Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother Chapter 201

Erin's POV

We walked in silence through the small neighborhood park across from my house. The streetlights cast long shadows across the path as Alexander and I found a bench beneath an old oak tree. Despite the warm night air, I felt a chill run through me. Alexander's revelation about Derek killing his soul mate had left me reeling, and I needed to know more.

"Tell me about yourself," I said quietly, breaking the silence. "Not just about Derek. I want to know about you—your childhood, your family."

Alexander leaned back against the bench, his golden eyes reflecting the distant streetlights. For a moment, he seemed to be gathering his thoughts, deciding how much to share.

"I didn't have a happy childhood," he finally said, his voice low and measured. "My father never really liked me. I think I reminded him too much of my grandfather, whom he hated. My mother was always sickly, and my father... he neglected her. He was always too busy with pack business to care about her declining health."

I listened, watching the subtle changes in his expression—the slight tightening around his eyes, the way his jaw clenched when he mentioned his father.

"When my mother died, it didn't take long for my father to bring another woman home—Mya's mother. She's the current Mrs. Windsor. They already had Mya by then." His voice had taken on a bitter edge. "My grandfather suspected my father had something to do with my mother's death, but he could never prove it."

"That's horrible," I whispered, genuinely sympathetic. The pain in his eyes was unmistakable—not the manufactured kind, but the kind that comes from years of carrying a burden.

"My grandfather loved me, though. He was the only one who did." Alexander's expression softened slightly. "He always said I was meant to lead the Silverpine Pack, not my father. He had suspicions about Mya's bloodline too—questioned if she was truly my father's daughter."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"There were rumors that Mya's mother had been involved with someone else before my father. My grandfather had DNA tests done secretly." Alexander shook his head. "But the results forced my grandfather to announce that Mya's mother was a Luna."

The pieces clicked together in my mind. "So your grandfather wanted you to be the next Alpha instead of your father?"

"Yes," Alexander nodded. "But things didn't work out that way."

I couldn't help but feel a wave of sympathy wash over me. I tried to imagine growing up unloved by a father, losing a mother, and then watching as she was quickly replaced. The weight of that kind of childhood heartbreak was something I could almost feel radiating from him.

"And then," I ventured cautiously, "there's what happened with your soul bond."

Alexander's face darkened, and he looked away. "Five years ago, my soul bond died." His voice was tight, controlled. "Let's not talk about this. I don't want to remember that."

But I needed to know. After everything that had happened, I deserved the truth. "Please," I pressed gently. "When did Derek kill your soul mate? Why would he do something like that?"

Alexander remained silent for so long I thought he wouldn't answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. "He wanted to take everything from me because he was afraid I would be stronger than him." His eyes were distant, filled with a cold rage. "So he killed my soul mate to weaken my wolf."

My breath caught in my throat. "I'm so sorry," I said, the words feeling inadequate in the face of such a loss. "Your father and Derek will get what they deserve someday."

The hatred I'd been nurturing for Derek grew even stronger. I'd thought his worst crime was rejecting me and trying to keep me as a mistress while marrying another woman. But this—killing someone's soul mate out of fear and jealousy—was monstrous.

"You know why he's trying to stop this wedding?" Alexander asked, turning to face me directly. "Because he knows that if we complete the binding ceremony, we can destroy him. He can't kill me directly—he's already been banished from our pack for killing my soul mate. But he's still trying to stop us from being together."

I shook my head in disbelief. How could I have ever loved someone capable of such cruelty?

"I want to marry you," Alexander said, his voice softening as he took my hand. "Because I like you, not just because I want revenge against Derek. Don't you want to marry me?"

The question hung heavy in the air between us. A week ago, it would have been impossible for me to answer. But now, knowing what Derek had done—not just to me, but to Alexander and his soul mate—the answer didn't feel as difficult.

I looked into Alexander's eyes and nodded. "I'll marry you," I said firmly. "Derek killed your soul bond, and then he tried to lock his own soul bond away as a mistress. He deserves to be punished. He's cruel."

Alexander squeezed my hand, his expression a mixture of satisfaction and something that might have been genuine affection.

---

The next morning, I woke with Alexander's story still weighing heavily on my mind. The pain he must have felt losing his soul bond—murdered by Derek, no less—was something I could barely comprehend. I had a soul bond who was alive but had rejected me. Alexander had one who had been taken from him forever.

And Derek had done it. Derek Stone, the man who had touched me so gently yesterday, who had looked into my eyes and claimed to love me, had killed someone's soul bond simply because he feared Alexander might be stronger than him. The thought made me sick.

I stared at the ceiling, trying to reconcile the Derek I knew—cold, controlling, but not a murderer in my mind—with this new information. It seemed impossible, yet Alexander had no reason to lie about something so serious. And it explained the deep hatred between the two men.

A knock at my bedroom door interrupted my thoughts.

"Erin," my mother called, opening the door slightly. "Come downstairs. Alpha Alexander sent over some dresses for tonight's party."