Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 231

Chapter 231

Natalia

By the time we finally stopped for the evening, I was completely exhausted. Not physically, because we spent most of the day sitting in the car, but emotionally–from watching Max grow paler and more still with each passing hour.

Around sunset, we found a small clearing surrounded by dense pine trees, far enough from the main road that we hopefully wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention. Damon and Andrei worked together to set up camp while Grace helped me transfer Max from the truck to a makeshift bed made of blankets and camping mats in one of the tents.

“His temperature is still climbing,” Grace said quietly as she checked his vitals. “But that’s to be expected. His body is fighting hard.”

Max hadn’t opened his eyes once during the entire drive. Hadn’t made a sound. If it wasn’t for the shallow rise and fall of his chest, I might have thought we were already too late.

“Natalia.” Andrei appeared beside me carrying a steaming cup of something that smelled like soup. “You need to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You haven’t eaten anything since yesterday morning.”

I looked up at him, noting the concern etched across his face. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, but he was still trying to take care of me.

“I can’t,” I whispered. “What if he wakes up and I’m not here?”

“He’s not going anywhere,” Damon said, settling down on the other side of Max’s bedroll. “And neither are you if you collapse from starvation.”

Grace finished checking Max’s condition and stood, brushing dirt off her knees. “He’s stable for now. His body is conserving energy, which is actually a good thing.”

I wanted to believe her, but looking at my son’s motionless form made my chest feel like it was caving in on itself. Goddess, he was only fucking six years old. He should have been running around, climbing trees, scraping his knees on the ground.

Instead, he was lying here barely clinging to life.

“Here.” Andrei pressed the cup into my hands. “Just take a few sips.”

The soup was warm and salty, and I realized how thirsty I’d been. Before I knew it, I’d finished the entire cup.

“Better?” Andrei asked.

“A little.” I set the empty cup aside and returned my attention to Max. His face was flushed from the fever, but at least his breathing seemed steady.

Damon pulled out a deck of cards from his pack. “Anyone up for a game? Might help pass the time.”

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Chapter 231

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“I should stay with Max-”

“I’ll watch him,” Grace interrupted. “You’ve been sitting here for hours. A little distraction might do you some good.”

I didn’t want to leave Max’s side, but the worried looks Andrei and Damon kept exchanging told me they weren’t going to take no for an answer. Reluctantly, I moved over to where they’d spread a blanket between the

tents.

“What are we playing?” I asked.

“Poker,” Damon said, already dealing the cards.

“I haven’t played poker in years.”

“Perfect,” Andrei grinned. “That means I might actually have a chance at winning.”

Despite everything, I found myself almost smiling. “You never were very good at cards.”

“Hey, I’ve improved.”

“Sure you have,” Damon snorted. “Remember that time you bet your entire allowance on a pair of twos?”

“I was eight,” Andrei protested. “And I thought you were bluffing.”

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