Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 288

Chapter 288

Andrei’s POV

As soon as I made it home, I spread the maps and letters I’d found across the table in my study, pushing aside the empty mug of coffee that had gone cold hours ago. The documents hadn’t been kept in the best condition, but thankfully, most of them were still readable.

The first few letters were useless. Supply requests, complaints about stolen rations, petty arguments between rogues about territory disputes.

But then I found a letter of interest, handwritten in cursive with what was clearly an expensive fountain pen. The paper was higher quality, too. I unfolded it carefully and began to read.

“The king’s daughter must be close to achieving her goal. The bloodline that will bring down all men is nearly here. Once she completes her task and the children are born, we will march south.”

I read the letter over and over again with a furrowed brow. The king… He had to be the one Lilith had mentioned -the so–called “Winter King” who was gathering rogues in the northern mountains. But who was this daughter? And what the hell did “the bloodline that will bring down all men” mean?

I shuffled through more documents, looking for anything else that might explain what I was reading. There were references to “the project” and “her training” scattered throughout, but nothing concrete enough to hint who this daughter might be, where she was, or what her true “task” was.

One map caught my attention, though. It showed the northern territories with several locations marked in red ink. The marks were concentrated around the mountain range that bordered the far north–exactly where Lilith had said this rogue “king” had his stronghold.

But I had no way to get there. Not now, with the border attacks increasing and my own pack to protect. Going after some mysterious rogue king with winter coming would be suicide.

For now, I gathered all of the documents and locked them in the drawer of my desk. This information was important, but I couldn’t do anything with it yet. Not until I had more warriors, more resources, and better intel on what we were actually dealing with.

For now, I had more immediate problems to solve.

Damon was waiting for me outside when I finally left my study. He was breathless and windswept, like he’d been out all day. His leathers were covered in dirt and muck and some blood that I didn’t care to ask about.

As we made our way to the barracks, I filled him in on what I’d read, keeping my summary brief. He agreed that it was intriguing, but not enough to act on just yet. And right now, we had more pressing matters to attend to, like ensuring our packs were safe.

We spent the next several hours making our way around the borders, stopping at each guard station to assess the damage from the recent attacks and discuss reinforcements. Three posts needed complete rebuilding. Two more needed additional warriors stationed permanently.

At the fifth post, we met with the captain of the border patrol and reviewed our plans for the wall.

“We can start construction here,” the captain said, pointing to a section of the map. “The terrain is flat enough that we won’t need extensive groundwork. But we’ll need at least two hundred workers to make any real

progress.”

+25 Bonus

“You’ll have them,” I said. “Damon and I are combining our labor forces. We’ll rotate crews so no one gets too exhausted.”

Damon nodded. “We’ll need to set up supply lines, too. Food, water, building materials. This is going to take

months.”

“Better months of work than years of constant attacks,” I said,

We continued our inspection, marking locations for new outposts and discussing patrol schedules. By the time we were finished, the sun was starting to set and my body was aching

Damon and I stopped at a tavern in Ashmoor, where we ate several enormous bowls of stew in silence. Only once we were finished did Damon speak, setting down his spoon.

“I’m going to ask Grace to marry me.”

I jerked my head up in surprise. I almost expected my brother to be smirking, fucking with me, but he was dead

serious.

“You just started officially dating a few months ago,” I pointed out.

Damon shrugged one shoulder. “I should have proposed six years ago. She was always meant to be my Luna, and she was patient the entire time I had Natalia playing the role. I think it’s about time she takes her place.” He shot me an arch look. “That is, if you’re planning on making Natalia your Luna again…”

His question took me off guard. Of course I wanted to make Natalia my Luna, but… I supposed I hadn’t had a chance yet to make any real moves to make it official.

“I think Natalia would like that,” I finally said after a moment of consideration.

My brother tilted his head. “Are you planning to propose? And finally mark her?”

“Of course I am. It’s just… complicated.”

“Nothing complicated about it, brother.” Damon placed a wad of cash on the table and stood. “If you love her, you love her. Like Grace, Natalia has waited long enough. Buy a fucking ring and put it on her finger before she decides not to wait anymore.”

I bit the inside of my cheek as I followed Damon out of the tavern, knowing that he was right. Natalia wanted a wedding, a real wedding this time, a promise that we would do things properly this time around.

“Where did you get your ring made?” I asked.

“Old jeweler in the neutral territory.” Damon turned to me with a grin. “Come on. He stays open late. We can go now.”

I hesitated. There was still work to do, reports to read, plans to finalize.

“The work will still be there tomorrow,” Damon said.

So I did.

Chapter 288

+25 Bonus

The jeweler’s shop was small and cramped, filled with display cases showcasing various pieces of jewelry. An old man with white hair and a magnifying glass strapped to his head looked up when we entered.

“Alpha Damon,” he said, his face brightening. “Back so soon? Did Grace say no?”

“I haven’t asked yet,” Damon said, grinning. “I’m here with my brother. He needs a ring.”

The jeweler turned his attention to me, studying my face. “Oh? What sort of ring are you looking for?”

I thought for a moment, unsure of what to say. Natalia spent most of her spare time training when she wasn’t with the children. She’d want something practical, something that wouldn’t get in the way and wouldn’t risk breaking. She wouldn’t want to have to take it off for training or battle.

“Something that doesn’t get in the way during training,” I finally said. “Something feminine but durable.”

The jeweler nodded and began pulling rings from the tray, setting aside ones that didn’t fit my description. Eventually, he held up three options.

The first was too ornate. The second was too plain. But the third…

The third was perfect.

It was a silver band with a deep blue sapphire set flush with the metal so it wouldn’t catch on anything. Simple but beautiful. Strong but elegant. Just like Natalia.

“This one,” I said, picking it up so it caught the light. I glanced at Damon. “What do you think?”

Damon grinned. “If ever there was Natalia in ring form, that would be it.”

I nodded, unable to hold back my own smile as I handed it to the jeweler. “I’ll take it.”