Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 49

“You want to do what exactly?” Damon’s voice rang out in disbelief, bouncing sharply off the sleek walls of the conference room. On the opposite side of the long table, Andrei sat motionless, his eyes locked on the polished surface as if trying to process what he’d just heard. For once, my ex-husband was utterly speechless, and I couldn’t decide whether that was a victory or just the calm before a storm.

I sat up straighter in my chair, steadying my nerves. “You heard me clearly,” I said firmly. “I want to propose an alliance between Ashmoor and Moonshadow.”

The silence that followed was so heavy it felt almost tangible, pressing down on us like a thick fog. Damon’s mouth opened and closed several times, like a fish gasping for air, while Andrei slowly raised his eyes to meet mine, his expression a mixture of shock and disbelief, as if I had suddenly sprouted a second head.

“If you’d just take a moment to review the contract,” I continued, gesturing toward the stack of papers resting in the center of the table, “you’ll see the terms are outlined in detail. Mutual defense, shared resources during emergencies, coordinated patrols along our borders. Yes, we have our differences—and our complicated history.” I shot Andrei a pointed look. “But continuing to fight each other will only weaken both our packs.”

What I didn’t voice aloud was the real reason behind this meeting. After the disaster yesterday and the rumors spreading like wildfire, I needed to change my approach. Keeping Andrei at arm’s length hadn’t worked; if anything, it had only made him more aggressive in his pursuit of answers, and Ashmoor was paying the price.

If I could reposition myself as a potential ally—someone useful instead of a threat—maybe he would ease up. Maybe Lilith would back off too, realizing I wasn’t trying to steal her precious mate. Ashmoor wouldn’t just be left alone; it would be protected.

Most importantly, keeping them close meant I could keep an eye on their movements, watch for any sign of the next attack before it happened, and quietly dig into the mysteries of what had transpired five years ago.

“This is insane,” Damon finally snapped, his voice sharp with disbelief. “After everything that went down yesterday? After what Lilith—”

“That was never proven,” I interrupted smoothly. “The investigation is still ongoing. We can’t throw around accusations without solid evidence.”

Andrei’s eyes narrowed in response, but he said nothing.

“No,” Damon said firmly, pushing his chair back with a sudden force. “Absolutely not. I refuse to ally with someone who lets an attempted murder slide just because he feels guilty.”

“Sit down,” I said softly, my tone carrying an unspoken command.

“But you’re assuming Andrei would even want to work with us,” Damon said, shooting his brother a skeptical look. “That he’s capable of such a thing.”

“I’m assuming all of us are intelligent enough to put our packs’ safety above personal grudges,” I retorted, locking eyes with Damon and holding my ground.

Damon turned his glare on me, but I met it without flinching, silently daring him to argue.

“Why didn’t you talk to me about this first?” Damon asked suddenly, his tone edged with hurt.

The words slipped out before I could stop them. “Because if I had, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. You would have shut it down before hearing the full proposal.”

I kept my gaze on Damon, but I could feel Andrei’s attention sharpen immediately. Great. I’d just handed him ammunition—proof that Damon and I weren’t the picture-perfect couple we pretended to be. But there was no turning back now.