Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother Chapter 176

Erin's POV

Alexander's words hung in the air between us, heavy and unexpected. I stared at him, trying to process what he'd just said. The sleek interior of his luxury car suddenly felt too small, too intimate.

"What?" I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper.

Alexander reached out, his fingers brushing against my cheek. The touch sent an uncomfortable jolt through me—not the electric connection I felt with Derek, but something foreign and unwelcome.

I pulled away instinctively, pressing myself against the car door. "Don't touch me."

His lips curved into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Why not? I just told you how I feel."

"You can't possibly like me," I said, my mind racing to make sense of this sudden declaration. "You barely know me. Is this about getting back at Derek? Using me as some kind of pawn in whatever game you two are playing?"

Alexander's expression hardened slightly. "Not everything is about Derek Stone."

But I wasn't convinced. As he leaned closer, I was struck by an unwelcome memory—Derek's arms around me last night, his commanding voice ordering me to stay away from Alexander. The contrast between that possessive embrace and Alexander's calculated advance made my skin crawl.

"Our binding ceremony is next month," Alexander said softly. "We don't have much time."

Binding ceremony. Next month. The reality of what was happening crashed down on me. This wasn't just about pretending to date anymore. Alexander intended to make me his mate—permanently.

"I won't bind with you," I said firmly, meeting his gaze with defiance.

His smile turned predatory. "Are you trying to escape me, Erin? That's impossible now."

"After binding with you, am I supposed to leave my pack forever?" I asked.

Alexander's gaze remained fixed on the road ahead. "You'll be the Luna of the Silverpine Pack. Your loyalty will be to us."

"I don't even know you, Alpha Alexander," I said coldly.

He cracked the window and lit a cigarette, draping one arm casually over the steering wheel. The posture reminded me so much of Derek that I had to look away, hating myself for making the comparison.

"You could get to know me," Alexander suggested, exhaling a stream of smoke. "That's not such a big problem."

I let out a humorless laugh. "Know you? How? And then what—force myself to love you?"

"Why do you keep saying you don't like me?" His voice hardened as he turned to look at me, eyes narrowing. "What does he have that I don't?"

The sudden shift in his tone made me tense. "Who says I still like him? I hate him the most."

Alexander's laugh was sharp and mocking. "You're weak, Erin. You don't know what Derek Stone is really capable of."

"You're not the first person to tell me that," I muttered, wrapping my arms around myself. "He said the same thing about you."

"At least I've never disrespected you," Alexander countered. "And you'll be the Luna of my pack."

"I don't care about being Luna."

Alexander took a long drag from his cigarette before speaking again. "You don't know, do you? He plans to bind with Mya after the ceremony."

This sentence caught me off guard. "What?"

"If Derek marks Mya as his mate, it will kill you," Alexander said, his voice eerily calm as he delivered this death sentence. "He can hide the fact that you're his soul bond. Nobody would ever know."

My breath caught in my throat. Could Derek really do that? Would he actually choose to end my life rather than acknowledge our bond? The thought sent ice through my veins.

"Stop the car," I demanded, my voice shaking.

Alexander pulled over near the edge of the forest. I needed to run, to escape the suffocating confines of the car and the terrible knowledge it contained.

"I need to think," I told him as I opened the door. "We'll talk about binding tomorrow."

Before he could respond, I was out of the car and heading for the trees. Once beneath their canopy, I broke into a run, pushing my body faster and harder until my lungs burned. The physical pain was a welcome distraction from the emotional agony tearing through me.

With each stride, my hatred for Derek Stone grew deeper, more poisonous. He hadn't just rejected me—he was planning to kill me. The betrayal cut deeper than anything I'd ever experienced.

Something shifted inside me, my inner wolf responding to my rage. I could feel her stirring, growing stronger as my emotions intensified. When I finally stopped, bracing my hands against the rough bark of a tree, I caught my reflection in a puddle of rainwater—my eyes had darkened to a deep brown, the wolf within me more present than ever before.

In that moment, clarity came to me like never before. Derek Stone wanted me dead. He had calculated everything perfectly, manipulating everyone around him, including my brother. That's why he'd hidden the truth from Aaron—not out of some twisted sense of kindness, but to ensure no one would interfere with his plans.

I straightened, wiping sweat from my brow. If Derek wanted war, I would give him war. And Alexander Windsor might be my most powerful weapon.

I made my decision then—I would give Alexander a chance. I would continue with my life, as the future Luna of the Silverpine Pack. And when the time came for the conflict between the packs, I would be there, at the right hand of Derek's greatest enemy.

I would be the one to destroy Derek Stone.

---

The following days threw the Darkwood Pack into chaos as Alpha Alexander appeared daily with me at his side, proudly introducing me as his future mate. Each appearance fueled new whispers and speculations.

"Can you believe it? An Alpha choosing an Omega as his Luna?"

"She must have some special talent we don't know about."

"I heard she used to work for Alpha Derek."

"There must be more to the story..."

At Silver Moon Academy, I became the center of unwanted attention. Students and faculty alike watched my every move, trying to decipher how I had captured the heart of Alpha Alexander Windsor. I responded with practiced smiles and ignored their questions, focusing instead on surviving each day.

I tried to convince myself that Alexander was the only man I could trust now. He knew the truth about Derek's plans, and despite his own agenda, he had been honest with me. Or at least, more honest than Derek had ever been.

"I'd like you to visit my pack before the binding ceremony," Alexander told me as we walked through the campus gardens, his hand possessively placed at the small of my back. "My people should meet their future Luna."

I nodded, working to keep my expression neutral despite the anxiety that fluttered in my chest. "I'll need to discuss it with my mother."

"Of course," he agreed, his fingers trailing up my spine in a way that made me suppress a shiver. "Family is important."

My mother's face had grown increasingly pale over the past few days, her health visibly declining since the announcement of my binding with Alexander. When I entered our home that evening, I found her sitting in her favorite chair, one hand pressed to her chest.

"Mom?" I rushed to her side, alarmed by the grimace of pain on her face. "Have you taken your medication?"

She waved away my concern, though her breathing was labored. "This binding ceremony... I can't accept it, Erin. Your father would never have allowed this."

I knelt beside her, taking her trembling hands in mine. "Mom, please don't upset yourself. Your heart—"

"My heart is breaking for you," she interrupted, tears welling in her eyes. "Call him here. I want to speak with Alexander myself, beg him to release you from this."

"Mom, I..." I paused, swallowing hard. The lie felt thick in my throat, but I needed to protect her. "I want to be with Alpha Alexander."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Erin, you can't possibly—"

"I can and I do," I said firmly, though each word cost me. "Please trust me on this."