Page 119 of Claimed By My Fiancé's Brother

I felt an intense surge of relief that almost bowled me over.

We had less than two months left together, but it didn’t matter. Alexander was fine, and he was right in front of me.

“Alexander,” I called out with a voice that was shakier than I would’ve liked.

Alexander froze, and then, very slowly, he turned around.

Those ocean-blue eyes latched onto mine, his disbelief palpable.

“Eleanor?”

I closed the distance between us and leaped into his arms, tears blurring my vision.

Alexander caught me easily, cradling me in his arms. He buried his fingers in my hair to hold me even closer as he inhaled my scent, a slight tremble racing through him.

Through the mate bond, I felt the wall blocking me from his mind waver for a moment, and nothing could have prepared me for the influx of emotions that hit me.

Betrayal, pain, and…love. So much love that I wondered how I’d ever doubted it.

I saw myself as he saw me.

My blond hair was drenched with water from the pool, my dark green eyes locked onto his, a tentative smile on my lips as we pressed up against each other, hiding from Elena.

I saw myself arguing with Alexander, saw myself asleep in his sheets, a soft snore escaping me.

I saw myself in the many little moments we’d shared, and every time, one thing remained constant: the way Alexander’s heart ached with love as he watched me.

The way his heart bled with so much emotion that I wondered how anyone could feel that deeply without losing their mind.

Beyond that, I saw a darkness that made my chest feel ice-cold. The darkness seemed to look back at me and?—

Alexander ended our hug abruptly, his mental wall sliding firmly back into place as an annoyed scowl twisted his mouth.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he snarled caustically, his mask of cold indifference showing no hint of what I’d just seen in his mind.

Goddess, all this time I’d never seen beyond that mask. I’d taken it all at face value.

Alexander hadn’t saved me repeatedly because of his sense of responsibility. He’d done it because he…helovedme.

Alexander was still speaking, his voice as frosty as ever.

“I will have a warrior escort you back?—”

I cut him off with a kiss, and Alexander froze.

Alexander pulled away, breaking the kiss, confusion igniting in his eyes.

“Eleanor—” he began, but I didn’t let him finish. I had so much to say, and I’d be damned if I let him continue to lie to me.

“I—” I started, but my words died in my throat as I noticed Dylan less than a foot behind Alexander, his hands raised and a chipped silver sword in his grasp. He was going to stab Alexander in the back, even after his brother had spared his life.

That moment felt like forever as I shoved Alexander out of the way, only to feel a piercing pain in my chest.

Dylan’s eyes widened in horror, his momentum carrying him all the way forward as he buried the sword in me to the hilt.

I couldn’t breathe.

“No, no…” Dylan gasped, his hands still around the sword’s hilt.

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