Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

137 Chapter 137

137 Chapter 137

Seraphina’s POV 1

| stared at Caleb’s message until my eyes burned.

*"Sera! Long tno see, how are you lately?!"*

Those cheerful exclamation points made my chest ache. The coffee shop aroundsuddenly felt too small, too

loud. The teenager

across the room was still glued to her phone. Everything was so normal, so ordinary.

My phone buzzed with another message from Caleb.

*”"Hope you're doing great! Miss our old conversations.”*

Miss our old conversations. Caleb lived at the border now. Far from Damien and the pack and everything that

remindedof what I'd

lost.

Maybe... maybe | could go to him.

The thought hitlike a lightning bolt. Caleb wouldn't ask too many questions. He'd never been the type to pry

or judge. If | said |

needed help, he'd help. That's just who he was.

My hands shook as | typed a response.

*#”Long tno see! I've run into strouble and was wondering if | could csee you? Would that be

okay?"*

| stared at the message for a full minute before hitting send. What if he said no? What if he was too busy? What

if seeingwould just

bring back bad memories for him too?

My phone buzzed almost immediately.

*#+Of course! Always okay for you. Are you alright? Do you needto cget you?"*

The immediate concern in his words made tears spring to my eyes. When was the last tsomeone had offered

to drop everything and

cget me? When was the last tsomeone had worried aboutwithout expecting something in return? 1

*#+|'m okay. Just need somewhere to stay for a while. | can get there myself.”*

*”"Whatever you need, Sera. You know where | am. Splace as always, Mom and Dad are going to lose their

minds when they see

you.”*

*"Thank you, Caleb. Really, I'll be there as soon as | can.”*

*”"Don’t thankyet. Fair warning - I'm still a terrible cook.”*

Despite everything, | almost smiled. That was so like him. Making jokes when he could probably tell something

was seriously wrong.

| paid for my almost untouched coffee and left, heading for the bus station with my pathetic little bag. Each step

felt heavier than the last. Each step tookfurther from my children.

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137 Chapter 137

Don’t think about them. Don’t think about Adrian coming hfrom school or Lily waking up from her nap. Don’t

think about Damien

finding that letter.

Just keep moving.

The next few hours were torture. Bus after bus, each one older and more crowded than the last. | sat in the back,

staring out windows at

landscapes that slowly becmore familiar. Rolling hills instead of city skylines. Open fields instead of

shopping centers.

It looked like freedom. It felt like running away.

Every few minutes, my mind would drift back to home. To Damien probably reading my letter right now. To the

look on his face when he

realized | was really gone. To Adrian asking where Mommy went.

| pressed my face against the window and tried not to cry. Again.

By the t| reached the final stop, the sun was setting. The “bus station” was basically just a bench and a rusty

sign. The kind of place

where nothing ever happened and tmoved slowly.

I called Caleb.

“Sera?” He picked up on the first ring. “Where are you?”

“At what | think is supposed to be a bus station. Though it’s really just a bench in the middle of nowhere.”

“I know the place. Don’t move. I'll be right there.”

“Caleb, I-"

“Ten minutes. Don’t go anywhere.”

He hung up before | could say anything else. | sat on the bench and wrapped my arms around myself, watching

the sky turn orange and

pink above the empty fields.

Headlights appeared down the road, and an old pickup truck pulled up in front of me. The engine made that

deep rumbling sound that

somehow felt like home.

The driver's door opened, and Caleb stepped out.

He was still tall and broad and looked like he could handle anything life threw at him. His blonde hair was lighter

now. His eyes were

exactly as kind as they'd always been, but there were lines around them now. Laugh lines, mostly.

He looked... solid. Real. Like the kind of person who didn’t disappear when things got hard.

“Sera,” he said, and his voice was warm and relieved and everything | needed to hear.

| stood up on shaking legs. “Hi

“God, look at you.” He crossed over toin three long steps and pulledinto the kind of hug that lifted me

completely off the ground.

For the first tin days, | felt safe. His arms were strong and warm and he smelled like soap and sunshine and

everything good about

being young.

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137 Chapter 137

He grinned, and it was like watching the sun cqut from behind clouds. “Con, let's get you home. Mom's

been cooking since |

called, and Dad’s been wearing a hole in the floor from pacing.”

He grabbed my bag before | could protest and opened the truck door for me. The interior was clean and

comfortable, with a faded air

freshener hanging from the rearview mirror.

“Sorry she’s not much to look at,” he said as we pulled away from the tiny depot. “But she gets the job done.”

“She's perfect.”

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