Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 85

**He Knows the Door to My Soul and Who Forgot to Novel 85**

**Chapter 85**

With a tentative push, I nudged the bedroom door open just enough to take a cautious glance outside. The hallway lay before me, deserted and still. A wave of relief washed over me. Good.

I slipped out of the confines of my room, my heart racing as I hurried down the corridor. My gaze was firmly fixed on the floor, avoiding the vibrant artwork that adorned the walls and the doors leading to rooms that held memories I could no longer face. Each step felt heavy, a reminder of the past I was trying so desperately to escape.

So engrossed was I in my thoughts that I nearly collided with someone as they turned the corner.

“Oh, sorry, I—” I began, my voice trailing off.

The words caught in my throat as I looked up, and my breath hitched in my chest. There she stood, a face that felt like a ghost from a lifetime ago.

Mila.

My former Delta. My dearest friend. The one person I had once trusted completely within this pack.

And the woman I had left behind without so much as a goodbye when I pretended to die.

Time seemed to freeze as we locked eyes, both of us momentarily paralyzed by the shock of recognition. In that fleeting moment, it felt as if we were staring at apparitions, remnants of a past that had haunted us both.

“Natalia?” Mila’s voice was barely a whisper, laced with disbelief.

My heart sank, and I felt a lump form in my throat. “Mila…” The name slipped out, heavy with unspoken apologies.

Neither of us moved for what felt like an eternity, caught in a web of emotion. Then, suddenly, Mila’s expression hardened, her hand rising as if to strike me. I braced myself for the blow; I deserved it. In fact, I deserved far worse.

But the slap never came.

Instead, her hand froze mid-air, and I watched in helpless silence as tears began to fill her eyes, spilling over like a dam that had finally broken.

In an instant, her arms enveloped me, pulling me into a fierce embrace that left me breathless. I returned her hug with equal intensity, my own tears cascading down my cheeks, mingling with hers.

“You fucking bitch,” she sobbed against my shoulder, her voice thick with anguish. “I thought you were dead. I went to your funeral. I watched them burn your body.”

The weight of her words crushed me. “I know,” I managed to choke out, my voice barely a whisper. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

Mila pulled back, her hands gripping my shoulders with a desperation that mirrored my own. “Five years, Natalia. Five fucking years I mourned you. Do you have any idea what that did to me? To everyone who loved you?”

“I missed you,” I finally managed to say, my voice thick with emotion. “Every single day, I missed you.”

“I missed you too, you fucking idiot,” Mila cried, her voice breaking. “Do you have any idea how many times I dreamt you were still alive? How many times I woke up thinking I could walk down the hall and find you there, only to remember all over again that you were gone?”

Words failed me. I had no way to alleviate that kind of pain, so I held her even tighter, wishing I could take away the years of heartache.

Eventually, our tears began to ebb, and Mila pulled back slightly, her eyes red but shimmering with a hint of a smile. “You look good,” she said, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “Life with Damon must be treating you well.”

I managed a small, tight smile in return, the corners of my lips barely lifting. “I can’t complain.”

“And the, uh…” Mila gestured vaguely toward my midsection, her eyes wide with curiosity. “The baby…”

My breath caught in my throat. She was asking about my pregnancy. The child I had been carrying when I “died.” The child I had allowed everyone to believe had perished with me. I had to tell her about the twins. It was the least I could do.

“Mila, I—”

But just then, heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor, and a familiar figure emerged around the corner. I snapped my mouth shut as a pair of green eyes met mine, amusement flickering in them, a reminder of last night’s reckless choices.

“Natalia,” Andrei drawled, casually shoving his hands into his pockets. “Sleep well?”