Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother (Seraphina and Damien) novel Chapter 248

Gabriel’s Perspective

By the time the message arrived, I was already three drinks deep, the cheap whiskey dulling my senses just enough. I stared at my phone, the screen’s glow cutting through the dim gloom of this rundown apartment. Emma’s text blinked urgently in the darkness.

**Emma: hide. lucas asking where i am. they might be looking for us**

I read it twice, noting the frantic typos—she’d clearly been typing with shaking hands, panic seeping through every word.

Good. She should be scared.

I sank back into the threadbare couch, its fabric stained and worn, and took another long swallow of the harsh whiskey, letting the burn trail down my throat. The bitter heat was oddly comforting in this cesspool of a place.

They were finally searching for us. Took them long enough.

I’d been bracing for this moment, even expecting it. Ever since Sera discovered Emma was pregnant, the countdown had begun. Damien wasn’t a fool; sooner or later, he’d piece everything together.

21:03

1/11

But by then? It would already be too late.

I glanced around the shabby apartment I’d chosen as my refuge. This was the worst part of the city—the kind of neighborhood where gunshots were as common as car horns, and police sirens were a rarity. The walls bore water stains, peeling paint curling at the edges. The carpet reeked of mold mixed with something far fouler. The single grimy window looked out over an alley strewn with garbage and scurrying rats.

Perfect.

No one in their right mind would think to look for me here. Certainly not Damien with his sprawling mansion and luxury cars. Nor Lucas, with his immaculate pack house and polished image.

This place was beneath them. Way beneath.

Which made it the ideal hiding spot.

I set the phone down and poured another drink, the bottle nearly empty. I’d have to restock soon, but not while they were actively hunting me.

Emma’s message had said Lucas was asking questions.

21:03

2/11

That meant Damien had probably sent him—ordered him to bring Emma in for questioning.

I smirked.

Emma could handle Lucas. She’d been dealing with men her entire life. A concerned cousin wouldn’t break her.

And even if Lucas somehow managed to get her to talk?

I’d be long gone by then.

I’d prepared for this. Three different escape routes mapped out, cash stashed in various places, fake IDs ready to go, and connections in other packs who owed me favors.

The moment things went south, I could vanish completely, like I’d never existed.

Leave Emma to face the fallout.

Leave Damien to pick up the pieces.

Leave everyone behind and start fresh somewhere else.

Maybe Canada. Maybe Mexico. Somewhere far from this pack and its suffocating, controlling rules.

21:03

3/11

My phone buzzed again.

Another message from Emma.

**Emma: where r u? need to know ur safe***

I didn’t reply. Let her stew in her worry.

She was useful—had been incredibly useful. But I wasn’t about to reveal my location. Not to anyone.

The fewer who knew where I was, the safer I’d be.

I rose and moved to the window, peering down at the street below.

Dark and empty. A few homeless souls huddled in doorways, a stray dog rooting through trash cans.

No black SUVs. No pack security. No Lucas coming to drag me back.

Good.

I could stay here for weeks if I had to. Enough money for food, enough alcohol to dull the edges, enough space to plot my next move.

Because this wasn’t over—not by a long shot.

21:04

4/11

Did Damien think he’d won? That he’d figured everything out? That he could just hunt down everyone involved and patch up his precious marriage?

Wrong.

The real game was just getting started.

Emma’s pregnancy would soon be impossible to hide. No one could conceal a seven-month baby bump forever. And when the pack learned their Alpha had impregnated his assistant while his wife was off training warriors?

The scandal would be explosive. Devastating. Career-ending.

The Council would have questions—many questions—about Damien’s judgment, his leadership, and whether someone so reckless deserved to be Alpha.

And who would they turn to when Damien inevitably fell?

Me.

The only other Nightshadow. The only real alternative.

21:04

5/11

Sure, I wasn’t a pure-blood Alpha like my brother. I didn’t have silver eyes or that natural command.

But I had something better.

Patience. Strategy. The ruthless willingness to do whatever was necessary.

Right now, that counted for more than any bloodline.

My phone buzzed a third time.

**Emma: gabriel please answer. im scared**

I picked it up and typed slowly.

**Me: I’m safe. Don’t worry. Stick to the plan.**

8/11

I let myself drift, surrendering to the darkness creeping in.

Tomorrow, I’d figure out the next steps.

Tomorrow, I’d plan the next phase.

Tomorrow, I’d find new ways to turn this situation even further in my favor.

But tonight?

Tonight, I’d rest.

Safe in my filthy, forgotten apartment.

Hidden where no one would think to search.

I smiled as sleep claimed me.

Damien could search all he wanted.

Send Lucas and his security team, anyone he thought might find me.

They wouldn’t.

Couldn’t.

Because I’d chosen this place for a reason—it was beneath them.

Their privilege and status blinded them to places like this.

And that blindness?

That was my greatest weapon.

I was invisible.

A shadow.

A ghost haunting the edges of their perfect lives.

21:04

9/11

And when the moment was right?

When every piece was perfectly in place?

I would strike.

Hard.

Final.

Devastating.

My last thought before sleep took me completely was simple:

Let them come.

Let them search.

Let them waste their time and energy chasing someone they’ll never find.