Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 114

Chapter 114

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I could see it now, plain as day. This wasn’t just about anger or fear. It was about jealousy. Hurt. Rejection.

“I care about you, Natalia,” Damon said, his voice cracking slightly. “More than I should. I know our marriage is just for show, but I’ve always hoped that maybe, someday, you might see me as more than just a friend.”

My heart sank.

“All of this could be solved if you’d just let me mark you,” he continued. “We could be a real family–you, me, the twins. No more hiding. No more pretending. We could be happy together, Natalia. I know we could.”

“Damon, I…” I trailed off, unsure how to respond to that. It seemed we’d talked about this so many times before, and nothing ever changed. And worst of all was the fact that it was me who couldn’t change. I couldn’t let go of my stupid fucking connection to Andrei and that was the real problem. “I… I can’t.”

“Can’t, or won’t?”

“Both,” I admitted. “I care about you, I do. But not like that. Not the way you want me to.”

His face fell. “It could grow. Given time-”

“No,” I said firmly. “It couldn’t. And it’s not fair to either of us to pretend otherwise.”

Damon turned away, but not before I saw the flash of pain in his eyes. “It’s still him, isn’t it? After everything, you’re still in love with Andrei.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.” Damon shook his head. “It’s written all over your face whenever he’s around. Everyone can see it. You still love him, the bastard who has done nothing but make you miserable. Meanwhile, I’m a nice guy who-”

I shot to my feet. “The fact that you’re nice to me doesn’t mean I owe you my love. Or my body. That’s not how it works.”

“I never said—”

“You didn’t have to.” I threw his words right back at him. “It’s written all over your face. You think because you took me in, because you’ve been good to the twins, that eventually I’ll fall into your arms out of gratitude. But that’s not love, Damon. That’s… obligation.”

His face hardened. “Is that what you think of me? That I’m just waiting to collect on some debt?”

“No,” I sighed, deflating. “I don’t. I know you care about us. But I can’t be what you want me to be. I can’t love you the way you love me. And pretending otherwise would only hurt us both in the long run.”

Silence stretched between us after that. I almost expected him to leave, just as he had so many times before when we’d had similar discussions. But he didn’t. Finally, he spoke again.

“You’re playing with fire, Natalia,” he said, passing his hand over his face. “Andrei doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Never has. He’ll use this to get whatever he wants, and then he’ll discard you. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually. And when he does, it’s not just you who’ll get burned. It’s the twins. It’s

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Chapter 114

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1. me. It’s our pack.”

My throat went dry, and I couldn’t deny his words. Because deep down, I feared he was right.

“I need some air,” Damon muttered, already heading for the door. “Don’t wait up.”

The door slammed behind him, leaving me alone. I sat there for a long time, replaying our conversation in my head, guilty and confused and utterly devastated.

Eventually, I made my way upstairs to my bedroom. The vial from the healer was still in my pocket. I took it out and set it on my bedside table, staring at the liquid inside.

Damon was right. I was being stupid, risking everything, and for what? A few moments of pleasure with a man who had never truly cared for me? Who was now engaged to the woman who had drugged me and tried to frame me as an adulterer?

Andrei had tried to kill me. He only slept with me to get information about the twins. He didn’t give a shit about anyone except himself. I was stupid, fucking stupid. I never should have made the alliance. I never should have even left Ashmoor for that summit.

But I couldn’t take those decisions back. All I could do now was prevent more shitty ones in the future.

I grabbed a glass of water from the bathroom and returned to the bed, uncorking the vial.

One spoonful, the healer had said. Just enough to dampen the urges.

I carefully measured out a spoonful of the liquid and stirred it into the water. The mixture swirled, flecks of gold catching the light. It smelled foul.

Onyx stirred unhappily in my mind, but I pushed her protests aside. This was for the best. For all of us.

Taking a deep breath, I lifted the glass to my lips and drank.

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