I'm so sorry, Amaya," she said, her voice strained, "But you need to go. My manager will be out any second." My mind was a jumbled mess. I didn't know what to do, where to go. Then, Natalia's hand clamped onto my arm, a firm grip that tuggedback to reality. She gave Alexa withering stare. "Don't you dare touch her again," she spat.

She draggedaway, our path taking us directly over Miranda, who shrieked at Alex, demanding he help her up. He remained frozen, a mirror image of my own paralysis. He knew what he'd done.

Silver. The word echoed in my head, a single syllable loaded with a lifetof memories - stolen moments, whispered promises, a love both fierce and forbidden. I stole one last glance over my shoulder. His gaze was locked on mine, intense and unwavering, even as I was pulled out of the bar and into the cool night air, The sudden change in temperature sent a gasp through me. "Are you okay?" Natalia's voice cut through the fog of emotions swirling within me.

"Silver." Irasped, "He calledSilver." Her gaze held a depth of empathy that made my chest tighten. She shook her head slowly, as if searching for the right words, then sighed. "Let's just get you home, Maya," she said gently. "We can deal with all this later.

The deadbolt clicked open, revealing Nathan's smiling face. His smile faltered the moment he saw mine. His eyes flickered betweenand Natalia, concern etching lines onto his forehead.

"Drinks gone wrong?" he asked gently, his smile replaced with a cautious concern.

I practically melted into him as he pulledinside. Natalia took a seat on the opposite couch, a silent observer. Nathan knewwell enough not to pry in that moment. He just heldclose, his strong arms a comforting anchor in the storm that was my emotions.

We'd met in college, bonded by the shared secret that pulsed deep within us-all three of us were werewolves. Nathan, the former college basketball star, had a way with using his enhanced abilities to his advantage on the court, making him a mafor female attention. Natalia hadn't been immune to his charm. Their story was a complicated one, filled with unspoken feelings and missed opportunities. Finally, I'd taken matters into my own hands, literally, and punched ssense into Nathan. He needed to man up and tell Natalia how he felt, or let her go. Thankfully, he'd chosen the former, and now, years later, they were happily married and I don't know what I have done without them.

His fingers brushed against my hair, sending a familiar tingle down my spine. "What happened?" he asked softly. Natalia snorted, her voice laced with exasperation. "Alex," she muttered, I could practically feel the temperature in the room drop as Nathan tensed. A low growl rumbled deep within his chest, "Of course it was," he muttered under his breath. “Why can't he just leave you alone? You're trying to move on with your life," There were no easy answers. For my part, I was exhausted. Exhausted by the constant tug-of-war between Alex, Ivan, and that infuriating Miranda. Now, 12:03 Chapter 26 Thu, 20 Jun to top it all off, I had a whole new mess to deal with one that involved my father finding out I'd beaten up Ivan's precious little sister, "She had it coming." Natalia declared, seemingly reading my mind.

Nathan's eyebrows shot up in surprise "Who had it coming?" Natalia gave him a quick rundown of the situation, her voice laced with barely contained excitement. She couldn't resist adding des about how "amazing” it had been when I'd "who p d Miranda's a." I knew she was trying to lighten the mood, but I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah," admitted with a wry grin, it did feel pretty good. I could have ripped out every single one of those fake blonde extensions." I pushed myself back from Nathan's comforting embrace, a groan escaping my lips as I buried my face in my hands. The weight of the evening, the encounter with Alex, the raw emotions it had unearthed-it all threatened to overwhelm me. "What am I going to do?" I mumbled into my palms, my voice m u fld. "Alex... he's drivingcrazy." "You mean wanting him is driving you crazy," Natalia's voice cut through.

I whipped my head up, glaring at her. My mouth opened to defend myself, to deny the truth that hung heavy in the air, but she cutoff before a single word could escape. "Don't even try to deny it, Amaya," she said, her excitement dying down immediately. "It's written all over you, and frankly, it's exhausting to watch you torture yourself like this." "You need to make a decision," She continued, her voice softening slightly. "Ivan's still there, offering you the world, you said. And then there's Alex, the one who walked away without a backward glance, leaving you pregnant and heartbroken, with nothing but broken promises echoing in your ears." "Natalia," Nathan tried to interrupt.

"She needs to hear this, babe. It's the hard truth, but someone needs to say it." Shetook a deep breath, her voice hardening with resolve. "He's getting married, Amaya. Getting married. He chose someone else. He threw you away when you needed him most, with no explanation, no apology. You. Have. To. Let Him, Go." Her words were a punch to the gut, a reminder of the reality I desperately wanted to escape. They were harsh, laced with anger on my behalf, but undeniably true. I knew it. As the weight of her words settled in, a wave of despair washed over me. Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to spill over. Natalia must have sensed my crumbling resolve because she was besidein an instant, pullinginto a tight embrace. "I know," she murmured, her voice thick with sympathy. "I know you love him. But sometimes, love isn't enough. Sometimes, you have to choose yourself. It's tyou let him go." She heldclose, her arms a silent source of strength as I clung to her, the s s wracking my body slowly subsiding into sniffles. When I finally pulled back, wiping at my damp cheeks with the back of my hand, her gaze held a mixture of concern and fierce determination, "Listen to me, Amaya," she said, her voice gentle but firm. "This new job you got, that's a good thing. A fresh start, a chance to build something new for yourself. Focus on that. Throw yourself into your work, prove yourself. Don't let Alex distract you from that.” "I know. I just... I don't know how to move on when a part offeels stuck in the past."

She squeezed my hand gently. "You move on one step at a time. And right gom now, that step is focusing on, yourself. On your career, your kids, on the people who are there for you, who love you unconditionally and even there's Ivan. You've been so focused on Alex that you've neglected the relationship you have with him." "I know," I mumbled, defeated. "I just..."

The words trailed off as my phone pierced the silence with its insistent ringing. I glanced at the screen, a jolt of surprise shooting throughas I saw Ivan's nflashing on the display. "Speaking of him," I muttered, a nervous laugh escaping my lips before I answered the call.

"Hey," I greeted, forcing a lightness into my voice that I didn't quite feel. "I am so, so sorry about everything. I know we need to talk, and I promise I'll 12:03 Thu, 20 Jun M Chapter 26 ☐,83%

My words were cut short by a sharp, urgent voice on the other end of the line. "Amaya, stop, "He said his voice clipped an uncharacteristically tense. "We can talk about that later. Right now, I've been trying to reach you all night, Where are you?" "I'm at... I'm at Natalia's place. What's going on? Is everything okay?" "I'm coming to get you." "Wait." I stammered, a knot of dread forming in my stomach. "What's happening?" There was a beat of silence before Ivan spoke again, his voice a low growl. "Your father. He's been arrested. He is being investigated by the FBI." X