Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

97 Chapter 97

97 Chapter 97

Seraphina’s POV 1

The silence from Damien felt like a physical weight pressing down on my chest. | sat behind his desk-our

desk-staring at the stack of reports that needed my attention, but the words kept blurring together as my

mind wandered to all the terrible possibilities that could explain his prolonged absence.

*Damien? Please, if you can hear this...* | tried the mindlink again, pushing the thought out with all the

desperate hope | could muster. The response was the sempty void.

“Luna?” Marcus's gruff voice broughtback to the present. He was standing in the doorway with his usual

serious expression. “The morning briefing is ready whenever you are.”

| forced myself to straighten my shoulders and project the confidence everyone expected from their Luna.

“Of course. Givejust a moment.”

As Marcus left to gather the others, | closed my eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to center myself.

*He’s fine, * | told myself firmly.

But nothing about this felt normal.

The briefing went smoothly enough. Border patrols reported continued quiet-no rogue sightings, no

unusual activity, nothing that suggested any immediate threat. Everything was exactly as it should be.

So why did | feel like something was terribly wrong?

After the briefing, | retreated to the office and immediately tried the mindlink again. *Damien, I'm really

starting to worry now. Please, just letknow you're okay.*

Silence.

The sixth day brought no news, no contact, and no relief from the crushing anxiety that was making it difficult to

eat, sleep, or concentrate on anything else. | found myself checking the communications console

in the office as if | could will it to deliver good news through sheer determination.

“You need to eat something,” Ophelia said, setting a plate of soup and crackers on the desk beside me. She'd

been staying at the mansion to help with Adrian.

1/4

<

97 Chapter 97

“I'm not really hungry,” | said automatically, though my stomach was rumbling. The morning sickness had

largely subsided, but anxiety had taken its place as an appetite suppressant.

“The baby needs you to eat,” she said firmly, using the tone that meant she wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“And Adrian is watching everything you do.

“Any word?” Ophelia asked quietly, settling into the chair across from the desk.

| shook my head, not trusting my voice to remain steady.

“He's okay, Sera,” she said with fierce conviction. “Damien is the strongest, most capable man I've ever met.

Whatever's keeping him from checking in, it's not because he can’t handle it.”

| wanted to believe her. But the silence was becoming unbearable.

Day seven dawned gray and overcast, matching my mood perfectly. I'd barely slept, spending most of the

night staring at the ceiling and trying not to imagine all the horrible things that could have happened to

Damien. By the tAdrian bounced into the bedroom asking about breakfast, | felt like I'd been hit by a

truck.

“Mommy, your eyes are all red,” he observed with typical four-year-old bluntness. “Did you cry?”

“Just a little bit,” | admitted, seeing no point in lying to him. “Sometimes grown-ups cry when they're worried

about people they love.

Adrian patted my arm with his small hand, the gesture so tender and mature that it madecry even

harder.

“It's okay, Mommy,” he whispered. “Daddy always comes home. He promised he would always chto

After I'd pulled myself together and gotten Adrian settled with breakfast, | threw myself into pack business

with renewed determination. If | could just focus on the work, on the responsibilities that couldn't wait,

maybe | could keep the fear at bay for a few more hours.

The morning briefing revealed more of the same-no incidents, no threats, no news of any kind. It should

have been reassuring, but instead it felt ominous, like the calm before a devastating storm.

16.00

214

<

97 Chapter 97

| was in the middle of reviewing supply requisitions when the commotion started. Raised voices in the

hallway, the sound of running footsteps, someone shouting about urgent news. My head snapped up from the

paperwork, every instinct suddenly on high alert.

“You can’t just ” | heard Marcus's voice, strained with exertion as if he was physically restraining someone.

“I have to see the Luna!” another voice shouted back, young and male and thick with panic. “She needs to

know! Right now!”

| was on my feet and moving toward the door before I'd consciously decided to get up. Whatever was

happening, whoever was out there, they were desperate to reach me. And in my current state of anxiety, any

news felt like it could be life-altering.

“Let him in,” | called out.

The office door burst open, and a young soldier practically fell through it, Marcus's restraining hand still on

his shoulder. The boy-he couldn't have been more than nineteen-was covered in dirt and sweat, his uniform torn

and his face streaked with what looked like soot. He was breathing hard, as if he’d been running for

miles.

But it was his eyes that made my blood turn to ice water. They held the hollow, shocked look of someone who

had witnessed something unspeakable.

“Luna,” he gasped, dropping to one knee in a gesture of respect that seemed automatic.

My heart stopped beating. Tseemed to slow down as | stared at this dirt-covered messenger, seeing in

his expression everything I'd been trying not to imagine for the past week.

“What news?” | managed to whisper, though part ofalready knew | didn’t want to hear the answer.

The young soldier looked up atwith tears streaming down his face, and when he spoke, his voice cracked

like a child's.

“Luna,” he said, his words falling like hammer blows in the sudden silence of the room. “The Alpha is dead.