Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 273

Chapter 273

“The children-“I managed to rasp out.

“They’re safe,” Andrei assured me. “Jane got Max to David. They’re both fine.”

I loosed a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. Good. That was all that mattered.

As Andrei carried me toward the healers‘ quarters, I caught sight of Karl and Celeste. She was clutching her arm, which was bloody. Karl was holding her tightly while she sobbed on his shoulder.

When she looked up at me, her eyes hardened briefly like two lumps of coal before she quickly returned to her crying.

Strange. But the last thing on my mind right now was Celeste.

An hour later, after the healers had patched up my ribs and given me something for the pain in my throat,

had Alexander called a meeting in his study. The plaza had been cleared and cleaned, and the prisoner cages been fortified. The guard posts around the compound, especially at the entrances and exits, had been doubled,

too.

“It was a fluke,” Alexander said from where he was standing behind his desk. “A security oversight that we’re taking very seriously. I want everyone to know that incidents like this simply don’t happen in Bloodmoon.”

Andrei, David, and I sat in chairs facing him. My ribs ached and my throat was still sore, but I’d be okay. And as long as the twins were safe, that was all that mattered to me.

“How did they get out?” David asked. “Those cells are supposed to be secure.”

“We’re investigating,” Alexander replied. “But right now, the important thing is that everyone is safe and the prisoners are back where they belong.”

“Not everyone is safe,” Andrei said quietly. “Natalia could have been killed.”

Alexander’s eyes flicked to me. “Yes, well, perhaps if she had access to her abilities, the situation wouldn’t have been so dangerous for her.”

My stomach dropped. “Father—”

“I’m not blaming you, Natalia,” he said quickly. “But the fact remains that if you had been marked and your powers had manifested, you would have been better equipped to handle the threat.”

“Are you serious right now?” Andrei stood up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor. “This has nothing to do with abilities and everything to do with your pack’s security failures.”

Alexander’s jaw ticked. “Our security is typically flawless. This was an unprecedented—”

“Bullshit.” Andrei’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Your people let three dangerous prisoners escape during a festival where hundreds of civilians were gathered. You call it a fluke, but I call it incompetence.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Andrei-”

“And now you’re blaming Natalia for not having abilities that she can only access through a mating mark.” Andrei’s voice was deadly quiet now. “When you should be blaming yourself.”

Chapter 273

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“Of course I blame myself. I blame myself for ever letting her get taken away and wind up in a relationship with a man who didn’t mark her on her wedding night,” Alexander hissed. “And what about her children? By having pups before being marked, you may have doomed them to never developing abilities at all.”

“Enough,” I said, standing up despite the pain in my ribs. Both men turned to look at me. “No more arguing about mating marks and abilities. Both of you.” I shot Andrei a meaningful look as if to say “Him, I understand, but you?”

Andrei’s face twisted.

But truthfully, the damage was done. My father was right, to an extent. I didn’t blame Andrei, but if I’d been marked, if I’d had access to whatever abilities were supposedly in my blood, maybe I could have handled the rogue without getting hurt.

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