Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

19 24 Chapter 24

Damien’s POV 1

The woman standing beforereeked of cheap perfand desperation, a cloying mixture that made my wolf

recoil instinctively. She clutched my golden pendant like a lifeline, her artificially enhanced breasts practically

spilling out of a dress so tight it looked painted on. Everything about her screamed fake-from her bleached

blonde hair to her surgically plumped lips to the calculating gleam in her

eyes.

“Anna Blackwood,” she'd introduced herself with a sultry smile that felt as genuine as her hair color. “I've been

looking for you, Alpha Nightshadow. | have something that belongs to you.”

The pendant was real-I'd examined it thoroughly, traced the familiar engravings with my fingertip, confirmed

that the craftsmanship matched the half | kept in my desk drawer. But everything else about this woman was

wrong. Completely, utterly wrong.

“I remember the woman I'm looking for having dark hair,” | said carefully, my voice neutral despite the

frustration clawing at my chest. “And her... figure... wasn’t quite so...” | gestured vaguely at her enhanced

proportions.

Anna’s laugh was like breaking glass, high-pitched and grating. “Oh, that! | went blonde especially for you,

darling. And | got these done too,” she pushed her chest forward shamelessly, “because | thought you might

appreciate the upgrade. Men always do, don’t they?”

She pressed closer to me, her manicured nails trailing down my arm with predatory intent. The contact made my

skin crawl, every instinct | possessed screaming that this woman was wrong, wrong, wrong. But the pendant...

how did she have the pendant? 2

“Tellabout that night,” | said, stepping back to put distance between us. “Five years ago. The Lunar

Assembly celebration. What do you remember?”

Her eyes darted away for just a fraction of a second before meeting mine again. “Oh, it was magical,” she sighed

tically. “You sweptoff my feet, literally. We danced all night, and then you tookto your suite...” She

trailed off with what was probably meant to be a

seductive smile.

My phone buzzed in my pocket-Lucas, finally returning my increasingly frantic calls about the search. I'd been

contacting him every

hour for days, driving him to the edge of his patience with my desperate need for answers.

“Excuse me,” | told Anna, stepping away to take the call. The distance couldn’t cfast enough; her cloying

perfwas making my head pound.

“Damien here.”

“Finally!” Lucas’s voice carried through the receiver, tinged with exhaustion and frustration. “I've been calling

you back for the past hour.

Look, | found her-or rather, she found the search notices we put out.”

My grip tightened on the phone. “What do you mean?”

“The woman with the pendant-blonde, mid-twenties, matches the description from the pawn shops. She tried to

sell it at least four

different times over the past month. Swoman, spendant. The shop owners all gave consistent

descriptions.” Lucas paused, and |

could hear papers rustling. “But here’s the thing-she never went through with any of the sales. Just asked about

values, got estimates,

co

1/3

then left.”

A cold knot formed in my stomach. “And then?”

“Then our search notices started circulating through the community. Word about the job offer, the compensation

package for anyone

with information about the pendant... She showed up at three different shops yesterday asking if they'd seen the

notices.”

“So she’s a fraud,” | said flatly, my voice barely controlled.

“I...” Lucas hesitated. “I don’t think so, actually. The timeline matches up perfectly. The pendant is definitely

authentic-1 had an expert

verify it against your half. And she knew details about the Assembly that weren't publicized. She's legitimate,

Damien. She's just... not

what you were expecting.”

| stared across the lobby at Anna, who was now using her phone’s camera as a mirror, pouting her surgically

enhanced lips as she

checked her makeup.

“Look, | get it. She’s not exactly... refined. But Damien, we've exhausted every other lead. Every database, every

registry, every possible

trail. If she’s not the woman from that night, then that woman doesn’t exist in any traceable way.” 4

“Fuck,” | breathed, the word barely audible.

“I'm sorry, man. | know this isn’t what you wanted to hear.”

My jaw clenched so tight | thought my teeth might crack. “The job offer stands. | gave my word.”

“Understood. I'll make the arrangements.”

I hung up without another word, shoving the phone back into my pocket with enough force that | was surprised it

didn’t shatter. Every

instinct | possessed was screaming that this was wrong. But the evidence was undeniable, and my word was my

bond. 1

Anna looked up from her impromptu makeup session as | approached, her face lighting up with a predatory smile

that made

recoil in disgust.

“Good news, | hope?” she purred, pressing herself against my side again.

my wolf

Before | could answer, the soft ding of the elevator madelook up. My breath caught in my throat as Sera

stepped out, her high heels

clicking against the marble floor. She looked exhausted-her usually immaculate hair was slightly mussed, and

there were dark circles

under her eyes that spoke of long hours and too much stress. 1

Guilt twisted in my stomach. Had | been working her too hard? She had a child to care for, a life outside this

office, and I'd been so

consumed with my own obsessions that I'd barely noticed how late she'd been staying.

“Sera, you should have gone hhours ago,” | said, taking a step toward her. “I didn’t mean for you

to-”

“OH MY GOD!”

Anna's shriek cut through the quiet lobby like a fire alarm. She'd spotted Sera and was now rushing across the

marble floor with her

arms outstretched, her designer heels click-clacking frantically as she moved.

“SERA! SERAPHINA KNIGHT! | can’t believe it's you!”

213

| watched in stunned silence as Anna threw her arms around Sera, pulling her into an embrace that looked more

like an attack than a greeting.

Sera’s face cycled through a series of expressions-shock, and finally something that looked disturbingly like

dread. “Anna,” Sera said carefully, her voice strained as she tried to extricate herself from the aggressive hug.

“What are you doing here?”

“What am | doing here?” Anna's laugh was theatrical, designed to carry across the lobby and draw attention.

“Darling, I'm here because of HIM!” She gestured tically toward me, her pendant catching the overhead

lights. “Can you believe it? After all these years, | finally found my mystery lover!”

The color drained from Sera’s face so quickly | was afraid she might faint. Her emerald eyes darted between

Anna and me, confusion and something that looked like pain flickering across her features.

“You two know each other?” | asked, though the answer was obvious from their interaction.

“Know each other?” Anna’s voice rose to an almost hysterical pitch. “We were Best friends!”

Before Sera could answer, | made a decision that would change everything. “Report to the office Monday

morning,” | said, trying to keep my voice professional. “You'll be working as a senior assistant. With Sera.” 1