Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother (Seraphina and Damien) novel Chapter 216

Damien’s POVO

The silence stretched on.

Too long. Too heavy. Everyone staring at their sandwiches like they held the secrets of the universe.

I felt Sera tense beside me. Saw her fingers tighten around her water glass.

I reached over and pulled Sera against my side. My arm wrapped around her shoulders. Firm. Possessive.

She went rigid. Every muscle locked up.

“Of course we are,” I said. Kept my voice light. Easy. Like this was the most natural thing in the world. “I’ve been looking for her for three years. I missed her like

crazy.”

Ophelia’s eyebrows shot up. Riley looked between us with barely concealed skepticism.

“Right,” Ophelia said slowly. “You two seem… really happy.”

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“We are.” I pulled Sera closer. Felt her heart

hammering against my side. “Aren’t we, baby?”

Sera made a small sound. Could’ve been agreement. Could’ve been choking.

“Yeah,” she managed. Her voice came out strangled. “Super happy.”

Riley’s lips twitched. She was trying not to smile. Or laugh. Probably both.

“That’s… great,” she said carefully. “Really great. I’m so happy for you both.”

“Me too!” Ophelia’s grin was wicked now. “You guys are just adorable. The way you’re sitting there. All cozy. Very natural.”

Sera’s elbow jabbed into my ribs. Hard.

I coughed. Loosened my grip slightly.

“So when did this happen?” Ophelia leaned forward. Her eyes gleaming with mischief. “The reconciliation? Was it romantic? Did Damien sweep you off your feet?”

“It was…” Sera started.

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“Intense,” I cut in. “Very intense. The moment I saw her, I knew. That’s it. That’s my girl. My mate. My everything.”

Sera’s fingernails dug into my thigh under the table.

“How sweet,” Riley said. Her tone was pure innocence but her eyes were laughing. “You must be so relieved to have her back, Damien.”

“You have no idea.” I looked down at Sera. Forced a

smile. “I’m never letting her go again.”

Sera’s smile looked more like baring teeth.

By the time Ophelia and Riley finally left–after extracting promises for more visits and girls‘ nights and “lots of catching up“-my face hurt from fake smiling.

The door closed behind them.

Sera immediately shoved me away. Hard.

“What the hell was that?” She rounded on me. Eyes blazing. “Pulling me against you? Calling me baby? Acting like we’re some happy couple?”

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“We had to sell it,” I said. Kept my voice calm. “They were getting suspicious.”

“Let them be suspicious! At least that would be

honest!”

“You want me to tell them the truth?” I stepped closer.

“That I kept you locked in a hotel room? That I forced myself on you while drunk? That we’re barely speaking

to each other?”

She flinched. The anger drained from her face. ®

“That’s what I thought.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Look, I know this is complicated. But the kids are happy. Your friends are happy. Everyone thinks we’re working things out.”

“So we just… pretend?”

“For now.” I held her gaze. “Until we figure out what the hell we’re actually doing.”

She looked away. Her jaw tight.

Footsteps thundered down the stairs. Adrian

appeared, Grace’s toy in his hand.

“Dad! Lily won’t give Grace her doll back!” R

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“I’ll handle it.” I started toward the stairs. Stopped.

Looked back at Sera. “We good?”

She nodded stiffly. “Yeah. We’re good.”

Neither of us believed it.

I made dinner. Pasta–Lily’s favorite. The kids ate and talked and laughed. Normal. Happy.

Sera sat at her old spot at the table. Pushing food around her plate. Barely eating.

“Mama?” Lily looked up. “Don’t you like the pasta?”

“It’s great, baby.” Sera forced a smile. “I’m just not very hungry.”

“You should eat more!” Lily said seriously. “Daddy says you need to get strong again.”

“Lily” I started.

“He’s right.” Sera cut in. Took a bite. Chewed. Swallowed. “It’s delicious.”

Adrian watched us both with those too–smart eyes.

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Seeing everything. Understanding more than a

eight–year–old should.

After dinner, the kids wanted a movie night. We set them up in the living room with blankets and popcorn.

Sera sat on one end of the couch. I sat on the other.

Miles of space between us even though we were in the

same room.

Lily crawled into Sera’s lap halfway through the movie. Curled up like a kitten.

Sera’s arms came around her automatically. Her face softening as she stroked Lily’s hair.

Adrian leaned against my side. His weight familiar and comforting.

For a moment–just a moment–it almost felt normal.

Like we were a family again.

Then the movie ended. The kids went to brush their

teeth.

And the illusion shattered.

“I’ll tuck them in,” Sera said quietly. Standing up.

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Putting distance between us.

“Okay.”

She disappeared upstairs. I cleaned up the living room. Put away the blankets. Threw out the popcorn.

Killed time until I heard her come back down.

She stood in the doorway. Arms crossed. Looking everywhere except at me.

“They’re asleep,” she said.

“Good.”

Silence.

“I should…” She gestured vaguely. “I’m tired. I’m going to go to bed.”

My stomach dropped. “Okay. I’ll come up in a bit.”

She didn’t move. Just stood there. Her expression doing something complicated.

“Sera?”

“I’m not sleeping in our room.” The words came out fast. Like ripping off a bandage. “I can’t. Not yet. I’ll

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take the guest room.”

She couldn’t finish. Didn’t need to.

“I understand,” I said. My voice came out rougher than I meant.

She nodded. Still wouldn’t look at me.

“Goodnight, Damien.”

“Goodnight.”

She turned and walked away. Her footsteps quiet on the stairs.

I stood there in the empty living room. Listening to her door close down the hall.

Not our room. The guest room.

I walked upstairs slowly. Past the kids‘ rooms where they slept peacefully. Past the guest room where I could see light under the door.

I stood in the doorway. Looking at the bed we used to share. The room that had been ours.

Empty now. Just me.

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I closed the door. Sat on the edge of the bed. Put my

head in my hands.

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