My Ex Husband The Alpha His Brother The Rogue novel Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Chapter 76

-Laila

I hate the way silence presses down on this house. It’s not quiet. Not really. The lake house carries a sound.

Sometimes, it’s the sound of the wind moving through the trees outside. And other times, it’s the creak in the walls, like they’re also anticipating yet another awkward gathering to come.

The Alpha’s summit is tomorrow.

Grandfather and his tales of a family trip and fostering unity considered, it’s the reason we came to Canyon Islands in the first place.

But it turns out I’d fallen off a balcony, and was nearly swept away in a snow storm, in the space of five days.

Saying this trip was sure to be a disaster was an understatement.

After the tense breakfast yesterday, I’d gotten just one day of peace and quiet. Just one day to spend with my son after all the chaos of this family trip.

Yesterday, with the Blackwoods all occupied with preparations for the summit, and Sarah nowhere to be seen, it was just Liam and I…and the memories the lake house triggers.

Just when I thought the summit was the last social event I would have to sit through for this trip, Kael returned with the news that Grandfather had scheduled a private dinner with a few top Alphas and Lunas, right here, in the Lake house.

It finally makes sense why all the staff had returned and were so busy since yesterday.

Now, I’m standing in front of a mirror.

The dinner begins in less than a half hour. I’m not sure who’s going to be present but judging from the dress laid out on my bed, I can imagine.

It wasn’t the dress I initially planned to wear. I didn’t have any plans, if I’m being honest. The dinner came up so suddenly, I only found out about it this morning.

Kael probably knew for longer, but after our encounter in the hallway after breakfast, he was away for the rest of the day and only returned to our room this morning.

It’s not the first awkward silence in the years we’ve been married. But for some reason… the silence is heavier this time. With the weight of the memories our bodies now have of each other.

Complications… I’d avoided them for three years and in one night, I let it all crash.

But I can’t keep blaming myself. The day with Liam cheered me up enough to move on.

Marie came up with my dress for dinner a short time ago. Kael sent it over, she said.

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Chapter 76

It’s made of black silk. Always black. Like grief painted with elegance and luxury.

I could have figured it out myself. Kael’s taste in fashion was always just like him.

Dark and elegant. Sinful…but enchanting.

Exhaling slowly, I put on the dress. It clings perfectly at the waist. A bit too much, even.

The neckline dips low enough that I already feel exposed, even before leaving the room.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, and the person staring back is not someone I recognize.

I look less like Laila, and more like a Blackwood wife. Like someone’s trophy. Shiny…but hollow.

Staring into my eyes, I still find that spark. It’s small, barely noticeable…but it’s there.

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A spark that refuses to die. A reminder that I’m more, so much more than what the Blackwoods want me to be.

The thought brings a small smile to my lips. But the smile doesn’t hold.

It drops as the door creaks open, without a knock.

I don’t need to look to know it’s Kael. He never knocks. And if that isn’t telling enough, then his presence… it’s not something you can miss or mistake.

He stands in the doorway for a moment, watching. I don’t turn to acknowledge him, but I see him from the reflection in the mirror.

He’s dressed smartly in black tailored pants and a crisp black shirt tucked in. His tie hangs loosely from his neck and the top few buttons of his shirt are still undone.

His hair is messy, like he’d styled it and then run a hand through it a few times to make it more Kael.

And it does look more like him…a rough kind of elegance. Regal, but sharp around the edges. Sharp enough

to cut.

He fills the space without even trying. His broad shoulders shadow the hall behind him.

His eyes rake down my form, examining my dress first. And then they shift to my hands where I still fumble with the zipper.

“You’ll be late at this rate.” He says. His characteristic deep baritone carries more weight than the words themselves.

“I wouldn’t want to embarrass you.” I mutter lowly. My tone comes out sharper than I intend, but I leave it at

that.

There’s no need to soften things between us. What we have is rough, unruly and constantly cutting into each other enough to draw blood.

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Chapter 76

And somehow, I think I’m slowly becoming more like Kael.

He smirks but doesn’t bite back. He just walks inside, his steps slow and deliberate until he’s standing right behind me

His reflection rises over my shoulder in the mirror. Every inch of his dark elegance…dark suit, dark eyes and lips pulled into a thin line in the way it is when he’s holding something back.

“Hold still.” His fingers brush the exposed skin of my back as he pulls the zipper up slowly, lingering for a moment at the clasp of my bra.

It’s just a practical movement. Nothing more. But my stomach tightens like he’d done it with intent… like the memory of the cabin has taken root underneath my skin and just won’t fade.

I see the smirk on his lips. He knows how much effect he has on me and he’s not afraid to exploit it.

I hate it. I hate him for it. I hate me for it.

He reaches for the necklace on the vanity, a simple pendant that stopped being simple at the sight of the rough cut diamond crested in the center.

It arrived alongside the dress. Another thing Kael had picked out to build the persona he wants on his arm.

Laila Blackwood… Kael’s treasured wife.

I pull my hair out of the way and his fingers graze my neck this time as he locks the clasp in place.

“You’re trembling.” He says, his voice barely audible, but clear enough that I know it’s not a question.

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