All Chapters of The Burdened Bond: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

That choked demand kept me awake all night.His care always came with teeth. It was full of blame and heavy pressure. Over time, I even felt guilty for getting hurt around him.By dawn, the financial feeds and social channels were flooded with headlines. The Sterling and Silverthorne packs had finalized their cross-border merger. In the photos, Tessa Sterling stood beside the boardroom table with champagne in hand, the golden girl of the new generation.The entire city celebrated the corporate win. No one remembered that today was Gavin's real ceremony. He was turning twenty-two, taking the full Alpha mantle.For a pureblood, twenty-two was the turning point. The beast inside reached full power. Senses exploded, and the rut was deadly volatile.I swallowed two painkillers, put on my sunglasses, and headed to his penthouse.The scanner cleared my print. The door opened, and a wall of pure Alpha dominance slammed into me. Raw cedar, thick with unbridled aggression, choked the air.Severa

The laughter on the deck died instantly.Dozens of eyes locked onto me, heavy with judgment and cheap amusement.My knuckles turned white around my glass. My heart hammered in my throat.Gavin stood dead center in the ballroom, an amber scotch in hand. His eyes flicked across the floor, barely brushing my pale face.He stayed silent for three long seconds."Cut the crap," he said.His voice was dead, cold as the sea wind. It cut clean across the deck. "Our families have ties. The elders told me to watch out for her. That's all it is."A burst of ugly laughter erupted around him."Told you! No way a pureblood Alpha gets shackled to a defective runt!""Family favor. We get it, man!"I swallowed back the metallic taste in my throat, put down my glass, lowered my head, and hurried through the drinking crowd, fleeing the harsh lights.I needed air. I had to get away from the wolves trampling my pride into the deck floor.The second-level balcony had no lights. The ocean wind slapped my face

Three years later, early winter in Alaskan waters was freezing.The massive commercial cruiser cut through the drift ice."Partner Vance, the fleet from Seattle's Silverthorne syndicate has entered the main channel. The hosts need you on the top deck to sign off on the risk assessment."My assistant's voice came through my earpiece.I closed my tablet and straightened my tailored suit jacket.Three years on Wall Street had stripped away every trace of weakness.I was now the youngest risk management partner at a premier Manhattan hedge fund.Adaptive noise-canceling chips were implanted in my ears. Combined with long-acting scent blockers developed in Manhattan, low-frequency vibrations and feral Alpha auras could no longer touch me.I pushed open the heavy weather door to the observation deck. A tall, familiar figure stood right in front of me.Three years had passed. Gavin looked fully in command of his empire now. He was sharp in black, his jawline more severe than before, radiating

"I understand everything now, Gavin."I looked away and pushed the box with the tie gently back toward him.Gavin snapped his head up. Wild relief and desperate hope flared in his eyes. "Nadia, does that mean we—""That doesn't mean we're getting back together."The words were flat and calm. They froze the air in the booth instantly.Gavin went rigid. The light died from his face, leaving only an ashen pale."Why... Didn't we clear everything up? You know I love you. You know I only did it to keep you safe...""Because the damage was real, Gavin."I cut him off, my voice steady, without a trace of spite. "During those years in the dark, I spent countless nights hating myself for being broken. Every time you shoved me away, every cruel word you threw in my face in public, it branded into my bones. Knowing you had no choice doesn't make the scars vanish."I stood up, picking up my trench coat and handbag."You protected me, but you broke me, too. I need time. I can't just act like nothin