Chapter 153_Bonds

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 Chapter 153

 -Maya’s POV-

 “Amaya.”

 The sound of my name snapped me out of my thoughts. I hadn’t realized I was pacing again. I should stop. I should calm down. But my mind was a whirlwind of worry and fear.

 I shouldn’t have left him back there. I should have stood my ground, told him I was staying. Maybe if I had, things would be different. I wanted everything to be simple. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, get married, and live happily ever after.But my life was anything but simple.

 A mate with trust issues, a father who was more like a viin than a parent, a dead brother I never got to know, a fake lover turned twisted enemy, and now witches. How much more could I handle? I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. But I couldn’t. Not with the twins here. Everything was just a lot. Too much.

 “Amaya!” Natalia’s voice was sharper this timepletely pulling me back to reality. I turned to face her. “What?” I managed to say, my voice sounding strained even to my own ears.

 “I’ve been calling your name for the past five minutes,” she said, her eyebrows drawn together in concern. “You need to stop pacing. Your energy is affecting the twins.”

 I nced at the twins. Nate was sitting quietly, his face turned towards me. Ivy was also quiet, her eyes fixed on me. I could understand Nate’s quiet. There were times he simply went quiet but never Ivy. Whatever happened between her and Alex’s aunt had something extra to it and I didn’t like it one bit..

 “I’m sorry,” I mumbled, feeling a pang of guilt. “I just…” I trailed off, not knowing how to exin the chaos inside my head.

 “I know,” Natalia sighed softly. “We’re all worried. With Ivan looming over us and Alex gone, things are crazy. But for the sake of the twins, you need to calm down.”

 I nodded, trying to take deep breaths. I needed to focus on the present. I needed to be strong for the twins.

 “She’s been awfully quiet since we got back,” Natalia continued a, referring to Ivy.

 “I know,” I replied. “Something happened between her and that witch. Or should I say, Alex’s aunt.”

 Natalia’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?”

 I hadn’t had a chance to fill Natalia in on everything that had happened. The car ride back had been filled with tense silence as everyone tried to process what we had seen.

 “So, if she’s Alex’s aunt, how is she a witch? And most importantly, you don’t think Ivy is one, right?” Natalia asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

 I shook my head. “No way. I don’t think Ivy is involved in any of this.”

 I was about to exin more when Riley entered the room. My heart sank as I looked at her.

 “Has Christian heard from Alex?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

 Riley didn’t need to answer. Her expression said it all. No. Two days and he still wasn’t back. What was happening to him?

 The weight of the world seemed to press down on me as I stood in the living room. Natalia’s understanding eyes met mine as I nodded towards the twins, a silent plea for a moment of solitude. She offered a reassuring smile in return and then I retreated to the sanctuary of the bathroom.

 The harsh p of water against my face was a jarring reminder of reality, but it did little to clear the fog clouding my mind. Desperation gnawed at me as I searched for a semnce of calm in the chaos then shrill ring of my phone pierced the quiet, sending a jolt of adrenaline through my system.

 My heart pounded in my ears as I fumbled for the device, my fingers trembling. I looked at the caller ID. An unknown number.

 “Alex?” I breathed into the phone. The silence that followed was agonizing. When the voice finally responded, my heart sank like a stone.

 “No, Amaya, it’s me, my mother’s voice echoed through the receiver. A wave of disappointment washed over me, recing the fleeting hope with a heavy sense of dread.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

 “Oh Mum. It’s you.”

 “Given our history, I’ll try not to let that tone hurt,” she replied, her voiceced with amusement.

 “I’m really sorry,” I began, my voice barely audible over the pounding in my ears. “I just have a lot going on, and I’m really worried about Alex.”

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 A long, heavy silence followed. I could almost feel the weight of her concern through the phone, Finally, she spoke, “Your father asked me to call. In his words, ‘Ask her if she has passed on my request to him.” She mimicked his tone and before I knew it, I found myselfughing.

 It took me a second to collect myself, “You told me once he wasn’t always like this. Do you think he’ll ever go back to being happy?”

 A long pause. I could hear her sigh through the phone, a sound filled with weariness and resignation. “I really don’t know,Amaya.”

 The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken words. I felt a lump forming in my throat, “Is that really why you’re calling? To see if I passed on father’s request?”

