Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother - Chapter 222
Chapter 222: Chapter 222
Seraphina’s POV
My phone buzzed as I walked out of the training facility.
I pulled it out, expecting maybe Jessica asking about tomorrow’s schedule. Or Riley confirming our lunch plans.
Instead, it was Damien.
**Damien: Something came up. Can’t pick you up today. Will be home late. Take care of the kids.**
I stared at the message. Read it twice. Then three times.
That was it. No explanation. No details. Just a flat statement and a task.
I typed back quickly.
**Me: What happened? Are you okay?**
The message showed as delivered. Then read.
No response.
I waited another minute. Still nothing.
Fine. Whatever. He was busy. He’d explain later.
I shoved my phone in my pocket and headed to my car.
The drive home was quiet. Too quiet. My mind kept circling back to that message.
*Something came up.*
What kind of something? Pack business? Emergency? Why couldn’t he just say?
I pulled into the driveway and sat there for a moment. Staring at the house. Our house. That suddenly felt a little less like home.
*Stop it. You’re being paranoid. He’s the Alpha. Things come up.*
I went inside. The house was empty. The nanny had already left for the day.
I checked the time. Almost three. The kids would be out of school soon.
I drove back out. Picked them up. Adrian climbed into the front seat without a word. Lily chattered away about her day.
“Where’s Daddy?” Lily asked as I buckled her in.
“He had to work late, baby.”
“But he always picks us up on Fridays!”
“I know. But something important came up.”
“What kind of important?”
“I don’t know yet. He’ll tell us when he gets home.”
Adrian stayed quiet. His eyes on his phone. But I saw the frown. The way his shoulders tensed.
He knew something was off too.
We got home. I made dinner. Pasta with the sauce Lily liked. Chicken nuggets for Adrian because he was picky.
They ate. I pushed food around my plate.
My phone stayed silent.
After dinner, we watched a movie. Some animated thing about talking animals. Lily laughed. Adrian smiled a few times.
I checked my phone every five minutes.
Nothing.
Bath time came. Then pajamas. Then bedtime stories.
“Is Daddy going to say goodnight?” Lily asked as I tucked her in.
“He might be too late tonight, baby.”
Her face fell. “But he always says goodnight.”
“I know. But he’ll see you in the morning, okay?”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
I kissed her forehead. Turned off the light. Left her door cracked open.
Adrian was already in bed when I checked on him. Reading. Or pretending to read.
“You okay, buddy?”
“Fine.” He didn’t look up.
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
I knew that tone. The one that meant he wasn’t fine but didn’t want to talk about it.
“Okay. Goodnight.”
“Night.”
I closed his door softly.
Then I went downstairs and sat on the couch.
The house was too quiet. Too empty without Damien’s presence.
I checked my phone again. Tried calling.
It rang twice. Then went to voicemail.
My stomach twisted.
I sent another text.
**Me: The kids are asking about you. When will you be home?**
Delivered. Read.
No response.
I waited. Ten minutes. Twenty. An hour.
Still nothing.
The clock on the wall ticked loudly. Each second feeling like an eternity.
By ten PM, my anxiety had turned into something else. Something darker.
Was he avoiding me? Had something happened? Was he hurt?
I tried calling Lucas. No answer.
Tried calling Claire. Voicemail.
Everyone was suddenly unreachable.
I sat there on that couch. Staring at my phone. Willing it to ring.
It didn’t.
Midnight came. Then one AM. Then two.
My eyes grew heavy. My body protesting against staying upright.
*Just rest your eyes for a minute. Just a minute.*
I leaned back against the cushions. Just for a second. Just to rest.
—
Sunlight hit my face.
I jerked awake. My neck screaming in protest from the awkward angle.
The living room looked the same. Morning light streaming through the windows.
I grabbed my phone. Seven AM.
A full night had passed. And Damien still wasn’t home.
No calls. No texts. Nothing.
I tried calling again. Straight to voicemail this time.
My hands started shaking.
*Something’s wrong. Something’s really wrong.*
I checked upstairs. His side of the bed was untouched. Exactly as I’d left it yesterday morning.
The kids would be up soon. Asking questions I didn’t have answers to.
I went to the bathroom. Splashed cold water on my face. Tried to look normal.
Failed miserably.
Adrian appeared in the kitchen as I was making coffee. His face carefully neutral.
“Dad’s not back yet?”
