Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 499

Natalia’s POV

+25 Bonus

“Andrei!” I stumbled through the forest in nothing but lingerie and goosebumps. “Where did you go?”

There was still no answer. I’d called him several times now, but the only response I ever got was the wind and

the distant sound of music from the festival.

Gritting my teeth, I grabbed my dress from where I’d left it and pulled it back on. My fingers fumbled with the zipper, and I had to try three times before I got it up. The whole time, I kept looking around, expecting him to appear from behind a tree or step out from the shadows.

But he didn’t.

What the hell? We’d been in the middle of something. He’d said yes to the ritual. He’d kissed me like he meant it. And then he just… left?

I walked deeper into the forest, searching. “Andrei, seriously, this isn’t funny anymore!”

My voice echoed back to me. I checked behind trees, scanned the shadows, even looked up into the branches like he might be hiding there. But there was no sign of him. No footprints, no broken branches, nothing to indicate which direction he’d gone.

After twenty minutes of searching, I gave up. My feet hurt from walking in these stupid shoes, and I was starting to get cold. Maybe he’d gone back to the festival for some reason. Maybe there was an emergency with the pack.

Or maybe he just didn’t want to be with me.

The thought made my chest ache, but I pushed it away. There had to be a reasonable explanation. Andrei wouldn’t just abandon me in the forest. Not like this.

With what little dignity I had left, I made my way back to the festival. The bonfire was still burning, although most of the crowd had dispersed by now. A few stragglers remained, mostly young wolves who were too drunk or too wired to go home yet.

I scanned the area, looking for Andrei’s tall frame. But he wasn’t by the bonfire. Wasn’t at the tables. Wasn’t anywhere I could see.

Grace spotted me and hurried over. “There you are! I was starting to worry. Where’s Andrei?”

“I don’t know.” My voice came out flat and empty. “He disappeared.”

“What do you mean he disappeared?”

“I mean we were in the forest, and I turned around, and he was gone.” I grabbed a cup from the nearest table and filled it with wine, which I downed in one gulp.

Grace’s eyes widened. “He left you? In the middle of your ritual?”

“Do you see any more of this stuff?” I looked around. “I need more.”

“Maybe you should slow down.”

1/2

Chapter 499

+25 Bonus

“Maybe I should get very, very drunk.” I found a bottle tucked under one of the tables and poured myself a generous amount. “Want some?”

“I think one of us should stay sober.”

“Suit yourself.” I took a long drink. The wine made my head spin, but I didn’t care. I wanted to feel something other than the humiliation that was currently crawling up my spine.

I’d stripped down to lingerie in the middle of the forest like a desperate fool, and my husband had run away. Like the sight of me half–naked was so repulsive he couldn’t bear to stick around.

Grace guided me to a bench near the bonfire. “Talk to me. What happened?”

“I told him about the ritual. The mating ritual. I thought…” I laughed, but it came out bitter. “I thought it would help. I thought we could reconnect. Be intimate again. Fix whatever’s broken between us.”

“And?”

“And he said yes! He kissed me and said yes!” I took another drink. “So I went to take off my dress. I was trying to fucking surprise him. And when I came back, he was just… gone.”

“Maybe something came up. Pack business or-

“Don’t.” I shook my head. “Don’t make excuses for him. He ran away, Grace. From me. From us. He clearly doesn’t want me anymore.”

My friend’s face fell. “That’s not true.”

I stared into my cup. “He hasn’t touched me in months, Grace. Not really. He can’t even sleep in the same bed as me. And now, when I finally work up the courage to try to fix things, he literally runs away.”

P

Comments

Support

Share