Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers-Chapter 559: Another Secret

Evaline:

The word still echoed in my head long after Elion had said it.

Mates.

The moment it left his lips, he straightened as if the conversation had reached its natural end. There was no hesitation, no lingering curiosity, just that same composed finality he carried like a second skin.

He rose from the couch.

My body followed on instinct, pushing up from the couch even though my mind lagged several heartbeats behind. The room seemed unreal for a moment... too quiet, too still... while my thoughts spiraled, looping over that single word again and again.

Mates. Mates. Mates.

Maybe it had been a mistake.

A slip of the tongue.

An assumption phrased poorly.

That fragile hope clung to me as Elion crossed the room, his long strides unhurried, as if he hadn't just upended my entire sense of reality. He reached the door, his fingers brushing the handle.

If he walked out now, I wasn't sure I would be able to breathe.

"Alpha Grey," I said quickly, the word tumbling out sharper than intended.

He paused but didn't turn yet.

I swallowed and forced my voice to steady. "Did you mean… Draven?"

He glanced back over his shoulder, one eyebrow lifting slightly.

"I mean," I clarified, my pulse hammering, "that I should ask Draven to get the record for me?"

His hand stilled on the handle.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

Then he turned fully to face me.

His expression was infuriatingly calm. Not surprised. Not confused. Just… attentive. As if he had been waiting for me to ask that exact question.

"That," he said evenly, "is entirely up to you."

This did nothing to soften the unease in my chest.

"You may ask Draven," he continued. "Or River. Or either of the other two brothers."

My breath caught.

The room seemed to shrink around us, the walls pressing closer as my anxiety surged like a rising tide. I searched his face desperately, looking for any sign that this was a misunderstanding.

There was none.

He took a small step back from the door, his voice unchanging. "After all, all four brothers have the ability to retrieve the record book for you."

My fingers curled into fists at my sides.

"And," he added calmly, deliberately, "all four of them would never say no to their mate."

There it was.

Not implied.

Not accidental.

But intentional.

The last thread of denial snapped.

For a moment, I couldn't hear anything but the pounding of my own heart. My chest felt tight, as if the air had thickened around me.

He knew.

Somehow, impossibly, Elion Grey knew.

The realization settled heavy and cold in my stomach.

I stared at him, my thoughts scrambling for answers. How? How did he always end up knowing the things I guarded most fiercely?

I took a step toward him before I fully realized I was moving.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

It was a foolish question.

Even as I asked it, a sliver of hope clung to me... thin, desperate... that I had misunderstood. That he would correct me. Laugh it off. Tell me I was reading too much into his words.

But he didn't do any of that.

Instead, a knowing smile curved his lips.

Not cruel.

Not mocking.

Just… aware.

It was the kind of smile that told me he could see straight through every wall I had built.

He took one step toward me, closing the distance with unhurried confidence. My breath hitched as he stopped directly in front of me, close enough that I could see the faint blue flecks in his eyes.

"I know," he said softly.

My heart stuttered.

"I know," he repeated, quieter still, "that you are not just Draven's mate…"

He leaned in, his presence overwhelming, his voice dropping until it brushed my skin like a secret meant only for me.

"But all four of Thorne brothers' mate."

The world tilted.

I opened my mouth, words crowding my tongue, questions tumbling over one another. How did you know? Who told you? How long have you known?

None of them made it out.

There was no point in denying it.

There never was, not with him.

His smile lingered as he moved even closer, until his mouth hovered beside my ear. I felt his breath, warm and steady, sending a shiver straight down my spine.

"I'm in a generous mood today," he murmured. "So I'll tell you another secret. Something important." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

My entire body went still.

"The healers of our bloodline," he whispered, "were never bound to just one mate."

My thoughts froze.

"They never were," he continued quietly. "Their immense power demanded balance. Stability. Strength from more than one bond."

I couldn't breathe.

"When I realized who and what you were," he said, "everything else fell into place."

He pulled back slightly, just enough for me to see his face again. "You didn't have to tell me," he added calmly. "I only had to observe."

His gaze flickered with something thoughtful. "The way they look at you. The way you respond to each of them. It wasn't difficult to understand that your connection wasn't limited to just one."

The look he gave me was that of understanding. "Truth be told, you all have done a fabulous job at pretending. Neither you nor the other three brothers ever let it slip there's anything going on between you all. If not for the fact I knew these inside secrets, I would have never noticed it either."

Heat flooded my face, a mix of shock, exposure, and something dangerously close to understanding.

Before I could gather myself enough to speak, he stepped back.

The distance felt abrupt.

Final.

He turned toward the door once more, his fingers closing around the handle.

"And as usual, you don't have to worry," he said over his shoulder. "This secret of yours is safe with me."

He paused, just long enough to glance back.

"Just like the others," he added. "You have my word."

And then he opened the door and walked out, leaving me standing alone in the office... stunned, exposed, and lost.