-Maya’s POV-


    Time bled together. How long had I sat there, a statue carved from regret, the usations echoing


    in my ears? Long enough for the world to dim, thest embers of the burning buildings painting the


    sky a bloody red. Long enough for the initial shock to morph into a dull ache that throbbed with the


    guilt of a thousand sins.


    If I were a character in a book, everyone would hate me. And they’d be right. What was wrong with


    me? Truly, what was the w in my core that made me such a destroyer of everything I


    ched?


    With a monumental effort, I dragged myself out of th


    of the haze. My legs protested with each step. The twins. I needed to see them, to hold them close,


    they were all I had left. Natalia hated me, Nate was, I didn’t allow myselfplete the thought. Ivan


    was nowhere to be found and Alex?


    The world around me blurred, the screams and shouts muted by the deafening roar of my own


    misery. My walk was a daze, fueled by a primal instinct to reach my children. Streets that were once


    familiar became unrecognizable, the chaos a constant thrumming under my skin. Then, a flicker of


    movement in the distance caught my eye. A tall figure emerged from the shadows, solidifying into


    Ivan.


    He called my name, a single word that pierced through the fog clouding my mind. For a heart–


    stopping moment, everything froze. The weight of everything – Nate, Natalia’s fury, the city burning


    – came crashing down on me, a physical force that knocked the breath from my lungs.


    And then, I was running. Running towards him, towards the only semnce offort I could find in


    this maelstrom of destruction. Tears, scalding and hot, streamed down my face as I collided with


    him, burying my face in his chest. A sob tore through me, a raw expression of the guilt and pain that


    threatened to consume me whole.


    He didn’t try to stop me. He didn’t utter a single word of condemnation orfort. He simply held


    me close, a silent anchor in the storm, as I let the tears flow freely, cleansing my soul or at least


    attempting to.


    We clung to each other for a long, silent moment. The world continued to erupt around us, the


    distant screams and flickering fires a constant reminder of the chaos that had be my life.


    Finally, Ivan spoke, his voice a low murmur close to my ear.


    “Let’s get you home,” he whispered, his wordsced with a quiet concern that sent a fresh wave of


    tears prickling at my eyes.


    Home. The word felt foreign on my tongue, a concept that seemed to have vanished amidst the


    wreckage of my world. A million questions swirled in my head, a storm of confusion threatening to


    pull me under.


    Where had he been?


    Why had he disappeared when I needed him most?


    What happened between us?


    And most importantly, what the hell was going to happen to the world?


    But the words wouldn’t form. All I could manage was a croaked, one–syble response. “No,” I


    rasped, my voice thick with emotion.


    His brow furrowed in confusion. “You don’t want to go back home?”


    “No,” I repeated, shaking my head with a force that sent a jolt of pain through my throbbing skull.


    “The twins. I need to see them. My parents‘ house. I… I want to go to my parents‘ house.” My voice


    cracked, barely a whisper on the wind. Exhaustion gnawed at the edges of my consciousness, a


    physical weight dragging me down.


    Ivan’s surprise was genuine, a flicker of something akin to understanding crossing his features. I


    understood his surprise. I honestly still didn’t understand why my father address to take in the twins.


    “Alright, let’s go to your father’s house then,” he conceded, his voice calm and steady. He guided


    me towards his car, a ghost of myself shuffling along beside him. The world swam before my eyes,


    the destruction around me a surrealndscape of smoke and shattered dreams.


    Inside the car, the silence stretched between us, a heavy weight pressing down on the confined


    space. My gaze drifted out the window, taking in the apocalyptic scenes we passed. Once–familiar


    buildings were reduced to smoldering husks, streets choked with debris and the remnants of


    scattered lives.


