Bonds

-Alex's POV-Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Something inside me shifted the moment the mark vanished. It wasn't a physical feeling, more like a presence that had always been there, a constant hum in the background of my existence, just... gone. Like someone had reached into my chest and ripped out a vital organ, leaving only a hollow ache. My wolf went silent. It was an unsettling quiet, a stark contrast to the usual rumble of instincts and desires. It felt like he was trying to understand this sudden emptiness, this coldness that had seeped into my core. It wasn't just a lack of warmth, it was a chilling indifference, a detachment from everything around me. It was like a tether, the one that had kept me anchored to some semblance of humanity, had been severed.

When Ivan's invitation arrived, proposing a grand gala to negotiate peace, I knew peace was the last thing on my mind. Maybe there was a flicker of doubt, a sliver of hope clinging on in some dusty corner of my mind, but it vanished entirely the moment Daniel opened his mouth. His words, dripping with venom and arrogance, were the final nail in the coffin of any lingering peace talks. So, when I gave the order to attack, it wasn't a strategic move, not a calculated decision based on military tactics. It was pure, unadulterated rage, a primal urge to tear everything down, to mirror the destruction that mirrored the emptiness within me.

Chaos erupted in an instant. The air crackled with snarls and growls, the polished floor of the hall slick with blood within seconds. I barely registered the blur of fur and fangs as the fight unfolded.

But amidst the carnage, a single image pierced through the fog of violence. Amaya's wolf. She was running straight into the heart of the battle, a slender figure dwarfed by the larger wolves surrounding her. It was like a scene from a nightmare, watching her rush towards the danger I myself had unleashed. In that split second, the coldness within me shattered. A jolt of raw instinct, a primal protectiveness that defied all logic, surged through me. Amaya, my Silver- that was what she was to us, a beacon of warmth, a reminder of humanity in this world of fangs and claws.

I took a strike distracting me from her as she tackled a brown wolf but then I caught sight of the swaying chandelier and then, with a sickening crack, it began to fall. Shards of glass glittered like deadly rain, reflecting the harsh overhead lights. It was happening in slow motion, the world around me blurring at the edges. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the impending doom, Amaya's wolf froze in a spot, directly beneath the falling debris.

Panic clawed at my throat. I didn't think, I reacted. With a surge of adrenaline that ignored the throbbing pain in my shoulder, I launched myself forward. Everything else faded away - the snarling wolves, the stench of blood, the impending rain of glass. My only focus was Amaya, the need to get to her before the chandelier crushed her beneath its weight I slammed into Daniel's wolf with a force that sent both of us tumbling backwards. He snarled in surprise, momentarily thrown off balance by the unexpected attack. It gave me the precious seconds I needed. Scrambling to my feet, I bolted towards Amaya, ignoring the searing pain hall, a that shot up my leg with each stride. My woll roared, a primal sound that echoed through the desperate plea for her to move.

Just as I reached her, a wave of brown fur slammed into her side, sending her flying. It was a blur, a tangle of fur and teeth, but I recognized the hulking brown wolf who had attacked me earlier. He had Amaya pinned beneath him, his jaws clamped onto her shoulder. A primal roar ripped from my throat, a sound that was more animal than human. Fury, raw and untamed, surged through me, momentarily eclipsing the emptiness within.

With a single-minded focus, I slammed into with a single-minded focus, I slammed into the brown wolf with the force of a battering ram. The impact sent him sprawling, his surprised yelp drowned out by the deafening crash of the chandelier above. A million shards of glass rained down around us, some clattering harmlessly to the floor, others embedding themselves with sickening thuds in the flesh of nearby wolves.

Dust swirled in the air, momentarily obscuring the scene. When it settled, I saw Amaya lying motionless beneath the brown wolf, his own body twitching unnaturally before it fell off her. She had shifted back into her human form. A fresh wave of terror washed over me. Had I been too late?

Pushing myself off the dazed wolf, I scrambled towards her, my heart a frantic drum solo in my chest. Each breath felt like sandpaper scraping against my raw throat. As I neared, I saw a dark stain spreading across her stomach forgetting the battle happening all around us, nothing else mattered.

"Amaya," I whimpered, nudging her gently with my snout. Come on, Silver. Wake up."

Desperate, I nudged her again, harder this time. Suddenly, a low moan escaped her lips, and her eyelids fluttered open. Reffef washed over me in a tidal wave, so intense it almost knocked me off my feet.

"Alex?" Her voice was weak, barely a whisper.

"It's okay," I rasped, the words rough with emotion through our psych. "I'm here."

Carefully, I shifted back into my human form, the transformation a painful process after the exertion of the fight. Ignoring the throbbing ache in every muscle, I knelt beside her, my gaze scanning her injuries.

The bite on her shoulder looked nasty, a deep puncture wound already blooming with a dark purple bruise. Blood trickled down her shoulder.

"We need to get you out of here."

I tried to touch her but she backed away and then winced as she tried to push herself up, but she sank back down with a groan. "My leg," she breathed, her face pale with pain. "I think it's broken."

Frustration bubbled up inside me, but I forced it down. There was no time for a tantrum. "Hold on," I instructed, gently scooping her up in my arms. She was lighter than I expected, worryingly so.

The hall was a scene of utter chaos. Wolves snarled and snapped at each other, oblivious to the destruction around them. The pungent smell of blood hung heavy in the air, a sickening reminder of the brutality that had unfolded. Picking my way through the carnage, I dodged flailing limbs and snarling faces. Every step was an agonizing ordeal, my own body screaming in protest at the exertion.

Finally, I reached a doorway at the back of the hall. Pushing through the door, I found myself in a dimly lit corridor, lined with closed doors.

With a grunt of effort, I flung open the first door and peered inside. Relief flooded me as I recognized the familiar white metal cabinet of a first-aid kit hanging on the wall. Placing Amaya gently on a nearby plush armchair, I rushed over to the cabinet and ripped open the door. She should be healing by now but I could help facilitate the speed of the process.

Inside were bandages, antiseptic wipes, and various pain medications. Grabbing what I needed, I returned to her side.

"What were you thinking, running into the middle of a fight like that?" I snapped, unable to hold back the question any longer.

She winced as I tightened the bandage around her shoulder. "L..." she began, then stopped, biting her lip. Finally, she met my gaze, a flicker of defiance in her eyes. "I had to try and stop it. I had to do something but I wouldn't have if you hadn't given the order in the first place."

I narrowed my eyes at her, my jaw clenching tight. Ignoring the sting of her accusation, I growled, "You could have ended up dead. Did you even think about what you were doing?"

Her gaze met mine, her own eyes

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hardening in defiance. They narrowed to slits, mirroring my own scowl Her om breathing was shallow each inhale a ragged gasp that seemed to hitch in her throat. For a horrifying moment, I thought she might faint again, but then a change flickered across her lace and I watched her wounds start to heal.

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"You caused it all, Alex, so don't stand there and act so judgy. In fact, move away.

I don't want to talk to you anymore. Thank you for getting me out of that mess, but I need to find my friends."

With a determined glint in her eyes, she pushed herself out of the plush armchair, ignoring the obvious pain in her leg. As she rose, my eyes caught it.

The mark. A faint, intricate tattoo etched onto her flesh. It was positioned in the exact same spot!

where my own mark had resided before it. vanished, a swirling symbol that seemed to pulse with an internal energy.

My wolf erupted in a ferocious snarl within my head. Instinct took over, propelling me forward before I could even think, I grabbed her hand with a vice-like grip, the bones in her wrist protesting under my hold. "You are not leaving here until you tell me why you let him mark you!"