Mated to My Fiancé’s Alpha King Brother (Seraphina and Damien) novel Chapter 255

255 Chapter 255

Seraphina’s POV

The training facility became my routine.

Wake up. Get the kids ready. Drop them at school. Drive to work. Train warriors. Pick up kids. Make dinner. Help with homework. Put them to bed. Repeat.

Simple. Structured. A way to not think.

“Riley! Your stance is too wide!”

She adjusted immediately. Good.

I walked among the trainees. Only ten of them left. The rest were at the northern border. Fighting rogues. Following Damien into battle.

*Don’t think about that.*

“Sophie! Higher! You’re dropping your guard!”

Work. Focus on work.

My phone sat in my pocket. Silent. Heavy. Like it was mocking me.

21:35

1/14

No messages yet today. Damien usually texted by

noon. It was 2 PM.

*He’s busy. He’s fighting. Stop checking.*

I checked anyway. Nothing.

“Sera?” Jessica touched my arm. “You okay?”

“Fine.” I shoved the phone back in my pocket. “Let’s run the drill again.”

Claire found me after training ended.

I was in my office. Staring at schedules I couldn’t focus on. Trying not to look at my phone every thirty

seconds.

“Sera?” She knocked softly. “Do you have a moment?”

I looked up. She stood in the doorway. Her face

serious but kind.

“What’s wrong?” My stomach dropped instantly. “Is it Damien? Did something-”

“No, no.” She held up her hands quickly. “Nothing like that. I haven’t heard anything new from the front.”

21:35

2/14

My chest loosened slightly. “Then what?”

She came in. Closed the door. Sat across from

desk.

my

“The pack needs leadership,” she said. “With the Alpha gone. With Lucas deployed. With most of our senior warriors at the border.”

I set down my pen. “You have the Council.”

“The Council handles major decisions. Policy. Law.” Claire leaned forward. “But someone needs to handle

the daily things. The disputes. The questions. The everyday running of pack life.”

“So get someone from the Council to do it.”

“We’re asking you to do it.”

I stared at her. “Me?”

“You’re the Luna, Sera.” 2

2

“I’m not-” The words caught. “We’re getting divorced.”

“Have you filed the papers?”

No. I’d written them. Left them on the kitchen table. But I hadn’t actually filed anything.

21:35

3/14

“That’s not the point.”

“It is exactly the point.” Her voice was gentle but firm. “Right now, you are still the Luna. And the pack needs you.”

“They don’t need me. They need someone who knows what they’re doing.”

“You rebuilt the female warrior program.” Claire gestured toward the door. “You earned their respect. Their trust. They’re already coming to you with questions.”

I thought about Jessica asking me to mediate that dispute yesterday. About Riley’s mother wanting advice. About Maya requesting help with pack paperwork.

“I don’t know how to run a pack.”

“You don’t have to run it. Just maintain it. Make decisions. Show leadership while the Alpha is away.”

*While he’s away.* Not gone. Not dead. Just away.

“What if I make mistakes?”

21:35

4/14

“Then we fix them.” Claire smiled. “Together. But doing nothing is worse than making imperfect decisions.”

I looked at the schedules on my desk. At the

responsibility I didn’t want. At the role I’d been trying

to escape.

But someone had to do it. And maybe… maybe I owed the pack that much.

“Fine.” The word felt heavy. “Temporarily. Until Damien gets back.”

*When. When he gets back.*

“Thank you.” Relief washed over Claire’s face. “The Council will support you. I’ll help however I can.”

She left. And I sat there. Staring at my phone.

Still no messages.

The house felt too big at night.

Even with the kids there. Even with Mrs. Chen cooking dinner. Even with all the lights on.

21:35

5/14

Too many empty rooms. Too many spaces where Damien should be.

“Mama! Watch this!” Lily stood on the couch.

“Lily, no-”

She jumped. I caught her. Barely.

“You’re going to break something.” I set her down firmly.

“But you always catch me!” Her face was pure joy.

“That’s not the point.” I pointed at the floor. “Furniture is for sitting. Not jumping.”

“Dad lets me jump.”

“Dad’s not here.” The words came out sharper than

intended.

Lily’s face fell. “When’s he coming back?”

“I don’t know, baby.”

“But it’s been forever!”

Five days. It had been five days since Damien left for the border. Since he kissed the kids goodbye. Since

21:35

6/14

he’d looked at me with something in his eyes I couldn’t

name.

Five days that felt like five years.

“He’ll be back soon,” I lied. “He promised.”

*He better keep that promise.*

Adrian looked up from his homework at the kitchen table. “Have you heard from him today?”

“Not yet.” I pulled out my phone. Checked again. “But the border is probably busy.”

“Mom.” Adrian’s voice was too adult. Too knowing. “You check your phone every five minutes.”

“I do not.”

“You do.” He pushed his math book away. “And you get this look. Like you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared.”

“You are.” He stood up. Walked over. “It’s okay to be

scared. I’m scared too.”

My throat closed up. “Adrian-”

21:35

7/14

“I know you and Dad are fighting.” His eyes were wet but he didn’t cry. “I know you’re getting divorced. But he’s still our dad. And it’s okay to worry about him.”

I pulled him close. Held him tight. “You’re too smart for eight years old.”

“Nine next month.”

“Still too smart.”

My phone buzzed.

I pulled it out so fast I almost dropped it.

Damien.

**Damien: Border quiet tonight. Kids okay?**

Relief flooded through me. So strong my knees went weak.

He was alive. Safe. Okay.

“It’s Dad.” I showed Adrian the screen.

No message for me. Just for the kids. Which was fine. Good even.

We weren’t together anymore. We were getting

21:35

8/14

divorced. He didn’t owe me anything.

So why did it hurt?

The next morning came with no message.

I told myself it was fine. He’d texted yesterday. He was busy. Fighting. Leading.

By noon, my hands were shaking every time I looked at my phone.

“Sera?” Jessica waved a hand in front of my face. “Earth

to Sera?”

I blinked. “What?”

“I asked if you wanted to grab lunch.”

“Oh. Sure.”

We walked to the cafeteria. Sat at our usual table. I

picked at my food without really eating.

“You’re worried about him,” Jessica said. Not a

question.

“I’m fine.”

21:36

9/14

“You’re not fine. You haven’t been fine since he left.”

I set down my fork. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters.” She leaned forward. “Sera, I know you guys are having problems. Everyone knows. But that doesn’t mean you stop caring.”

“I don’t care.”

“You check your phone every two minutes.”

“I’m just—” I stopped. What was the point of lying? “I’m making sure he’s okay. For the kids.”

“Right. For the kids.” Jessica’s smile was knowing. “Not because you’re still in love with him.”

“I’m not in love with him.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

My phone buzzed.

I grabbed it immediately.

**Claire: Council meeting at 3 PM. They want your

input on border supply allocations.**

Not Damien. Just work.