<b>Chapter </b>144
<b>-Alex’s </b><b>POV-</b>
It <b>had </b>only taken meeting them, <b>Ivy </b>and Nate, to know that truly I had made the <b>biggest </b>mistake of my life when I kicked Amaya out. The guilt <b>gnawed </b>at me constantly, and I knew <b>I </b>would spend the <b>rest </b>of my life apologizing for it and there was still Ivan out there<b>, </b><b>a </b>constant threat. It had taken that kiss, that <b>spark </b><b>of </b>reconnection with Maya, to jolt me into action. And people were already on it, moving fast. <b>It </b>sure had its advantages <b>being </b><b>a </b>billionaire alpha sometimes.
What confused me though, was why Ivan hadn’t gone after my father. Damon Thorne was clearly the start of his madness, the reason for the whole <b>war</b>. But just in <b>case</b>, I still had men positioned around the facility, keeping a watchful eye in <b>case </b>Ivan decided to finally stop ying his twisted games<b>. </b>Right now<b>, </b>though, I had something more important to do.
I stepped out from the shadows, the fairy lights casting a warm glow on the clearing. Amaya’s green eyes, sparkling with surprise, flew “<b>Alex</b>, what is all this<b>?</b><b>” </b>she asked, her voiceced with bewilderment.
to mine.
I closed the distance between us, my heart pounding in my chest. “Amaya,” I began, my voice thick with emotion, “I
<b>Her </b>gaze flickered to the sign, then back to me. “There’s no question mark,” she pointed out<b>, </b>a hint of amusement dancing in her
“Exactly,” I replied, a grin spreading <b>across </b>my face. “So you don’t have the option to say
want you to marry me.”
<b>eyes</b><b>.</b>
<b>no</b>.”
She yfully rolled her eyes. “There’s no option to say no because there’s no question asked, Alex.”
I let out a sigh, a mixture of relief and frustration. She stepped back from me then, <b>a </b>shadow of worry crossing her features. The light in her eyes seemed to dim slightly. “Alex, I already said yes,” she reminded me gently. “It didn’t end well the first time, and technically, by allws, even though I’m trying to get out of it, I’m still married to Ivan.”
Irritation red in my gut at the mention of his name, but I forced it down. She continued, her voice filled with concern, “Then there’s the whole thing with your wolf, we don’t even know what happened to him. And the war is still going on, and Ivan is still out there. There are just so many things, Alex<b>, </b>that make this feel…”
I didn’t let her finish. “I know I messed up,” I confessed, my voice filled with regret. “And I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. You wouldn’t be dealing with getting out of a marriage if I hadn’t been such a coward. I am so sorry, Amaya, but I want to make things right because <b>I </b>love you. I didn’t know I could ever know what it felt like but you changed that so please let me.”
An airne roared overhead, momentarily breaking the spell. We both looked up at the contrail streaking across the night <b>sky </b>before her gaze dropped back down. Her eyes darted around the clearing, taking in every detail. It had taken me all day to pull this together, to make it perfect. I didn’t want anyone’s help, I wanted it to be just us, a private moment between Amaya and me. Finally, her <b>eyes </bnded on the sign again<b>, </b><b>a </b>soft smile gracing her lips. “You still didn’t ask the question, Alex,” she pointed out.
I couldn’t help but grin. Then, with a deep breath, I sank down on one knee, pulling out the ring that had been burning a hole in my pocket. I watched, my heart overflowing with a mix of hope and nervousness, as a tear slid down her cheek. “Amaya,” I began, my voice thick with emotion, “I am <b>so </b>sorry for everything I did. I am sorry for not trusting you, for pushing you away. If you will just…”
I didn’t get to finish the sentence. In a sh of movement, she was on me<b>, </b>tackling me to the ground with a joyfulugh. She buried her head in my chest, <b>her </b>body trembling slightly. <b>“</b><b>Yes</b><b>!</b>” she cried out, her voice muffled against my shirt.
A <b>wave </b><b>of </b><b>relief </b>washed over me. Iughed, the sound echoing through the clearing. Everything in my life suddenly felt right, like all the <b>pieces </b>had finally fallen into <b>ce</b><b>. </b>“I still didn’t <b>ask</b>,” I teased, pulling her closer.
“I <b>know</b><b>,” </b>she whispered, <b>a </b>contented sigh escaping her lips.
We <b>stayed </b>there for a moment<b>, </b><b>a </b>cocoon of happiness woven fromughter<b>, </b>tears, and unspoken promises. She finally lifted <b>her </b>head, her <b>glistening </b>with a mixture <b>of </b>joy and lingering worry. Without another word, <b>she </b>leaned in and <b>crashed </b>her lips against mine<b>.</b>
<b>eyes</b>
<b>The </b>kiss <b>was </b><b>electric</b><b>, </b><b>a </b><b>surge </b>of emotions that chased <b>away </b>any lingering doubts<b>. </b>My hands instinctively wrapped around her <b>waist</b>, pulling her impossibly <b>closer</b><b>. </b><b>I </b>deepened the kiss <b>as </b><b>her </b>hands drifted down, finding my <b>belt </b>before hesitating.
