Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother

129 Chapter 129

Seraphina’s POV 1

The silence stretched on for what felt like hours, though it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds. Every face in our immediate vicinity was turned toward me, and I could practically feel their judgment crawling across my skin like insects.

“I need some air,” I said quietly, my voice sounding strange and distant even to my own ears.

Damien’s grip on my waist tightened. “Sera-”

“Please.” I looked up at him, and whatever he saw in my expression made him release me immediately. “I just

need a minute. Don’t follow me.”

I walked away before he could protest, pushing through the crowd of elegantly dressed guests who watched

me go with poorly concealed curiosity. Each step taking me further from the warm glow of the ballroom and deeper into my own humiliation.

The French doors leading to the terrace were mercifully unlocked. I stepped outside into the cool night air,

grateful for the relative quiet and the absence of staring eyes. The terrace overlooked the gardens, where

fairy lights twinkled among perfectly manicured hedges and fountain bubbled softly in the distance.

I gripped the stone balustrade and tried to breathe.

*Your nanny.* The words echoed in my head like a broken record. *I always thought she was your nanny.*

God. How many other people thought the same thing? How many conversations had happened behind my

back, people wondering why the powerful Alpha Damien Nightshadow kept some random human woman

around his house?

The worst part was that Emma’s mistake wasn’t exactly unreasonable,

I was just… ordinary. Human. Forgettable.

A soft breeze rustled the leaves in the garden below, carrying with it the distant sound of laughter and music from the party inside. Riley’s engagement party. The celebration I’d promised to attend, the night that was

supposed to help me feel normal again.

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Instead, I felt more isolated than ever.

I closed my eyes and tried to center myself the way I used to when Ayla was part of me. But there was no

to lend me

yourself together,” I whispered to the night

to be confused. What was I doing here, playing dress-up

wasn’t even a wolf.

doors opened again, and this time I heard multiple sets of footsteps. Guests were starting to spill out onto

Damien. Make polite excuses and leave before I embarrassed

That’s when it happened.

champagne flutes. He was moving quickly, probably trying to refill glasses for the guests who’d wandered outside. But something

tables.

a startled yelp, the tray tilting dangerously

regain his balance.

as I watched twelve crystal glasses slide toward the edge of the silver

my enhanced reflexes would have kicked in automatically.

diving out of the way

a statue, my purely human reaction time far too slow to

coming.

tray hit the stone terrace with a crash that seemed to echo across the entire garden. Crystal

down hard, my

the

a thud that knocked the air from my lungs, champagne soaking through my

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and pooling around me in a puddle of humiliation. Broken glass glittered in my hair, and the sticky liquid

me. “Ma’am, I’m so sorry! Are you hurt? I’m so,

sorry!”

on the terrace rushed toward the commotion. I could hear exclamations of

gathered around to gawk

hands slipped on the wet stone and I went down again, this time with even less dignity. Champagne dripped from my hair, my dress was completely ruined, and I was pretty

up!” a

“Is she bleeding?”

“What happened?”

to get to my hands and knees, though the position made me

continued to drip from my clothes, forming

forward, her voice carrying clearly across the suddenly silent

she called out to the server, her tone sharp with outrage. “How

to the Alpha’s mate!”

in horror. No.

how clumsy you are,” Emma continued, her voice growing louder with each

partner this way, even though she’s only human

words hit the

Only human now.

shocked voices that seemed to come

once.

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