Bonds

But then, light. Blinding, white-hot light that ripped through the suffocating darkness. | couldn't make out any

clear shapes, but a flicker of familiarity washed over me, a feeling like recognition from a dream. Then cthe

falling, a seemingly endless descent that stretched tthin. Finally, a crushing pressure, a smothering

sensation like | was drowning.

With a gasp, | ripped my eyes open. My hands instinctively flew to my chest, the place where the bullet had

ripped through flesh and bone. But there was nothing. No pain, no gaping wound, just smooth, unmarked skin.

Healed.

Amaya. She was the first thing | registered, slumped in a corner of the room. Dried tear marks streamed down

her dirt-streaked face, her eyebrows furrowed with worry even as she slept.

Then everything cflooding back. Memories, pictures flashing in my head one after another. | remembered

calling out to her wolf, trying to connect with her, any way | could. It felt weak, shaky, the connection barely

there. Strangely, | didn’t need the wolves from my pack to find her but they had been a welcdistraction

from the humans attention onwhile | raced forward. And from the looks of it, they were finally getting some

payback after weeks of being hunted down.

The weak connection with her wolf, that faint pull, ledsomewhere an abandoned tunnel on the edge of the

city. It tookright back to the spot where | shielded Amaya with my body, where | took the bullet for her.

| looked down at her again, her face peaceful as she slept. And in that moment, | knew without a doubt, that |

would do it all again in a heartbeat. My feet foundmoving, drawn out of the room and back into the main

living area. A loud crash shattered the uneasy silence, and | whipped around to see Natalia frozen in place, her

face etched with shock. A shattered coffee mug lay scattered at her feet.

“You are alive. How... are... you are alive?” Her voice was barely a whisper, laced with disbelief and a tremor of

something akin to fear.

| opened my mouth to reply, my mind still grappling with the events that had unfolded, when Christian's voice

cut through the tension. “Even death didn’t want you,” he said, a hint of amusement coloring his tone. But when

| turned to face him, his eyes held a genuine warmth, a flicker of relief that warmed a cold corner of my heart.

Riley cup beside him, her entrance unnoticed in the wake of Natalia’s outburst. Her steps faltered as she

saw me, disbelief widening her eyes until they were almost comically large. She opened her mouth, no doubt to

question the impossible sight before her, but the sound was cut short by the sharp click of the front door opening

and then slamming shut.

Before | could even turn my head, | felt her presence behind me, a shift in the air pressure. Her gaze locked onto

mine, her entire body trembling shock, “Alex? How are you? | saw you die. You are alive?”

Those were the most words she'd spoken toin a week. Amaya avoidedlike the plague, her conversations

primarily directed towards Riley. Riley, whose father was pulling out all the stops to find the twins.

My twins. My children that | had no clue existed for four years.

The only tshe’d looked atfor any significant length of twas when she narrated the horrifying truth:

Ivan was the mastermind behind everything. The staged pictures, the systematic dismantling of my company

from the inside out, the collaboration with Adrian to expose werewolves, planting Miranda in my life - it all

unraveled in a sickening display of his twisted agenda. That darkness I'd felt, the darkness I'd witnessed

glimpses of - it was far more extensive than I'd ever imagined. And now, he had my children. As Amaya tearfully

confessed, she'd inadvertently given him the upper hand. He was their legal father, a fact that would crumble as

soon as | found him.

He had another thing coming.

The entire world believeddead. The elaborate burial orchestrated by Christian cemented the illusion. It was a

strategy I'd readily agreed to. Operating from the shadows offered the best chance of finding the twins. Ivan,

convinced of my demise, would feel more vulnerable, a fatal mistake on his part.

Every human that owedand werewolf alpha that aligned withwithin range was now scouring the earth

for him, thanks to the official order issued through Christian. The charade was crucial. They needed to believe |

was truly gone just like | needed to fix things with Amaya.

1/2

Chapter 135

A sigh escapedas | poured another glass of whiskey, the amber liquid glinting under the dim lights.

