Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 179

Natalia

The Underground was exactly what its name suggested–a basement club constantly thrumming with music so loud that I could feel it in my chest. Perfect for a conversation I didn’t want anyone to overhear.

Mila was already waiting in a discreet corner booth when I arrived, nursing a cocktail and wearing a slinky black dress that helped her blend in. I had come in the same outfit I’d worn all day: a pair of jeans and a long–sleeve top. Hardly clubbing attire, but everyone was too drunk to notice anyway.

“You look like shit,” she said bluntly as I took a seat.

“Thanks. That’s exactly what every woman wants to hear.” I slid in across from her and signaled the waitress for a drink. “What did you find?”

Mila reached into her purse and pulled out a manila folder. “This took some digging.”

She slid the folder across the table. Inside were several documents that looked very legal in nature. I squinted at them in the dim lighting, trying to make sense of the language.

“What am I looking at?”

“It looks like preliminary paperwork for establishing parental rights,” Mila said. “Someone’s been laying the groundwork to file for custody.”

My stomach dropped. The documents were filled with terms I didn’t fully understand, but I caught enough to get the gist. Biological father. Parental rights. Custody arrangements.

“These are definitely connected to Andrei?”

“The trail points in that direction, although it’s not explicitly stated. Whoever filed these was careful to keep their name off the initial paperwork.” Mila took a sip of her drink. “But the timing matches up with when he found out about the twins.”

I stared at the papers, my hands shaking slightly. All those visits with the twins, all the gifts and the patient way he’d been trying to win them over… It hadn’t been about building a relationship with his children. It had been about building a case for custody.

“What about the other thing? The letter about having me killed?”

Mila shook her head. “I couldn’t find anything else connecting him to that. But honestly, these custody documents are more concerning. This is recent, Natalia. This is happening now.” She tapped her index finger on

the table.

The waitress appeared then with my vodka tonic, and I took a large gulp, letting the alcohol burn away some of the bitter taste in my mouth. Of course. Of course Andrei only wanted the twins. Everything else was just manipulation to make me compliant.

Just like the night of the banquet. Just like the full moon.

Every kiss, every touch, every moment he teased me with the thought of being filled with him…

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It was all to get what he wanted. Nothing more.

I knocked back the rest of my drink in one more big gulp and signaled for another. Mila’s eyes widened at the display, but she didn’t judge.

“I’m sorry,” she said while we waited for another round. “I know you were hoping…”

“I wasn’t hoping anything,” I lied. “I just needed to know the truth.”

Mila studied my face. “You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?”

I took my second drink from the waitress and downed half of it in another go.

“Natalia-”

“Don’t. Just don’t.” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Thank you for finding this. Really. I needed to know.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know yet. But at least now I know what I’m dealing with.”

Mila sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know what? Fuck him. Fuck all of them. You’ve been carrying this stress for weeks, and tonight you found out the truth. That deserves a celebration.”

“A celebration?”

“When’s the last time you went dancing? When’s the last time you did something just for fun?”

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