Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 160: Mine Now

Snow drifted down beneath the streetlights, slow and quiet, turning the city pale and still.

The trees in the courtyard bent under the sharp wind, restless and unable to settle much like the tension that lingered from tonight. It had been long. Heavy. Unavoidable.

Inside the room, warmth wrapped around us like spring. The air smelled faintly of roses, sweet and calming.

Lewis stayed over me, unmoving, as if leaving wasn’t even an option his body would accept. His weight felt natural. Protective.

"Elena," he murmured, his voice low and rough from emotion, "you’re mine now."

The words sent a shiver straight through me not fear, not doubt. Something deeper. Something that settled in my bones.

I was still floating, my thoughts slow, my voice hoarse when I finally managed,

"...Mm."

So this was what it felt like to truly belong to someone. Not just by name. Not just by words. But by choice. By instinct.

We’d been close before, learning each other in careful steps. But only now did I understand how different this was. How permanent it felt.

After a moment, his voice softened. "Does it hurt?"

I shook my head slightly, biting my lip. "Not really. You were... careful."

I could feel how much effort he’d put into holding himself back, into reading every small reaction I gave.

He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. "Then... can we stay like this a little longer?"

My face burned, but I didn’t refuse. I just nodded, whispering, "Just... don’t rush."

A quiet chuckle vibrated against me. "If it’s too much," he said softly, "hold onto me."

Outside, the wind howled, snow sweeping across the ground until everything disappeared into white.

I used to hate nights like this.

Cold nights. Silent nights.

They used to drag me back to memories of pain and helplessness, to moments I never wanted to relive.

But now, with his arms around me, those memories had no teeth. No power.

I let him guide me, not forward or back, but deeper into trust, into closeness, into something steady and shared.

I wrapped my arms around his back and pressed my face into his shoulder, holding on as if anchoring myself to him. Not because I was hurting.

Because I wanted him to remember this feeling.

Us.

"Lewis," I whispered, my voice barely steady, "don’t let me down."

Don’t break me the way Julain did.

I’d opened my heart again at great cost. I didn’t know if I could survive doing it twice.

He felt it. I knew he did.

He didn’t pull away. He stayed right there, letting me cling, letting the moment settle.

"Elena," he said firmly, his voice grounding, "I won’t."

I looked up at him, my vision blurred with emotion, and smiled.

"...I believe you."

That night stretched on, slow and consuming, until time itself seemed to blur.

He was gentle, but relentless in the way only a man who had waited far too long could be controlled, steady, unyielding.

By the end, I was completely spent.

I didn’t know when sleep took me. Only that it did.

When I woke, sunlight was already slipping through the curtains. My body ached in places I didn’t even know could ache, heavy and sore like I’d run miles without stopping.

But beneath it all was something else a cool, soothing sensation. The faint, clean scent of medicine.

He’d taken care of me.

I pushed myself up slowly, one hand braced at my waist. The moment my feet touched the floor, my knees gave out.

"Ah "

"Elena!"

Lewis was there instantly, catching me before I fell.

He held me close, guilt written all over his face. "I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful."

I leaned into him, lifting a hand to trace his brow, his eyes.

"It’s okay," I said softly. "I get it. This body of mine is just... a little fragile right now."

Lewis didn’t argue. He simply lifted me again, steady and careful, and laid me back onto the bed. He even slid a pillow beneath my lower back, adjusting it until I looked comfortable. Then he pulled the blanket up to my shoulders.

He looked so serious while doing it that I couldn’t help but laugh.

"You’re treating me like some sick old lady."

He scratched the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed.

"This is my first relationship," he admitted. "Before you, I’ve never even held another woman’s hand. I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do... I just want to take care of you properly."

How could someone like him exist?

Outside these walls, one look from Lewis could silence a room. People lowered their eyes around him. His presence alone carried pressure quiet, commanding, impossible to ignore.

And yet here he was, flustered over a pillow and a blanket.

One word from me could make his ears burn red.

That contrast it made my chest feel tight in the best way.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my cheek against him, breathing him in.

"You’re perfect," I whispered. "Exactly like this."

He stiffened slightly. "As long as you don’t think I’m boring..."

"How could I?" I said honestly. "When I’m with you, I feel safe. As long as you’re here, I’m not afraid of anything."

So this was what being newly bonded felt like.

Sweet. Warm. Overwhelming in the gentlest way.

It felt like my heart had been dipped in honey.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "I made something."

I blinked. "You can cook?"

He nodded. "Just simple food. Stay here. I’ll bring it to you."

As he left, I watched him go.

Where was the cold, ruthless leader everyone feared?

Right now, he looked more like a silent guardian dangerous to anyone else, but soft and awkward with the woman under his protection.

Completely irresistible.

I wanted to follow him to the kitchen, to watch him cook, but my body refused to cooperate. So I stayed wrapped in the blankets, waiting.

When he returned with a tray, I stared. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Soup. Soft grains. Several side dishes.

"You made all this?"

"It’s almost afternoon," he said seriously. "You need to eat."

He fed me slowly, bite by bite, like it was the most important task in the world. I didn’t stop him.

And to my surprise it was really good.

"This is amazing," I said. "Where did you learn to cook?"

"When I was younger," he replied calmly, "no one really looked after me. I was often hungry. So I learned."

He said it like it didn’t matter.

But it did.

I remembered every dinner I’d ever attended at the Hale Residence. I’d never once seen Lewis at the table.

Julain used to say Lewis was antisocial.

Now I understood.

It wasn’t that Lewis didn’t want a seat.

It was that no one offered him one.

Everything he had now his position, his authority he had carved out with his own hands.

The thought made my chest ache.

I lifted a spoon and held it to his lips. "You eat too."

He paused, then smiled faintly. "Okay."

Our eyes met, and something quiet passed between us.

Only people who have known hunger understand each other like this. He knew my wounds. I felt his.

After we ate, he brought out a small bottle of oil and sat beside me.

"I’ll help you relax."

This time, I didn’t feel shy. I turned over easily, resting my head on the pillows as his hands worked slowly, carefully, easing the tension from my body.

I was almost asleep when his voice broke the silence.

"Elena," he said quietly. "I got Camilla’s DNA sample. I compared it with the Morrigan family records."

My eyes flew open.

"And?" I asked, my heart tightening.

"Is she really their daughter?"