Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 276

Chapter 276

Natalia’s POV

I sat on the edge of our bed for a long time after Andrei left, staring at the spot where his travel pack had been. The room felt too big and too quiet now, and his scent was already fading.

Two days. Andrei had been here for a precious two days before he’d had to leave. Two rare days when we got to be a family again, when we got to spend time with the twins and live in a brief little bubble of happiness.

And we had spent most of those two days doing… what? Fighting rogues? Arguing with each other? Wrapping one another’s wounds like two seasoned warriors instead of mates?

I felt like a big baby for wallowing like I was now, but I couldn’t help it. I hadn’t left my room since he’d left and I hadn’t even come out for dinner, which was hours ago. I should have been able to go with him. I wanted to go with him. But the universe seemed to have other plans.

“Natalia?” My father’s voice echoed through the door just then, along with a soft knock. “May I come in?”

I thought about pretending to be asleep, but I knew he had already seen my light on under the door, so I sighed and called out, “Sure.”

Alexander stepped inside, carrying a small wooden box in his hands. He stood in the doorway for a moment, almost looking uncertain about entering fully.

“How are you holding up?” he asked.

I shrugged and patted the spot on the bed next to me. “I’ve been better.”

My father sighed and crossed the room. “I know this is difficult. Separating from a mate is never easy, especially when there’s danger involved.” He sat down beside me on the bed. “But I wanted to give you something before… well, before I lost my nerve.”

He held out the wooden box. It was small, maybe the size of his palm, and carved with intricate patterns.

“What is it?” I asked, taking the box from him.

“It belonged to your mother,” Alexander said quietly. “I’ve been meaning to give it to you since you arrived, but… I suppose I was being selfish. It’s one of the few things I have left of her.”

My throat tightened. I’d been in Bloodmoon for a couple of weeks now, and my father rarely talked about her. Celeste and her mother didn’t seem to like hearing about the subject that first night I’d arrived, and he hadn’t brought her up since then.

I opened the box carefully. Inside, nestled in faded blue velvet, was a silver pendant on a delicate chain. The pendant was shaped like a crescent moon, with tiny engravings covering its surface.

“She wore it every day,” Alexander explained. “Said it was a family heirloom from her grandmother. I thought… I thought you might like to have it.”

I lifted the necklace out of the box, feeling the weight of it in my palm. The silver was warm, as if it had been sitting in sunlight. “It’s beautiful.”

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Chapter 276

+25 Bonus

“She was beautiful, too. Inside and out.” Alexander’s fingers touched the edge of the box. “You look just like her, you know. Same eyes. Same stubbornness.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. “Stubborn, huh?”

“Incredibly so. Once she made up her mind about something, there was no changing it. Just like you with this Andrei situation.” He shot me a sideways look. “She would have liked him, I think. They would have gotten along.”

“Would she have lectured me about not being marked yet?” I asked, only half–joking.

Alexander laughed. “Probably. But she also would have understood why you wanted to wait. Your mother was a romantic at heart. She insisted we have the biggest wedding ceremony Bloodmoon had ever seen. Nearly bankrupted the pack with all the flowers she wanted.”

I tried to picture it–my mother in a wedding dress, surrounded by thousands of flowers, demanding perfection for her special day. I wished I could have seen her alive. Could have heard her voice.

“What else was she like?” I asked.

“Fierce, Protective.” Alexander’s expression grew more serious. “When you jumped in front of that rogue today to protect the twins… that was all your mother. She did the same thing once when a group of rogues attacked the compound while she was pregnant with you. Threw herself between them and a group of children without hesitation.”

My chest felt warm at that. To know that my mother had been brave, that she’d put others before herself… it made me feel connected to her in a way I never had before.

Alexander stood up and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Wear the necklace well, Natalia. And remember that no matter what happens, you’re not alone here. Even if I’m a pain in your neck, I hope you know that you’re loved.”

“I know.” And I knew that was really why he was giving Andrei such a hard time–it had little to do with abilities. He was just worried about me. About the little girl he never truly got to have.

Once he left, I fastened the necklace around my neck. The pendant settled just below the hollow of my throat, and I couldn’t help but smile as I looked in the mirror and saw it shining against my skin.

After that, I decided to take a walk around the compound. It was late, but I knew sleep wouldn’t come anytime soon, necklace or no necklace.

I made my way down to the plaza, which was mostly dark and quiet by now–just a few night owls wandering and chatting quietly, like me. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, this place had been filled with screaming and violence. Now it looked almost normal again, like nothing had happened.

I was walking past one of the side corridors near the prisoner cages when something caught my eye. A small ruby earring was sitting in the entrance to the cages. Curious, I stooped to pick it up and held it to the light.

It belonged to Celeste. I recognized it immediately.

Strange. When had Celeste come to this part of the compound? I recalled her injury from earlier and wondered if she had been injured first during the attack because she was hanging around here.

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