“Not yet.” I forced my voice to stay steady. “But I’m sure he’ll be home soon.”
“Right.” He poured himself cereal. “Sure.”
Lily bounced in a few minutes later. Still in her pajamas. Hair a mess of tangles.
“Morning, Mama! Where’s Daddy?”
“Still working, baby. But he’ll be back soon.”
“You said that last night.”
“I know.”
She climbed onto her chair. Swinging her legs. “Did Daddy forget about us?”
The words hit like a punch.
“No, baby. Never. He could never forget about you.”
“Then why isn’t he here?”
I didn’t have an answer. So I just hugged her instead.
Getting them ready for school took twice as long as usual. Lily couldn’t find her shoes. Adrian couldn’t find his homework.
By the time we got to the car, I was already exhausted.
The drive to school was quiet. Even Lily had stopped chattering.
I watched them walk through the gates. Two small figures disappearing into the building.
Then I sat in the car. Staring at my phone.
Still nothing.
I had to go to the training facility. Had a session scheduled. Couldn’t just bail because my husband had gone MIA.
The drive there was automatic. Turn here. Stop there. Park.
I grabbed my bag and headed toward the entrance.
And nearly collided with someone.
“Whoa! Watch it!”
I looked up.
And my blood turned to ice.
Gabriel.
Damien’s half-brother. The man who’d cheated on me with my own sister. The man I’d been engaged to before everything fell apart.
He looked different. Heavier around the middle. His face had that bloated look of someone who drank too much. His hair was greasy. Longer than before.
But those eyes. Those cold, calculating eyes. Those were exactly the same.
“Well, well, well.” His smile was slow. Predatory. “Look who it is.”
I stepped back. “Gabriel.”
“That’s all I get? Just my name?” He laughed. That ugly sound I remembered too well. “Come on, Sera. We were close once. Really close.”
“Move.”
“Still got that attitude, huh?” He looked me up and down. Lingering in places that made my skin crawl. “You look good though. Better than before.”
I tried to walk around him. He sidestepped. Blocked my path.
“Where you going so fast? Don’t you want to catch up?”
“No.”
“Aw, don’t be like that.” He tilted his head. “We have so much to talk about. You and me and dear brother.”
My stomach twisted at the mention of Damien.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“Really? Nothing?” His smile widened. “Not even about why you’re here alone? Where’s big brother, anyway? You two usually attached at the hip these days.”
I clenched my jaw. “That’s none of your business.”
“Isn’t it though?” He stepped closer. I could smell alcohol on his breath. This early in the morning. “I mean, word travels fast in a pack. And I heard some interesting things.”
“I don’t care what you heard.”
“Don’t you?” His eyes gleamed. “Not even about where Damien was last night?”
My heart stopped.
He noticed. Of course he noticed. His smile turned vicious.
“Oh, you didn’t know?” He made a show of looking concerned. “I’m sorry. I thought you two were all happy and reunited. Figured he’d tell you everything.”
“Tell me what?” The words came out before I could stop them.
“Where he was. Who he was with.” Gabriel leaned in. “How late they stayed out.”
I wanted to punch him. Wanted to walk away. Wanted to do anything except stand there and listen.
But I couldn’t move.
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?” He pulled out his phone. Started scrolling. “Because I’ve got proof. Want to see?”
“No.”
“You sure? It’s pretty interesting.”
I tried to walk around him again. He grabbed my arm. Not hard. But firm enough to stop me.
“Let go.”
“Just hear me out first.” His voice dropped. “I’m trying to help you, Sera. Seriously. Despite everything that happened between us, I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“You don’t care about me.”
“Maybe not.” He shrugged. “But I care about family drama. And this? This is going to be good.”
I yanked my arm free. “I’m leaving.”
“Don’t you want to know where your husband spent last night?” Gabriel called after me. “Don’t you want to know why he’s not answering your calls?”
I kept walking. Faster now.
I kept walking. Across the parking lot. Toward the building. Toward anywhere that wasn’t near him.
“Oh, Sera!” His voice stopped me one more time. “Wait!”
I didn’t turn around.
“I almost forgot!” Footsteps behind me. Getting closer. “There’s something else you should see. Something really interesting.”
He was right behind me now. I could feel his presence. Smell that alcohol-tinged breath.
“Don’t walk away,” he said. His voice taking on that wheedling tone. “Come on. Just one more minute. Let me show you something.”