    A fresh wave of guilt washed over me, an unweepanion in my misery. I needed to


    injured, perhaps even… I choked back a sob, the to the hospital would be foolish. Natalia’s an


    Nate. The thought of my best friend lying


    thought too in the


    spainful to contemte. But of my


    own


    despair, I knew going


    a


    ne raw but this second rejection, felt like the final


    facing her wrath,


    The silence began to stretch, a suffocating weight the


    and unanswered questions. Ivan broke it eventually, his


    “Amaya, I’m so sorry I left,” he said, the words heavy


    regret.


    He


    a side of


    Tind


    a


    only


    I


    before, and the memory still left apologize to Natalia, even if it meant


    sn’t a hostile


    silence, but a heavy one, thick with unspoken words


    sigh


    hed the


    xhaustion I felt in my own bones.


    looked drained, the on his face etched deeper than I remembered.


    I didn’t respond immediately. For a moment, his words hung in the air, a puzzle with missing pieces.


    There had been nothing wrong between us, or so I thought. Sure, Alex had been trying to insert


    himself into our rtionship, but I’d pushed him away, choosing Ivan every time.


    So just why?


    “Why did you?” I finally managed, my voice hoarse.


    He sighed again, a long, shuddering breath. “Honestly, there’s no excuse for what I did. There’s


    nothing I can a long moment, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. Then, he continued.


    say to justify it.” He fell silent for


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    “The day I disappeared, that was the day my parents were killed. Every year, Miranda and I take a


    trip together, just to… to be somewhere quiet. To remember them. I know Miranda can be a pain,


    but that trip, it’s the one time we both juste together. And then, when all this chaos started with


    the werewolves being exposed, I just… I wanted toe back right away. But I don’t know, Amaya,


    I was scared. Scared of everything. I knew I should have told you, but the thought ofing back


    and facing you… after everything… I just… I messed up. I messed up big time by not talking to


    you.”


    His words washed over me, each sentence a blow that left me reeling. A part of me wanted to force


    myself to understand, to ept his exnation. But the raw truth was… everything was just so


    messed up. His reason, while tragic, didn’t erase the pain of being abandoned when I needed him


    most.


    And then, there was the ckmail hanging heavy over my head, a constant reminder of my own


    secrets. Who was I to judge him for keeping something hidden, when I was burdened with my own


    web of lies?


    Silence settled back between us that seemed to muffle the sounds of the outside world. Ivan


    continued driving, his jaw clenched tight, his focus solely on the road ahead then I broke the


    oppressive silence.


    “I wish you would have told me,” I whispered, my words thick with a mixture of sadness and


    understanding. “I would have understood. You shouldn’t have had to go through that alone.” I


    reached out, tentatively cing my hand on his leg, squeezing gently. “And… I’m so sorry you have


    to deal with that memory for the rest of your life.”


    But as the words left my lips, Natalia’s voice echoed in my head, sharp and using. “You are a


    selfish bitch, Amaya.” The memory of her fury sent a jolt through me, a prickling shame making me


    recoil. Hurriedly, I snatched my hand away from Ivan, a feeling of self–disgust washing over me.


    Was his skin burning me? Or was it the heat of my own guilt?


    He didn’t say anything, his face etched with a mixture of sadness and confusion. The silence


    returned, a heavy weight that pressed down on the car as we continued our journey. Each mile


    marker we passed felt like a lifetime, the weight of the world pressing down on my already burdened


    shoulders.


    16.25


    We finally pulled up to the imposing gates of my father’s estate. Shock jolted me back to reality.


    Men,rge and intimidating, were scattered around the perimeter, their presence a stark contrast to


    the usual manicured gardens. I would have thought about how giant my fahter’s ego


    ing in his fortress if the men being out there weren’t protecting my children too. was because


    probably sitting like a king


    Ivan lowered the car window, addressing the guards in a


    calm, authoritative voice. “We need to get inside.”


    One of the guards, a man with a thick beard and a permanent scowl, turned his gaze to me. His


    eyes narrowed, and his irritation was evident. “Alpha Stone has given specific orders,” he growled.


    “His daughter is not to be allowed entry into thepound.”


    色


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