Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 87

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

**Chapter 87**

The truth about Max and Jane loomed over me like a dark cloud, heavy and oppressive. If I dared to reveal it to him, I knew Andrei would cling to that knowledge with an iron grip. The very thought of him trying to take them away from me sent chills down my spine. I couldn’t afford to take that risk. I simply wouldn’t.

So, I crafted another lie.

“The accident,” I began, forcing my voice to remain steady, though inside, my heart raced like a wild animal. “It… the baby didn’t survive the impact. By the time Damon found me, it was gone.” The words felt like shards of glass as I swallowed hard, the bitter taste of deceit lingering like ash on my tongue. “The doctor said the fetus had died in the crash. They had to remove it, or I would have died too.”

It was a cruel fabrication, but one I deemed necessary. I watched Andrei’s expression shift as my words struck him, each syllable landing like a bullet. His body flinched, as if he had been shot, the impact of my lie reverberating through him.

“So you didn’t choose to abort,” he said slowly, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air. “It was necessary to save your life.”

I nodded, biting down on the inside of my cheek to stifle the guilt that threatened to consume me. The intensity of my remorse was suffocating. I had just told the father of my children that they had perished in a car crash before they even had a chance to live. Meanwhile, they were safe and sound, blissfully unaware at home.

But what other choice did I have?

Andrei’s face had drained of color, the anguish in his eyes so raw and palpable that I found it impossible to meet his gaze. For a moment, silence enveloped us, thick and heavy. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

A lump formed in my throat, a painful reminder of the weight of my words. “It doesn’t matter now,” I managed to reply, forcing the words through the tightness in my chest. “It was a long time ago.”

“It matters to me. That was my child too.” His voice trembled, the pain etched deeply into his features.

Before I could muster a response, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, breaking the tension that had settled between us. We both turned to see Damon approaching, relief flooding through me like a warm wave.

“Natalia,” he called out, his voice laced with concern. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Are you okay?”

I nodded quickly, stepping away from Andrei, grateful for the distraction. “I’m fine. We were just talking.”

Damon’s eyes flicked back and forth between us, lingering on the oversized clothes I wore—Andrei’s clothes. I could sense the questions brewing in his mind.

Five long years had passed since I had experienced anything like that. Five years of loneliness, of craving the warmth of intimacy. I hadn’t shared my bed with anyone, not even for a fleeting one-night stand.

And yet, despite everything, being with him felt… right. It felt like coming home, a feeling more profound than I could have ever anticipated. It surpassed any connection I had felt with anyone else.

I pressed my face into the pillow, loathing myself for even entertaining such thoughts. I despised how my body responded to the mere recollection of his touch, how it betrayed me. I hated that part of me that still longed for him, even after everything we had endured.

But it didn’t matter what I wanted. What truly mattered was safeguarding my children. Falling back into bed with Andrei had been a perilous gamble—not just because of the risk of exposure, but because it had given him power over me.

He had already exploited that power to extract information about my pregnancy. What would he demand next? What other secrets would he seek in exchange for his silence?

I couldn’t afford to take that risk. I couldn’t jeopardize my children’s safety simply because my wolf still howled for her mate. I couldn’t allow my heart to overpower my mind, no matter how intoxicating it had felt to be wrapped in his embrace once more.

Never again. I would not make that mistake again, no matter how difficult it was to resist.