Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

154 Chapter 154

Seraphina’s POV 1

The morning air was crisp and cold against my face as | stood on the Morrison's front porch, my small duffel bag

at my feet like a faithful dog waiting to followinto the unknown.

I'd barely slept. How could I? Every t| closed my eyes, | saw Adrian's face at the school. Felt that moment of

recognition when he’d sensednearby. The memory made my chest tight with panic and longing in equal

measure.

“You sure about this, honey?” Margaret appeared in the doorway, her weathered hands wrapped around a

steaming mug of coffee. Her eyes were red-rimmed, like she'd been crying, and the sight made my throat close

up.

“I'm sure,” | lied, accepting the coffee gratefully. The warmth seeped through the ceramic and into my cold

fingers.

“It's not too late to change your mind,” she said softly. “You could stay. We could figure something else out.”

I shook my head, not trusting my voice. If | spoke, if | let even one crack show in my resolve, I'd crumble

completely. I'd throw my arms around this woman who’d becthe mother I'd never really had and beg her to

letstay forever.

The screen door creaked open, and Robert emerged with his own coffee, his silver hair still messed up from

sleep. He looked older this morning, more tired, like my leaving was aging him in real time.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he said, his voice gravelly. “Sleep at all?”

“A little.”

He nodded. “Caleb's getting the truck warmed up,” Robert said, gesturing toward the driveway where | could

hear the engine rumbling. “He'll get you to the bus station safe.”

“Thank you.” The words felt inadequate. How do you thank people who saved your life?

Margaret set down her coffee and pulledinto one of her bone-crushing hugs. She smelled like flour and

vanilla and home, and | had

to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from sobbing.

“You call us,” she whispered fiercely against my hair. “The minute you

settled somewhere, you call. Promise me.”

“| promise.”

“And if you need anything-money, a place to stay, someone to talk to-you call. Day or night. You understand

me?”

My voice cracked. “I understand.”

She pulled back, cupping my face in her soft hands. “You're going to be okay, baby girl. You're stronger than you

know.”

*No, I'm not,* | wanted to tell her. *I'm the weakest person in the world. Strong people don’t abandon their

children.*

But | just nodded and tried to smile.

Robert stepped forward, pullinginto his own gentler embrace. “Take care of yourself out there,” he

murmured. “The world can be a

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hard place for someone on their own.”

“I will,” I whispered.

“And remember,” he pulled back, his pale eyes serious, “you’ll always have a hhere.”

The tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over. “Thank you. Both of you. For everything”

“Don’t thank us,” Margaret said, wiping at her own eyes. “You're family. That's what family does.

The truck horn honked gently, and | knew it was time. No more delays. No more excuses.

| picked up my bag and headed down the porch steps, my legs feeling like lead. Every step tookfurther from

safety and closer to the

vast.

Caleb was waiting by the passenger door, his blonde hair catching the morning sunlight. He looked tired too, like

none of us had slept

much.

“Ready?” he asked, though his tone suggested he hoped the answer was no.

“Ready.”

| climbed into the warm cab of the truck, breathing in the familiar scents of motor oil and coffee. Through the

windshield, I could see

Margaret and Robert on the porch, watching us with worried faces.

Caleb got in besideand put the truck in drive, but he didn’t move. Not yet.

“Last chance,” he said quietly. “We can turn around right now. Pretend this whole conversation never happened.”

| looked at him-this man who'd givenshelter and friendship and asked for nothing in return. This man who'd

kept my secrets and

protectedfrom the world.

| whispered. “You know | can’t.”

He sighed, long and heavy. “I know. Doesn’t mean | have to like it.”

We drove in silence for the first few minutes, the familiar landscape rolling past the windows. Fields and farms

and the occasional house,

all of it looking peaceful in the golden morning light.

“So,” Caleb said finally, his voice carefully casual, “you thought about where you want to go?”

“West, | think.” I'd been thinking about this all night, trying to pick a destination that felt far enough away.

“Somewhere with lots of

people. Easy to disappear.”

The bus station appeared ahead of us, a small concrete building with a faded sign and a few people waiting on

benches outside.

Caleb parked near the entrance and killed the engine. For a moment, we just sat there in the sudden silence.

“The 9:30 bus goes to Portland,” he said quietly. “From there you can catch connections to wherever you want to

go.”

| nodded, not trusting my voice.

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154 Chapter 154

“And Sera?” He turned to facefully. “When you get where you're going, when you find a place to live-call

me.”

“Okay.” The word cout as barely a whisper,

“I mean it. | want to know you're safe. Mom will worry herself sick if she doesn’t hear from you.”

“I'll call,” I promised. “I'll visit too, when | can. When it's safe.”

His smile was sad but genuine. “I'd like that.”

| grabbed my bag and got out of the truck before | could change my mind. The morning air bit at my cheeks as |

walked toward the bus

station, each step feeling final and irrevocable.

Behind me, | heard the truck door slam and Caleb's footsteps on the asphalt.

“Sera, wait!”

| turned, and he was there, holding out a folded piece of paper.

“My number,” he explained. “In case you lose it or your phone dies or whatever. And Mom's famous chocolate

chip cookie recipe. She

insisted.”

| took the paper, holding it like it was made of gold. “Tell her I'll make them and think of her.”

“I will.” He pulledinto a quick, fierce hug. “Be safe. Be happy.”

Then he was walking back to his truck, and | was standing alone outside the bus station with my pathetic little

bag and a folded piece of paper that felt like a lifeline.

| bought my ticket from the sleepy-eyed clerk behind the counter and found a seat near the back of the bus.

Through the tinted window, | could see Caleb still sitting in his truck, waiting to make sure | got on safely.

The bus pulled away from the station with a diesel roar and a cloud of exhaust, carryingaway from the only

place I'd felt safe in months. | watched the Morrison house territory disappear behind us, watched Caleb’s truck

get smaller and smaller until it was just a

dot, then nothing at all.

*

*This is it, | thought. *I'm

this. *

My bag was wedged between my feet, and as the bus swayed around a curve, | felt something shift inside it.

Something that hadn't been there when I'd packed.

| unzipped the main compartment and reached inside, my fingers finding a thick envelope tucked between my

clothes.

My heart stopped.

Written on the envelope in Margaret's careful handwriting: “For our Sarah. For whatever comes next. With all our

love.”

Inside was cash. Hundreds of dollars in twenties and fifties and hundreds, all neatly folded together.

A note was tucked in with the money: “Every girl needs a little security when she’s starting over. Don’t you dare

try to pay us back. This is a gift, not a loan. Use it to build something beautiful. Mom and Dad Morrison” 1

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*Mom and Dad Morrison.*

| pressed my hand over my mouth, but the sob canyway. Then another. And another.

The woman across the aisle gavea concerned look. “You okay, honey?”

| nodded, unable to speak, tears streaming down my face.

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