Mated To My Cheating Ex's Alpha Uncle

Ghosts Of The Past

Elena’s POV:

The next day there was a strange shift in the air.

Carrying a stack of fresh linens down the second-floor hallway, I nearly bumped into Caleb as he stepped out of his study. He blocked my path, scanning my face to check for any difference.

"Did you sleep?" he asked.

"Better than usual" I admitted, offering a small honest smile.

Caleb's gaze softened, a rare faint smile touching the corner of his mouth before he stepped aside.

That calm morning didn't last.

Later that afternoon, the head housekeeper handed me a tray holding a steaming pot of tea and two fine cups.

"Take this up to the master's study, his nephew just arrived for a meeting. Drop it off quickly and come back down."

I balanced the tray carefully in my hands, keeping my eyes fixed on the floor as I went up the stairs . My mind was completely blank entirely unprepared for the nightmare waiting at the end of the hall.

As I walked down the corridor, my thoughts drifted to the master's nephew.

Who even was the master's nephew? If he was anything like Caleb, I braced myself for another terrifying, stone-faced alpha with a sharp suit and a god-complex. I didn't expect it to be the devil of my worst nightmare.

Standing at the end of the hall was the last person on earth I expected to see.

I reached the double doors of Caleb's study. They were cracked open just an inch, letting out the low rumble of voices from inside.

"Thank you for making time to see me” a voice said.

My blood ran ice cold.

That voice. I would know it anywhere, it was Leo Thorne.

I peeped through the crack of the door to get a look at him, my mind spinning in wild disbelief. How could he be related to Caleb?

My hands shook so badly the teacups nearly slipped off the tray. Panic clawed up my throat choking off my breath.

Except... something was off. This wasn’t the “Leo” I knew. His clothes were hanging off him, his hair looked like a bird's nest, and he was chewing his fingernail as he paced.

He looked panicked, sweating through his shirt, walking back and forth while rubbing the back of his neck. He looked like a guy running for his life.

"Cut the crap Leo” Caleb said , leaning against the edge of his desk with his arms crossed over his chest. His cold eyes watched his nephew with sharp suspicion. "You look very disturbed. Spit it out, why are you really here?"

Leo stopped pacing to talk, running both hands over his face. "I'm telling you, it's a disaster Uncle. I’ve made a lot of financial mistakes, my father is breathing down my neck, and everything is falling apart."

"Then fix it!" Caleb replied unbothered , his tone completely unimpressed. "Don't bring your pack drama into my house."

"I had to get away” Leo muttered, his voice cracking with exhaustion as he paced faster. "My head is a mess. I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I keep seeing things... feeling like someone is watching me."

I backed away from the door scared, I pressed my back against the hallway wall, holding the heavy tray tightly against my chest.

Suddenly, Leo stopped speaking.

He turned his head toward the open study door. His sharp eyes scanned the hallway.

A flash of movement caught his eye.

My breath hitched. I froze , squeezing my eyes shut.

Leo squinted down the corridor. His gaze landed straight on me, standing pressed against the wall with my housekeeper's dress and tea tray.

I wished the ground would open and swallow me.

Leo took two slow steps toward the open door. He stared right at me, a deep frown crossing his pale face.

Elena? his look seemed to ask. No. That's impossible.

Leo blinked hard and rubbed his temples. He let out a scoff, shaking his head at his own exhausted mind.

"Damn it I'm losing my mind" Leo muttered to himself, turning his back and walking away from the door. "Seeing ghosts everywhere I look."

I let out a shaky breath. I thought I was safe.

I decided to just leave the tea quickly. Moving quietly, I pushed the heavy door open just enough to place the tray onto a side table near the entrance.

I hoped to slip away unnoticed.

My fingers were shaking so bad my grip gave out. The tray slid forward, slamming against the doorframe with a heavy thud.

The room went quiet.

Leo stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around. His eyes locked straight onto me standing inside the doorway.

The exhaustion vanished from his face, replaced by pure shock.

Silence dropped over the room. Leo's jaw hung open. He stared directly at me in total disbelief, finally realizing the ghost he thought he saw was real, and that his runaway unshifted nobody was standing right inside his uncle's private study.