Filed to story: Claimed by My Ex’s Alpha Brother
What the hell had she heard?
I prepared myself for the worst.
“Sandra asked me if I heard the good news,” my mom said with a sarcastic edge to her voice. “She told me that WaterLock was going to be protected by the Royal Guard thanks to Liam marrying the Alpha King’s daughter in a week.”
Ella POV
“What? But that doesn’t make sense, Liam has his own plan. He…” I trailed off.
I’d been about to say Liam wouldn’t do that. But obviously, he had, right? My mom’s friend wouldn’t make that up. Liam was getting married. And it wasn’t to me. Logically, I understood why he was getting married to Olivia. To gain WaterLock and his compound protection from the Rogues-it was the same reason he had been in an arranged marriage with Olivia when we were eighteen. But Liam had his own plan…
This didn’t make sense.
My head was full of racing thoughts.
I cleared my throat and blinked away tears.
“Did Sandra say anything else about the…wedding?” I asked my mom in a hollow voice.
The word “wedding” felt foreign coming out of my mouth.
“No, honey. I’m sorry. She didn’t know anything else. Sandra said that Alpha Everett held a meeting announcing that WaterLock was going to be protected thanks to Liam marrying Olivia,” my mom told me, her eyes full of concern.
“Liam’s dad held a pack meeting to tell everyone that?”
My mom nodded.
“Do you know if Liam was there?” I asked.
“Sandra didn’t say, honey. I’m sorry.”
My mom squeezed my hands again, but it did nothing to comfort me.
A painful ache had begun in the back of my skull, and I couldn’t think clearly. My head was so crammed with questions that it seemed like it might explode.
“What do you need right now, honey? What can I do for you?” my mom asked.
“I…need to think.”
That was all I wanted right now. Just a quiet place to organize my thoughts. And I couldn’t do that when I was in Liam’s house, surrounded by his things. I needed space from him.
“Why don’t you go for a walk?” my mom suggested. “You’ve been cooped up in this house for the past week. It would be good to get outside, wouldn’t it?”
“But what about Grayson…I’m sure he’ll wake up soon. After he fell into the pool last night, I wanted to be there for him this morning,” I said.
“I’ll take care of him. I’ll tell him that you will see him after your walk. Mia is at the hospital with your father. I have nowhere to be right now. Take some time for yourself, Ella. Moms are allowed to have alone time, too. Don’t feel guilty about needing some time for yourself.”
She’s right.
I hugged my mom and rested my head on her shoulder.
“Thank you, Mom. Do you mind making Grayson breakfast? I want to take a long run in my wolf form. It’s my favorite way to think,” I said.
“Of course, honey. Take your time. I’ll whip up some of my cranberry almond scones Grayson loves. You can have one when you get back.”
“You’re the best, Momma.”
I hadn’t called her that in a long time.
We stayed like that for a moment longer-just holding onto each other.
Not even five minutes later, I was running in my wolf form in the woods behind Liam’s house. The sun was slowly rising over the trees, and my paws crunched the colorful leaves.
Strangely, I didn’t feel sad, angry, embarrassed, or heartbroken.
I was confused.
As I ran through the woods, I tried to make sense of everything.
Why would Liam enter into an arranged marriage with the Alpha King’s daughter when he had been working on his own plan for so long? He had access to warriors that seemed to be just as good as the Royal Guard. And I knew that Liam wasn’t lying to me about his plan to defeat the Rogues. The night I helped him with his battle strategy, I’d seen proof that his warriors were almost ready to fight.
Why would he enter into a marriage with Olivia for members of the Royal Guard if he already had his own warriors? Did Liam attend the pack meeting where his dad announced the arranged marriage? Did Liam not know about his own arranged marriage? Was that even possible?
I slowed down and considered that thought.
Obviously, I was missing information. Even if Liam was lying to me in some way, I needed to talk to him. I wanted to give him a chance to explain his actions and see if we could talk things through. I couldn’t run away from him. Not again. Not anymore. Because we had a son together, Liam and I needed to at least be civil toward each other.
And I refused to give up on Liam before he even had a chance to defend himself.
I hadn’t been paying attention to my surroundings. I froze when I looked around me. I’d just entered a clearing with a small stream. Along the bank of the water were flat rocks…flat enough to lay down on.
It can’t be…
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?