Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother Chapter 7

Erin's POV

I picked at my toast, appetite nonexistent as my mind replayed last night's humiliation on an endless loop. Each bite tasted like ash in my mouth.

This morning, my mother hummed softly as she washed dishes, blissfully unaware that her daughter had just gotten into trouble.

Aaron's phone rang. His jaw tightened, eyes hardening into chips of ice.

"I understand," he said finally, his voice carefully controlled. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

The moment he hung up, dread crawled up my spine. I just knew this call was about me.

"What is it?" Mom asked, pausing while clearing plates from the table, her brow furrowed with concern.

"That was Alpha," Aaron said, his voice unnaturally steady. "He wants to see me at the Estate."

Mom's eyebrows shot up. "At this hour? What about?"

Aaron deliberately avoided looking at me. "Pack business. Nothing serious."

Liar. Guilt spread through me like poison. This had everything to do with me and my wolf's outburst.

My mind raced with horrific possibilities. Would Derek punish Aaron for my transgression? Would he force Aaron to discipline me? Or worse—would he demand my brother bring me to him for some terrible Pack justice?

Aaron left shortly after, promising to come back soon.

Every minute Aaron was gone stretched into an eternity. I couldn't sit still, couldn't focus on anything.

This was all my fault. Everything was falling apart because I couldn't control my wolf.

Three hours later, the front door slammed open with such force that picture frames rattled on the walls. Aaron stormed into the kitchen, his face a thundercloud of rage and shame. He slammed his silver Enforcer badge down on the table so hard that the wood cracked beneath it.

"Aaron!" Mom gasped, a hand flying to her throat. "What happened?"

"I've been relieved of my duties," he said through clenched teeth, each word dripping with barely contained fury.

The room spun around me. That badge was everything to Aaron—his identity, his pride, his future. He'd worked tirelessly for years to earn it, enduring brutal training and dangerous missions. And now it was gone.

Because of me. Because my wolf had chosen the most powerful, most dangerous mate possible.

I've destroyed my brother's life.

"But why?" Mom asked, looking completely confused, her hands trembling slightly.

"Alpha feels I'm not the right fit for the position anymore," he said, his voice rough with suppressed emotion.

Mom's hand flew to her chest, her face draining of color so quickly it was terrifying. "That's... that's not possible. Your father did so much for the Pack..."

"Mom?" I moved toward her as she swayed slightly, noticing with horror how gray her lips had suddenly become. "Are you okay?"

She opened her mouth as if to answer, but no sound came out. Her eyes rolled back, and before either of us could react, she collapsed to the floor like a marionette with cut strings.

"MOM!" Aaron and I screamed together, both lunging forward.

Aaron reached her first, his fingers pressed against her neck, searching desperately for a pulse. "She's alive, but her heartbeat is all over the place. Call an ambulance. NOW!"

I fumbled for my phone, my hands shaking so violently I could barely dial the numbers. As I gave our address to the dispatcher, a single thought hammered in my mind with each frantic heartbeat:

This was my fault. I've done this to her.

\---

The hospital waiting room smelled of antiseptic and fear. The fluorescent lights cast a sickly pallor over everything, making even the colorful magazines on the table look faded and grim.

It felt like I was trapped in a nightmare that kept escalating beyond my worst fears.

Aaron and I sat side by side in uncomfortable plastic chairs outside the ICU, waiting for news.

He hadn't spoken a word to me since we'd arrived. His knuckles were white where he gripped the armrests, his jaw clenched so tight I worried he might crack teeth.

I wanted to apologize, to beg for forgiveness, but what could I possibly say? "Sorry my wolf ruined everything"? "Sorry I couldn't control myself"? No words seemed adequate for the devastation I'd caused.

"Mr. and Miss Blackwood?"

We both jumped up as a doctor approached with a clipboard.

"Your mother has suffered a minor stroke," he explained, his tone serious but not grim. "We've stabilized her, but I'm concerned about her heart readings."

"Her heart?" Aaron asked, his voice strained, hand unconsciously moving to his own chest.

The doctor nodded. "Has she ever been diagnosed with a heart condition?"

Aaron and I exchanged glances. Mom had always been the strong one who'd held our family together after Dad died.

"Not that we're aware of," I said, my voice sounding strange and distant to my own ears.

"Well, her tests show significant heart disease," the doctor continued, adjusting his glasses. "The stress of whatever triggered this episode could have easily caused a major heart attack. She's very lucky."

How many more people would I hurt before this was over? How much more damage could my single moment of weakness cause?

