Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

173 Chapter 173

Seraphina’s POV 1

**Three years later.**

The afternoon sun painted golden squares across my living room floor, and | was sprawled on the couch eating

cereal straight from the

box like the sophisticated adult I'd become.

My phone buzzed. | glanced at the screen and nearly choked on a mouthful of Cheerios.

*Caleb Morrison*

My heart did a weird flippy thing. Hope, panic, and guilt all mixed up like a bad cocktail.

| let it ring twice more. Playing it cool. Totally casual. Like my palms weren't suddenly sweaty.

“Hey!” Way too enthusiastic. Tone it down, Sera. “What's up?”

“There she is!” Caleb sounded way too cheerful. “My favorite city girl who's apparently too busy being badass to

call her favorite border

family.”

“I'm not too busy,” | said, sitting up. Cheerios went everywhere. Great. “I'm just... you know. Doing stuff.”

“Stuff. Right.” He laughed. “What kind of stuff?”

“Actually, | was eating cereal in my pajamas and debating if | need to be a real adult today.”

“It’s three-thirty, Sera.”

“Exactly. I'm winning at life.”

“So for real though,” Caleb said, voice getting softer. “How are you doing? And don’t say ‘fine’ because | can

hear when you're lying.”

| hugged my knees to my chest. Suddenly felt small. “I'm doing... actually pretty good. Not fake good. Like, real

good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Got a nice place. Work’s steady. | even have money saved up. And get this-I bought furniture. Real

furniture. Not stuff I found on

the street.”

“Look at you! All grown up and responsible!”

“I know, right? Though I did kill a cactus last month. So maybe I'm not that grown up.”

“You're such a weirdo.”

“Thanks. | try.” | picked at my pajama pants. “But yeah, seriously. Things are good. Still fighting. Making decent

money. Can't really

complain.”

“Still fighting though.” And there it was. That worried tone. “You know that scares the crap out of me, right?”

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173 Chapter 173

My walls slammed up instantly. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t start with the worry thing.” The words cout sharper than | meant. “I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can-

“Do you?” | snapped. “Because it sounds like you think I'm still that scared mess who showed up at your door

with nothing. But I'm not

her anymore, Caleb. I'm not.” 1)

Silence. The bad kind. The kind that madefeel like an asshole.

Shit. Why did | do that? Why did | always bite people’s heads off when they cared?

“Sorry,” | said quickly. “That cout wrong. | just—"

“No, | get it.” He sounded understanding, which made it worse. “You worked your ass off to get where you are.

And you're right. You're

not that person anymore. You're tough as hell now. Total badass.”

My throat got tight. “Thanks.”

“But Sera? Just because you're strong doesn’t mean people can’t worry about you. You know that, right?”

| stared at the ceiling. “Yeah. | know.”

“Do you though?”

“Can we please change the subject?”

“Sure, sure.” He cleared his throat. “Actually, that’s kind of why I'm calling. | need to ask you something”

“What?” | tried to sound normal. Failed completely.

“Mom’s turning sixty next week.”

Relief hitlike a truck. Just birthday stuff. Normal stuff. Nothing scary.

“Oh! That's awesome! Tell her happy birthday for me.”

“I will. But the thing is...” He paused. “We're throwing her a party. Saturday night. And she really wants you

there.”

The room tilted.

“Caleb, | don't-"

“Wait, just listen. Before you say no, just hearout. Okay?”

| couldn’t talk. My mouth went totally dry. Hands shaking.

Three years. I'd stayed away for three whole years. Built this whole new life where nobody knew me, where |

could just be... whoever. Where the past couldn’t find me.

And now he wantedto go back. M19:15

173 Chapter 173

“You still there?”

“Yeah,” | whispered. “I'm here.”

“Look, | know it’s a lot to ask. | know you left for reasons. Good reasons. His voice got all soft and pleading. “But

Mom misses you like

crazy. She talks about you all the time. Like, all the time. ‘I hope Sera’s cating enough. | hope she’s not lonely. |

hope she knows she can

always chome.”

Tears just started falling. Hot and stupid and | couldn't stop them.

“That's not fair,” | choked out.

“I know.”

“You can't just-you can’t say stuff like that and expectto-" | couldn't finish. The words got stuck.

“Sorry. But it’s true.” He didn’t sound sorry at all. “We miss you. It's been three years, Sera. Don’t you think

maybe it's time?”

“Tfor what?” My voice broke completely. “To face everyone | ditched? To pretend I didn’t run away like a total

coward?”

| pressed my hand over my mouth. Trying not to completely lose it. When did | start shaking this bad?

“It’s just a birthday party,” he said gently. “One weekend. Saturday to Sunday. Drive up Saturday morning, party

that night, leave Sunday.

That's it. Easy.”

“Will there be-" | couldn't say it. Couldn't ask what | really wanted to know.

“Other wolves?” He finished for me. “Just us. Sneighbors. All humans or border folks. Nobody from any big

packs.”

Relief crashed through me. But also... something else. Something that felt like disappointment mixed with

shame.

| was relieved | wouldn't see anyone from Damien's pack.

Which meant part ofwanted to.

Which meant | was even more pathetic than I thought.

“I don’t deserve that,” | whispered.

“Too bad. You don’t get to decide who we call family.” Firm but warm. “You're stuck with us, city girl. Deal with

ie.”

| laughed through the tears. Sounded more like crying, but whatever.

“So?” Caleb pushed. “Will you come? Please? For Mom?”

| looked around my apartment. My safe place. Where I'd hidden for three years rebuilding myself into someone

who could survive.

But the Morrisons gaveeverything when | had nothing. Tookin, fed me, gavemoney and love and

didn’t ask for anything

back.

And I'd been too scared to even visit.

“Okay,” | heard myself say.

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173 Chapter 173

“Okay?” His voice exploded with hope. “You mean it?”

“Yeah.” Steadier now. “I'll come, Just the weekend. Just for the party.”

“Sera, oh my god-thank you! Mom's gonna lose it! In a good way! She’s gonna cry and hug you and probably

force-feed you until you

can’t move.”

Despite everything, | smiled. “Can’t wait.”

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