Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 242

Chapter 242

Natalia

David led me through corridors I hadn’t seen before, past rooms where I could hear the quiet sounds of daily life. Children laughing somewhere. The soft murmur of conversations. It was strange to think this could have been my childhood, these sounds the backdrop of my entire life.

“This is the main residential area,” David explained as we walked. “Most families live here in the central compound. It’s safer, more protected.”

The hallways opened up into a large cavern that took my breath away. What I saw wasn’t much compared to what I imagined their people’s grand city must have been like before they went into hiding, but the small village carved into the mountain was full of life.

Stone houses built directly into the rock face rose in terraced levels, connected by walkways and stairs that seemed to spiral up endlessly into the darkness. Gardens grew in impossible places, flowers and herbs cascading from carved planters. Soft light emanated from crystals embedded in the walls.

“This is incredible,” I said, stopping to stare in awe. One the crystals nearby caught my eye, and I reached toward it. The moment my fingers brushed across it, it pulsed and sent a tingling yet surprisingly pleasant sensation running up my arm. I pulled my hand away and rubbed it on my pants. “How are these crystals powered?”

David chuckled. “They’re not.

“”

I glanced at David. “What does that mean?”

“They’re not,” he repeated. “They just… are.”

“So you’re saying it’s magic,” I laughed.

The look in David’s eyes made me take a step back in wonder. “That’s impossible,” I breathed.

“Is it?” David smiled. “You’ve got a wolf’s spirit living inside of you, you can shift, you feel the effects of a mate bond… And yet you don’t believe in magic?”

“Well, I do, but… magic like this?” I shook my head. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“I see.” David took a deep breath. “The collective abilities of our people creates a sort of… aura, I suppose. The more gifted individuals we have in one place, the stronger it becomes, allowing for things that wouldn’t otherwise be impossible to be possible.”

“Gifted individuals?” I tilted my head. “You mean the healers?”

“Not everyone here is just a healer,” David explained as we continued walking. “Some have other abilities. Enhanced strength, foresight, the ability to communicate with animals. Small magics, mostly, but they add up.”

As if on cue, a woman passed us carrying a basket of what looked like ordinary vegetables, but as she walked, the plants seemed to grow greener and more vibrant in her presence. I blinked, wondering if I’d imagined it.

“A green thumb,” David grinned, nudging me with his elbow.

Chapter 242

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“What about you?” I asked. “What sort of abilities do you have, if any?”

“Oh, descendents of the Alpha bloodline often have the strongest traits,” he went on. “I can track anyone who’s ever been in Bloodmoon territory, no matter how long ago. Father can sense illness in others from a distance.” David glanced at me sideways. “What about you? Have you noticed any special abilities?”

I thought about it, but came up empty. “Not really.”

“Nothing at all? Enhanced healing? Prophetic dreams? What about the twins?”

“No.” I felt oddly disappointed, like I was failing some kind of test. “The twins‘ wolves emerged early, but that was due to a traumatic event.”

David frowned. “That’s interesting, though. Early emergence is often linked to latent abilities in the bloodline.” “But I don’t have any abilities,” I pointed out.

“That you know of.” David stopped walking and turned to face me, and the look he gave my unmarked neck wasn’t lost on me. “Most of our people don’t fully develop their gifts until after they’re marked by their mate. The bonding process seems to unlock things that were dormant before.”

Shit, I thought. Here we go. I really didn’t want to talk about this again, but it seemed I was running out of options.

“Speaking of which,” David said, confirming my suspicions, “you still haven’t explained why you’re not marked. And yet you and Andrei seem… close. He’s your fated mate, no? And the father of your children.”

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“Like I said, it’s complicated.” I looked away under the guise of inhaling a particularly interesting–looking glowing flower to hide my blush, although to be honest, it kind of smelled like rotting flesh. I wrinkled my no and pulled away.

David’s face softened.“Anything you say to me is said in confidence, I assure you.”

I sighed. “We were married young because we’re fated mates. Then we separated for years.” I didn’t have the heart to tell him why. Not yet, anyway. “We only recently started… figuring things out again.”

“And he hasn’t marked you yet.”

“Like I said, it’s complicated.”

David nodded thoughtfully. “I see. Well, do you love him?”

I opened my mouth, but then shut it again. I wasn’t ready to venture there. Not right now. Not with him.

David, to his credit, seemed to understand. “Love is different in our society, too. Marriages here are typically arranged to maximize the combination of abilities in offspring.”

“Oh.” That took me by surprise; every society I’d heard of only arranged marriages amongst fated mates, and very occasionally for political reasons. “So you don’t follow mate bonds?”

“The marriages are typically arranged when the individuals are still children, so they can grow up together and develop chosen bonds rather than fated ones,” David explained. “Some couples still find their fated mates and simply produce offspring with their chosen mates while still loving another. Polyamory isn’t all that

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