Bonds

-Maya's POV-

The trance he'd somehow woven around me shattered and anger surged through pushing aside whatever bewilderment had kept me rooted to the spot. I took a sharp step back, my glare burning into his impassive face.

I

"You knew? You knew your father killed my brother before I was even born, before I even had a chance to meet him?"

He blinked twice, a flicker of something crossing his features that was gone too quickly for me to decipher. "I didn't. My father just told me. I would have told you." He studied me for a moment, his gaze so intense it felt like he was trying to see right through me. "If you knew what my father did to your family, why did you ever agree to mate with me? You should have hated me too."

"I just found out that I had a brother," I forced out, my voice trembling slightly. "Even if I had known... I loved you, I would have chosen you still."

He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off before he could utter another word. "I don't want to hear it, Alex. Whatever you have to say, I don't. I am done with this conversation. The only thing I have to say is this - you need to stop whatever it is you're planning against my father. People will die."

"People already died," he shot back, his voice tight with its own brand of anger. "My wolves died."

eath, the exhaustion of it all settling in my bones. "Aren't you tired of this? This endless cycle of drama, violence? Can't we I let out a shaky breath, just... stop?"

He didn't respond, leaving me staring at him in a tense silence. A wave of frustration washed over me. "You know what?" I finally said, shaking my head. "Do whatever you want, go crazy, you and my father can kill yourselves for all i care. Just leave Ivan out of it."

My words hung heavy in the air, the unspoken threat clear. But instead of the contrition I craved, his eyes flared with unexpected anger. "Ivan? That's all you care about now?" he snapped.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Shouldn't I?" Lretorted. "He's my husband, after all,"

His eyes narrowed, the anger seeming to simmer just beneath the surface. He clenched his jaw shut, then seemed to force himself to calm down.

"I'm leaving." I announced, turning towards the door. "I'm sure everything is fine with your office renovation."

As I reached for the doorknob, his hand clamped down on my wrist. A jolt of electricity ran through me at his touch, a confusing mix of anger and something else I couldn't name.

"I'm not done talking to you," he growled, his grip tightening.

I yanked my hand free, my own anger rising to meet his. "Well, I am done talking to you, Alex. The time for talking is over. We could have talked about those photos four years ago. We could have avoided all this drama, all this pain. But you didn't want to talk then." My voice hitched slightly, the past wounds throbbing raw

"And I don't have anything to say to you now." continued, my voice firm despite the tremor in my heart. "Just leave me the hell alone." He took a step towards me, his jaw clenched but his eyes holding a flicker of... something. Regret? Plea? It was impossible to tell.

10:29 sat, zzJun Chapter 86

"It's hard to do that," he said finally, his voice low, "when you come here every day. You're the one who's in my existence, Amaya. Maybe you should be the one to leave."

His words hit me like a physical blow. Here he was, the one who kept secrets, the one who lied and manipulated, the one whose actions had caused so much pain, and yet he had the audacity to blame me?

A wave of hot fury washed over me, momentarily pushing aside the hurt and confusion. "You know what? I spat, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Screw you, and screw this project. I'm done."

He gave a humorless scoff. "You still have another two weeks left on your contract."

"Two weeks?" I scoffed, the anger fueling a reckless defiance. "Like hell I'm staying here for two more weeks. I can find another job, another design firm that doesn't have the emotional baggage of a gang war hanging over it."

A flicker of surprise crossed his face, quickly replaced by a stubborn set to his jaw. "You're overreacting," he said, his voice clipped. "This doesn't have to be a warzone. We can be professional about this."

"Professional?" I echoed, my voice laced with disbelief. "There's nothing professional about any of this, Alex. You betrayed me. You didn't trust me enough and now you're using my job to hold me hostage? That's not professional, that's manipulative."

"I'm not holding you hostage," he countered, his voice tight. "You're free to leave. But if you do, you'll be walking away from a job you haven't finished."

The silence stretched on, thick with unspoken words and a tangled web of emotions. Finally, with a defeated sigh that seemed to escape from the very depths of my soul, I stared right at him. This back and forth, this endless cycle of accusations and hurt... I was done. I was tired. Physically, my body ached with exhaustion. Mentally, I felt drained. And emotionally? My heart felt like it had been ripped to shreds, the love I had for him replaced by a gaping hole of emptiness and betrayal.

"I'm going to Ms. Edward's office. I'll ask her to take me off the project. I can't deal with you anymore, Alex. I am so done with you."

He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off before he could utter another word. "And when all this is over," I continued, my voice dropping to a low growl, "you will be dead to me."Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

It was a cruel thing to say, I knew that, but in that moment, it was the only way I could protect the fragile pieces of my heart that remained.

My tone was laced with such icy finality that I watched him physically take a step backwards. A flicker of hurt, a physical manifestation of pain, crossed his face for a brief moment, as if I had rejected him on a deeper level than just the project.

I moved towards the door again but he didn't try to stop me this time. As I walked towards the door, a part of me expected him to call out, to plead, to try and salvage what was left between us. But the silence stretched on, thick and suffocating, a heavy weight that seemed to press down on my chest with each step I took.

Just as I reached for the doorknob, his voice cut through the oppressive silence.

It was a quiet voice, almost hesitant, a stark contrast to the i commanding tone he usually used.

"Do you love him?" he asked, the simple question hanging heavy in the air.

I stopped, my hand hovering over the cool metal of the doorknob. The question caught me off guard, a sharp jab that sent a fresh wave of confusion swirling through me. Love him? Love Ivan?

The truth was, I didn't know. After everything that had happened, the whirlwind of emotions felt towards Ivan was a tangled mess. Gratitude, for the unwavering support he'd shown me throughout this ordeal.

Comfort, in the familiarity of his presence.

But love?

Real, honest-to-goddess love?

Taking a deep breath, I turned back to face him. We stood there for a moment just staring at each other.

"No," I whispered, the word escaping my lips. Relief flickered across his face, a fleeting emotion so quickly masked by a steely glint in his eyes that sent a shiver down my spine..

But even as I offered that single word of solace, a rebellious part of me wanted to take it back. Because the truth was, love was a complicated thing. It wasn't always a raging It inferno, a passionate firestorm. Sometimes, it was a quiet ember, a steady warmth that offered comfort and security. And maybe, just maybe, that's what I felt for Ivan- a foundation of trust and respect, a bond built on shared experiences and

unwavering loyalty.

"But I will learn to." I added.

"And when this is over," I continued, my voice firm despite the tremor in my heart,

"I'll ask him to claim me as his mate."