Bonds

Chapter 146 -Alex's POV- I pushed open the doors of my company and was met with a wave of hushed silence. Heads swiveled in my direction, a mixture of curiosity and nervous energy clinging to the air. The human-werewolf war that had been raging for weeks had finally settled into an uneasy truce. The constant skirmishes and open hostility had subsided, replaced by a tense awareness. Humans, it seemed, finally understood the truth we weren't just snarling beasts in the night, we were capable of being the very monsters they feared.

Back when the war was at its peak, my buildings had taken a physical beating. Broken windows, shattered glass, the occasional stray Molotov cocktail – the cost of being a prominent werewolf billionaire. Everything had been repaired, of course, but the scars remained, a stark reminder of the animosity that simmered just beneath the surface.

The headquarters itself had taken the brunt of the damage, both physical and emotional. When the news broke about my dual nature, a significant portion of the workforce had walked. The ones who remained, however, were a different breed. The nervous fluttering of their eyelids and the way they tried to appear engrossed in their work told a different story. These were the smart ones, the ones who understood that discretion was the better part of valor.

Ignoring the subtle tension, I strode towards my office, a newfound swagger in my step. My relationship with Amaya had been a revelation. It had unearthed a confidence I hadn't even known I possessed. Sure, I'd always been a bit of an arrogant asshole, but now? Now, I didn't give a damn what anyone thought.

There was a vulnerability to it, of course. The absence of my wolf was a constant weight on my shoulders, a missing piece that gnawed at the edges of my being. But despite the fear that sometimes crept in at night, a sense of empowerment overshadowed it all. It was a strange feeling, this confidence without fangs and claws. "Mr. Thorne, I didn't expect you to be here today," Ruth greeted me, rising from her seat. She was one of the smart ones, no, that wasn't quite right. Ruth wasn't just smart, she was loyal. A genuine smile tugged at the corners of my lips, and for a fleeting moment, I saw a flicker of surprise cross her features. Before she could respond, I launched into the reason for my unexpected visit.

"I need everything," I declared, my voice firm. "Every record of every transaction, incoming and outgoing, for the past six months. All deals, all contracts - I want it all on my desk, ASAP." My bluntness seemed to snap her out of her daze. She nodded briskly, a hint of efficiency returning to her gaze. "Of course, Mr. Thorne. I'll it right away." get on With a curt nod of acknowledgement, I retreated to the familiar confines of my office. Settling into the plush leather chair behind the mahogany desk, a frown creased my forehead. The pieces weren't fitting together. If Ivan had been working in the shadows for so long, pulling strings and manipulating events, and now Adrian was inexplicably targeting my company, there had to be a connection. Somewhere, somehow, they'd found a way to exploit a weakness in my defenses.

Normally, my first instinct would be to charge headfirst into the fray, fists blazing. But Ivan was different. He was a master manipulator, a puppet master who had turnedinto a pawn in his twisted gfor far too long. This time, I needed to be more than a pawn. I needed to be a player, a force to be reckoned with.

The frustration of it all simmered beneath the surface. Without my wolf, I felt incomplete, a fraction of the man I once was. As if on cue, my phone rang, shattering the tense silence. A quick glance at the screen confirmed the caller - Vargas. A sigh immediately escaped my lips.

"Vargas," I answered, “Did you find something?" "A greeting would be nice, you know,” Vargas answered in a dry tone, the exasperation evident even through the phone.

"Hello to you, Vargas," I mirrored his tone. Dislike still lingered for the man, but necessity had bred a grudging respect. We'd found common ground, a mutual understanding that transcended hierarchy. I'd made it official: Vargas was no longer struggling to feel like a glorified right-hand man. Now, the question hung heavy in the air. "Did you find one?" "Finding one isn't the problem," Vargas sighed. "Finding one willing to do a favor for a werewolf, that's the issue. Witches generally despise our guts.” Frustration bubbled up inside me. “I need a witch, Vargas, and I need one now." Another sigh escaped his end of the line. "Maybe if you toldwhy, we could explore alternatives." There was no way in hell I was spilling the beans about my missing wolf. We might have found common ground, but Vargas still harbored ambitions for the alpha position. "Just do whatever you can to locate one, I instructed. "Use any means necessary. Persuading her to help will be my problem. Do you understand?" He grunted out a reply, a reluctant acceptance of my forceful request. Just as I was about to end the call, another piece of information dropped into my lap. "McCall's declared himself alpha of the merged packs," Vargas announced.

My finger hovered over the end button, momentarily halting the call. The news wasn't entirely unexpected. Whatever ghe was playing, he needed a lot of power for it but that still threw a wrench into the plan. "What about Stone?" I pressed.

Chapter 146 "Last I heard, he was incapacitated," Vargas replied.

The words hung heavy in the air. Ivan was good, good enough to operate under the radar for this long. Now, he had the combined strength of two packs at his disposal. This wasn't good. Not good at all.

"Thorne? You still there?" Vargas' voice broke through my troubled thoughts.

"Yeah," I responded, my voice firmer now. "More than ever. Findthat witch. Any means necessary. Understood?" The seriousness in my tone seemed to convey the urgency of the situation. "Any means necessary," He echoed, a grim determination lacing his voice.

The call ended just as Ruth entered my office, a stack of documents piled high in her arms. The weight of the situation settled on my shoulders as I gestured for her to place the files on my desk. Sifting through financial records wouldn't solve the problem at hand, but it was a start. Somewhere buried in those papers, there had to be a clue, a hidden transaction, a thread that would leadto Ivan and Adrian. The clock was ticking, and the stakes had never been higher. The future of my company, the safety of my pack - everything hinged on finding the source of this new threat. And maybe, just maybe, on finding a way to get my wolf back.

I dove headfirst into the paperwork, each document a puzzle piece waiting to be slotted into place. My eyes scanned line after line, searching for any anomaly, anym discrepancy that might offer am glimpse into Ivan's machinations. If they had found a way to infiltrate my company, this was where the evidence would lie a hidden transaction, a suspicious clause, anything out of the ordinary. This was just the beginning, whatever Adrian was doing. I had a feeling in my gut, a primal instinct honed by years of navigating the treacherous world of business and power struggles.

Tblurred as I becengrossed in the financial maze. The world outside my office ceased to exist, replaced by the rhythmic rustle of turning pages and the relentless hum of concentration. It was the insistent buzz of my phone that finally yankedback to reality. An unknown number flashed on the screen, but a jolt of intuition ran through me. I knew.

With a deep breath, I answered the call. Silence greetedfor a moment, then a familiar voice, laced with a sickeningly sweet amusement, filled my ear.

"Alex," Ivan drawled. "I don't think we've had the opportunity to discuss things man to man.” Before I could respond, a text message popped up on the laptop screen in front of me. It was a picture, a clear image of Ivan holding a bottle of whiskey aloft, the background unmistakably the living room of my own house. Then Ivan spoke again, “Joinfor swhiskey, Alex X