Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 32

Andrei & Lilith

Andrei

I had to come up with a way to get Natalia alone, away from Damon, so I could talk to her.

A few days had passed since she had told me she had aborted my baby, and it gave me time to think. Something was off about Natalia, and I had a feeling it was because of Damon.

He was manipulating her. I was certain of it. He had likely been manipulating her before she even left me- he was probably the reason she left and faked her death to begin with. Maybe he had even manipulated her into aborting our child.

I was certain, now, that if I could just get her alone and talk to her, really talk to her, then she would snap out of it and tell me the truth. Whether Damon had some kind of spell on her–metaphorically speaking—or if he was perhaps intimidating her into obeying his orders, I wasn’t sure. But I was determined to find out soon.

After considering my options for a few days, I finally came up with an idea.

It had been years since my pack had hosted a hunting competition. Not only would it be a great way to build rapport between packs, especially so soon after the Green Ridge merger, but it would also allow me to get Natalia alone in the woods. And if I could win the hunt and show my brother that I wasn’t messing around, assert my

dominance…

Well, that wouldn’t hurt, either.

Furthermore, a hunt would be the sort of event Damon couldn’t refuse. Hunts were a big deal in our society, and refusing to participate would imply an Alpha was too cowardly to compete. Damon, for all of his flaws, wasn’t a coward. He would certainly rise to the invitation, and of course he would have to bring his precious “Luna” with

him.

Right away, I began to plan the hunt. I needed it to be on neutral territory, somewhere forested with a rugged yet not too dangerous landscape that would be perfect for hunting.

I would also need to pick out an animal to release into the forest for the hunt. And of course I would need to plan a feast afterwards, as it was tradition at such events to roast and share the prey between the attendees–breaking bread despite the competitive nature of the event.

There was much to be done, but I felt a sense of vigor that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Planning this event felt like a thread of hope in what had been a rather hopeless situation for five years.

But the end of the dark tunnel was in sight now, and I could finally see that beautiful, bright white light. Natalia was alive. And if I could just find a way to get her out of whatever hold Damon had on her, then…

Then what, a small voice in the back of my head asked? We’d get back together? We’d have a family?

“You tried to kiss her,” my wolf growled. “You still miss her. You still-

No. I shoved my wolf back down, refusing to even entertain the thought that a tiny part of me loved Natalie. Even

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Chapter 32

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if I did, I couldn’t forgive her after what she had done–faking her death and leaving me like that, aborting our child, letting me mourn for five fucking years.

I just wanted to know the truth. And maybe a small part of me held onto the hope that she was lying about having an abortion, and that our child was still out there somewhere. Alive.

After planning out the basic logistics of the hunt, I contacted my Beta and told him to begin preparing the invitations. I wanted to invite various packs in the region, not just Damon’s pack, so as not to raise suspicions.

Only one decision remained: where to host the hunt. There were a lot of options, and I had a lot of factors to consider. It needed to be difficult enough terrain so that it would be reasonable for me to find a way to separate Natalia, who would certainly participate, from the rest of the group. But I also needed to be able to do that without making it too obvious that I was singling her out.

I was just considering my options when Lilith suddenly entered my office without an invitation. I hardly noticed her standing there until she cleared her throat, and when I looked up, she had her brow furrowed. She wore a delicate yellow dress, her soft brown hair carefully braided.

Goddess, she looked like Natalia in this light. I quickly shook my head as if to dispel the thoughts, my jaw clenching.

“I heard you’re planning on hosting a hunt,” she said.

I nodded. “Yes, I thought “I cut myself off, biting my tongue. How much could I really tell her? Lilith and I weren’t close like that, and if I confessed to my real reasons behind the hunt, she might just get jealous and even more bitter than she already was.

So instead, I said vaguely, “I thought it would be good for the packs. Build rapport and morale.”

Lilith’s eyes gleamed with intrigue. “Can I participate?”

At that, I instantly said, “No.”

Lilith frowned. “Why not?”

What was I supposed to say to that? I was still furious with her after what had happened with Natalia at the pool, and letting her participate in such an event–she had always loved hunts–felt like rewarding her for bad behavior.

Besides, I couldn’t risk her being alone with Natalia again, especially in the remote woods. I wasn’t sure what kind of fight might break out between the two of them, and I couldn’t let Lilith see what might go down if I managed to corner Natalia.

Finally, I settled on a half–truth. “You publicly fought with another Luna at the pool and lied to me about the circumstances. I don’t think you should participate in a leisure event after doing something so childish.”

Lilith’s eyes flashed dangerously. “I told you I didn’t-”

“Just… go,” I said, waving my hand dismissively. “I’m sorry, Lilith, but I’ve made my decision. You can stay at the feast and oversee the preparations.”

Lilith looked like she wanted to argue, but I didn’t give her a chance. I returned to my work, silently making it

Chapter 32

clear that this conversation was over.

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Lilith

I wasn’t stupid.

I knew why Andrei was really hosting the hunt–he wanted another excuse to see her. I knew it was true, because I had seen them that day in the cafe, when he had tried to kiss her.

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