All Chapters of After Finding My Alpha's Secret Family, I Faked My Death: Chapter 21 - Chapter 29

Third-Person Omniscient POVBy the time Damon Blackwood entered Alexander's study, Elara was already on her way there.She'd spent the morning helping the children decorate cookies and had set aside a small box of Alexander's favorites. He'd been working late all week, and she thought he might appreciate something homemade.Carrying the box, she made her way down the familiar corridor, completely unaware of the visitor waiting behind his office door.She was only a few steps away when a voice stopped her.“I came because I heard you have a new art teacher.”Elara froze. It was Damon.For one terrible moment, she thought she'd imagined it. Then she heard him speak again, and there was no mistaking the voice she'd once loved more than anything.She slipped into the shadows of a recessed doorway.Inside the study, Damon Blackwood stood across from Alexander's desk.“I was told she resembles my Luna,” Damon continued. “I want to meet her.”Alexander regarded him coolly. “People resemble on

Third-Person Omniscient POVThe moment Elara spoke the final words, something inside Damon shattered.The mate bond that had once connected them snapped with a force that sent a violent spasm through his body. Damon doubled over, one hand pressed against his chest as an agonizing emptiness spread through him.He couldn't tell which hurt more: the injuries Alexander had inflicted, the unbearable pain of losing their bond, or the realization that Elara had finally stopped loving him enough to stay.For five years, he'd taken her presence for granted. Even when he'd neglected her, even when he'd broken promises and left her waiting, some part of him had always believed she would be there when he returned.Now she was standing only a few feet away, and he had never felt farther from her.“Elara…” He struggled to lift his arm, reaching toward her with trembling fingers.“I missed you,” he whispered hoarsely. “God, I've missed you so much. Every day since you disappeared, I've regretted wha

Damon’s POVI stared at the photograph on my phone.Elara stood on a beach, her arms wrapped around Alexander's waist, her cheek resting against his chest. They looked comfortable together. Intimate, even.Spring had finally arrived in Blackwood territory, but a terrible cold settled inside me as I studied the picture.The day Elara rejected me, Alexander had ordered his guards to escort me beyond the northern border. I'd tried returning several times, only to be turned away before I could get anywhere near his pack.Even my requests for a formal audience had been rejected. I had no choice but to leave, though I never stopped keeping track of Elara's life from afar, doing whatever I could to make sure she was safe and happy.And now there was this photograph.I wasn't angry with Elara. I was terrified.Terrified that she might fall in love with Alexander, that she'd eventually stop thinking about me altogether. That one day, she'd wake up beside him and realize she had everything she'd

Elara's POVAfter what I said, Alexander simply stared at me.I'd never seen him look so completely lost for words. This was the Alpha King who could silence an entire council with a glance, yet now he stood in front of me as though he'd forgotten how to speak.“Alexander?” I asked, smiling. “What's wrong?”“Nothing.” He let out a breathless laugh. “I'm just… happy. I thought you were going to forgive Damon and leave with him.”“Is that why you looked so miserable when I came out?”He gave me a sheepish smile. “I was trying to prepare myself.”Before I could answer, he pulled me into his arms, holding me so tightly that I could feel his heart racing against mine.“I've waited more than ten years for this,” he whispered into my hair. “I never thought I'd actually get to hold you like this.”I wrapped my arms around him. “You could have told me sooner.”“I didn't want you to feel you owed me anything.”I leaned back enough to look at him. “Then let me make one thing clear. I'm not choosi

Elara's POVFor a moment, nobody moved.Vanessa was still kneeling on the ground, her face twisted with hatred, while Damon stared at her as though he were seeing her for the first time.Then he grabbed her by the throat. “You killed my children?”His voice was so low that I barely recognized it.Vanessa clawed at his wrist. “Damon, I—”“Answer me!” His fingers tightened, lifting her off the ground.I'd seen Damon angry before, but never like this. His eyes had turned almost completely black, and the fury coming from his wolf was so overwhelming that even the guards rushing toward us hesitated.Vanessa struggled desperately, her feet kicking against the air.Damon didn't loosen his grip.He'd believed he already knew the worst of what Vanessa had done. She'd lied about her children being his, manipulated him for years, and deliberately destroyed our bonding.But now he knew the truth.The babies we'd lost, the endless hospital visits, the years I'd spent believing my body had failed me