Bonds

"So," Natalia drawled, stretching out the word like t a f y, "he dropped to one knee, right there in the middle of the street?" Her voice hold a mixture of amusement and disbelief, but underneath I could sense the genuine excitement bubbling up.

I couldn't help but crack a smile, twirling the simple pearl ring on my finger, "Exactly," I confirmed, my voice tinged with disbelief. "The minute we were arguing about his sister being a grade one b**h, the next he's proposing under the streetlights."

Natalia leaned closer, her eyes sparkling with something akin to mischief. "So, you're officially over Alex then? Like, completely wiped from your emotional hard drive?"

A groan escaped my lips. "Nat, can we please not go there? For one blissful hour, can just bask in the crazy, unexpected reality of my new fiancé without dissecting the Alex shaped elephant in the room?"

She squeezed my hand, her playful expression softening "Okay, okay, truce. But as your friend, I gotta do my due diligence. This Ivan guy seems..." she hesitated, searching for the right word, "perfect. Almost too good to be true,"

Panic fluttered in my stomach. It was exactly the thought that had been gnawing at me ever since the adrenaline of the proposal had faded, "I know but maybe this is my reward for all the s**t I've suffered," forced a casual tone, but the tremor in my voice betrayed me.

Her gaze softened. "I'm not trying to paint him as a bad guy but I would be wrong if I didn't speak my mind. Alex is the father of your children who doesn't know he has children. You have a mating mark that van does not know about, not to mention he does not know that you were married to Alex, who is his crazy sister's fiancé now. Wow, I just realized that that is a whole lot. Don't even let me get sta ed on your asshole father"

Her words were like an avalanche, burying me under the weight of unspoken truths. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat echoing the chaos in my mind. Why couldn't things ever be simple?

"Natalia, for goodness sake, we just had a moment," I mumbled, burying my face in the pillow. The image of Ivan's hopeful smile flashed before my eyes, and a pang of guilt stabbed at me. "He already asked if anything happened between us. I can't just ruin everything now by confessing Ilied."

But deep down, I knew Natalia was right. The longer I kept the truth hidden, the bigger the potential fallout. The thought of losing Ivan, of seeing his trust shatter, was a terrifying prospect. It felt like teetering on the edge of a cliff, one misstep away from freefall.

"It's not just about ruining the moment, Maya," Natalia's voice softened, laced with genuine concern. "What about you? Can you live with this secret gnawing at you? What happens when he finds out on his own? How will that make you feel?"

A tear escaped, tracing a warm path down my cheek. The reality of the situation hit me like a tidal wave. I couldn't keep hiding. The burden was already suffocating, and the longer I waited, the more painful the inevitable reveal would be.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, I met Natalia's gaze. My voice trembled, but there was a newfound resolve in it. "You're right," i admitted, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. "I can't do this anymore. I need to tell him everything. The truth, the whole messy truth."

Natalia gave me a smile that was both sad and supportive. "It won't be easy, Maya, but trust me, facing it head on is the only way to build a real future with him. A future built on honesty, not secrets."

Her words resonated within me, offering a sliver of hope amidst the storm of fear.

"Mum?" Ivy's little voice cut in as she came into the room, rubbing her eyes.

My hand instinctively reached out, and her tiny figure melted into my embrace, Ivy, with her sleep-mussed hair and the familiar scent of sunshine and bubblegum, instantly calmed the storm raging within me. "My little angel," I whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Looking into her big, blue eyes, it felt like staring into a mirror reflecting Alex back at me. A pang off guilt pierced my heart, quickly followed by a wave of fierce protectiveness. Ivy was my haven, my anchor in the swirling sea of emotions. Her soft whisper, "Nathan... mean... sleep," brought a chuckle to my lips. Unlike her, Nathan, was a whirlwind of boundless energy, currently terrorizing Nato, in some unknown corner of the house.

I glanced up to find Natalia's gaze filled with warmth and understanding. "What?" I asked, the question barely audible.

"Nothing," she replied, her lips twitching with anusement. "Just happy you have them.".

"Me too." I choked out, the words thick with unshed tears. "And I will tell Ivan, everything. But for now, just for a little while, I want to savor this moment, this fragile peace before the storm."

Natalia's smile broadened, knowing in her heart the storm I referred to. "Of course you can," she said, her voice laced with empathy. "But now that you're here, there's something I actually wanted to talk about."

My attention shifted, curiosity sparking in my eyes. "What is it?"

"There's an opening at the biggest interior design company in the city," she announced, "Now that you are back, I know you would rather eat dirt that sit on your s s doing nothing so I already sent in your details and everything. They want to meet with you. Monday morning."

My jaw dropped, a mixture of surprise and gratitude battling within me. If I hadn't already loved Natalia with the ferocity of a thousand suns, this act of unwavering support would have cemented her place forever in my heart. "Natalia, you are truly the best friend a girl could ask for," I declared, my voice thick with emotion.

Her laughter, bright and infectious, filled the room, her eyes sparkling with genuine joy. "The best friend in the world, you mean?" she teased, nudging me playfully. "And if you want to repay me, nail that interview," she winked, her confidence in me a balm to my soul.

"I will," I promised, my voice firm despite the tremor of anxiety still lingering in my chest. "Thank you, really. Thank you for everything."

Pulling ivy closer, I inhaled the sweet scent of her hair, her steady breaths a comforting rhythm against my pounding heart. This moment, this fragile peace with my daughter and my best friend, felt precious, almost sacred, in the face of the storm brewing within me.

