Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6

NATALIA

Pain woke me. Not the sharp, screaming kind–but the dull, bruising ache of being shoved back into life.

I inhaled sharply.

The air was sterile. Clean. Tinged faintly with antiseptic and something herbal, like crushed mint leaves.

I blinked, vision swimming. White ceiling. Soft light. A pulse monitor beside me.

I remembered. The car accident. Falling. The impact. The water surging up around me.

My hand flew to my belly.

The baby.

My heart thundered.

Then, something inside me–my wolf–whispered that it was okay.

My baby.

Alive.

Tears sprang to my eyes before I could stop them. I didn’t sob. Just let them fall, warm and quiet, down my temples and into my hair. I had lived. My child had lived. For now.

The door creaked open.

A tall man stepped in. Dark hair. Green eyes. A jawline sharpened by years of holding back too many words.

Familiar but not.

Damon.

Andrei’s brother. Half–brother, technically. The one they never spoke of at the packhouse unless politics or tension made it unavoidable. The one who left after too many disagreements, who carved out his own path in land no one thought he could rule.

“You’re awake,” he said.

His voice was softer than I remembered. Or maybe I was just too raw to hear its usual edge.

I struggled to sit up. Damon moved forward quickly, placing a steadying hand on my arm. “Careful. You nearly

drowned.”

I hesitated. “The baby?”

“Safe,” he said. “You both are. The doctor said it was a miracle.”

I looked down at the blanket covering me. Hospital linens. My skin was clean, my hair damp but brushed. Someone had tended to me.

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My voice was hoarse. “Where am I?”

“My territory. North of the ridge. Not far from where you went off the road.”

I frowned. “You found me?”

He nodded. “One of my patrols noticed the guardrail was damaged. We sent a diver. The vehicle was still sinking when we got there.”

I swallowed hard. “Thank you.‘

He nodded once, then sat in the chair beside the bed. “Do you remember what happened?”

I did. Too well. The sensation of being hunted. The fear. The crash.

“I was being followed,” I said quietly. “An SUV. Black. I didn’t recognize it. It hit me. Twice.”

Damon’s eyes narrowed. “Do you know who sent it?”

“No. But it wasn’t an accident,” I said the words knowing they were true the moment they left my mouth. ” Someone wanted me dead.”

He rubbed his jaw, expression dark. “There are very few who would dare target the Luna of Andrei’s pack.”

I looked away. “I’m not his Luna anymore.”

He stilled. “What do you mean?”

I sniffed, turned away. “Our contract ended,” I said softly.

“You’re divorced?”

I nodded. “He signed the papers.”

He stood slowly, as if trying to understand something that didn’t fit. “Even knowing you were pregnant?”

“He didn’t know. I didn’t tell him.”

“Why not?”

I hesitated. The words lodged in my throat, bitter and familiar. “Because Lilith came back. And he didn’t need me anymore.”

I could see realization wash over him. Lilith he’d been there when Lilith had been. Had seen how much his brother loved her. Had seen how much his brother grieved when he thought her dead.

His voice dropped. “He’s marrying her?”

Before I could answer, the door opened again. A Beta entered, eyes flicking to me with surprise before turning to Damon.

“There’s a messenger from Andrei’s pack. Invitation to the engagement ceremony.”

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Damon’s jaw clenched. “Of course there is. That answers that question.”

The Beta handed him the envelope and left.

Damon opened it slowly. His gaze passed over the words like ice over a fire. Then he handed it to me.

Andrei and Lilith.

I stared at it until the letters blurred.

“I guess he’s not wasting any time,” I said bitterly.

Damon sat again. “He’s a fool.”

I shook my head. “It was a contract marriage, Damon,” I said. “Even if I maybe believed it wasn’t. But now…”

“He was the one who looked happiest when he talked about you,” Damon said. “Not her.”

I didn’t answer. The ache in my chest felt bottomless.

He leaned forward. “Rest. Recover. Protect the baby. I’ll find out who did this. You have my word.”

I hesitated. “Please don’t tell him I’m alive. Not yet.”

His eyes met mine. Searching. Measuring. Then he nodded.

***

The doctor recommended I walk daily to regain strength.

4

Damon’s pack was different from Andrei’s. More rural. Less polished. But the wolves were watchful, kind. A few nodded to me with curiosity, others with cautious deference. Word must have spread.

I kept to the outer paths, surrounded by birch trees and thick underbrush. The forest floor was springy beneath my shoes, the scent of moss and pine rich in the air. Insects buzzed lazily in the shade, and birds trilled in the high branches.

It would have been peaceful, under different circumstances.

Onyx, my wolf, stirred uneasily.

Something’s wrong.

I paused. Let the wind move over me. Then I heard it–rustling.

Not wind. Not deer.

Feet.

I turned–too late.

Three wolves stepped from the trees. Men. Tall. Scarred. Not from this pack.

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Their scent hit me like a blow: blood, sweat, iron. One had a knife strapped to his thigh. Another bore old burn scars curling around his throat.

I backed up. My wolf surged forward, but the transformation faltered. I wasn’t strong enough yet.

They saw it. One of them smirked.

“Thought we’d find you here.”

One lunged. I ducked, sprinting toward the nearest trail.

Branches whipped at my face as I ran. My lungs burned. The baby-

I couldn’t risk a fall. I had to make it back.

I screamed.

One caught my arm and slammed me to the ground. My vision went white. I kicked wildly, teeth bared. Blood bloomed in my mouth.

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