Mated to My Fiancé's Alpha King Brother Chapter 72

Seraphina’s POV

The elevator ride down from Damien’s office felt surreal, like I was moving through a dream that might shatter at any mont. My hand was clasped firmly in his, our fingers intertwined in a way that felt both completely natural and impossibly precious. Every few seconds, I found myself stealing glances at his profile, searching for signs of the masked stranger from that magical night five years ago.

Now that I knew, I could see it everywhere. The strong line of his jaw, the way his hair caught the light, the confident set of his shoulders. But most of all, it was his scent—that intoxicating blend of sandalwood and masculine power that had haunted my dreams for years. How had I not recognized it imdiately?

"Are you okay?" Damien asked softly as we stepped out into the parking garage, his thumb tracing gentle circles on the back of my hand.

I looked up at him, this man who was simultaneously a stranger and the most important person in my world, and felt tears threaten again. "I don’t know," I admitted honestly. "This is all so overwhelming. Five years, Damien. We missed five years."

"But we have now," he said, stopping beside his car to face fully. His free hand ca up to cup my cheek, and I leaned into his touch instinctively. "We have now, and we have Adrian, and we have the rest of our lives to make up for lost ti."

"What are we going to tell Adrian?" I asked suddenly, the practical concerns finally catching up with the emotional whirlwind. "How do we explain this to a five-year-old?"

Damien’s smile was soft and wondering. "We tell him the truth. That his daddy has been looking for him and his mommy for a very long ti, and now we’re finally together."

When we pulled up in front of my building, I could see Adrian’s face pressed against the third-floor window, his breath fogging the glass as he waited for to co ho. The mont he spotted us, he disappeared from view, and I knew he’d be racing down the stairs to et us.

Sure enough, the building’s front door burst open before we even reached it, and Adrian launched himself into my arms with the kind of fierce enthusiasm that only children possessed.

"Mommy!" he exclaid, wrapping his small arms around my neck. "You’re ho! And Mr. Damien ca with you!"

"Hi, sweetheart," I said, breathing in his familiar little-boy scent of soap and sunshine. Over his head, I caught Damien’s eyes, and the expression on his face—wonder, love, and a fierce protectiveness—made my heart skip a beat.

"Mr. Damien," Adrian said, pulling back to look at both of us with those distinctive silver-blue eyes, "are you staying for dinner? Ophelia made spaghetti, and there’s plenty."

"Actually, buddy," I said, setting him down but keeping hold of his hand, "Mr. Damien and I need to talk to you about sothing very important."

Adrian’s expression grew serious, the way it always did when he sensed sothing significant was happening. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, baby, you’re not in trouble," I assured him quickly. "It’s good news. The best news ever."

We made our way upstairs to the apartnt, where Ophelia was waiting in the doorway with a knowing smile on her face.

"Well, well," she said, taking in our joined hands and the emotional residue that probably still showed on both our faces. "Looks like soone had an interesting morning at the office."

"Ophelia," I said, my voice thick with barely contained emotion, "you’re not going to believe what happened."

But first, I needed to talk to Adrian. The three of us settled on the small couch in my living room, Adrian perched between Damien and , his attention focused entirely on our faces.

"Adrian," I began, my voice gentle but serious, "do you rember how you’ve always asked about your daddy?"

He nodded solemnly. "You said he didn’t know about ."

"That’s right," I said, glancing at Damien, who was watching our son with such intensity it took my breath away. "Well, sweetheart, it turns out that your daddy has been looking for us this whole ti. He just didn’t know where to find us."

Adrian’s eyes widened. "Really? He was looking for ?"

I took a deep breath, choosing my words carefully. "Do you rember how you always said Mr. Damien had eyes like yours?"

Adrian looked back and forth between us, his quick mind already putting pieces together. "And Mommy, you said my daddy had special eyes too..."

"That’s right, baby." The tears were coming again, but these were tears of pure joy. "Adrian, Mr. Damien isn’t just Mr. Damien. He’s your daddy. Your real daddy."

For a mont, Adrian just stared at us both, his small face cycling through confusion, wonder, and finally, pure delight.

"Really?" he whispered, as if speaking too loudly might break the spell. "Really really?"

"Really really," I confird, using our special phrase.

Adrian launched himself at Damien with such force that he nearly knocked him off the couch. Small arms wrapped around Damien’s neck as tightly as they could manage, and I heard my son’s muffled voice say, "I knew it! I knew you felt like my daddy!"

Damien’s arms ca up to wrap around Adrian, and the expression on his face—overwhelming love mixed with five years of grief finally being healed—made break down completely. I buried my face in my hands and sobbed, releasing all the pain and longing and desperate hope I’d carried for so long.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Adrian asked, pulling back from Damien to look at with concern.

"Happy tears, baby," I managed through my sobs. "These are the happiest tears ever."

"Are you happy too, Daddy?" Adrian asked, trying out the word with obvious delight.

Damien’s voice was so thick with emotion he could barely speak. "I’m the happiest man in the world, son."

Ophelia, who had been watching from the kitchen doorway with tears in her own eyes, finally joined us on the couch.

"So," she said with a watery smile, "I guess this ans I need to upgrade my ’World’s Best Godmother’ mug to include ’and Family Friend to Royalty.’"

"You’ll always be the best godmother," I assured her, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "And Adrian will always need his Aunt Ophelia, no matter what changes."

"Does this an we’re rich now?" Adrian asked with the blunt curiosity of a five-year-old, making all three adults laugh.

Around three o’clock, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find Caleb standing in the hallway, a small duffle bag slung over his shoulder and a slightly awkward expression on his face.

"Hi," he said, his smile warm but hesitant. "I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but I wanted to say goodbye before I headed back north."

"Caleb!" Adrian’s voice called from the living room. "Co see! I found my daddy!"

Caleb’s eyebrows shot up, and he looked at with surprise and growing understanding. "Found your daddy?"

"It’s a long story," I said, stepping back to let him in. "But yes, everything makes sense now."

We gathered again in the living room, where Adrian enthusiastically explained to Caleb how Mr. Damien was actually his real father and how they’d been looking for each other for years and years.

"Well," Caleb said when Adrian finished his explanation, "that’s the most amazing story I’ve ever heard. I’m so happy for all of you."

There was a mont of awkward silence before Damien stood up, extending his hand toward Caleb.

"I owe you an apology," Damien said, his voice formal but sincere. "I was... less than welcoming last night. I let jealousy cloud my judgnt."

Caleb accepted the handshake with a genuine smile. "No apology necessary. I would have reacted the sa way if I were in your position." He paused, then added with a hint of humor, "Though I have to admit, it’s kind of ironic that my bringing Sera ho is what led to you all figuring out the truth."

"More than ironic," Damien replied, and there was real gratitude in his voice now. "If you hadn’t told about seeing Anna with the pendant... we might never have put the pieces together. I’m in your debt, Caleb."

When it ca ti for Caleb to actually leave, the goodbye was harder than I’d expected. Ophelia’s goodbye with Caleb was even more emotional, though she tried to hide it behind jokes and teasing. I believe they have changed phone number already.

"You better co back to visit soon," she told him, her voice artificially light. "Soone needs to keep from getting too bored with all this dostic bliss."

Caleb’s smile was gentle and knowing. "I wouldn’t dream of staying away too long. Besides," he added with a wink, "I need to make sure Damien is treating my girls properly."