Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother Chapter 221

Erin's POV

I jolted awake with a gasp, my heart hammering against my ribs. Sweat clung to my skin, making the silk nightgown stick uncomfortably to my back. For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was, the remnants of the nightmare still clouding my mind—the massive black wolf with wounded chest, its haunting golden eyes, that soul-shattering howl that seemed to tear through my own chest.

As reality slowly returned, I registered the moonlight streaming through the large windows of Derek's bedroom. The space was silent except for my ragged breathing. Then I saw him—a dark silhouette against the window, sitting on the wide ledge. Derek Stone was staring out at the night sky, a crystal tumbler of amber liquid in his hand.

"You-you!" I stuttered, pulling the sheets closer to my chest.

He didn't turn to look at me, just raised the glass to his lips and took a slow sip. I remembered him leaving after that terrible moment when he'd almost... when he'd stopped himself from forcing himself on me. I'd fallen asleep crying, but I was certain he'd walked out. Yet here he was, still in his dress pants and white shirt, now unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

The moon hung large and bright outside the window. It must be midnight or later.

Fragments of my nightmare floated back—those golden eyes that I now recognized as Derek's wolf form. The wound on the wolf's chest... had I caused that? In the dream, the wolf had howled not in anger but in pain, like its heart was breaking. My own chest had ached in response, a phantom pain that felt more real than any physical wound.

I watched silently as Derek drank. My mind replayed our last interaction—how he'd pushed me onto the bed, how he'd touched me, and then how he'd stopped when he saw my tears. He could have done anything to me. I was completely at his mercy. What had made him stop?

"I wish I didn't care about you," he'd said before leaving. "I wish I had never loved you so deeply. Loving you makes me feel helpless for the first time."

His words echoed in my mind now. Was there truth in them? Or was it just another manipulation? Everything about Derek Stone was a contradiction. He'd forced me to sign a marriage contract by threatening my mother's life, yet he'd paid for her surgery. He'd claimed me as his Luna before everyone, yet treated me like a possession. He'd nearly forced himself on me, then walked away when he could have continued.

My head throbbed with confusion. The contract I'd signed, Alexander's warnings, the documents my brother Aaron had brought showing the signatures of Silverpine officials—all of it swirled together in a mess I couldn't untangle.

Did Derek hurt my mother to force my hand? Did he want me as his mistress because of our soul bond or because he loved me? Was there something else behind his actions? Was everything I thought I knew even true? Had he really forced Alexander's soul mate as Alexander claimed?

A wave of pain shot through my skull, and I pressed my fingers against my temples. But as Derek shifted in his seat, the pain receded slightly at the sound of his voice.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to you," he said, still not looking at me. "You've embarrassed me enough as it is. In your eyes, I'm just a rapist, aren't I?"

I bit my lip, staring at him. My mind was a jumbled mess of conflicting thoughts. I didn't know what was real anymore, and that made me feel like a fool. I pulled the blanket tighter around myself, not knowing how to respond.

Derek continued drinking by the window, his profile outlined in silver moonlight, while I leaned against the headboard, watching him. We stayed like that for what seemed like hours—him looking out at the night, me looking at him. Neither of us spoke again. The silence between us was strange, neither comfortable nor entirely tense, but weighted with unspoken words.

Eventually, my eyelids grew heavy, and I must have dozed off still sitting up.

---

When I opened my eyes again, sunlight was streaming through the windows. My neck ached from sleeping propped against the headboard, and for a moment, I was disoriented. Then I remembered—Derek, the window, the moonlight.

I looked over at the window seat, but Derek wasn't there. Instead, several empty bottles and a glass tumbler sat on the small table beside it. He'd been drinking all night, watching the sky while I'd watched him until sleep claimed me. And during all those hours, he hadn't spoken to me again.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them, determination had replaced the confusion of the night before. I couldn't continue like this. I needed to know the truth. There were too many things I didn't understand, too many versions of events I couldn't reconcile.

"How long am I going to remain ignorant?" I whispered to myself.

I went to the bathroom and took a long shower, letting the hot water wash away the remnants of last night's sleep. When I opened the closet, I found that half of it was filled with the clothes that had been given to me yesterday. I selected an elegant beige dress that reached just below my knees, simple but refined. I needed to look composed, even if I felt anything but.

First, I would go see my mother. Then I would start searching for answers.

As I walked down the hallway of the Darkwood Estate, maids stopped their work to bow to me. "Good morning, Luna," they said in unison.

"Good morning," I replied with a small, awkward smile. The title still felt strange, a crown I hadn't asked for and wasn't sure I wanted. These maids seemed more enthusiastic than the ones at Derek's house, though I wasn't sure why that should be the case.