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

my mind anymore, no fierce wolf spirit to lend me strength. Just empty silence where my other

to

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

wasn’t even a wolf.

Guests were starting to spill out onto the terrace, probably looking for quieter

Make polite excuses and leave before I embarrassed

That’s when it happened.

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 he just

tables.

with a startled yelp, the tray tilting dangerously as he fought

regain his balance.

as I watched twelve crystal glasses slide toward the edge of

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

server or diving out of the way with

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

coming.

crash that seemed to echo across the entire

down hard, my expensive heels sliding

the suddenly slick

a thud that knocked the air

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in a puddle of humiliation. Broken glass

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

sorry!”

voice was drowned out by the sound of footsteps as every guest on the terrace rushed toward the commotion. I could

to gawk at the spectacle

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

her up!” a

“Is she bleeding?”

“What happened?”

finally managed to get to my hands and knees,

to drip from my clothes,

when Emma stepped forward, her voice carrying clearly across the

server, her tone sharp with outrage.

to the Alpha’s mate!”

snapped up in horror.

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

even though she’s

words hit the crowd like a

Only human now.

shocked voices that seemed to come from every

once.

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