Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 209

Chapter 209

Natalia & Andrei

Natalia

The nightmare ripped me from sleep like claws dragging me up from dar minute as I gasped awake, sweat cooling on my skin despite the wat

heart was racing a mile a

It was the same dream as always–careening over the cliff in that car, the icy lake rushing up to meet me, the taste of blood and water filling my lungs. 1

Then… darkness. Not the peaceful kind, not the long sleep that came at the end of one’s life, but rather one filled with pain and the knowledge that I was trapped.

I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to push away the lingering images. Five years had passed since that day, and my brain still insisted on replaying that night in vivid detail whenever I let my guard down.

Sleep wasn’t coming back anytime soon. It never did after the nightmares.

I slipped out of bed and padded barefoot down the hallway. The pack house was quiet, everyone else sleeping peacefully. Sometimes I envied them for that—the ability to close their eyes without being transported back to the worst moments of their lives.

The kitchen was dark except for the soft glow of the digital clock on the microwave. I filled the kettle and set it on the stove, then rummaged through the tea cabinet for something soothing. Chamomile, maybe.

While the water heated, I leaned against the counter and tried to shake off the remnants of the dream. My hands were still trembling slightly, and I could feel that familiar burn in my chest that came with the memories, as if I had swallowed lungfuls of water in my sleep.

Finally, the kettle’s whistle broke through the silence. I poured the hot water over the tea bag and wrapped my fingers around the warm mug, letting the heat seep into my palms.

On my way back upstairs, I heard it.

“Natalia…”

It was coming from the guest room, and I recognized that voice immediately. I hurried over to the door, which was slightly open. From within, Andrei called my name again.

“Natalia…”

He sounded like he was in distress. I pushed the door open a little further and peered inside.

Andrei was still asleep, but his face was twisted as if in pain. His dark hair was damp with sweat, and his hands were clenched into fists on top of the covers. He was dreaming, and from the look of it, it wasn’t pleasant.

“No… don’t go…” he mumbled, turning his head restlessly against the pillow. “Natalia, please…”

My chest tightened. He was having a nightmare too. About me.

I set my tea on the dresser and approached the bed carefully. As I looked down at him struggling in his sleep, I wondered if I should wake him; but I also knew what it was like to have night terrors, and sometimes, being woken could only make them worse.

So instead, I simply perched on the edge of the bed and gently reached out to smooth the hair back from his forehead, just as I might soothe Max or Jane. And the moment my fingers made contact with his skin, his

Chapter 209

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breathing slowed, and some of the tension seemed to drain from his body.

“Natalia,” he murmured again, but this time it sounded less panicked.

I was just about to pull my hand away when his arm shot out like lightning, wrapping around my waist and pulling me down onto the bed beside him. My breath caught as he rolled to

pressing his face against my

neck and holding me tight against his chest.

For a moment, I was too shocked to move. His grip was firm but careful, as it even in sleep, he thought he was holding something precious.

And almost immediately, the distressed sounds stopped. His body had relaxed completely.

I told myself I’d just stay for a few minutes, until I was sure his bad dream had passed. But lying there in his arms, listening to his steady breathing and feeling the warmth of his body against mine, my own exhaustion caught up with me.

Before I knew it, I was drifting off to sleep.

Andrei

The dreams had been the same for five years. Natalia’s car going over that cliff, her body disappearing beneath the dark water. Sometimes I was watching from the shore, helpless. Sometimes I was the one driving.

But always, always, she slipped away from me just when I thought I could save her.

Tonight started the same way. I was running through the forest, following the sound of screeching metal and breaking glass. When I reached the cliff, I could see her car sinking into the water below. I dove in, swimming down through the icy water, but every time I got close enough to touch her, she faded away like a mirage.

But then something changed.

Instead of disappearing, she turned toward me. Her eyes were open, alive, and she reached out to cup my face in her hands. The water around us warmed, and suddenly we weren’t drowning anymore, but rather somewhere safe and warm.

Her arms were around my neck, and she was whispering my name, but not in fear this time. In desire. In love.

The dream shifted, becoming something I’d barely allowed myself to imagine. Natalia beneath me, her lips parted as she said my name over and over.

In the dream, there was no icy water. No divorce or five years of pain.

Just her and me and the way we fit together perfectly, like two pieces of the same puzzle.

I could feel her hands in my hair, could taste the sweetness of her mouth, could hear the soft sounds she made when I touched her exactly the way she liked. She arched beneath me, pulling me closer, deeper, and I lost myself in the feeling of being connected to her again.

For the first time in years, the nightmare had become something beautiful.

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