Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother Chapter 217

Erin's POV

I stood frozen at the entrance of the gathering room, my heart hammering in my chest as Alexander's words hung in the air. All eyes turned to me—members of both the Darkwood and Silverpine packs, their expressions ranging from shock to curiosity to judgment. Derek stood near the fireplace, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp and calculating.

"Tell them, Erin," Alexander urged, his voice filled with conviction. "Tell everyone how Derek forced you to bind with him."

The tension in the room thickened as I confirmed what Alexander claimed, admitting that Derek had used my mother's life as leverage. While gasps and murmurs filled the room, Derek's expression remained impassive, almost bored. Something about his calm demeanor unsettled me—he didn't look like a man whose secrets had just been exposed.

Without warning, Derek reached for something beside him and tossed a folder across the room. It landed with a soft thud at Alexander's feet.

"You might want to read it," Derek said, his voice dangerously soft. "Since you seem so concerned about what happens to my Luna."

Alexander's eyes narrowed as he bent to retrieve the folder. As he flipped it open, his expression shifted from confusion to shock, then to barely contained rage. His jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscle jump beneath his skin.

"What is this?" he demanded, looking up at Derek with blazing eyes.

Derek's lips curved into a cold smile. "You can't do anything, Alexander Windsor." He tilted his head slightly, watching Alexander's reaction with evident satisfaction. "It's a contract you signed, stating that if Erin chooses to cancel the binding ceremony, you will let her leave and be powerless to stop it."

Alexander's fingers crumpled the edge of the document. "But she said you forced her," he argued, gesturing toward me without taking his eyes off Derek.

"So?" Derek shrugged one shoulder. "Does that change anything? There won't be a binding ceremony. That's the point here." His gaze shifted to me, and the intensity in his eyes made me take an involuntary step back. "She thought this was a game where everything would go her way. I'm about to burst that bubble."

I felt my face flush with anger and humiliation. How dare he speak about me as if I wasn't even in the room? As if I was some pawn in their power game rather than a person with feelings and choices of my own?

Alexander's next words cut through my thoughts like a knife. "You can't keep her against her will!"

"Can't I?" Derek's eyebrow arched in challenge, his eyes shifting to the gold of his wolf—a deliberate display of dominance that sent a ripple of tension through the room. "If a man can't save his own soul bond from me, can he save someone else's?"

Alexander's reaction was immediate and violent. "Bullshit!" he snarled, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. His voice had dropped an octave, the wolf in him pushing to the surface.

The tension in the room shifted. Members of both packs exchanged glances, some looking confused, others concerned.

---

Before I could gather my thoughts, a man from Alexander's pack stepped forward. He wasn't one I recognized, but his bearing suggested he held some rank within the Silverpine hierarchy.

"Alpha Derek," he began, his voice steady despite the tension crackling through the air, "after you killed our Alpha's soul bond, you were merely banned from entering the Silverpine territory without any other punishment because you agreed to bind with Ms. Mya Windsor and allow her to rule your pack alongside you."

Derek seemed entirely unfazed by the accusation. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, placing it between his lips with unhurried movements. Delta Mark stepped forward, lighter in hand, and ignited the tip. Derek took a long drag, the smoke curling around him as he exhaled, his eyes never leaving Alexander's.

"You claim I killed your Alpha's soul mate," Derek finally said, his voice calm and measured. The cigarette dangled from his fingers as he gestured with his hand. "However, your Alpha wasn't the pack leader at that time, and that woman wasn't your Luna." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Charlie Windsor was the Alpha then, and he hadn't declared his son to be the next Alpha, either."

The silence that followed was deafening. I watched the reactions ripple through the room—confusion, shock, and dawning realization on many faces. Derek had found a legal loophole, a technicality that, while perhaps morally dubious, seemed to change the nature of the accusation in the eyes of wolf law.

My gaze shifted to Charlie Windsor, who stood slightly behind Alexander, his expression unreadable. When Alexander turned to face him, Charlie refused to meet his eyes.

"Are you going to stay silent?" Alexander demanded, his voice tight with barely controlled fury. "Don't you care about your precious daughter's life, Charlie? What if he kills your daughter like he killed my soul bond?"

Charlie's eyes flicked briefly to Derek, then back to Alexander. "Alpha Derek," he said, his voice weary, "you promised to bind with my daughter. I never expected such betrayal."

Alexander grabbed Charlie by the collar of his expensive suit, his knuckles white with the force of his grip. "It's all this time, and you still have expectations for him?"

Several members of Derek's pack moved toward Alexander, their postures indicating they were ready to intervene if necessary. I watched the scene unfold, feeling strangely detached, as if I was observing everything through a pane of glass.

Charlie Windsor sighed deeply. "This is why I wanted protection from Alpha Derek and never wanted to give my pack leadership to you, Alexander."

I glanced at Derek, expecting some reaction to these words, but he merely continued smoking, his expression one of casual indifference. He didn't even look in my direction, as if I were of no consequence in this high-stakes power play.

My mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of truth scattered throughout the accusations and denials. Derek had forced me to sign the binding contract, using my mother's life as leverage. Alexander had claimed Derek killed his soul mate. But now it seemed Charlie Windsor had been seeking Derek's protection against Alexander. None of it made sense.

Alexander's face contorted with rage. "I want your soul bond," he spat at Derek. "You killed mine. I won't let you have yours."