Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 336: His Aunt

The rain was pouring so hard that night, it felt like the sky itself was trying to wash the world clean.

Lewis sent the blood samples to the pack lab the moment we got them. No delay. No hesitation. He moved like an Alpha giving orders before anyone else could think. By the time he came back to me, the rain had soaked through his shirt, and some of the tension had drained from his shoulders.

When he looked at me, his eyes softened. "You must be starving," he said quietly. "Let’s go home and eat."

Home.

The word meant something different now. Not a house. Not walls. Just wherever he chose to keep me safe.

I nodded.

Ever since we found out Theo was working for Amber’s pack, Lewis had shifted our territory. He changed locations without warning, cutting off every trail that could lead her to us. This time, he brought me to another villa hidden deep within neutral grounds. Only Harlan and his mate knew about this place.

When we walked in, the air was thick.

Harlan’s face was dark, like a storm trapped under skin. Whatever he and Riley had argued about in the car still lingered between them. You could feel it. Even without raised voices, instinct picked it up—the sharp scent of conflict.

Riley, however, acted like none of it mattered. She tossed her hair and pouted. "The takeout went cold. But I ordered more on the way back. I’m not that careless."

Harlan didn’t answer. He just stared at her.

Lewis wasn’t in a better mood. Until the test results came in, his instincts were restless. His jaw was tight. His energy sharp. Like he was waiting for an attack that hadn’t come yet.

"I’m going to change," he muttered.

Harlan followed him upstairs, probably to question him. In a pack, nothing stays hidden for long.

Riley pulled a can of soda from the bag and handed it to me. "Food may suck, but drinks are safe. Don’t overthink life. We should be happy while we can."

I didn’t want soda.

What I wanted was something stronger. Something that burned.

Lewis probably felt the same.

I slipped into the wine cellar and grabbed a few bottles. The scent of aged grapes filled the air, thick and warm. It reminded me that we were still alive.

When Lewis and Harlan came back downstairs, I pulled Lewis aside. "Did you tell him anything?"

He shook his head. "This isn’t just about your rebirth. It’s also about Riley’s secret. It’s not my place to expose someone else’s truth. If she wants him to know, she’ll tell him."

I knew she wouldn’t.

Riley lived like someone counting down her final days. She kept saying she wanted love, but she was already letting go. By pushing Harlan away, by picking fights, by acting cold, she was protecting him from the grief of losing her.

It’s dangerous to tie your life to someone who believes they don’t have a future.

She would rather kill the spark herself than let it grow into something she couldn’t keep.

She has always been kind that way.

I reached up and cupped Lewis’s face. His skin felt cool, but his pulse beat hard beneath it. His eyes were clouded.

He carried shame in his blood.

Amber shared his lineage. And that connection disgusted him.

"Let’s eat," I whispered.

He had lost weight over the past few days. An Alpha can command a pack, but he can still forget to take care of himself.

He looked out at the storm. "The results will be ready tomorrow."

Tomorrow.

The word felt heavier than the thunder outside.

I guided him to the sofa and poured him a glass of wine. "Then tonight, we don’t think about tomorrow."

Riley lifted her glass dramatically. "Wow. This is actually good. How did I never drink before?"

She used to avoid alcohol completely. She held onto control like it was the only thing keeping her together. But tonight, she let it slip.

Harlan shot her a look. "Don’t drink too much."

She pouted. "Stop acting like my Alpha."

He wanted to argue, but instead he grabbed a bottle and challenged Lewis. Two dominant males, drinking like it was a silent competition.

I hadn’t drunk in a long time either. But tonight, I needed it.

From the island where I almost died... to the suffocating days at the Blackwell territory... fear had followed me everywhere. Only when I stood beside Lewis did my instincts settle. Only in his arms did I feel claimed, protected, safe.

Riley laughed loudly, but I knew it was a mask. All of us were broken in different ways. And tonight, we tried to drown it.

She raised her glass again. "To your future. May you both live long, happy lives."

Harlan frowned. "It’s ’we.’"

Riley smiled faintly. "I don’t want a long life. You two can have mine."

"Janice, don’t you dare talk like that!" Harlan snapped, panic flashing across his face. He thought she meant throwing herself into danger again.

Then his voice softened. "I won’t see her anymore. I deleted her number."

Riley reached up and patted his cheek gently. Too gently. "Don’t change for me. After we end this bond, go marry her. She loves you. You two fit. I’m serious."

Her words were slurred. Her tolerance was worse than mine.

Harlan carried her upstairs when she could no longer stand straight. "You’re drunk."

"I’m not," she mumbled, pushing weakly against him. Just before the door closed, I heard her whisper, "Don’t love me. We don’t have a future."

Silence swallowed the house after that.

Only Lewis and I remained.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

My head was spinning. My heart was racing too fast. Normally, I would have passed out already. But I forced myself to stay awake.

Tonight, I didn’t want to lose consciousness.

I wanted to stay with my mate.

I rested my head against his chest and wrapped my arms around his neck. I inhaled his scent slowly, letting it calm the storm inside me.

I’ll wait with you for the results.

He didn’t need words. His arms tightened around me.

"Elena... thank you."

Thank me?

When I had clawed my way back from death—when my rebirth left me lost and shaking—it was him who stood beside me. Him who steadied me. Him who reminded me I was still worthy of a bond.

As long as I breathe, I will choose him.

Thunder roared outside while we held each other inside. Eventually, sleep dragged me under in the safety of his arms.

The next morning, I woke when Lewis shifted.

Footsteps approached.

A man I had never seen before entered the villa. Tall. Broad. Quiet. His presence carried the cold efficiency of someone trained to eliminate threats without leaving a trace. The kind of enforcer every powerful pack keeps hidden.

"This is Jonas," Lewis said.

Jonas gave me a brief nod and handed Lewis a sealed envelope tied with white string. "Expedited results."

Then he left.

The door shut.

Now it was just us.

Lewis’s hands trembled as he reached for the string. I had never seen him like this. Not when facing enemies. Not when commanding the pack. Not even when blood was spilled.

This wasn’t an Alpha.

This was a man afraid of the truth in his own blood.

I gently took the envelope from him and untied it under his watchful gaze. The paper felt heavier than it should.

The first page confirmed Tiffany and Peter were father and daughter.

My heart started pounding harder.

I turned to the second page.

Even though I had prepared myself, the truth still struck like lightning splitting a tree in half.

Lewis leaned in, his voice breaking.

"N–no way."