<b>Just </b>like that<b>, </b>the moment <b>was </b><b>shattered</b>. My phone<b>, </b>which I had purposely silenced for this evening<b>, </b>chose that exact moment to erupt with <b>its </b><b>insistent </b>ringtone. <b>A </b><b>groan </b><b>escaped </b>my <b>lips</b>. With everything happening, with the <b>war </b>and the <b>uncertainty </b><b>surrounding </b>her legal situation, I <b>knew </b><b>I </b>couldn’t <b>afford </b><b>to </b>miss <b>any </b>calls. Thankfully, she understood. She pushed herself off me reluctantly<b>, </b><b>her </b><b>eyes </b>searching mine <b>for </b><b>reassurance</b>.
I <b>picked </b><b>up </b>the <b>call</b><b>, </b>seeing Christian’s name <b>sh </b>on the <b>screen</b>. <b>“</b><b>We </b><b>have </b>a problem,” his <b>voice </b><b>cut </b>straight to the point. Another groan rumbled out of <b>me</b><b>.</b>
“What is it <b>now</b><b>?</b><b>” </b><b>I </b><b>asked</b><b>, </b><b>already </b>feeling the weight <b>of </b><b>responsibility </b>settle <b>back </b>on my shoulders.
“<b>Even </b>with everything that’s <b>happened</b><b>, </b><b>your </b><bpanies </b><b>have </b><b>mostly </b>taken <b>a physical </b>hit<b>,</b><b>” </b>Christian <b>exined </b><b>quickly</b>. “But <b>I </b><b>just </b>got a <b>call</b>. The situation <b>just </b><b>got </b><b>a </b>whole lot <b>more </b><bplicated</b><b>, </b>more indepth and apparently<b>, </b><b>Adrian </b>is the <b>name </b>behind it. <b>I </b><b>was </b>going <b>to-</b>
“<b>Don’t </b><b>worry </b>about it<b>,</b><b>” </b><b>I </b><b>interrupted</b><b>, </b><b>my </b><b>voice </b><b>hardening</b><b>. </b><b>“</b>I’ll handle this <b>one</b><b>. </b>Thanks for the <b>heads</b><b>–</b>up, Christian<b>.</b><b>”</b>
Chapter 144
Ending the <b>call</b>, I took a deep breath and stood up, offering Amaya my hand. She took it immediately, her brow furrowed with <b>concern</b><b>. </b><b>“</b><b>Is </b>something wrong<b>?</b><b>”</b>
I forced a small smile onto my <b>face</b>. “Nothing <b>I </b>can’t handle,” <b>I </b><b>reassured </b>her<b>, </b>even though a part of me wished I could just whisk her away from all the chaos and hide her in this <b>perfect </b>little clearing forever. “Let’s go.”
She studied me for a moment, a flicker of doubt dancing in her <b>eyes</b><b>. </b>It <b>was </b><b>clear </b>she wasn’t entirely convinced, but she didn’t argue. Following me out of the clearing, the fairy lights <b>cast </b>long shadows <b>as </b><b>we </b>walked back towards my <b>car</b>. The romantic interlude felt like a distant memory now<b>, </b><b>reced </b>by the harsh reality of the situation.
As we walked, I couldn’t help but steal nces at her. Her <b>face </b>was a mask of worry, and a pang of guilt stabbed at my heart. I had just proposed, dered my <b>love </b>and desire to spend the rest of my life with her, and now <b>I </b>was dragging her back into the
mess.
“Amaya,” I began, hating the seriousness that crept into my voice. “Listen, I-”
“Alex<b>,</b><b>” </b>she interrupted me gently, squeezing my hand. “Whatever it is, we’ll face it together. Just promise me one thing.”
<b>I </b>stopped walking, turning to <b>face </b>herpletely. The moonlight illuminated her <b>face</b>, highlighting the worry etched into her features “Anything,” I replied, my voice thick with emotion.
“Don’t shut me out again,” she pleaded, “No matter what happens, no matter how bad things get, promise me you’ll talk to me, trust me.”
I reached out and cupped her <b>face </b>in my hands, my thumb brushing away <b>a </b>stray tear that traced a path down her cheek. “I promise. No more <b>secrets</b>, no more lies<b>. </b>Just us, facing whateveres our way, together.”Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.
A flicker of hope sparked in her eyes, and she leaned into my touch. In that moment, under the watchful gaze of the moon, everything else seemed to fade away. The war, the threats, the uncertainty – none of it mattered as long as I had her.
“One more thing, Silver,” She murmured, a shy blush creeping up her cheeks, “I like it when you call me Silver.”
My heart skipped a <b>beat</b>. Pulling her even closer, I closed the distance between our lips. This time, the kiss was different. It was a slow, lingering exploration, filled with unspoken promises and a lifetime of love waiting to be unraveled. As I finally pulled away, my voice dropped to a husky whisper, “You are my only Silver.”
The endearment hung in the air, a silent vow between us. Taking her hand in mine, I continued walking. Never again did I want to imagine life without her by my side. Yet<b>, </b>even as I held her close, a dark thought flickered through my mind – Adrian.
I’d had enough. While guilt still gnawed at me for past mistakes, I knew I could never forgive myself for what i did. I didn’t expect him to either but his recent actions <b>crossed </b><b>a </b>line.
It <b>was </b>time to end this<b>, </b>once and for all.
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