Love Times Four My Stepbrothers Are My Mates (Alayah) novel Chapter 101

**When Broken Stars Drift Across Empty Midnight Skies by Troy Mason Venn**
**Chapter 101: Strength Increase**

**Nathan’s p.o.v.**

+20 Free Coins

With a sense of determination, I begin the tedious task of rummaging through the endless drawers of the cabinets. Each one creaks open, revealing remnants of forgotten histories, but as I sift through them, a sense of disappointment washes over me. Halfway through the cabinet, I stumble upon an empty drawer, and the next few yield the same result. It appears that two and a half cabinets are brimming with files, while the rest are barren. I can’t help but wonder if this Pack truly holds the title of the worst. Shaking off the unsettling thought, I make my way to the opposite side of the room, hoping to uncover a cabinet dedicated to the Autumn Pack. However, after meticulously inspecting every single cabinet, I come to a disheartening conclusion: there is no trace of an Autumn Pack cabinet here.

“Damn it, how am I supposed to transport all these files to Alayah’s office?” I mutter to myself, frustration creeping in. I decide to reach out through the mind-link. “Bryson, I’m going to need some assistance hauling these files to Alayah.” A brief moment passes before I hear his reassuring voice in my mind, “On my way, Nathan.”

Minutes later, I hear the familiar sound of hurried footsteps echoing down the stairs. Bryson bursts into the room, flanked by Dad and Uncle Paul. “It’ll take us a few trips to get everything to the Alpha office,” I inform them, gesturing to the cabinets that house the crucial files.

Dad lets out an exaggerated groan as I begin to open the drawers of the cabinets. Bryson, however, seems to have devised a clever solution to expedite our efforts. He hands each of us a sturdy crate and demonstrates how to pull out the rails that hold the files. With a practiced motion, he fills the crates with documents, and soon we have eight crates stacked high. Each of us takes two crates and makes our way back up the stairs, ready to deliver the files to Alayah’s office.

We continue this back-and-forth until every last file is collected. As I set down the final crate, Alayah strides into her office, her eyes widening in disbelief. “Fuck, did you empty out the entire Archive?” she exclaims, and before I can respond, my brothers enter, their expressions mirroring hers as they mutter in unison, “Fuck.”

Grabbing a crate, I pull Alayah with me towards the couch. “This is just the files on Crimson Moon Pack,” I explain, “but we don’t need to worry about Autumn Pack. There isn’t a single file on them in the Archive.” I flip open the first file, immediately drawn into its contents. It details a harrowing incident from when Alpha Randell’s grandfather held the title. He had forced an Omega to deny the bond with her Mate, who was destined to become the future Gamma.

The file reveals the tragic aftermath—he exiled her from the Pack after she refused to sever their connection. My heart aches as I ponder how her Mate must have felt about this betrayal. Turning the page, I discover that he learned she had been ordered by an Alpha to deny their bond. Driven by desperation, he followed her to Blood Stone Pack, pleading his case with her grandfather. He had already broken ties with Crimson Moon Pack and yearned for the chance to forge a genuine Mate bond with her.

“Make sure to place each file in the crate labeled with the corresponding crime,” Alayah instructs, and I comply, placing my file into the crate designated for High-Low ranking offenses. We press on for hours, lost in the sea of documents. When Mara calls us for lunch, I realize with dismay that we haven’t even reached the halfway point, despite the seven of us diligently reading through them.

Just as we prepare to leave the office, Bastian enters with a serious expression. “Alpha, I’ve confirmed that our Pack members are indeed gaining strength. I propose we conduct tests at least once a week for the time being; I’m eager to see where this leads us.” Alayah visibly slumps back in her seat, her shock palpable. I hadn’t had the chance to inform her of my request to Bastian, and it’s clear that the revelation has caught her off guard.

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