 “No. He asked me to call three days ago. I’m calling now because I want to check on my daughter,” she replied, her voice softening. Her words were like a warm nket on a cold day, offering a brief respite from the storm raging within me.

 “Thank you, Mum. For this,” I whispered softly, my voice filled with gratitude.

 “I’m really sorry about everything, Amaya. I wish I could do something to help. When this is all over, I hope we can both start over.”

 “Me too,” I whispered, clinging to the glimmer of hope she had offered.

 I was about to end the call when she hesitated. “I know I’m thest person you want to talk to about this, but I hope Alex is okay.”

 I let out a shaky sigh. “Me too,

 and-”

 My sentence was cut short by the sound of Ivy’s voice. “Mom?” Her small voice echoed through the bathroom, pulling me from the conversation. “I’ll have to call you back,” I told my mother quickly, my voice filled with urgency.

 “Okay. Be careful, Amaya. I don’t know what it is, but something bad is </bing. I feel it in my bones. Just be careful, please.” Her voice wasced with a sense of foreboding. A chill ran down my spine as I listened to her words.

 “I will, Mum. I will call youter,” I replied, trying to sound reassuring.

 The call ended, leaving a heavy silence in its wake. I knelt down in front of Ivy, her small figure looking lost and vulnerable. “Hey, honey, what’s wrong?”

 She touched her forehead, her eyes closed. “Not good,” she mumbled. I ced my hand on her forehead, feeling a slight warmth. “Does your head hurt?”

 She nodded slowly, her eyes still closed.

 “Okay, let’s get you to bed. Maybe you just need some rest. If you’re not feeling better, we’ll have it checked out, okay?”

 She shook her head stubbornly. “No doctor,” she replied, her voice firm for the first time.

 I chuckled softly, trying to lighten the mood. “No doctor,” I repeated, my voice filled with forced cheerfulness.

 I took her hand, her small fingers cold and mmy. As we walked to her room, she looked up at me with wide, frightened eyes. “Is the blue–eyed man okay?”

 My heart ached as I looked into her frightened eyes. “Yes, honey, the blue–eyed man is okay. He’s just trying to get his superpowers back so he can save us when the bad peoplee.

 She squeezed my hand tightly, her grip a silent plea for reassurance. As I tucked her into bed, I kissed her forehead, whispering words of </bfort and protection. As I closed the door behind me, I leaned against the wall, my knees feeling weak. The weight of the world seemed to be crushing me, and I was starting to wonder if I had the strength to carry it.

 My legs moved without conscious thought as I made my way back to the living room. A cold dread settled in the pit of my stomach. If Ivy was feeling unwell, there was a high chance Nate would be too. The twins had an uncanny connection, a bond that went beyond blood.

 The moment I stepped into the living room, the tension was palpable. The atmosphere was heavy, thick with unspoken words. Christian, Riley, and Natalia were huddled together while Nate was curled up on the couch, his small body looking even more vulnerable in sleep.

 “I think we should tell her, Christian’s voice cut through the silence, his words carrying a weight of finality.

 My heart skipped a beat.

 Tell me what?

 Three pairs of eyes turned to me, their expressions a mixture of concern and something darker.

 “Tell me what?” I repeated, my voice rising slightly.

 Riley was the first to speak, her voice trembling slightly. “The men that Alex put to watch over his father are all dead. Wiped clean, but Damon

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 Chapter 153

 Thorne wasn’t touched. He’s still alive.”

 “So Ivan is sending a warning?”

 Natalia shook her head, her face pale. “No, Amaya. He sent a deration.” She turned to Christian, who held out his phone. A wave of nausea washed over me as I looked at the screen. A macabre scene unfolded before my eyes: bodies arranged in a grotesque circle. It was clear that Ivan no longer cared for secrecy. But it was what was written in the center of the circle that sent a shockwave through me.

 Alex’s name, written boldly in blood.

 Natalia was right. This wasn’t a warning. It was a deration of war. Ivan wanted blood. Alex’s blood. But that wasn’t all.

 Christian’s voice broke through my shock. “He sent a message and a location. He said he was done ying around. Three generations to make up for his pain. He wants Alex to bring not just his father there, but Nate too.”

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Chapter 153