Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 423

Chapter 423

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Chapter 423

Natalia’s POV

I woke up in a warm pair of arms.

Familiar arms.

When I opened my eyes, I saw green ones staring back down at me. My head throbbed, and I tried to lift it, but Andrei gently pushed me back down.

“It’s okay, my love. You’re okay. Just rest.”

I blinked against the sudden light. As consciousness returned, a wave of relief washed over me that was so intense tears began to prick at my eyes.

“Andrei?” I whispered, hardly daring to believe it—hardly daring to believe that he was here, kneeling over me, his hands cupping my face and his eyes boring into mine.

He nodded and smiled, stroking his thumb across my cheekbone. “I’m here.” He leaned down and pressed his forehead to mine. “Goddess, I was so worried that I had lost you. When I found you like that… It was terrifying.”

I furrowed my brow, trying to recall what had happened. The last thing I could remember was smashing the rubies surrounding Damon’s cell, but I hadn’t completed it before something had hit me from behind.

And now here I was. Not in the cells, but somewhere else; somewhere bright and familiar.

“What… happened?” I whispered. “How did you…”

“We won the battle. The Winter King is dead,” Andrei replied, helping me sit up. “I found you lying on the floor. Someone must have hit you from behind while you were trying to save Damon.”

My stomach lurched. “Is he okay? And the twins?”

“They’re all fine.” He helped me lean against something cool and solid. Something that felt like glass against my skin. “They’re with the medics, but they’re okay. How do you feel?”

“Like someone split my skull,” I admitted with a groan. “How long was I out?”

“Not long.” He reached out to brush a strand of hair from my eyes. “You scared the hell out of me, Natalia. When I found you unconscious in that cell…”

“I’m sorry. I just-I had to do something. I couldn’t sit there and wait while you were all fighting. But maybe I should have stayed with the twins.”

He smiled faintly. “The twins are fine; don’t worry. They didn’t wake at all. By the time the battle was over, they were still sleeping.”

Well, at least that was one good thing. I wanted to celebrate, to rejoice in the fact that the Winter King was dead, but I needed to see my children.”

“Help me up,” I said, and Andrei took my arm, gently helping me to my feet. My body swayed, head spinning, but I managed to stay upright.

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Chapter 423

+25 Bonus

But then I looked around to realize, with a start, that we were back in the room with all of the soldiers; many of the glass cases were empty, but most of them were full. The soldiers were standing in the cases in bloodsoaked armor, some still holding weapons. But they were all docile. As if awaiting instructions.

Something shifted in the glass behind me then, and I gasped, jerking away. I looked up to find a soldier staring down at me blankly.

Suddenly, I realized that something was… wrong. How could Andrei have commanded the soldiers to return to their cases after winning the battle? They only responded to the Winter King, didn’t they?

I turned slowly, looking into those green eyes, and that was when I saw it.

The color wasn’t right.

This wasn’t Andrei. This was the Winter King.

Which meant that the battle had been lost, and Andrei was still here… Being held in Damon’s cell while the Winter King stole his face.

I remained calm, although my mind raced. For the first time since waking, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I lifted my hand to touch my hair, and felt the thin, gauzy fabric of a white veil covering my head.

A wedding veil.

“Andrei… What’s going on?” I whispered. I reached into my pocket for my knife, preparing to strike if need be. ” How did you get all of the soldiers back in their cases? And what’s up with the wedding veil…?”

I knew the answer, of course. But I needed to play stupid, even if only for a few moments, to buy myself enough time to think. I needed to figure out where the twins really were, and how to take this asshole down before he drained the life from my husband.

Green eyes flicked to my hand. He noticed me reaching for my knife and hissed, grabbing my wrist.

“Don’t,” he whispered. His fangs flashed dangerously.

I stiffened. “You’re not him.” The fingers of my other hand slipped into my other pocket, brushing against the explosive ruby. “Where are my children? Where is my mate? Where is everyone else?”

He stared at me for a long time, eyes searching my face. For the longest moment, I thought he might continue to keep up the facade, just like he had with Damon. That he might deny everything to try to coax me into becoming his so-called “Queen”.

But he knew that I knew better. He’d probably known that I knew he wasn’t Damon all along, and we were just dancing around each other for no fucking reason.

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