Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother - Chapter 285

Chapter 285: Chapter 285
Seraphina’s POV

The morning sun felt different now.

Warmer. Brighter. Like even the weather knew everything had changed.

I stood in front of the mirror, turning sideways. My hand pressed against my stomach. Still mostly flat. But there was something there. A slight curve that hadn’t existed a week ago.

Twins did that, apparently. Made you show faster.

“You’re going to burn a hole in that mirror.”

Ophelia’s voice came from the bedroom doorway. She was leaning against the frame, coffee in hand, grinning like an idiot.

“I’m not staring,” I said. Still staring.

“You’ve been standing there for ten minutes.” She walked over. Handed me a cup of tea. “Damien already left for training?”

“An hour ago.” I took the tea gratefully. “He didn’t want to go. Kept asking if I was okay. If I needed anything. If the babies needed anything.”

“The babies.” Ophelia snorted. “They’re the size of blueberries right now.”

“Don’t tell him that. He’ll probably try to feed me blueberries for every meal.”

She laughed. That bright, infectious sound that always made me feel lighter.

“So.” She set down her coffee. Clasped her hands together. “Shopping day. Baby stuff. You ready?”

I looked at my reflection one more time. At this woman who’d been through hell and somehow come out the other side.

“Yeah.” I smiled. “I’m ready.”

—

The town center was busy.

Wolves everywhere. Families. Couples. Kids running between shops while their parents yelled after them.

Normal life. Beautiful, chaotic, normal life.

“Okay.” Ophelia had a list. An actual physical list. “We need onesies. Blankets. Bottles. Diapers. More diapers. Did I mention diapers?”

“You mentioned diapers.”

“Good. Because twins means double everything.” She grabbed my arm. Steered me toward the first shop. “This is going to be expensive.”

“Damien already said budget doesn’t matter.”

“Of course he did.” She rolled her eyes.

The baby shop was overwhelming. Rows and rows of tiny clothes. Cribs. Strollers. Things I didn’t even recognize.

“What is this?” I held up some contraption with straps and buckles.

“Baby carrier.” Ophelia took it from me. “You wear it. Baby goes inside. Hands free.”

“That seems complicated.”

“Everything about babies is complicated.” She tossed it in our cart. “Trust me. You’ll thank me later.”

We moved through the aisles slowly. Ophelia grabbing things. Me mostly nodding and trying not to feel overwhelmed.

“So.” She held up two onesies. One blue. One pink. “Tell me about the pregnancy. Anything different this time?”

I thought about it. “Not really. Morning sickness isn’t as bad as with Lily. But that might be because I’m not stressed out of my mind this time.”

“Valid point.”

“I’m showing faster though.” I touched my stomach again. Couldn’t help it. “The doctor said that’s normal with twins.”

“Double the babies, double the belly.” She tossed both onesies in the cart. “Makes sense.”

“It’s weird.” I picked up a tiny pair of socks. So small. Impossibly small. “With Adrian and Lily, I was alone. Scared. Didn’t know what I was doing.”

“And now?”

“Now I have Damien.” The words came out soft. “We get to do this together. Actually together. Every appointment. Every milestone. Everything.”

Ophelia’s expression softened. “You deserve that, Sera. After everything you’ve been through.”

“I know.” I put the socks in the cart. “It just feels… different. Good different. But also terrifying.”

“Why terrifying?”

“Because what if something goes wrong?” The fear bubbled up before I could stop it. “What if the rogues come back? What if there’s another war? What if”

“Hey.” Ophelia grabbed my shoulders. Made me look at her. “Stop. The rogues are gone. Voss is dead. There is no war.”

“I know. But last time”

“Last time was different.” Her voice was firm. “Last time you were alone in a hostile pack with no support. This time you have Damien. The whole pack. Me. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

I took a breath. Let it out slowly. She was right. I knew she was right.

But old fears died hard.

“Sorry.” I managed a smile. “Pregnancy hormones. They’re making me crazy.”

“That’s allowed.” She released my shoulders. Went back to shopping. “Now come on. We need to look at cribs. Unless you’re planning to let the twins sleep in dresser drawers.”

I laughed. The tension breaking. “Lead the way.”

—

Two hours later, we’d bought half the store.

Bags hung from both our arms. The cart was overflowing. Ophelia was already planning a second trip.

“We need more blankets,” she said. “And that changing table. And did you see those matching outfits—”

“Ophelia.” I stopped walking. “We bought enough stuff for six babies. I think we’re good.”

“You can never have too many baby supplies.”

“You literally can. Our house is going to look like a warehouse.”

She opened her mouth to argue. Then stopped. Her eyes going wide.

“What?” I turned to follow her gaze. “What is it—”

The words died in my throat.

A man stood at the corner of the street. Tall. Blonde hair catching the sunlight. Brown eyes that I hadn’t seen in years.

But I’d know that face anywhere.

“Caleb?”

The name came out barely a whisper. But he heard it. His head snapped toward us. His expression shifting from casual to stunned in a heartbeat.

“Sera?”

For a moment, nobody moved. Just three people frozen on a busy street corner. The world continuing around us like nothing had changed.

Then Caleb stepped forward. His voice cracking. “Sera? You’re… you came back?”

The shopping bags slipped from my fingers. I didn’t notice. Couldn’t focus on anything except the face in front of me.

My childhood friend. The boy who’d been there when my parents died. The one person who’d known me before everything fell apart.

“Caleb.” His name felt strange on my tongue. Familiar and foreign at the same time. “Caleb…?”

“Sera…? Why are you…?”

The three of us stood there. Awkward. Overwhelmed. So many years and so many secrets between us.

“We should talk,” I said finally. “Properly. Not standing on a street corner.”

“There’s a cafe down the block.” Ophelia pointed. “Quiet. Good coffee. We could go”

“Yes.” I nodded quickly. “Yes, let’s do that. Caleb, do you have time? This might take a while.”

He laughed. Short. Slightly hysterical. “I think I can spare an afternoon.”