The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate novel Chapter 220

Chapter 220: Dex Is Done Being In The Dark

"Serena is resting. She promised me this morning she’d stay in bed until this afternoon." Dex delivered this information to the room the way a general delivered a status report.

The silence between them was so pointed it could have drawn blood.

Elara’s jaw was doing something complicated, cycling between amusement and the mercy of not saying what she was thinking out loud.

Hyran studied the ceiling.

Dex pinched the bridge of his nose. Before he could say anything else, a pink portal formed.

"Ah. Perfect timing," Hyran said flatly. His arms were crossed and he had the unmistakable expression of a scholar who was robbed of a treasure hunt.

Serena ran through soaking wet, chest heaving.

Gav’s voice rang from the other side. "Serena, wait!"

Hale looked at the portal. Then at Serena. Then at Dex.

"So," Hale said carefully. "She rested hard. Really leaned into it."

Elara shot him a warning look, then turned away to look at the wall, shoulders shaking.

With concerted effort, Dex kept his expression stern.

She met his eyes and opened her mouth. Closed it.

"Bed, Serena. The flat thing with pillows. You were in it two hours ago. We discussed this. There was eye contact."

Then he took her in. She was soaked and shaking in a silk robe that was hiding nothing.

Behind her, his best friend wore an expression that suggested he’d just detonated his own life and was still standing in the blast radius.

Aegon: Mate forgot to wear clothes. See-through.

"Hang on," Dex said, closing the distance. "I need to get my mate some dry clothes."

He picked her up, moving her from his private study, into the bedroom part of his quarters, setting her down in his closet.

He grabbed a thick towel, and began drying her off.

His brows furrowed at the emotions flooding through their matebond. Guilt. Fear. Shame.

Aegon: She is trembling.

Dex: I see that.

"Hey..." he said softly, crouching a little to meet her eyes. "What’s wrong?"

She blinked back tears, unsuccessfully, and wouldn’t look at him.

"Serena. What happened?"

She couldn’t answer. Instead she mindlinked Elara, not realizing it wasn’t private.

Serena: Can you come to the closet and say you need me for something?

Elara: Yes. I think I know why.

Dex watched her closely. He could tell she was trying not to spiral into a full-on panic.

"Baby... tell me. What happened? I’ll fix it."

Wrong thing to say. Her tears fell harder.

"Hey, it’s okay," he said softly, pulling her into a hug.

She didn’t hug him back.

He tried surging calmness and love into her through their matebond, the way he always did when she was overwhelmed.

But for the first time ever, it didn’t help.

She blinked back more tears, hiccuping.

Aegon: Fix this. Mate is sad.

Dex: I’m trying.

Elara arrived a second later, eyes landing on Serena still in her soaked silk robe, a towel draped over her shoulders, and Dex trying his best to comfort her.

"Serena, I need you for something. Really urgent." She glanced at Dex and added, "Woman troubles."

Aegon: So this is where they’ve been disappearing to. A female war room.

Dexmon: Noted.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify