Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother Chapter 222

Erin's POV

As I descended the stairs, my mind returned to the previous night. Why had the dream of the wounded wolf calmed me instead of frightening me more? And why did I feel different today? It was as if something had shifted inside me during the night.

Derek's words from last night echoed in my head: "In your eyes, I'm just a rapist, aren't I?" My heart sank at the memory. I tried to push the thought away, focusing instead on seeing my mother.

The living room was empty, and I was about to leave when I heard sobbing coming from a partially open door down the hall. Following the sound, I peered through the crack to see Mya Windsor embracing her mother, Mrs. Windsor. Mya looked completely broken, her shoulders shaking with each sob.

As I stood there, uncertain whether to walk away, Mya glanced up and saw me. Her crying stopped abruptly. Before I could move, she rushed to the door and flung it open, grabbing my arm with surprising strength.

"How could you?" she demanded, her face blotchy from crying. "How could you become the one to marry my man? How could you?"

I looked away, genuinely sorry for her pain despite everything. I gently pushed her hand off my arm.

"Please leave my daughter alone," Mrs. Windsor said, approaching us. "You've ruined her life enough already. What are you doing here? If you've come to gloat, there's no need. We already know."

"I'm such a fool," Mya said to her mother, tears streaming down her face. "I felt sorry for you having to marry a man like Alexander, and I even tried to stop your binding ceremony with him. I regret it now."

I was surprised by her admission. I remembered Mya trying to stop my brother from binding with me. It made sense now—she had been trying to protect me from Alexander, not out of jealousy but compassion.

"I never asked you this before," I said slowly, "but why were you so afraid of Alexander?"

Mya's eyes hardened. "You have no right to know anything. You stole Derek from me."

"Just because I've been mild-mannered doesn't mean you can talk to me that way," I replied, my voice gaining an edge. "It was your agreement that trapped him, and he's been desperate to break free from it. He never wanted you in the first place."

More tears rolled down Mya's cheeks at my harsh words, and I immediately regretted them. Her pain was real, regardless of the circumstances.

"Listen, Mya," I said more gently, "I never saw you as my enemy. Derek is my soul bond. That wasn't my choice. You can't blame me for that."

I was shocked by my own words. Until this moment, I hadn't fully acknowledged Derek as my soul bond, at least not aloud. But I needed to understand the truth—about Alexander, about Derek, about everything.

"If he's protecting you or something, I don't have a problem with that," I continued. "But I really want to know why your family acts so strange around Alexander. Why do you look so scared? Why did your father only want Derek to protect you? Alexander is your own brother, after all."

Mya gave me a bitter smile. "You really want to know the truth?"

Mrs. Windsor stepped forward, placing a hand on her daughter's arm. "Dear, calm down. Let's not talk about this."

"No, Mom," Mya said firmly. "She should know who she nearly bound herself to."

Mya turned to me, her eyes shattered with old pain. "The man you almost bound yourself to, my half-brother Alexander, used to sexually assault me. Derek was the knight who entered my life and saved me from him."

I stumbled backward in shock. "No—no. That can't be true. How could he? You're siblings!"

Mya let out a tearful, mocking laugh. "That's why I'm not allowed to tell anyone about it. No one would believe me. It would only damage my father's reputation, and nothing could be done to that monster. It's the dark past of my life that only Derek and my family know about. Do you know how I survived those difficult days?"

My eyes stung as I tried to process what she was saying. I'd known Alexander was a playboy, always talking about women, but this? I couldn't believe it.

"What are you saying, Mya?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"Do you think she would lie to you about this?" Mrs. Windsor said sharply. "In this situation? You're already Alpha Derek's soul mate. We have nothing to lie to you about. Now please stop bothering my daughter. Please leave."

Mrs. Windsor shut the door in my face, leaving me standing in the hallway, stunned.

From behind the closed door, I heard Mya's voice rising: "Mom, why did you stop me? She wanted to know the truth, right? Does she have the courage to know everything?"

I stood frozen, my mind reeling. Alexander Windsor had sexually assaulted his own blood sister? The man I'd nearly bound myself to?

"Please don't cry, my child," I heard Mrs. Windsor say. "Mom will always be with you."

"For years, I tried to have a place in Derek's heart," Mya sobbed, "but that woman had his heart for years. I wish Derek had never seen her four years ago."

Four—four years? I frowned, confused. I'd met Derek two years ago. At least, that's what I remembered. But I didn't think Mya was lying about Alexander. Her pain was too raw, too real.

I wiped away the tears that had formed on my cheeks. I was crying for Mya, I realized. My heart ached for what she'd endured. And I felt a burning anger, a deep hatred toward Alexander that I'd never experienced before.

How many people had warned me about Alexander's intentions? Derek, especially. He'd been adamant that Alexander was dangerous, that I shouldn't trust him.

Suddenly, everything clicked in my mind. I remembered the dinner when Derek had forced Alexander to sign a contract stating that he couldn't force me to do anything unless I wanted to. At the time, I'd thought Derek was being controlling, possessive.

Had he been protecting me even then?