All Chapters of Dumped By The Alpha, I Married His Stepbrother: Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

"Permanently."The word landed heavier than the collapsed compound behind us."What does that actually mean," I asked, forcing my voice steady despite the exhaustion still dragging at every limb. "Permanently how.""She's still analyzing," Marcus said, reading further down the message. "But she says early indicators suggest your body has begun producing the resistance marker naturally now, rather than simply carrying it as a fixed trait from birth. It's replicating, spreading, integrating into new cells as they form.""That sounds like an infection," Isolde said, alarm sharpening her voice."Or it sounds like evolution," Chloe said quietly, still sitting a short distance away. "Forced, violent, unwanted, but evolution nonetheless.""I don't want to evolve into something Cornelius designed," I said, my voice cracking despite my effort to hold it steady. "I want to be exactly who I was before he ever touched me."Lucien's

"Five years."I repeated it slowly, trying to make the number fit against everything I thought I already understood about Corinne."Before any of this conspiracy came to light," Lucien said, disbelief edging into his voice. "Before Bartholomew ever revealed himself, before you ever woke up in that hospital bed. She was already working on this.""That doesn't necessarily mean something sinister," Doctor Anwei said carefully. "It could mean exactly what it appears to mean. That she discovered Cornelius's original research somehow, and decided to pursue the reversal quietly, on her own, long before circumstances forced everything else into the open.""Or it means she's been playing a longer game than any of us gave her credit for," Marcus said, appearing in the doorway, clearly having been alerted the moment Doctor Anwei made her discovery."We need to ask her directly," I said, already pushing myself upright despite the late hour and l

"A corrupted influence, actively reacting."I sat with Marcus's words, exhaustion and old dread settling heavy despite everything genuinely positive we'd achieved this past week."We need to speak with Isabeau directly," Lucien said. "Tonight, if possible."Marcus arranged a video call within the hour, Isabeau's composed features appearing on the screen, though her expression carried genuine strain despite her attempt at steady authority."Thank you for responding so quickly," she said. "I wanted to explain this properly, rather than through fragmented messages.""Tell us everything," I said.Isabeau drew a slow breath. "Since our confrontation, since agreeing to genuine collaboration rather than coercion, I've spent considerable time actually studying our containment structure properly, rather than simply commanding it the way I'd been raised to believe was my right.""And you found something concerning," Seraphine said, having joined the call given her direct historical connection t

"Pull back."Lucien's shout carried no effect. Seraphine and Isabeau remained locked in whatever grip had claimed them, their bodies rigid, breath coming in short, pained gasps."They can't hear us," Doctor Anwei said, kneeling beside them, checking pulses that raced dangerously fast. "Whatever's happening, it's happening entirely within their connection.""Can we reach them," I asked, already moving forward despite Lucien's hand catching my arm."You're pregnant," he said sharply. "Whatever's attacking them, I won't risk you joining that connection blind.""Then what do we do," I demanded, fear sharpening every word. "We can't simply watch."Aveline stepped forward, her ancient composure carrying steady focus despite the danger. "I can try. My own connection is different from theirs, rooted in something considerably more resilient than stone or coercion.""Is that safe," Damien asked, his protective instinct extend

"Something considerably more significant than any of us have yet imagined."Victoria's words hung heavy in the room, and for a moment nobody spoke, everyone processing the weight of a fourth ancient presence layered atop everything we'd already struggled to understand."We need to find Sylvaine properly," I said finally. "Not through fragmented visions, but through genuine contact, the same way we eventually reached Aveline and Isabeau.""If it's been hidden this long, deliberately," Seraphine said, "it may not be easily found.""Then we let it find us," Aveline suggested. "If it's genuinely watching for the moment convergence becomes possible, perhaps proceeding with our formal council, properly, transparently, is exactly what draws it forward."We spent the following two weeks in careful, urgent preparation, the formal council finally convening at Aveline's peaceful clearing, representatives from Seraphine's primary lineage, Isabeau's Valmont family, and Aveline's community gatherin