Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother - Chapter 289

Chapter 289: Chapter 289
Seraphina’s POV

One year later.

The sun was warm on my face as I walked up the manor’s stone path. Aurora babbled happily in my arms, her tiny fingers grabbing at my sunglasses.

“No, baby girl.” I shifted her to my other hip. “Mommy needs those.”

My phone was pressed between my ear and shoulder. Claire’s voice rattling off supply numbers for next month’s pack training session.

“Got it. Order double the medical kits.” I pushed through the front door. “We’ll talk more at the—”

“MOMMY!”

Two small bodies slammed into my legs.

“You’re back!” Lily was bouncing. Actually bouncing. Her blonde hair flying everywhere. “When are the others coming?! Is it time yet?! Can I wear my new dress?!”

“Give me hugs!” Adrian demanded. More contained than his sister. But his eyes were just as bright. “And let me hold Aurora! Please please please!”

I laughed. The sound still surprised me sometimes. How easy it came now. How natural.

“Claire, I have to go.” I hung up. Crouched down as best I could with a baby in my arms. “One at a time, monsters.”

Lily threw herself at me. Nearly toppled us all.

“Careful!” But I was smiling. Couldn’t help it. “Aurora’s right here.”

“Sorry sorry sorry.” Lily pulled back. Kissed her baby sister’s cheek. “Hi, Rory! Did you miss me? I missed you SO much!”

Aurora gurgled. Grabbed a fistful of Lily’s hair.

“Ow ow ow—Mom, she’s got me—”

Helena, our nanny, appeared like magic. “Here, let me take her, Luna.”

I handed Aurora over gratefully. My arms were aching. Six months old and already solid as a brick. Alpha genes, apparently.

Adrian immediately followed Helena. “Can I hold her? I’ll be careful. I promise I’ll be careful. I held her yesterday and I was really careful—”

His voice faded as they disappeared toward the nursery.

“Mommy.” Lily tugged my hand. “When are they coming? You said today. You promised. Is Auntie Ophelia coming? And Uncle Lucas? And Riley? And—”

“Yes, baby.” I smoothed her hair. “Everyone’s coming. The party starts at three.”

“That’s forever from now!”

“It’s two hours.”

“FOREVER.”

I bit back a laugh. Six years old and already so dramatic. Wonder where she got that from.

The front door opened behind us.

“Daddy’s home!”

Damien walked in. Liam perched on his shoulders. Our son was shrieking with laughter, his little hands fisted in Damien’s hair.

“Higher, Daddy! Higher!”

“Any higher and you’ll hit the ceiling, buddy.”

Damien caught my eye. That smile. The one that still made my heart flip after all this time.

“Hey, beautiful.”

“Hey yourself.” I crossed to him. Rose on my toes. Kissed him softly. “Good meeting?”

“Boring meeting.” He lifted Liam off his shoulders. Set him down. “But Marcus thinks the new training protocols are working. Rogue incidents down forty percent this quarter.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Daddy!” Lily attached herself to his leg. “The party’s in forever hours and I can’t wait that long!”

Damien scooped her up. “Forever hours, huh? That does sound serious.”

“It IS serious!”

Liam toddled over to me. His silver-blue eyes—exact copies of Damien’s—looked up expectantly.

“Up, Mama?”

I lifted him. Pressed my nose to his dark hair. Breathed in that baby smell that I’d never get tired of.

“Up you go, little wolf.”

He giggled. Snuggled into my neck.

This. This right here. This was everything.

—

The party started at three.

By three-fifteen, our backyard was chaos.

Good chaos. The best kind.

Kids ran everywhere. Lily had immediately grabbed Riley’s daughter—born six months after our twins—and disappeared into some elaborate game involving princesses and dragons and a lot of screaming.

Lucas stood by the grill. Arguing with Marcus about something. Their wives rolling their eyes nearby.

Claire held court at the patio table. Three other elders hanging on her every word. Probably pack gossip. Always pack gossip.

Caleb was playing with Adrian near the garden. Actually playing. Getting his nice shirt dirty. Not caring at all.

I watched them from my spot under the big oak tree. Liam asleep in my arms. Aurora napping in the portable crib beside me.

“You’re staring.”

Ophelia dropped into the chair next to me. Her hair was longer now. Sun-streaked. Happy.

“I’m observing.” I smiled at her. “It’s different.”

“Uh-huh.”

“How’s the shop?”

“Good. Caleb’s expanding. Adding a second location near the border.” She reached over. Adjusted Liam’s blanket. “He’s talking about hiring more staff. Building something sustainable.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“Yeah.” Her voice went soft. “It is.”

Something caught the light.

Something on her hand.

I grabbed her wrist. Yanked it toward me.

“OPHELIA.”

“Ow! Sera, you’re going to wake—”

“Is that a RING?!”

She went bright red. “I was going to tell you—”

“IS THAT AN ENGAGEMENT RING?!”

My voice carried. Heads turned. Conversations stopped.

Ophelia looked like she wanted to disappear. “Sera, please—”

“EVERYONE!” I stood up. Carefully. Liam still asleep somehow. “EVERYONE LOOK AT OPHELIA’S HAND!”

The yard went silent for exactly one second.

Then: chaos.

“Oh my GOD!”

“She’s engaged!”

“CALEB PROPOSED?!”

Riley reached her first. Then three other women I barely recognized. All of them screaming. Grabbing her hand. Passing it around like a trophy.

Ophelia was the color of a tomato. But she was smiling. That helpless, overwhelmed, ridiculously happy smile.

Caleb appeared at the edge of the group. Looking slightly terrified.

Damien clapped him on the shoulder. Said something I couldn’t hear. Caleb’s face relaxed into a grin.

“When did this happen?!” Riley demanded. “When?! Why didn’t you tell us?!”

“Last night.” Ophelia was still bright red. “He took me to the falls. The ones where we had our first date. And he just… he got down on one knee and…”

Her voice broke. Actual tears spilling over.

“Dammit.” She wiped her face. “I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.”

I handed Liam to the nearest person—Lucas, who looked terrified but managed—and pulled her into a hug.

“I’m so happy for you.” The words came out thick. “So, so happy.”

“You did this.” She hugged me back hard. “You pushy, meddling, impossible woman. You made this happen.”

“I just tripped.”

“You pushed me into his arms!”

“Semantics.”

She laughed. Crying and laughing at the same time.

I pulled back. Cupped her face. “You deserve this. All of it. Everything good.”

“Sera…”

“He better treat you right.” I glanced over at Caleb. Caught his eye. “Or I’ll have words.”

“She has a new wolf now,” Ophelia reminded me. “A really big one. I’d be scared if I were him.”

“Smart man.”

The party resumed. Louder now. More celebratory.

Someone produced champagne. Toasts were made. Caleb and Ophelia were forced to kiss approximately seventeen times.