Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 368

Natalia’s POV

The implications hit me like a brick wall.

A Bloodmoon warrior had broken into my home at night.

Killed my bodyguard.

Tried to kidnap me.

And he possessed a lockpicking kit with rubies encrusted in the metal.

There was only one explanation I could have for any of this: Helena had likely taken over Bloodmoon already, or had, at least, amassed a larger following there than she had had before.

Furthermore, she had sent rogues to kidnap me, although for what purpose, I wasn’t entirely sure yet. And when the rogues failed their mission, she sent a true assassin to finally get the job done.

And he had nearly succeeded.

If it hadn’t been for the knife I possessed, then I wouldn’t be sitting here now, covered in blood that wasn’t my own and staring at the body of a man currently being wrapped in white sheets and taken to the pack morgue. Thankfully, though, the assassin hadn’t been prepared for the weapon I had. It had killed him before he had a chance to see the rubies. All I had seen in his eyes was a look of utter shock before the knife took him from this world.

If the assassin didn’t know about the blade, then that meant that Helena likely didn’t know I had that knife–or so it seemed. If it was a mercy then it was a small one, but a mercy nonetheless.

By the following morning, neither Andrei nor I had slept a wink. There was too much to do. We had to check on the twins, who were, thankfully, still asleep in their beds–it seemed that Helena’s plan either didn’t involve them, or perhaps the assassin had simply come to me first.

And then, of course, there was the matter of Alina’s body. Loyal, patient Alina—she deserved so much better than what she got. So much better.

I would have blamed myself for her death, would have wallowed in my self–pity, if it didn’t feel so selfish to do so. No. The only thing I could do for her now was apologize to her family and do everything in my power to ensure that those behind this scheme couldn’t hurt anyone else. That was much easier said than done, of course.

Finally, there was the matter of the assassin.

I managed to identify him as Morgan, one of the Gammas of Bloodmoon. He was a quiet, but polite, Gamma who often watched while I was training with David.

We had barely interacted before beyond what we said to each other in passing. We certainly never had a real conversation, but I never got a bad feeling from him. In fact, he seemed close with David, and I would often spot the two sparring together or chatting before my training sessions.

Had he always been a snake, I wondered? One of Helena’s cohorts, hiding right under our noses?

1/3

Or was this a new development?

+25 Bonus

The very thought of what Bloodmoon, the pack I had only briefly come to love, could be like now made my stomach drop. My father and brother were still there. Celeste was still there. Were they okay? Did Helena hurt them in any way?

Was it too late?

I tried not to think about those things as we went about our tasks, ensuring the estate was secure, questioning guards on duty, strengthening our defences from the inside out. I tried not to think about the father and brother I had only just discovered laying in pools of their own blood, just like Alina. I tried not to think about the family I never knew I had being snuffed out in an instant.

Again–easier said than done. A lot easier said than done.

It was well past lunchtime when Andrei and I finally found a moment to sit, if only to rest our feet, although certainly not our minds. We found ourselves sitting in the study, uneaten bowls of stew steaming on the coffee table in front of us. Eating felt impossible right now, for both of us. The stew reminded me too much of the blood.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Andrei took my hands in his and turned to me on the small sofa. “You should rest. You look pale.”

“Same to you.” I gave him a meaningful look as if to say, try and make me sleep right now.

Andrei sighed and sank back against the cushions. “What do you think she wants you for?” He glanced at me.” Clearly, she doesn’t want you dead. She wants you alive. But why?”

I considered this for a moment; truthfully, it had been on my mind all night.

Helena had never shown interest in keeping me alive before. She hadn’t hesitated when she had taken me and the twins out into the Thornwood on her own. She hadn’t even batted an eye.

Why would she want to take me alive now? Why now, when she knew I had survived the last attempt on my life and that I knew her secrets?

“Information, perhaps?” I finally said, shrugging one shoulder. I dragged a hand over my braid, which was still rough and ragged from a sleepless night. “Maybe she thinks I know something that she doesn’t. Other than that, I can’t imagine why she would keep me alive.”

Andrei’s eyes darkened. “Either that, or she’s just a sadist.”

I held back a shudder at the thought. I already knew how Helena treated her own daughter. What sort of torment would she put me through? Or the twins?

Andrei, as if sensing my fear, reached out and touched my face. “I won’t let her take you.” His gaze was intense. “I lost you once, I won’t lose you again.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding and rested my forehead against Andrei’s, soaking in his warmth. At least we had that one thing–together, we were stronger. No one was going to take us from one another. No

one.

Just then, there was a knock at the office door. Andrei reluctantly pulled away from me and called out, and a moment later, his Beta entered.

+25 Bonus

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