But the familiar ning of my phone shattered the tranquility, yanking me back to the harsh reality of my situation. A glance at the screen sent a wave of dread washing over me- it was my father.

"Ignore it," Natalia whispered.

I raised my head, a shaky laugh escaping my lips. "What?"

"My wolf is not in the mood for your father's annoying voice," she declared playfully, but the concern in her eyes was unmistakable. "He probably wants to yell about something you haven't even done yet."

By the time she finished, the call had already ended. I let out a sigh of relief, only to be met with the insistent ringing again. My father rarely called twice unless it was something urgent, and I knew Natalia felt the shift in my mood before I even spoke.

"Why didn't you answer the first time?" his voice snapped as soon as I picked up. "Hello, Father," I replied, forcing a calm into my voice that I didn't quite le feel "Nice to hear from you too."

"Don't play coy with me, Amaya," he barked. "Where have you been? Why weren't you home last night? And what in the world is this I hear about you getting married on the street, with no high-ranking werewolves present? Have you lost your mind?"

His words felt like physical blows, each accusation chipping away at the fragile peace I'd managed to build. A guttural growl ripped from my throat before I could stop it, raw and primal.

"Did you just growl at me?" his voice, tinged with disbelief, finally registered.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Father," I started, my voice low and dangerous, "I am a grown woman. You wanted me married to Ivan, and I am. I don't owe you an explanation for how I did it, and I'm certainly not accountable to you for my decisions, especially as a mother with children to raise."

I met Natalia's gaze, searching for strength and finding it reflected back in her unwavering support. Inhaling deeply, I pushed down the storm of

12:00 Thu, 20 Jun » M Chapter 13

emotions threatening to consume me.

"Is there a specific reason you called?" I asked, hoping to cut through the tension and get to the point.

A heavy silence followed, then his voice, softer this time, almost hesitant and I instantly knew something was wrong.

"While you were busy getting married on the streets, there was an accident..."

My breath hitched, and an icy coldness spread through my veins. "What?" Your mother was involved," he choked out, the admission laced with something rare for him-fear. "And I'm... I'm not sure she'll make it."

12:01 Thu, 20 Jun MD Chapter 14

He smirked, a humorless twist of his lips. "Yes. Would you have gotten hare so fast otherwise? You may have behaved yourself for the past four years, but I know you, Amaya. You've as stubborn as they come, and I can see the rebellion in your eyes rising. So yes, I lied because I need those documents signed." I stood there, rooted to the spot, anger battling disbelief and a deep-seated hurt. "...I... What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Don't raise your voice at me, my father snapped, his facade of nonchalance cracking. "And don't disturb the peace of the hospital The absurdity of it all washed over me. He actually made me come to the hospital, lied about my mother's well-being, just to corner me into signing some document?

"You think you can just use me like this?" I finally managed, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt.

My mother opened her mouth to speak, but my father cut her off, his hand rising in a silencing gesture. "This is not a family discussion, Amaya. Just sign the d am n document and get this over with."

Myar My arms folded across my chest, a defiant shield against the storm brewing within. "What's in the document?" I demanded, my voice laced with an icy calm that belied the turmoil raging inside.

My father scoffed, a dismissive sound that sent another wave of anger crashing against my resolve. "Just business, as usual. Nothing for you to concer yourself with."

"Concern myself with?" Techoed, incredulous. "You drag me here under false pretenses, expecting meton blindly sign your little papers? This isn't business, Dad. This is manipulation, control, and frankly, another level of madness I refuse to be a part of"

Before he could retort, I spun on my heel, my head held high despite the tremor in my legs. "I'm leaving"

As I reached for the door handle, a heavy silence descended upon the room. I glanced back at my mother, expecting support, understanding. But her gaze remained downcast, shrouded in a veil of quiet resignation. A pang of disappointment, sharper than any anger, ripped through me.

"Mom," I started, my voice softer now, "you really should try acting like my mother once in a while"

The unspoken plea hung heavy in the air, but it was met with the same deafening silence. With a sigh that spoke volumes, I reached for the handle again. Suddenly, the room was filled with the ominous creak of my father's chair scraping against the floor. My heart hammered against my ribs as he towered over me, his presence suffocating In a heartbeat, his hand shot out, his extracted claws digging into my throat like icy talons. The air whooshed out of my lungs, replaced by a burning fear that clawed at my throat.

"Do not test me," he growled, his voice low and menacing, His eyes, once steely pray, had darkened to an inky black.

The pain in my throat intensified, each squeeze threatening to extinguish the fragile flame of consciousness flickering within me. I felt my wolf lunge to the surface but there was something stopping her from breaking through. "Father," I gasped, the word choked out through the constricting pressure.

Daniel, please stop!" My mother's voice, frantic and laced with fear, finally pierced the haze of terror clouding my mind. "Daniel! Let her go!"

The tension in the room crkd like electricity then as abruptly as it started, the pressure around my throat eased. V gasped for air, my lungs burning, as my father released his grip. He stumbled back, his chest heaving, the darkness slowly receding from his eyes.

My hand instinctively flew to my throatYou could have killed me," I rasped, each word a gritty cough escaping my constricted airways. My eyes darted between my mother, her face etched with silent pleas, and my father, whose glacial expression held no remorse.

"Sign it," he barked, thrusting the document at me like