Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother (by CalebWhite) novel Chapter 222

Chapter 222

Erin’s POV

I stood up abruptly, shock coursing through me. ‘Mrs. Stone, what are you saying?”

“I’m offering you a way out,” she said, rising to meet my gaze. A comfortable life for you and your family. In exchange, you’ll leave Derek alone.”

‘You can’t be serious,” I whispered.

“You must know this can’t last, she pressed. “You’re an Omega from a nobody family. Derek needs a woman from a strong lineage, someone who can strengthen the pack’s position. You’re just…” she waved her hand dismissively, ‘a distraction. A temporary amusement.

Her words cut deep, voicing the insecurities I’d been fighting since the beginning. Why was being an Omega so important? Why did it define my worth in her eyes? And worse, Derek had never actually said he loved me.

“Take the money and go,” Judy urged, extending the check toward me. “It’s the sensible choice.”

With trembling fingers, I took the check from her hand. Judy’s lips curved into a triumphant smile.

“I knew it,” she said softly. “I knew you wouldn’t refuse such an amount…”

Looking her directly in the eyes, I tore the check in half, then into quarters, the sound of ripping paper loud in the quiet room.

“Mrs. Stone,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt, “you could offer me all the money in the world, and my answer would be the same. I love your son. No one can buy the connection between soul mates.”

I placed the torn pieces back in her palm and turned to leave, but Judy grabbed my arm, her grip surprisingly strong.

“To him, you’re just a kitten to be called and dismissed at will,” she hissed, her voice low enough that only I could hear. “I’ll make him see that. Do you know why I’ve been replacing his maids with young women? They’re all girls I’ve personally selected, with better backgrounds than yours. He can play with them instead of fixating on you.”

Tears pricked my eyes at her cruelty. “Why would you do this-?;

“What’s going on here?”

Derek’s deep voice cut through the tension. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, freshly showered, his expression darkening as he took in the scene before him. Judy immediately released my arm.

I quickly wiped away the threatening tears and forced a smile. “Alpha, I need to go. I’ll see you at the company tomorrow.” I kept my head lowered as I moved past him toward the door.

Once outside, I let the tears fall freely. I wiped them away quickly, though, reminding myself that Derek had chosen me, had claimed me as his. Whatever his mother thought, whatever schemes she was planning, Derek and I were bound by something deeper than she could understand.

The sleek black car that had brought me yesterday pulled up alongside me, the driver rolling down his window.

“Miss Blackwood, the Alpha asked me to take you home.”

Even now, with everything happening, Derek was looking out for me. I nodded gratefully and slid into the backseat.

As we pulled away from the house, the driver handed me something. “You left your phone, miss. I found it on the side table.”

I thanked him and glanced at the screen, noticing several notifications from an unknown number, Opening the messages, I read:

1/3

Chapter 222

(I just passed by your favorite pastry shop. Wish I could buy one for you.]

[Why aren’t you responding?] This had been sent early that morning.

And most recently: [Are you okay?]

I frowned, confused. These messages weren’t from Derek–he had been with me this morning. Who else would be texting me like this?

With hesitant fingers, I typed: [Who is this?]

The response came almost immediately: [How about we meet tomorrow at that café near Silvermoon Academy?)

Derek’s POV

I watched Erin leave, noting the barely concealed distress in her eyes. Turning to my mother, I found her already seated at the breakfast table, acting as if nothing had happened. I joined her, maintaining a cold silence as Martha served our food.

“Why did you bring that girl to your home?” my mother finally asked, her voice sharp with disapproval.

I continued eating, deliberately ignoring her question. When I finally looked up, my gaze was so cold that my mother dabbed at her forehead with her handkerchief, a nervous habit she’d had since I was a child.

I knew what she was thinking. The prophecy about me–that I would lead the pack to unprecedented heights. How I had been different from birth, showing Alpha traits even as a toddler. How I had destroyed a rival pack in a single night when I was just twenty–one. How I had turned Stone Group into a global enterprise before I was thirty.

“You keep asking the same question, and I’m not answering,” I finally said. “That means I don’t want to answer, Mother.”

She lowered her voice to a mutter. “I just don’t understand why both you and Bradley are fixated on that girl.”

My fork clattered against the plate. “What did you say to her?” I demanded, my voice dangerously quiet. “Why was she crying?”

“I didn’t tell her to leave,” my mother protested, but her eyes shifted away from mine.

“Is that why you’ve been sending those young maids here?” I asked, connecting the dots. “You’re trying to distract me?”

My mother’s silence was answer enough.

“Mother,” I said, my voice dropping to a growl, “don’t mistake my tolerance for weakness. I won’t bend to your will just because you’re ill. I am the Alpha.”

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