Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

28 Chapter 28

Valerie’s POV 1

I honestly never thought I’d see that bitch Seraphina again. After she slunk away from home five years ago with her tail between her legs,

I assumed she’d crawled into some corner somewhere with her little bastard and disappeared forever. The last thing I expected was to

find her working right beside the most powerful Alpha in the territory, looking like she actually belonged there.

The memory of being thrown out of that restaurant still burned in my chest like acid. The way Damien had looked at me-with such cold

disgust-when he’d ordered security to remove me. The way he’d automatically moved to protect Seraphina, like she was something

precious instead of the worthless omega reject she’d always been.

It made me want to scream.

Sitting in the passenger seat of Gabriel’s beat-up Honda, I stared out at the shabby neighborhood we now called home and felt my rage

building with each passing second. This wasn’t how my life was supposed to turn out. When I’d married Gabriel five years ago,

he’d

promised me everything-wealth, status, a position in the Nightshadow family that would make everyone who’d ever looked down on me

pay.

What a fucking joke.

Gabriel had spun elaborate tales about his importance in the pack, about his close relationship with his powerful Alpha brother, about

the inheritance that was supposedly coming his way. All lies.

The truth was that Damien barely acknowledged Gabriel’s existence. Gabriel was nothing more than their father’s bastard son-a

mistake that the family tolerated but never embraced. No money, no power, no influence. Just a disappointment who spent his days

playing video games and eating junk food while I worked myself to the bone trying to maintain some semblance of the lifestyle I

deserved.

“Valerie, baby, come on,” Gabriel whined from the driver’s seat, his hand creeping across the center console to rest on my thigh. “Don’t

be like this. You know I hate it when you’re mad.”

I slapped his hand away with enough force to make him yelp. “Don’t touch me,” I snarled, my voice dripping with disgust. “And don’t call

me baby. I’m not in the mood for your pathetic attempts at affection.”

Gabriel’s face crumpled like a kicked puppy’s. “But I missed you while you were at that fancy dinner. I was hoping we could… you know…”

He waggled his eyebrows in what he probably thought was a seductive manner.

The thought of letting this useless waste of space put his hands on me made my stomach turn. When had I ever found him attractive? He

a burden dragging

I said through gritted teeth, “is

and I don’t want them to think we’re

fell. “A cleaning service? Val,

what we can afford!” I exploded, my voice echoing in the cramped

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bills, and I look like a failure every time I show my face in public. The least you can do is make

courses across the floor. I kicked an empty takeout container out of my way and immediately pulled

answered. “How can we help you

I said, not bothering with pleasantries. “My apartment is… challenging. I’ll pay double

send

course, ma’am. I’ll have someone there

reaching for his gaming

little bit, maybe-”

around to face him, my hands clenched into fists. “Maybe I’d be happy

but the sharp knock on our front door cut him

to see some stranger with a bucket of

a face I hadn’t seen since high

“Anna?”

Cleaning Services polo shirt and carrying a caddy

hair was pulled

Anna said, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Valerie Knight. Or

you like this.”

genuinely excited

our disaster of a living room with professional assessment.

the Nightshadow family would set you

up from his game, his eyes

used when he thought he was being

shooting Gabriel a warning look. “An old friend from high school. Anna, this is my husband

Gabriel with obvious disdain, taking in his

him

can

missed the sarcasm, puffing up with pride.

eye and raised one perfectly

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said sweetly, “why don’t you go get us some coffee? Anna and I have some catching

our couch with a

out loud. You should be living in a mansion,

grateful to finally have someone who understood my frustration.

the family. More like the family disappointment

“Including his Alpha brother?”

couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my

mind clearly working

medical bills, and I’ve

I don’t know what I’m going to do. I had a plan, you

fall for me. But then that bitch

voice sharpened with interest. “Seraphina Knight?