"Can we see her?" Aaron asked, already moving toward the doors as if prepared to force his way through if denied.

The doctor nodded. "Briefly. She's resting now, and we'd like to keep her that way."

Mom looked so small in the hospital bed, her vibrant presence diminished to a fragile form nearly swallowed by white sheets and medical equipment. Tubes and wires connected her to various machines that beeped steadily, each sound a reminder of how precarious her condition was. I held her limp hand, wishing I could somehow transfer my strength, my life force, into her.

I did this to you. I'm so sorry, Mom.

"We can't tell her," I whispered to Aaron once we were back in the hallway, the ICU doors swinging shut behind us. "About me being Alpha's Soul Bond. It would kill her."

Aaron's jaw tightened. "We won't. But that doesn't solve the underlying problem."

I knew what he meant without him having to elaborate. The Soul Bond claim was still hanging over us. Derek had already shown his response—punishing Aaron to get to me. What would he do next? Who else would suffer because of me?

"I need to fix this," I said. "I need to talk to Derek."

Aaron grabbed my arm so tightly it hurt, his eyes wide with alarm. "Are you crazy?"

"He fired you because of me," I said, not pulling away despite the pain. "This is my mess. I need to clean it up."

"How? By offering yourself to him? By begging?" Aaron's voice escalated with each word, drawing concerned glances from nearby nurses. "He's dangerous, Erin. Especially now."

I met his gaze steadily, finding strength in my decision. "If that's what it takes."

"Absolutely not," he shouted, his grip tightening even further. "I forbid it."

"You've handled enough," I said gently, placing my hand over his. "Let me try."

\---

I waited until Aaron finally succumbed to exhaustion, his head lolling against the back of his chair beside Mom's hospital bed, soft snores escaping his lips.

Moving with deliberate slowness, I gathered my things.

My heart pounded harder as the taxi approached the imposing gates of the Darkwood Estate.

The guards recognized me instantly.

"I need to see Alpha," I said, forcing my voice to remain steady.

"The Alpha isn't receiving visitors," one guard replied, his tone awkwardly formal. "Especially not... well..."

"Me," I finished for him. "I get it. But please, it's urgent. It's about my brother."

The guard shook his head, genuine regret in his eyes. "I have strict orders. No one gets in without approval."

I'd expected this, of course. But I hadn't come this far to be turned away.

"Then I'll wait," I decided, stepping back from the gate and lifting my chin. "Until he agrees to see me."

I found a spot across from the main entrance, leaning against a tree that offered minimal shelter from the increasingly heavy rain. Within half an hour, they were soaked through.

One hour passed. Then two. The rain fell harder, cold droplets sliding beneath my collar and down my spine, making me shiver uncontrollably. My wolf, usually quick to provide warmth when I was cold, remained conspicuously silent—as if she too knew we were in dangerous territory.

My phone buzzed incessantly with messages from Aaron—he'd woken to find me gone. I sent him a quick text explaining where I was and what I was doing, then turned off my phone, unable to bear his pleas for me to return.

I'm sorry, Aaron. But I have to do this.

By the fourth hour, my teeth chattered so hard I worried they might crack. My fingers had gone numb, my legs ached from standing, and every breath sent a fresh wave of shivers through my body. But still I waited, determined.

Movement at an upstairs window caught my eye. I spotted Derek standing there—his broad shoulders and tall frame unmistakable even from a distance.

The second our eyes met, my whole body went hot despite the freezing rain soaking through my clothes. My wolf suddenly pushed forward so strongly I had to bite my lip to keep from making a sound.

“Mate. Mine. MINE.”

She was practically shouting in my head, demanding I acknowledge what she knew was true.

My heart raced as I watched him. Even with the distance between us, I noticed how he tensed up when he saw me—like his body couldn't help reacting. His wolf had sensed mine.

Somehow, I could actually smell him—that woodsy cedar and leather scent that drove me crazy. My stomach tightened and warmth spread through me in places that had no business feeling warm while standing in cold rain.

“He feels it too,” my wolf insisted. “He's fighting it, but he feels it.”

For a moment, I completely forgot why I was there. There was only Derek and me, and this weird, powerful pull between us.

I stood up straight, refusing to look away first. I wasn't going to back down. I'd caused this problem, and I was going to deal with it head-on.

Whatever happened next—acceptance or rejection, life or death—I would meet it head-on.

After what felt like an eternity, Derek turned away from the window, disappearing back into the Estate. A moment later, the main gates began to swing open.

A guard hurried toward me, his expression carefully neutral. "Alpha is calling you in."