The Alpha Who Never Loved Me (Serena and Kieran) novel Chapter 20

< The Alpha Who Never Loved Me

Chapter 20

Serena

I’d been buried in textbooks for three hours when the front door opened.

Raymond’s reading material covered every inch of the bed, wolfsbane compound classifications fanned across the comforter, I was cross-legged in the center of it all, highlighter in one hand, a half-eaten granola bar in the other, when Jenna walked in carrying takeout bags.

She stopped in the bedroom doorway and blinked.

“What happened in here?”

“Studying.”

“Since when?” She set the bags on the nightstand and picked up the nearest book, flipping through pages of diagrams that made her nose wrinkle. “This looks like something they’d use to torture prisoners.”

“It’s aconitum pharmacology.”

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“Exactly what I said ” She dropped it book onto the pilo

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and sank onto the edge of the bed. “I brought lunch. Chicken shawarma, extra garlic sauce. Eat before your brain melts.”

I took the container she held out, and the smell hit immediately. My stomach growled loud enough for both

of us to hear.

Jenna watched me unwrap the shawarma, her expression shifting from amusement to something more careful.

“Can I ask you something?” She was fiddling with her fingers.

I already knew what was coming.

“Do you really want to divorce my brother?”

I took a bite and chewed slowly, letting the question sit.

“I started an internship,” I said. “At St. Michael’s. Gerald Finch’s clinic.”

I tried to steer the conversation away from the

conversation.

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Jenna’s face went blank. “Gerald Finch. The wolfsbane

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guy?”

“The wolfsbane guy.”

She stared at me, then at the books, then back at me. Something connected behind her eyes.

“Serena, you don’t have to push yourself this hard.” She tucked her legs under her. “Kieran cares about you. I know he’s terrible at showing it, but he does care for you.”

I chewed and swallowed.

She wasn’t wrong. Kieran had a lot of money to spare. But what Jenna didn’t know was that every cent her brother spent came with a price tag. One that would be already added to my debt.

If Jenna found out her brother was petty enough to weaponize money, it would cause a fallout I didn’t have the energy to manage.

I wasn’t doing that.

“I’ve been sitting around this house doing nothing for weeks,” I said instead. “I need something to keep my head

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my frame, putting most of them back with a look of personal offense.

“It’s too boring.” She shoved a blouse back onto the rack. “Who designs these? Someone who hates women?”

I trailed behind her, contributing nothing.

My feet ached.

The fatigue had been creeping in since we’d left the house. I knew what it was. My baby.

The same pregnancy I have hidden from everyone.

I was supposed to tell my parents. I knew that. But every time I imagined the conversation and I already knew it would not end well.

Jenna eventually found a few pieces she deemed acceptable. She paid before I could argue, waving off my protests with a look that dared me to fight her in public.

“You can pay me back when Gerald gives you a raise,” she said. “Now sit. You look like you’re about to drop.”

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We found a bench near the fountain. I sank into it and let

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my head tip back while Jenna disappeared to grab water.

She returned with two bottles.

“Drink. You’re pale.”

She twisted the cap, and as she was about to hand me the bottle, something collided with my side.

The impact jolted through her arm and Jenna’s water sloshed out of the bottle, splashing on the ground. She gasped, jerking forward, and we both looked down to find a small boy staring up at me with wide, panicked eyes.

He was around five, he had dark curls and a face flushed from running.

“Sorry!” He stumbled back, already turning. “Sorry, sorry

He bolted.

I watched him run straight into the arms of a woman standing near a store entrance.

She was tall and slim, and she bent down and scooped him up, then in no time placed him back down.

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Then she turned, and I saw her face.

My stomach went cold.

Sophie.

She spotted us at the same moment. Her expression cycled through surprise, hesitation, before she settled on a smile and walked toward us.

“Serena.” She took his hand into hers. “What a

coincidence. It’s nice to see you.”

Jenna was already making her way over and I immediately rose to my feet to prevent the altercation.

“Don’t,” I said under my breath. “There will be

consequences if you cause a scene.”

Jenna’s arm was rigid under my grip, every muscle coiled. Her eyes burned into Sophie with clear hatred.

Sophie didn’t step back.

“I just wanted to say hello,” Sophie said, her voice. carefully pleasant. “That’s all. Nothing more.”

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“Nothing more?” Jenna’s laugh came out sharp. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

“Jenna,” I warned.

“You are a disgrace,” Jenna said, ignoring me completely. “You think you can waltz around this city pretending you belong here? You will never have the life you’re chasing.

Never.”

Sophie’s smile didn’t waver, but her arms tightened around son. The boy had gone quiet, his back pressed against his mother’s legs.

“I’m sorry you feel that way.” Sophie’s gaze shifted to me. “Well, I apologize for my son bumping into you. I hope you enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”

She turned and walked away without looking back.

Jenna watched her go, vibrating with the effort of staying

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