Bonds

-Alex's POV-

We locked eyes in the expanse of the hospital parking lot. The air crackled with unspoken hostility then a slow, infuriating smile stretched across his face, a taunt that sent a fresh wave of anger surging through me. My wolf snarled within, itching to rip into the man, Power radiated off him, but I knew mine ran deeper. It didn't matter how strong he considered himself to be, I would always be stronger.

My fingers itched to wrap around his throat, to snuff out the smug amusement in his eyes. Images of burying his body in some forgotten corner of the city flashed through my mind, a dark solution quickly discarded. This wasn't the time, not with the antiseptic scent of the hospital clinging to the air, a grim reminder of why I was here in the first place. Besides no matter what, as much as I wanted him dead, she would never forgive me if I was responsible for it.

I quickly told myself that I didn't care but that was a lie that had become a constant in my head for the past weeks.

With a deep breath, I forced my feet to move past him. Engaging with him was the last thing I wanted, but he wouldn't let it go that easily.

"Respect for elders, huh?" he scoffed, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. "Seems your precious father neglected that lesson in his little horror school for raising monsters."

I stopped dead in my tracks, the muscles in my jaw clenching, Anger, already simmering, threatened to boil over. One wrong word, one wrong y actions. But a sliver of reason held me back. Amaya. He was her father, and for her sake, I had to move, and I wouldn't be responsible for my swallow the bile rising in my throat.

He continued, a sly glint in his eyes. "I wish I could have seen the expression on your face when you found out I had been released. I bet that news came as a nasty surprise, didn't it?" He took a menacing step closer, his voice dropping to a low growl. "You underestimated me, Alex. Prison was a mere inconvenience, a fly swatted away. My company will rise again, stronger than ever. Time heals all wounds, they say, except maybe your little obsession with my daughter."

His words struck a raw nerve. My entire face hardened into a mask of icy indifference. He saw it, the carefully constructed facade, and a triumphant smirk bloomed on his face.

He knew he'd gotten under my skin.

"Didn't have anyone to talk to as a child, is that it?" I drawled, my voice laced with exaggerated boredom. "Explains the excessive need to chatter about nonsense."

The smugness vanished from his face, replaced by a flicker of something akin to hurt. He narrowed his eyes, searching for another angle.

"Interesting choice of words considering the state of your pathetic life. Still pining after Amaya, are we? Stuck watching from the sidelines as she lives a happy life with a real man, a man I chose for her."

He leaned in further, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "Tell me, Alex, does it ever gnaw at you? The knowledge that she is gone. even after everything it is all gone. You will never experience the warmth of her touch, the joy of building a life together? Oh wait you already did that and then you ended it? I have always wondered why. Did you finally realize she was too good for someone as rotten as you?"

He paused, letting his words sink in. The air grew thick with tension, the only sound our ragged breaths. My hand instinctively twitched towards my pocket, where my claws were already extending. I could shut him up right here. Right now, permanently.

But something held me back. A morbid curiosity, perhaps. How far would he go to twist the knife? How low could he sink to provoke a reaction? The challenge, perverse as it was, kept me rooted to the spot and I forced my claws back in Chapter 57

"Honestly, Daniel," I said, my voice flat and devoid of emotion, "your attempts at emotional manipulation are as predictable as they are pathetic. Did you rehearse those lines in the mirror? How long did it take you to come up with those big words?"

A flicker of surprise crossed his face, quickly replaced by a cold fury. This wasn't the reaction he'd expected. He'd aimed for a fiery rage, not this unsettling calm.

"You think you can't pretend? You think I don't see past your facade?" He was working himself into a frenzy, his face flushed with a mixture of anger and something else, a flicker of uncertainty maybe?

It was tempting to react, to let him see the fire burning beneath the surface. But I knew that's what he wanted, a rise out of me. So instead, I offered a slow, unconcerned blink. "Facade? Please, Daniel, don't flatter yourself. You're not that important."

The effect was instantaneous. His face contorted in fury, the vein on his temple pulsing like a live wire. He took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.

"It doesn't matter," he finally spat, his voice tight with contained rage. "You are nothing but a fly buzzing around my head. A minor annoyance soon to be swatted away considering the new merger."

"Really?" I drawled, keeping my voice flat. "Because from where I'm standing, you seem to be the one buzzing around, all worked up about a little merger."

He scoffed, a harsh, humorless sound. "A little merger? Don't be ridiculous. This is a game changer. With Ivan's pack joining forces with mine, we're unstoppable. The strongest, the most united. We control a vast territory, resources you can only dream of."

In that moment, I finally thought about it. They couldn't be able powerful with Ivan begging me to help with his company falling apart. And the question still nagged. Why didn't he go to Daniel? Why was Miranda pushing for it? Last time I checked, she hardly liked her brother. There was something else to it and I was going to find out what it was.

He took a menacing step closer and I realized he had been speaking, his voice dropping to a low growl. "And that's just the beginning. We can make life very difficult for you and your pack. We can squeeze you out, inch by inch, until you have nothing left."

My wolf roiled within me, urging me to lash out, to rip into his smug self- importance. But I held him back with an iron grip. This wasn't about dominance or territory. This was about Amaya, and I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing it bothered me.

"So?" I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Sounds like a lot of hot air, Daniel. Threats and empty promises. You think fear tactics will work on me?"

His face contorted further, if that were even possible. "Don't underestimate me! I'm not playing games here. This is about power, about who controls the city. And make no mistake, I will win."

He leaned in even closer, his voice a dangerous hiss. "And let's not forget Amaya. With our packs united, her future is secure. But if you keep interfering...' He trailed off, leaving the unspoken threat hanging in the air like a foul odor.

Of course he would use her. If they were giving the award for the worst father of the year, he would definitely win withouta struggle. Anger flared in my gut, hot and primal. But I shoved it down, refusing to give him an inch. Instead, I leaned back against the car, feigning boredom.

"Honestly, Daniel," I said, my voice laced with a carefully measured dose of sarcasm, "you're starting to sbund like a broken record. This whole 'pack dominance' charade is tiresome.

He opened his mouth to retort, but I cut him off. "Look," I continued, my om voice low and dangerous, "we both know why you're still here trying to give me a show of your dominance. why You're threatened by me, threatened by m pack because no matter how much ou try, no matter the amount of alliance you form, I will always be stronger than you."

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A tense silence descended between us. The air crackled with unspoken threats and a hostility so thick it was almost tangible. He seemed to shrink under my gaze, his bluster replaced by a cold, calculating glint in his eyes. "We'll see about that," he finally said, his voice laced with a dangerous promise.

Then, with a final glare, he turned and stalked away but before he did, I caught the hint of a small smile on his face.

My wolf bristled, confused by the sudden shift in his demeanor. Watching him disappear into the distance, I turned to head back towards the hospital entrance, only to stop dead in my tracks.

The reason for Daniel's fleeting smile became crystal clear. Standing right there, at the entrance, was a sight that sent a jolt through me. It wasn't just one person, but three, Ivan, his face etched with stoicism, stood with a amused looking Miranda, And sandwiched between them was Amaya.