Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 154

Chapter 154

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And Andrei… Andrei sat right on the back of Jane’s horse, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight. The sight made my heart squeeze painfully, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away. They looked so happy together. So… right.

As the day went on, Andrei continued to surprise me. He bought the twins ice cream when they asked, didn’t complain when Jane got chocolate all over his shirt, and pallently waited in line for kiddie rides that he was clearly too big for.

But Max remained stubbornly unimpressed all day, despite his sister’s excitement. He barely touched his chicken nuggets at lunch and refused to make eye contact with Andrei despite numerous attempts at conversation.

“Max, buddy,” Andrei said during a lull in Jane’s monologue about her favorite rides, “what was your favorite ride so far today?”

Max shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Come on, there must be something you liked.”

Another shrug.

I bit my tongue, fighting the urge to intervene. Max was being rude, but I also understood his reluctance. He’d always been more cautious than Jane, slower to trust. And he had always hated the very concept of his father.

Maybe that was my fault for letting him overhear conversations with Damon about Andrei. Or maybe his instinct was just spot on.

The rest of the afternoon flew by. By the time we headed back to the parking lot, Jane was practically asleep on her feet, clutching her purple unicorn. Max had loosened up slightly, managing a thin smile when Andrei helped him off the bumper cars earlier, but he still maintained his distance.

“Thank you,” I said to Andrei as we reached our cars. “They had a wonderful time.”

“So did I.” He glanced at Max, who was already climbing into Damon’s car. “I’m sorry Max didn’t warm up to me. I know I’m just a stranger to him.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said quickly. “He’s always been wary around new people. It takes him time.”

“I understand. I’ll keep trying. Maybe next time will be better.”

“You still want there to be a next time? After today?”

“Of course.” He looked surprised by my question. “They’re amazing kids, Natalia. I’d love to spend more time with them. Maybe I can win Max over eventually.”

“You really don’t mind that he barely spoke to you?”

“Not at all. He’s protecting his family, I respect that.” Andrei smiled, and for a moment, he looked exactly like Jane. “I plan to spoil them both rotten, whether they like it or not.”

As I watched him drive away, I felt completely thrown off. The Andrei I’d spent the day with didn’t match the cold, cruel man I’d known for years,

What if I’d been wrong about him all this time?

Andrei

The smile faded from my face the moment Natalia’s car disappeared from my rearview mirror. Alone in my

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Chapter 154

+25 Bonus

vehicle, I could finally drop the act.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small tissue I’d been carrying all day. Inside was a single strand of Jane’s dark hair–plucked from her head while I was riding the carousel with her. She’d been so excited about the ride that she hadn’t even noticed.

I stared at the hair for a moment, then carefully folded the issue and tucked it into my glove compartment.

Those children weren’t Damon’s. I was certain of it now, more than ever. Spending the day with them had only confirmed my suspicions. Jane had my exact same cowlick, the one that made her hair stick up in the back. Max had the same stubborn set to his jaw that I saw in the mirror every morning.

And their scents… There was something familiar about them. Something that called to my wolf in a way that only a man’s biological pups could.

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