“Trouble in paradise?”

The voice cut through the silence. | turned my head to see a woman walking in. A woman who had been

introduced as Sarah. The last member of their friendship group. A werewolf like us. | understood that they

wanted to support Amaya. That was the only reason | let them all be around but every single one of them were

crowding my space, | only wanted Amaya here.

| offered her a cursory glance, irritation simmering just below the surface.

We were strangers, after all. Why was she even talking to me?

Undeterred by my icy stare, she strode up, grabbed a glass, and poured herself a drink from the sbottle.

| was about to slam it back on the table and storm off when her voice stoppedagain. “Have you tried

apologizing? Meaning it, | mean.”

| stopped, her words hanging heavy in the air. “What?”

“ q

She moved closer, “Put yourself in a

story. Imagine people reading about

you right now. What would they

: ) )

think? | know there's a backstory I'm

missing, smessed—up things

that shaped you Int tas gly With’

7

3 2 0

tnostisSesd Seep you couldn't

spare three minutes to ask the

woman you claimed to love if she

betrayed you. Instead, you kicked her

out when she was carrying your

children. Then, years later, she walks

back into your vortex, and you think

and 2 q q

it's okay to waltz in, stir everything up,

complicate her life when it was clear

to everyone, even a blind person, that

she still loves you? So, | ask you

again, if you were a character in a

: ”

book, would you like yourself?” The

content is on novelenglish.net! Read

the latest chapter there!

| wanted to glare at her, unleash an icy stare that would send her scurrying back to wherever she cfrom. |

wanted to tell her, in no uncertain terms, that she didn’t knowand this wasn’t any of her business. But her

words echoed in my head, bouncing around like a pinball in a machine.

She took my stunned silence as an

invitation to go on with her assault.

u« , » :

You're wrong, Alex,” she continued,

q 2 q

her voice firm but not (Orang

about KEURNe hid now men

like You, with egos bigger than an

q , q

entire country. You don't apologize,

that much is clear. But all of this:

whole mess — could have been

q q 0.1] 3

avoided if you'd just talked to her

from the very beginning. You could

have been a team, facing whatever

cyour The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

this way together. Sure, Ivan probably would have shown up eventually, that seems to be his specialty. But

things would have been different. He wouldn't have had the easy access to your children that he does now.

Amaya wouldn't be drowning in this much pain. Because let's face it, she still loves you. She wouldn't have to

deal with another heartbreak from trusting Ivan.”

“Hold on,” | finally managed to sputter. “I—"

She cutoff with a sharp shake of

“pr SE

her head. “I'm not painting you as a

Ai : )

villain, Alex. Truth is, | don't know you

well enough for that. But frampywirat

, Q

I've head, fromawhat | leced

tdgather, you made a huge mistake.

You let a lie fester, a lie that poisoned

everything. And here we are. | came

in here to tell you because no one

else seems to want to do it and |

have always heard sof the best

words cfrom strangers, which is

" .

exactly what we are.” The content is

on novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

Her words hitlike a physical blow. | stared at her, speechless, the truth she presented hanging heavy in the

air. Truth | already knew, deep down, but refused to acknowledge. It stung, a sharp, searing pain that went

beyond the anger and resentment I'd been clinging to.

“Amaya’s out back,” Sarah whispered, her voice softer now. “Staring at the lake. ‘I'm sorry‘ is a good way to start

a conversation,you know.” She took another long drink from her glass, her eyes holding mine for a beat longer.

Then, with a sigh, she turned and walked towards the door, leavingalone with the wreckage of my pride and

the deafening silence of my own guilt.

She stopped at the doorway, her hand hovering on the door knob then turned back to face me, “I think it’s high

tyou made yourself a more likable character,” she offereda small smile, “There are many of us out there

rooting for you.”

Before | could formulate a response, the door slammed shut with a resounding bang, leavingsuspended in a «

sudden, suffocating silence.