Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

23 Chapter 23

Seraphina’s POV 1

The blessing of an impossibly busy Friday was that it left no room for my mind to wander into dangerous

territory. Every tmy thoughts tried to drift toward Damien-toward the way his hand had felt wrapped around

my wrist, toward the questions in his eyes that | couldn't quite decipher-another crisis would demand my

immediate attention.

By lunch, I'd fielded seventeen phone calls, rescheduled eight meetings, and consumed enough coffee to power

a small city.

It was exactly what | needed.

Damien, on the other hand, had been in what could only be described as a spectacularly foul mood all day. I'd

watched him through the

glass partition of his office as he prowled back and forth like a caged predator, his shoulders tense beneath his

perfectly tailored suit

jacket. His phone conversations had been terse to the point of rudeness, and I'd seen him slam his palm against

his desk hard enough to

make his coffee cup rattle.

“Professional boundaries,” I'd muttered under my breath, forcing myself to focus on the quarterly budget reports

spread across my desk.

“He's your boss, not your responsibility.”

But even as | said it, part ofwanted to march into his office and demand to know what was wrong. The mate

bond between us

hummed with awareness every the moved, every this scent shifted with emotion, every the looked

in my direction with

those devastating blue eyes.

By five o'clock, most of the office had emptied out for the weekend. Damien had been the first to leave, grabbing

his jacket and striding

past my desk without so much as a “good night.” | stayed until well past eight, organizing files and preparing for

Monday's packed

schedule.

My phone buzzed with a text from Ophelia: *Picked up Adrian from school. We're making pizza and watching

cartoons. Take your time-

we're having a blast!*

Guilt twisted in my stomach as | typed back a quick thank you. Ophelia had been covering forconstantly

since I'd started this job,

picking up Adrian when | worked late, babysitting when | had emergency meetings, never once complaining

about the inconvenience.

She was better tothan my own family had ever been, and | wasn’t sure | could ever repay that kind of

loyalty.

“Note to self,” | said aloud to the empty office, “give Ophelia the biggest bonus imaginable as soon as | get my

first real paycheck.”

By eight-thirty, Id finally organized the last of the contract revisions and locked away the sensitive documents in

the security cabinet.

The executive floor was eerily quiet, the only sounds the distant hum of the building's ventilation system and the

soft click of my heels

against the marble floors.

The elevator ride down to the lobby felt shorter than usual, probably because | was the only person in the

building still working at this

hour. When the doors opened on the ground floor, | expected to find the usual nighttsecurity guard reading

behind his desk and

maybe a few late-departing employees heading home.

Instead, | heard voices.

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23 Chapter 23

“...arrange something comfortable, preferably close to downtown,” a familiar voice was saying, the deep timbre

sending an automatic shiver down my spine. “Cost isn’t an issue. Just make sure it’s available tonight.”

| stepped out of the elevator, my heels clicking softly against the polished marble of the lobby, and froze

completely.

Damien stood near the reception desk, his phone pressed to his ear and his free hand running through his dark

hair in a gesture of frustration I'd cto recognize. He'd loosened his tie and rolled up his sleeves, giving him a

slightly disheveled appearance that only

made him more attractive.

But it wasn’t Damien who made my blood turn to ice.

Standing beside him, close enough to be considered intimate, was a woman. She was blonde and stunning in an

obvious, calculated way.

Her red dress hugged every curve of her generous figure.

There was something familiar about her posture, about the way she tilted her head when she spoke, that made

my wolf pace uneasily in my mind. | took a step closer, staying in the shadows near the elevator bank, trying to

get a better look at her face.

“Yes, the Grandview Suites will be perfect,” Damien was saying into his phone, his voice carrying the

authoritative tone he used for business calls. “Book the penthouse suite for... how long will you be staying?” He

directed this last question to the woman beside him.

She turned slightly to answer him, and the overhead lights of the lobby illuminated her features clearly for the

first time.

There was something familiar about her profile-the sharp angle of her cheekbone, the way she tilted her head

when she spoke. A nagging sense of recognition tugged at the edges of my memory, like trying to recall a half-

forgotten dream.

| stepped closer, staying in the shadows near the elevator bank, my eyes studying her face with growing unease.

My heart began to beat

faster as fragments of memory started clicking into place.

She turned fully toward the reception desk, givinga clear view of her face in the bright lobby lights. The

blood drained from my

cheeks as recognition hitlike a physical blow.

Those calculating eyes. That perfectly sculpted nose. The bee-stung lips that had whispered poison into my ear

during the worst

moments of my teenage years.

Anna Blackwood.