Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

175 Chapter 175

175 Chapter 175

Seraphina’s POV 1

The question hung in the air like a guillotine blade.

*Are you still in love with Damien?*

My fork clattered onto my plate. Lasagna suddenly tasted like cardboard. Like ashes. Like every mistake I'd ever

made.

“I-" My voice cracked. “That's not-"

“Mom.” Caleb's voice carried a warning. “Don’t.”

But Margaret wasn’t looking at him. She was looking atwith those kind, knowing eyes that saw right through

every wall I'd built.

“Honey,” she said softly. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. But | think maybe you need to.”

My hands were shaking. | pressed them flat against the table, trying to stop the tremors. Trying to stop the flood

of memories that

threatened to drown me.

*Damien’s voice. Adrian's laugh. Lily's tiny hand wrapped around my finger.*

“I can’t think about them,” | whispered. The words barely made it past my lips. “If | think about them, I'll—"

Break. Fall apart. Run back and beg them to takeeven though I'm not good enough. 1

| closed my eyes.

Three years of discipline. Three years of forcing myself not to wonder. Not to imagine. Not to *feel*.

But Margaret had cracked that door open, and everything cflooding through.

“Lily’s three now,” | said, my voice breaking. “Three years old. She was just a baby when I left. She probably

doesn’t even remember me.”

The tears chot and fast. | couldn't stop them.

“And Adrian-Adrian’s eight. He's probably lost teeth. Learned to read chapter books. Made new friends. Grown so

tall I wouldn't

recognize him.”

My chest felt like it was splitting open. All the pain I'd been holding back for three years, all the longing and guilt

and desperate love, it

all cpouring out.

“Do they hate me?” The question tore out of me. “Do they wake up every morning and hatefor leaving

them?”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Margaret was around the table in seconds, pullinginto her arms. “No. No, babies, they

could never hate you.” 1

“You don’t know that.” | sobbed into her shoulder like a child. “I abandoned them. What kind of mother abandons

her children?”

Robert's chair scraped back. He moved to Margaret's side, his hand landing on my shoulder. Warm. Solid. Safe.

“You survived,” he said quietly. “That takes more strength than you know.”

I pulled back, wiping my face with my hands. My eyes were probably swollen and red. My nose was running. |

was a complete mess.

18.JA

<

175 Chapter 175

“I tried so hard not to think about them,” | admitted. “Every day for three years, | woke up and told myself |

couldn't let myself wonder.. Couldn't let myself imagine what they were doing. Because if | did...”

“You'd break,” Margaret finished.

“Yeah.”

Silence settled over the table. Not uncomfortable. Just heavy with things that needed to be said.

“But you're stronger now,” Robert pointed out. “You've built a life. Made yourself stable.”

“So what?” | laughed bitterly. “I'm supposed to just show back up? ‘Hey kids, sorry | abandoned you for three

years, but I'm doing great

now!*”

“That's not what I'm saying-"

“I miss him,” | whispered. “I miss Damien so much it feels like I'm missing a limb. Like part ofis just... gone.”

“Then maybe-"

“No.” | pulled my hand back, my walls slamming back up. “No. | can’t think like that. | left for good reasons.

Nothing's changed.”

“Everything's changed,” Margaret said softly. “You've changed.”

23

“Not enough.” My voice was flat now. Dead. “I'm still human. Still weak. Still not good enough for an Alpha and

his pack.” 1

The silence that followed was broken only by the sound of my ragged breathing and the tick of the kitchen clock.

Then Margaret cleared her throat, changing gears with obvious effort.

“Well,” she said, her voice taking on that forced brightness people used when trying to move past heavy topics.

“Speaking of change...

Sera, honey, have you thought about dating? Maybe meeting someone new?”

Oh God. Here we go.

“Mom,” Caleb warned again.

“What? I'm just saying! Three years is a long tto be alone. And you're so young, so pretty-"

“Margaret, please-"

| pushed lasagna around my plate, not looking at anyone. “The guys at the gym are...” | searched for words.

“Not really dating material.

They're fighters. Brutal. Most of them have more scars than social skills.”

“Well, what about outside the gym?” Margaret pressed. “Coffee shops? Bookstores? Those places where normal

people meet?”

“I don’t really go to those places.”

“Why not?”

“I'm just not interested in dating right now,” I said finally. “Maybe someday. But not now.” 1

Margaret exchanged a look with Robert.

18/14

BIS]

175 Chapter 175

“What about Caleb?” she said suddenly.

| nearly choked on my water, “What?”

“Mom!” Caleb's face went bright red. “Absolutely not. We are not doing this.”

“Doing what? I'm just suggesting-"

He stood up so fast his chair nearly fell over. “And it’s not happening”

“Why not?” Margaret looked genuinely confused. “You two get along wonderfully. You're already like family. And

Caleb's been single for

almost two years now-"

The air in the room had shifted from heavy to awkward. | couldn't look at Caleb. Couldn’t look at anyone. My face

felt like it was on fire.

“I need to get the cake,” Caleb announced suddenly. “From the bakery in town. The one that’s closing at six”

Margaret frowned. “But it’s only four-thirty. They don’t close until—"

“They're closing early. Special order. Very time-sensitive.” He was already moving toward the door, grabbing his

keys off the hook. “Sera,

you want to come? Helpcarry it?”

God yes. Anything to escape this nightmare.

“Sure!” | jumped up so fast | nearly knocked over my chair. “Yeah, I can help. Definitely.”

“You two don’t have to-" Margaret started.

“We'll be back in an hour!” Caleb called over his shoulder. “Two hours max!”

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