All Chapters of The Ties The Bond Us: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

“Hey, it’s been at least a week and a half. How was your lovers’ quarrel?” Alex asked the second I slid into the passenger seat. “You’re an ass,” I snapped, punching his arm. “Ow! What kind of preggo punches people that hard?” Alex shot back, rubbing his shoulder. “I could be driving a girl around right now, you know.” “But you’re not. Because women don’t like you,” I said with a smirk. “Bitch. Your stomach looks like it’s about to pop.” “Yeah, there’s like a week or so left.” “Is it even okay to be out like this right now?” he asked, glancing at me warily. “I’m sure it’s fine,” I said casually. “Plus, Levi isn’t upset at all. He even encouraged me to go hang out with you. We just have to come back early.” “Look at all the good I’ve done,” Alex grumbled. “Just to be smacked around and unappreciated.” I shot him a sideways glance. “You’re just such an asshole though. Anyway… this is a nice car. Not better than Levi’s though.” “It’s unfair to compare the rich and the poor,” Al

When I opened my eyes, the room was dark and quiet, the sterile scent of the clinic still sharp in my nose. For a few seconds, I couldn't remember where I was—just that I hurt. Everywhere. Every inch of my body ached like I'd been hit by a truck. Not just the parts I expected either—my back, hips, and legs—but my hands, arms, even my neck felt like I'd fought a war in my sleep. Then I looked down. The baby—my baby—was resting on my chest, bundled in a blanket, his tiny face smushed against me as he slept. Everything else melted away. This was real. I did it. He's here. I smiled, stroking a hand gently over the soft patch of curls at the top of his head. I didn't think anything could ruin this. And then they walked in. The air shifted the second the door opened—cold, heavy, and suffocating. My body tensed, instincts screaming at me before my brain even registered what I was seeing. My parents stood just inside the room. My mother's nose wrinkled as if my scent offended her, wh

The tension in the room was thicker than smoke, but it didn't matter to me. The elders were already irritated that I was even here, let alone contributing. But that wasn't my problem. They'd invited me back into the conversation, and I wasn't going to sugarcoat anything. I was here now, and they were going to listen if they didn't want to keep fucking up. "This whole setup is flawed," I said bluntly, arms crossed, Canon squirming lightly in my arms. One of the elders, a wrinkled old asshole with a permanent scowl, scoffed at me like I'd just spilled juice on his floor. "Then how do you suppose we capture the spies?" "If I were trying to breach this territory," I said, raising my voice just enough to cut through the murmuring, "I'd do it in three ways. One, I'd leak just enough misinformation to see who reacts to it—maybe spread a false rogue attack at one border while sneaking through another. Two, I'd use your patrol schedules being predictable as fuck—switching them up randomly w

I walked forward beside Levi and Charlie, shoulder to shoulder as we passed the massive gates of the Dunham border wall. I'd never seen it before—not in person, anyway. I'd always imagined it would be something imposing, but this? It was enormous. Almost mythic. A towering barrier of tightly-packed stone, layers of age-old magic etched into its foundations, and watchtowers spiking upward like spears. It stretched as far as I could see, like some beast spine carved across the forest's edge. Ivy wrapped around parts of it, but that didn't make it any less intimidating. Behind us was nothing but dense, endless forest, thick with shadows and silence. In the clearing ahead, five distinct groups of wolves stood at the meeting point, each separated by subtle differences in posture, clothing, and demeanor—four other alliance members, clearly. The moment we arrived, someone shouted from near the center of the clearing. "Pack Leader Alpha Franklin Dunham has arrived!" Like clockwork, ever

What an asshole. Seriously, what the fuck am I supposed to do now? I told him the truth. I put it all out there. I hated that I did, but I thought—hell, I hoped—getting that shit off my chest would help, clear the air or something. But no. Apparently, I'm just some manipulative freak for being careful with my words. For keeping parts of myself guarded. For not performing my feelings on command like I'm some fucking pet. He really just assumed the worst of me. Like everyone else. Why should I have to prove I care just because he's insecure? Fuck him. The banquet tent was absurd. Big enough to host a damn wedding, the white silk walls billowed in the breeze, golden lights casting a soft glow over the place like we were in some fantasy novel. The long tables gleamed with glassware and silver cutlery, napkins folded into little swans, meat roasted to perfection and all that useless garnish fluff. It smelled amazing, but I couldn't taste shit through the fury in my throat. Frank and