Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

broughthome.”

Ophelia’s eyes met mine over Adrian's head, gratitude and something deeper shining in their depths. “I can’t

even begin to thank you,”

she said, her voice thick with emotion. “When | realized he was missing...”

“Where's Sera?” | asked, scanning the small apartment for any sign of my mate.

Ophelia’s expression darkened. “Unconscious in her bedroom. | found her at the school-she’d been beaten pretty

badly.”She’s running a

fever, probably from shock and exhaustion. | was just about to run to the pharmacy for antibiotics and pain

medication.”

My wolf snarled at the thought of someone hurting Sera, but | forced myself to remain calm for Adrian's sake.

“Go,” | said, gently

touching Ophelia’s shoulder. “I'll stay here with them until you get back.”

After Ophelia left, | found myself alone in the tiny apartment with a four-year-old who was clearly trying very

hard to be brave despite

everything he'd been through. Adrian sat on the edge of the couch, swinging his little legs and stealing glances

atlike he wasn’t quite

sure what to make of having a stranger in his home.

“Are you hungry?” | asked, realizing | had absolutely no idea how to care for a child. “I could... make something?”

Adrian’s face lit up with cautious hope. “Could we have mac and cheese? That's my favorite.”

How hard could mac and cheese be?

Twenty minutes later, | stood in Sera’s tiny kitchen surrounded by what could only be described as a culinary

disaster. Somehow, I'd

managed to burn water-actually burn water-while simultaneously overcooking the pasta until it resembled mushy

cardboard and

creating a cheese sauce that had the consistency of rubber cement.

“Mr. Damien?” Adrian's voice drifted from the doorway, where he'd been watching my attempts at domestic

competence with the fascinated horror of someone witnessing a train wreck in slow motion. “I think the pot is

smoking.”

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36 Chapter 36

Indeed it was. Thick, acrid smoke was rising from the saucepan where I'd attempted to create what the box had

optimistically labeled “creamy cheese sauce.” The smell was somewhere between burned milk and melted

plastic.

“Okay,” | said, waving a dish towel frantically at the smoke detector that was now beeping with the persistence

of an angry bird. “New

plan.”

| turned off all the burners, opened every window in the small kitchen, and turned to face Adrian with what |

hoped was an apologetic

smile. “What do you say we order pizza instead?”

Adrian giggled-the first genuinely happy sound I'd heard from him all evening. “You're not very good at cooking,

are you?”

“Apparently not,” | admitted, running a hand through my hair and leaving it more disheveled than before. “I'm

better at ordering people

around than | am at making food.”

While we waited for the pizza to arrive, Adrian showedhis room with the serious demeanor of a child giving

an important house

tour. His bed was a twin size covered with a dinosaur comforter that had clearly seen better days. Drawings

covered the walls-stick

figures labeled “MOMMY” and “ME” in careful block letters, along with what appeared to be various prehistoric

creatures rendered in

crayon. 1

“This is my favorite,” Adrian said, pointing to a drawing that featured two stick figures standing under a large

yellow circle. “That's me

and Mommy under the sun. | made it for her birthday.”

“She's lucky to have such a thoughtful son,” I said softly.

“I wish | had a daddy too,” Adrian said matter-of-factly, settling onto his bed and hugging a stuffed wolf that

looked like it had been loved

nearly to death. “Mommy says maybe someday we'll find him, but I think he might not want to find us.”

“Why would you think that?”

Adrian shrugged with the casual philosophy of childhood. “Because if he wanted to find us, he would have

already, right? Mommy's really

pretty and really nice. If he knew about us, he’d cback.””

When the pizza arrived, | found myself sitting on Sera’s worn couch with Adrian curled up beside me, both of us

eating from paper

plates while sanimated movie played on her small television. It should have felt awkward-1'd never spent

twith children before,

had no idea how to talk to them or what they found interesting. 1

Instead, it felt strangely natural. Adrian chattered away about school, his friends, and the book his teacher was

reading to the class,

occasionally pausing to askquestions about being an Alpha or what it was like to run a big company. His

curiosity was endless and refreshing,

By eight o'clock, Adrian was yawning despite his best efforts to stay awake, | carried him to his room, helped him

brush his teeth in the

tiny bathroom, and tucked him into his dinosaur-covered bed.

“Will you check on Mommy?” he asked sleepily, his small hand curling around my finger. “Make sure she’s not

sick anymore?”

“I will,” I promised, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead.

I made my way to Sera’s bedroom, carrying a bowl of the soup I'd managed to heat without completely

destroying and a glass of water I'd optimistically hoped might help bring down her fever. What | found when |

pushed open her door made my heart stop in my chest.

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36 Chapter 36

Sera was lying unconscious on her small bed, still wearing the clothes she’d fled in-a simple blouse and dark

pants that were now torn

and stained with blood. Her face was pale except for the violent purple bruise blooming across her left cheek,

and | could see dried

blood at the corner of her mouth.

When | set down the soup and reached for the edge of her shirt to assess her injuries properly, | discovered that

her bra had been torn

nearly in half, the delicate lace shredded beyond repair, showing her naked breast.

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