Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother (by CalebWhite) novel Chapter 192

Chapter 192

Trin. this deep voice cut through my spiral. Without warning, his hand covered mine, stilling my fidgeting fingers. The warmth of his touch sent a shock through my system, immediately calming my wolf.

Look at me.”

1 tarned to face him fully. Derek released my hand only to reach up and cup my face, his thumb brushing my cheek in a surprisingly gentle gesture. My breath caught in my throat.

As my Soul Fond, your presence is required,” he said, his voice softer but still carrying that unmistakable authority. “I will be with you. Don’t concern yourself with how other wolves might react.”

When I remained tense, he sighed and did something completely unexpected. He pulled me across the center console and into his side, his arm wrapping firmly around my shoulders. I froze in surprise, then gradually relaxed against him, my head resting against his chest where I could hear his steady heartbeat.

“No one will disrespect what’s mine,” he murmured, his lips brushing my temple. The possessive words should have offended me, but instead, they sent a wave of warmth through my body.

His hand moved to my back, rubbing firm circles between my shoulder blades. The pressure was just right–strong enough to ground me, gentle enough to comfort. I found myself melting into his touch, my anxiety receding.

When we approached the estate gates, Derek tilted my chin up with his finger. His eyes searched mine for a moment before he leaned down and pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth–not quite a kiss, but more intimate than any touch we’d shared before.

Remember who you are with,” he said against my skin, his breath warm. “You’re under my protection.”

The words carried weight beyond mere reassurance–they were a declaration. I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. When he released me to return to my seat, I felt oddly bereft, but significantly calmer.

When the luxury Jaguar pulled up to the private entrance of Darkwood Estate, my newfound confidence began to crack. This was where I’d made my desperate claim, where I’d disrupted Derek’s binding ceremony with Mya, where I’d been humiliated in front of the entire pack.

Each step toward the entrance felt heavier than the last. My pálms grew sweaty, and I wiped them discreetly against my dress. The guards at the door straightened as they saw Derek approach, their eyes widening slightly when they noticed me beside him.

I remembered how Judy Stone had once smiled warmly at me when I was just Bradley’s girlfriend–the sweet omega dating her younger son. She’d even invited me for tea once, commenting on my “lovely manners.”

But that was before I’d crashed her elder son’s binding ceremony, before I’d publicly claimed to be the Alpha’s Soul Bond, before I’d thrown the carefully arranged pack hierarchy into chaos.

Derek strode ahead with his characteristic authority, then paused when he realized I wasn’t keeping pace. He turned back, waiting for me, his expression softening just enough for me to notice.

I hurried to catch up, and as I reached him, his hand found the small of my back, guiding me. The contact steadied me, though my heart still raced with apprehension.

Together, we entered the family wing of Darkwood Estate. Derek’s parents were seated on plush sofas in the grand living room. Judy’s eyes found me immediately, and the warmth I’d once seen there had frozen into ice. Her lips thinned to a hard line, and her nostrils flared slightly- a werewolf’s instinctive reaction to an unwelcome scent.

The transformation in her attitude toward me was stark. Where once she’d seen a suitable girlfriend for her younger son, she now saw the omega who had disrupted her carefully laid plans for the pack’s future. The omega who had the audacity to claim her powerful son as a mate.