Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 334: Amber’s Son

My head felt like it was about to explode.

Amber... the same Amber who was the mother of the Blackwell brothers.

How could she possibly be connected to Lewis too?

The moment that thought landed, everything started snapping into place like a cruel puzzle.

Why was Amber always watching Lewis so closely? Why had she taken care of him for over a decade, like he was something she couldn’t afford to lose? Why did she place Theo near him like a guard dog on a chain?

Why did she react so violently when she saw my Stone of Duality?

Because Lewis wasn’t just someone she "pitied."

He was her son.

And maybe she had guessed what he wanted to do how far he would go for me. If Lewis planned to trade himself for my life, she would never allow it. So she sent Theo to kill me first.

If Theo hadn’t hesitated at the last second, I would already be dead.

And suddenly, the Tiffany problem made sense too. The reason Tiffany and Lewis could never be together wasn’t jealousy.

It was blood.

Lewis was Tiffany’s cousin. Peter was Lewis’s uncle. That was why, sometimes, I saw a familiar sharpness in both men. A similar look when they went quiet. A similar way their eyes turned cold when they made a decision.

If this was true, Amber might have been behind the plan to erase me.

The person I loved most... could be the biological son of the woman who wanted me dead.

My chest tightened like I couldn’t breathe.

Lewis’s eyes searched my face, and I knew he had already guessed what I was thinking. His expression looked tense, almost nervous, when he spoke.

"Elena... I’m sorry. I didn’t know." His voice cracked slightly. "I really didn’t know she was still alive."

A cold shiver slid down my spine.

How many secrets were buried under my "death"? How deep did this mess go?

It felt like I was getting closer to the truth, but at the same time, the truth felt bigger than anything we could handle right now.

Lewis looked pale. His shoulders were tight, like he was bracing for a hit.

No wonder he didn’t want to say it earlier. If it was true, it made him the son of my enemy.

He was sure I would hate him for it.

Just an hour ago, we had been tangled together, breathing each other in like we’d been starving. Now he wanted to touch me, but he didn’t dare. Like one wrong move and I’d shove him away.

What an idiot.

I threw myself into his arms.

I held him tightly, pressing my face against his chest. I wanted to tell him Amber and Lewis were not the same person. I would never punish him for what she did. I wasn’t one of those females who let old grudges decide who they loved.

He was a victim too.

And he still told me the truth instead of hiding it. He could have lied to keep peace between us. He didn’t.

Lewis had loved me in ways I didn’t even think I deserved. There was no one else who had ever treated me like this. Not even my own parents.

I pulled back, cupped his face, and gave him a small smile to reassure him.

He still looked like he was struggling, like his mind couldn’t stop running.

So I used my hands, slow and clear.

Don’t overthink it. This is only a guess. Nothing is confirmed yet. It might not be true.

Because honestly, we had guessed wrong before. At one point, I even suspected the Dolton siblings were connected to the Hale "pigeon pair" story. Lewis ran a DNA test and confirmed he was a Hale, so that theory died.

Which meant Amber wasn’t part of that missing pair.

Were they alive? Were they dead? I didn’t know.

What I did know was this Yael was the only person who knew I was still alive. If he kept his mouth shut, Lewis could quietly get a DNA sample from Amber and confirm everything.

But now that I had escaped...

Would Yael tell her?

He had threatened me using Whitney before. Would he actually hurt her?

Even though I was alive, I didn’t feel safe. It was like we jumped out of one trap and landed inside another.

Lewis, though, looked like he was barely holding himself together.

If our fear was true, then he and the Blackwell brothers would be half-brothers. Same mother. Different fathers.

It sounded insane.

It sounded like the kind of story people would laugh at...

Until it became your life.

I wanted to comfort him again, to pull him back into my arms and remind him we were still us.

But before I could, a strange sound came from outside.

"Coo-coo... coo-coo..."

For a second, I wondered why there would be a bird calling in the dead of night.

Then the sound shifted.

"Coo-coo... Lewis, if you don’t open this door, I’m coming in myself!"

Riley.

Of course.

I almost laughed from relief.

I rushed to the door and opened it, and Riley immediately yanked me into a crushing hug.

"You idiot!" she sobbed into my shoulder. "Do you know how scared I was when I heard you were dead? I cried for three whole days! My eyes were swollen!"

Her tears were hot against my neck. One moment she was loud and dramatic, the next she was shaking like she couldn’t stop.

I patted her back gently, letting her cry.

Then she pulled back, stared at my face, and burst into fresh tears.

"Oh my God... you’re alive, but now you’re mute," she cried. "And your face your face is all messed up. This is too tragic!"

Harlan stood behind her, looking confused, rubbing his head like he didn’t understand females at all.

"You cried when she was dead," he said slowly, "and now you’re crying when she’s alive. Why do you have so many tears?"

I honestly almost liked him a little in that moment. Maybe because Riley must have worn him down with three days of crying at home.

The warmth of her concern softened something inside me. Yes, I’d been through hell.

But if not for my "death," I would never have met Riley. Or Lewis. Or even Whitney.

Maybe I wasn’t as unlucky as I thought.

I lifted my head, wiped Riley’s tears away with my thumb, and mouthed carefully, "Stop crying. I’m fine."

Riley’s big watery eyes scanned me like she was counting my bones. "You’ve lost weight. Did he torture you?"

Three days with barely any food wasn’t exactly a spa trip, but I shook my head anyway.

Riley grabbed my hand. "Good thing I brought you food. A feast. You need to eat and get your strength back."

I nodded and silently mouthed, "Thank you."

Behind her, Harlan carried two huge takeout bags like a pack mule. He glanced at Lewis, noticing the redness in his eyes.

"It’s a good day," Harlan said, trying to sound casual. "Let’s drink, yeah?"

Lewis shot him a look that could freeze blood, then went to the closet to change.

I sat down to eat, but my eyes kept following the hallway.

A minute later, Lewis came out dressed like he was about to step into war. His body looked sharp. Ready. His aura had turned cold and controlled.

"I’m stepping out for a bit," he said.

My stomach dropped.

I grabbed his hand and shook my head hard.

He was going to see Amber. I knew it.

If Yael hadn’t said anything, maybe it was safe. But what if Yael had already told her I was alive?

And even if Amber had cared for Lewis for a decade... who was to say she wouldn’t turn on him now?

Even Yael refused to call her "mom." That alone said enough.

Lewis touched my face gently, voice low. "Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing."

I shook my head again, desperate. I didn’t want to be separated from him so soon after we found each other again.

He gave me a soft smile, the kind that always made my chest ache.

"Trust me," he whispered.

Then he pulled his hand away and walked out.

The door clicked shut, and the room felt colder.

Harlan stared after him, baffled. "He just walked out like that... looking all healthy? He’s not pretending anymore?"

I didn’t answer.

Lewis had spent years acting weaker than he was, hiding his strength from the ones who wanted him dead. But Amber had always known. If Theo was her man, then she had known everything.

Lewis wasn’t hiding anymore.

He left like a true Alpha stepping into enemy territory calm, cold, and ready to bite.

But my nerves were screaming.

Had Yael told Amber about me?

If he hadn’t, we still had the upper hand.

But would Yael really be that kind?

The thought of that smiling, menacing boy tightened my chest.

Then I turned around and found Harlan standing too close, his expression serious now. No jokes. No teasing.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Are you guys hiding something from me?" he asked.