Reclaimed By My Alpha (Natalia and Andrei) novel Chapter 97

Natalia

“We need to send them away,” I finally said.

Damon’s face crumpled. “I know.”

The words felt like a knife twisting in my chest. We’d been dancing around this conversation all night, ever since we’d returned from the meeting with Andrei..

With the Moonshadow warriors arriving in the morning, it was too risky to keep the twins here. We’d both known it the moment Andrei had made his offer.

“Just until the warriors leave,” Damon said, perhaps more to himself than to me. “A few weeks, maybe a month at most.”

I swallowed hard, feeling a painful lump form in my throat. We’d almost sent them away once before, after Andrei had discovered I was alive. But then Andrei had backed off, and the threat had seemed less immediate. We’d decided to keep them close, to protect them ourselves.

Now, the threat was coming right to our doorstep. We’d invited it in, even, by accepting Andrei’s offer of help.

“We should tell them now,” I said, standing. “The sooner the better.‘

Damon nodded and stood, following me out of his study and upstairs. The twins, as usual, were still awake–they always snuck around after bedtime, curling up under the blankets together to read or play by the light of a flashlight. They thought we didn’t know, and their nighttime antics often frustrated me because it meant they’d be grumpy in the morning.

But now, the sight of their little forms huddled under the blanket, illuminated by a single light, just made me want to cry.

“Max, Jane,” Damon said.

The little mass under the covers gasped and wriggled, and two heads popped out. Max and Jane immediately pointed at each other. “It was Max’s idea!” Jane whined. “I told him we were supposed to go to bed but he wanted to play!”

“Nuh–uh,” Max huffed. “It was Jane’s-”

“You’re not in trouble, loves.” I sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. “Uncle Damon and I need to talk to you.”

The twins looked at each other with a puzzled expression, then at us.

“You’re going to go stay at the vacation cottage for a little while,” Damon said.

“It’s going to be fun,” I said, forcing a smile. “Remember how much fun you had there last time? The cottage has that big yard with the swing, and the creek where you can catch frogs.”

“Are you coming with us?” Jane whispered.

1/3

I shook my head, blinking away tears. “No, sweetheart. Uncle Damon and I have to stay here.”

“I don’t want to go if you’re not going,” Max declared, folding his arms. “I want to stay here with you.”

Jane’s lower lip trembled. “Me too.”

“It’s just for a little while,” I said, reaching out to brush Jane’s hair back from her face. “Mommy and Uncle Damon have some important work to do, and-”

“No!” Max suddenly shouted, jumping to his feet atop the mattress. “You’re lying! You’re sending us away forever!”

“Max, please-”

“You don’t want us anymore!” he cried. “You found our real daddy and you’re going to make more babies with him to replace us! That’s why you keep going away so much!”

My heart shattered into a million pieces. “That’s not true, Max. It’s just—”

“No!” He was full–on crying now, tears streaming down his face. “You’re lying! You’re always lying!”

“Max,” I whispered, standing up and moving toward him with outstretched arms.

But he darted away from me, jumping down from the bed and snatching up a wooden car and hurling it across the room. It hit the wall with a loud crack, breaking into pieces. I flinched. Damon tensed beside

1. me.

“I hate you!” Max screamed. “I hate both of you!”

Jane burst into tears then, clutching the stuffed wolf she always slept with to her chest and wailing at the top of her lungs. With a choked sound of distress, I dropped to my knees, trying to gather them both into my arms, but Max pushed me away. He ran to the corner of the room and curled up into a ball.

Jane allowed herself to be held, burying her face against my neck as she cried. I rocked her gently, whispering soothing words into her ear, but my own tears were falling now too, hot and fast.

But Max was inconsolable, refusing to look at either of us. When Damon crouched down beside him, he just growled, baring his little fangs. The sight made my heart ache even more.

“Are we really going forever?” Jane finally managed once her sobs had turned into hiccups.‘

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify