Bonds of the Alpha Billionaire (Maya and Alex)

-Alex's POV-

The first thing that registered when consciousness flickered back was Christian's face hovering above me. My head throbbed and a relentless ringing filled my ears. But a primal urge cut through the pain - I had to get to them.

Christian helped me to my feet, my movements jerky and uncoordinated. Time was a precious commodity, there was no room for hesitation or collecting my thoughts. I stumbled towards the direction of the blast, my vision blurring at the edges.

Then I saw her, sprawled on the ground with two tiny bodies huddled beside her. A choked sound escaped my throat, a sound that was both relief and terror rolled into one.

"Get them," I rasped, my voice hoarse and raw. "I'll get Amaya."

Without waiting for a response, I rushed towards her, scooping her fragile form into my arms. It wasn't until we were safely out of the warehouse that the weight of reality settled upon me. These weren't figments of my imagination, a dream conjured by exhaustion or hope. They were real. Two lives, two children, products of Amaya and me.

And suddenly, I didn't know what to feel. A maelstrom of emotions swirled within me - fear, confusion, a flicker of something akin to pride. How could I, someone raised by a monster, be a father? Not to one, but two children? The thought sent a fresh wave of nausea washing over me.

The questions gnawed at me relentlessly, growing louder with each passing moment. Until we reached the safe house, Natalia and Riley rushing forward to take the children from Christian. Still, I couldn't bring myself to draw closer. I didn't allow myself even look at them. A primal fear, a fear I hadn't acknowledged since my mother's death, gripped my heart. It was a fear of failure, a terror of not being good enough, of disappointing the two innocent lives I'd helped create and it remained like that after I placed Amaya on the bed and the doctor Riley had brought assured me that she would we fine.

So would they.

Christian's voice was the only thing that had broke through the fog clouding my mind when he asked what was wrong, and for the first time in my life, the carefully constructed walls I'd built crumbled. I confessed everything - the fear of failing them, the crushing vulnerability I felt that my wolf was somehow gone, the fear that I would turn out to be exactly the monster my father raised me to be and I just didn't know what to do or how to feel.

оша

My mind remained blank as we all crowded around the television, Adrian's face filling the screen. His eyes gleamed with a predatory glint, a glint that seemed to pierce through the very fabric of reality, confirming my suspicion - he knew we were watching.

The only sound in the room was his voice, dripping with venomous satisfaction. "As you all know already, Alex Thorne is one of them," he declared, his words laced with malicious pleasure. "Part of the monsters that have been plaguing our world, masquerading as one of us. Did anyone ever wonder why humans would suddenly turn up dead with no plausible explanation?"

A groan escaped Natalia's lips. I knew what was coming next, the carefully crafted narrative designed to paint me as the ultimate villain. He would point to the recent war with Daniel, the collateral damage - humans caught in the crossfire. But he was twisting the narrative, weaving a web of lies to paint me as a bloodthirsty monster.

Honestly, I was too exhausted to care. The accusations washed over me like a wave, failing to stir even a flicker of emotions. "Turn it off," I mumbled suddenly.

Every head in the room snapped towards me, surprise etched on their faces.

"But we need to hear everything he says, Sarah protested. "We need to know how to fight back!"

"There is no fight back," I countered, my voice devoid of emotion. "They're already scared of us. I was already the enemy, and now I'm the monster responsible for killing humans. There's no coming back from this."

Riley opened her mouth to argue, but Christian silenced her with a gentle shake of his head. I felt Amaya's gaze burning into me, a silent question hanging heavy in the air. With a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world, I turned and walked out.

My legs felt like lead weights, each step a tedious task. The throbbing in my head intensified with every beat of my heart. Everything hurt - physically, emotionally, my very soul felt bruised and battered. All my life, I'd been trained by my father to be powerful. Strength was the only currency he recognized, the only language he understood. I was supposed to be the apex predator, always on top, always in control. Dealing with situations, crafting strategies, coming out on top - that's what I did. But for the first time, I felt utterly defeated.

My heavy steps led me towards the room where the twins were sleeping, the same room I'd stood outside countless times these past two days, always disappearing whenever they were awake and today, my feet faltered, drawn towards the door yet repelled by an invisible force and like I had done for the past two days, I walked away, my feet bringing me to the lake.

10:44 AM

I stared out at the glassy surface of the lake wondering if this was it. The end of my story. Everything I'd ever known, everything I'd strived for, reduced to ashes at my feet. Had I truly lost it all? Played right into Ivan's hands? With a sinking feeling, I realized I was playing the coward's game. If I could just muster a sliver of fight, anything, I could find a way out of this, a way to turn things around. But everything felt so bleak.

The image of my children flashed before my eyes - two innocent lives I was too terrified to even approach. And then there was Amaya. As if summoned by my thoughts, I heard her voice soft and hesitant behind me, “Natalia said you haven't gone near them."

It felt more like a statement than a question. The question hung heavy in the air, one I had no answer for, one I wasn't sure she even expected an answer to. She moved closer, the space between us shrinking until we stood shoulder to shoulder.

We fell silent, both of us mesmerized by the rippling reflection of the setting sun on the lake's surface. Finally, she spoke, "Thank you for keeping your promise. Thank you for saving us."Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Still, the words stuck in my throat, a lump forming there, refusing to be swallowed. She didn't press for an answer, instead she sat down on the grassy bank. I looked down at her, her face was still bruised and she had injuries all over her body but she was healing. She gave me a small smile patting the space next to her. It took me a second for my body to sink to the ground then I sat beside her.

"What do you think our lives would have been like if you hadn't rejected me?"

The question sliced through me but there was no anger in her voice, no accusation. It was laced with a wistful longing that resonated deep within

1. me.

"We would have been happy," I rasped, the words catching in my throat. "All four of us."

A genuine smile bloomed on her face, a smile that carried the weight of a thousand unspoken what-ifs. "We would have been," she agreed, her voice thick with emotion.

Then, her gaze shifted, meeting mine head-on. "For years, I hated you," she confessed, her voice trembling slightly. "Or maybe I forced myself to hate you. I couldn't understand how you could just... throw everything away like it meant nothing."

I opened my mouth to speak but she held up a hand, silencing me.

"Let me finish," she pleaded, "I was so angry. The day before... the day before you threw me out, that's when I found out. I was pregnant with not one, but two. We were going to be parents, Alex. And then, suddenly, I was left to raise them alone. It hurt, seeing Nate of you. But I had to love them, they were all I had left. Even when I married Ivan, even through all that... a part of me always knew it was you. It has he reminded me so much always been you and I am tired of holding on to this pain and anger."

Tears welled up in her eyes, glistening like tiny diamonds in the fading light. Without thinking, I reached out, my fingers brushing against the cool, damp skin of her cheek, gently wiping away a tear. She didn't flinch, didn't pull away. Instead, her hand reached out, her fingers intertwining with

mine.

She closed her eyes for a moment, when she opened them again, her green eyes sparkled and she whispered, "I don't want to fight anymore. I forgive you for everything."

And before I could even process the enormity of her words, before my mind could catch up with the whirlwind of emotions swirling within me, she closed the distance between us. Her lips met mine in a kiss - brief, barely a whisper of a touch, yet it was enough. Enough to clear up the blank space in my head, to spark life back into me.

No more running.

As she pulled away, a flicker of steel replaced the vulnerability in her eyes. "We need to make that bastard pay for everything," she declared, her voice laced with a steely resolve. "Make them all pay. It is time to fight back."

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