Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 41

Natalia

“Those are deep,” the healer said with a sigh as she finished examining my wounds. “You’ll need stitches.”

I bit down on my lip as the healer began cleaning the wounds. The alcohol burned worse than the initial injury, and I grabbed Damon’s hand without thinking. He squeezed back, lacing his fingers through mine, his other hand coming up to brush my hair back from my sweaty forehead.

“We should have been more careful,” Damon muttered as he watched the healer work. “I should have sensed that

wolf coming, but I was too busy fighting-”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I cut him off through gritted teeth as the needle pierced my skin. “None of us expected a feral wolf in the middle of a hunt.”

By the time my wound was cleaned and stitched, word had clearly spread. As Damon helped me limp out of the medical tent toward the feast grounds, I caught the whispers following us.

“-heard they didn’t even see the elk-”

“-too busy with each other to pay attention-

“She must be a weak Luna if she can’t handle a simple hunt without a male carrying her to safety…”

My cheeks burned, but I kept my head high. They didn’t know what had really happened out there, didn’t know about Andrei cornering me or the fight between the two brothers. All they saw was an injured Luna and an Alpha who had failed to bring home the prize.

“Maybe we should just go,” I said quietly as we reached the main gathering area. Tables had been set up in a large circle, the torches already lit against the approaching dusk. A large bonfire had been set up in preparation for the roast. “My leg-”

“We can go if you want,” Damon replied gently.

But even as he said it, I knew it wasn’t the right decision. If we scurried away now, it would just paint us as an even weaker couple. Our whole reason for attending this hunt had been to avoid coming across as weak, and if we left before the feast even began just because of some cuts on my leg…

Just then, a collective gasp rose from the crowd, and we both turned toward the tree line.

Andrei slowly emerged from the forest dragging the massive bull elk behind him, its impressive rack of antlers leaving deep furrows in the dirt. Blood coated Andrei’s hunting leathers, streaking down his chest and arms. But it was his eyes that made my breath catch–cold and determined, fixed directly on Damon and me.

He’d done it. He’d taken down that enormous animal alone, after everything that had happened. After our fight, after the feral wolf… He had finished the hunt and claimed victory.

Voices exploded around us.

“Alpha Andrei took it down single–handedly!”

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Chapter 41

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“Now that is true Alpha strength.”

“Meanwhile, his brother couldn’t even protect his own Luna…”

Each word felt like a papercut–small and fairly insignificant, but when there were so many, it was just as painful as the three deep gashes on my legs. What made it worse was that I saw several Alphas from other packs exchanging looks, reassessing, recalculating. If they thought Damon was weak, if they thought our pack was

vulnerable…

“That’s enough,” I said, loud enough for nearby onlookers to hear. The words burst out of me, fueled by frustration and the memory of Andrei’s mouth on mine, his hands tangling in my hair. How dare he stand there looking victorious when he’d cornered me in the woods like prey?

The crowd turned to look at me, and I straightened despite the pain in my leg. “You want to know why we didn’t finish the hunt? Why my mate chose to carry me to safety instead of chasing after some elk?”

I paused, making sure I had everyone’s attention. Andrei had stopped dragging his prize, those green eyes narrowing as he watched me.

“Because when a feral wolf attacked me, Damon didn’t hesitate. He chose to protect me over winning some competition. He chose his mate over his pride.” I let my gaze sweep over the assembled wolves. “That’s real strength. Any Alpha can kill an animal. But putting someone else’s safety above your own glory takes true courage.”

I turned to Damon then and reached up, cupping his face between my palms, and pulled him down toward me.

“Thank you,” I said. “For choosing me.

I tilted my face up, angling it just right, and pressed my lips to the corner of his mouth. To anyone watching, it would look like a real kiss. But only Damon and I knew the truth–that my lips had barely even grazed his, that it was all for show.

Still, I felt him tense beneath my touch, felt the way his hands came up to rest on my waist. For a moment, I thought he might turn his head and make it real.

But then I pulled back, turning to face the crowd again with what I hoped looked like love–drunk satisfaction. The whispers had changed completely now, full of approval and even some swooning from the younger attendees. Damon the devoted mate. Damon the protector. Damon, the strong male who had given up victory for love.

Over Damon’s shoulder, my eyes found Andrei’s across the feast grounds. Even from here, I could see that familiar muscle jumping above his jaw. Then, without a word, he turned away and continued dragging his elk toward the preparation area.

Smug satisfaction filled my chest. I’d turned his victory into ash, transformed the narrative from his strength to Damon’s devotion. The whispers that followed him now weren’t full of awe but questions–why had he chosen the elk over an injured woman? Where had he been when his brother was carrying me back to safety?

But underneath the satisfaction, guilt twisted in my stomach. I’d just manipulated an entire crowd, twisted the truth to serve my purposes. I’d used Damon, too by pretending to kiss him, making him part of my performance without a care for his true feelings.

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Chapter 41)

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