All Chapters of Dumped By The Alpha, I Married His Stepbrother: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

"Chloe." The name tore out of me before I could stop myself, and every head in the clearing turned toward the sound.Victoria's eyes widened in horror. "Elena, no. Stay back."The elderly man's gaze settled on me, cold assessment sweeping across my face, and something flickered behind his eyes that I recognized instantly, the same calculating recognition Damien had shown at the celebration."So," he said quietly. "The ghost finally shows herself.""Let Chloe go," I said, stepping into the clearing despite Lucien's hand gripping my arm in warning."Elena," Lucien murmured urgently, but I shook him off, my attention fixed entirely on the frightened woman bound between the two armed men."You must be Elena Kingsley," the old man said, ignoring my demand entirely. "I've heard a great deal about you this morning. Rather more than I anticipated when this day began.""Who are you," I said."Bartholomew Ashford," he said, inclining his head slightly, an old world formality that felt grotesque

Victoria's hand flew to her mouth, and Lucien was already moving toward the door before the echo had finished rolling through the trees."Stay back," he said, positioning himself in front of us as he eased the door open a crack."That came from where we left Marcus," I said, my heart slamming against my ribs."I know."More shots rang out, closer this time, followed by shouting, voices overlapping in chaos and urgency."We can't stay here," Victoria said. "If Bartholomew's men are firing on Marcus, they'll come for us next."Lucien pushed the door open fully, scanning the tree line with careful precision. "There's a path leading away from the main trail, toward the eastern ridge. If we move now, we might be able to circle back toward the chamber grounds without crossing whoever's out there.""And if we run into them instead," I said."Then we deal with that when it happens," Lucien said. "Standing here waiting isn't a plan."We slipped out of the lodge together, moving low and fast th

"Victoria." Her name tore out of me as I dropped to my knees beside her, blood already spreading across the stone floor beneath her shoulder."She's breathing," Lucien said, pressing his hand against the wound, his voice tight with controlled urgency. "Marcus, we need help in here now."Bartholomew stood frozen near the doorway, the weapon still smoking in his hand, something almost like shock passing across his face before it hardened back into cold resolve."She betrayed me," he said quietly. "There's a price for that, regardless of blood.""You shot your own granddaughter," I said, fury and grief tangling together as I pressed my hands against Victoria's shoulder alongside Lucien's, trying to stem the bleeding."A mistake," Bartholomew said, though his voice carried no genuine regret. "One that changes nothing about what needs to happen next."Marcus burst through the doorway, weapon raised, and took in the scene in an instant, Victoria bleeding on the floor, Bartholomew still stan

"Marcus."I said his name like it might break apart if I said it too loudly."That's not possible," I said, though even as I said it, memory after memory rearranged itself in my mind. The way he'd looked at me in that hospital room a year ago. The way he'd said your eyes never changed. The careful, protective distance he'd kept ever since, watching over me the way a stranger never would."He pulled you out of that car," Lucien said slowly. "The night of the accident. He said he'd been watching the Kingsley estate for months.""Because he knew," I said. "Not suspected. Knew, the entire time, and never said a single word."Lucien's jaw tightened. "We need to find him. Now."We left Victoria's room quickly, Damien staying behind at her bedside while Marcus's name echoed through my mind with every step down the hospital corridor. We found him near the entrance, speaking quietly with one of the council guards, his expression shifting to concern the moment he saw our faces."What happened,"

"Escaped.""How," Lucien demanded, already moving toward the door. "You had him under formal council custody.""Two guards were overpowered during the transfer between holding facilities," the guard said, breathless. "We believe he had help. Someone on the inside coordinated the timing.""Edmund," the senior elder said grimly. "Even under suspicion, he still had enough authority this morning to arrange something like this.""We need him found immediately," Lucien said."Search teams are already deploying across the eastern district," the guard said. "But Caleb knows this territory better than most of us. If he's determined to disappear, he has the resources and connections to manage it."I sat frozen beside Victoria's bed, the relief I'd felt only moments earlier evaporating instantly."He won't run," I said quietly.Everyone turned toward me."What do you mean," Lucien asked."Caleb has s