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

no fierce wolf spirit to lend me strength. Just empty silence where my

together,” I whispered to

hollow. Because deep down, I knew Emma was right to be confused. What was I doing here, playing dress-up in fancy clothes and pretending I belonged in this world? I

wasn’t even a wolf.

I heard multiple sets of footsteps. Guests were starting to spill out onto the

Make polite excuses and leave before I embarrassed myself

That’s when it happened.

server appeared from nowhere, carrying a tray loaded with champagne flutes. He was moving quickly, probably trying to refill glasses for the guests who’d wandered outside. But something went wrong- maybe he caught his foot on the edge of a decorative planter, maybe

tables.

cause, he stumbled forward with a startled yelp, the tray

regain his balance.

to slow down as I watched twelve crystal glasses slide toward the edge of the silver tray. If

wolf, my enhanced reflexes would have kicked in automatically. I would have

either catching the server or diving out of the way with supernatural

like a statue, my purely human reaction time far too slow to save me from

coming.

a crash that seemed to echo across

in every direction, and I went down hard, my expensive heels sliding out from

on the

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

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

dropping to his knees beside me. “Ma’am, I’m so sorry! Are you hurt?

sorry!”

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

around to gawk at the spectacle

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 sure

her up!” a voice called

“Is she bleeding?”

“What happened?”

get to my hands and knees,

to drip from my clothes, forming a

stepped forward, her voice carrying clearly across the

she called out to the server, her tone sharp

to the Alpha’s mate!”

horror. No. She wouldn’t.

continued, her voice growing louder

this way, even though she’s only human

hit the crowd

Only human now.

susurrus of shocked voices

once.

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