He Knows the Door to My Soul and Who Forgot to Novel 39

In the forest, a tense confrontation unfolds between Andrei and Damon, two brothers caught in a fierce rivalry. Andrei is on the verge of attacking Damon when Natalia, Andrei’s ex-wife, suddenly intervenes, shouting “Stop!” and placing herself between them. Her desperate plea halts Andrei, who is shocked by her loyalty to Damon, a man he considers weak and unworthy. Natalia’s fierce determination and protective stance reveal that she truly cares for Damon, causing Andrei to question everything he thought he knew about her feelings and their past.

Andrei wrestles with conflicting emotions, recalling the painful history they share: Natalia’s supposed death, the loss of their unborn child, and the betrayal he believes Damon orchestrated. He struggles to accept that Natalia might have genuinely chosen Damon over their marriage and family. Despite his anger and suspicion, Andrei’s desire for answers keeps him tethered to the hope that the truth might still be uncovered.

As the brothers face off, Natalia warns them to stop their violent posturing, reminding them of the sacred laws forbidding wolf-on-wolf bloodshed in this ceremonial land. Suddenly, the tension shifts when a feral gray wolf, one of the hunters, attacks Natalia without warning. She is wounded, and the danger forces Andrei and Damon to unite instinctively, their shared goal to protect her momentarily bridging the deep rift between them.

The chapter ends with the brothers working together to fend off the feral wolf, highlighting a rare moment of cooperation amid their bitter conflict. Natalia’s injury and the appearance of the feral wolf introduce a new threat that overshadows their personal grievances, setting the stage for further developments in their complicated relationships.

Andrei

“Stop!”

Natalia’s shriek echoed through the forest, so loud and desperate that even the birds went silent. The sound hit me like a punch to the face, and even my wolf froze.

My jaws were inches from Damon’s throat. Victory was so close I could taste his blood on my tongue, and I yearned to finally end this nonsense once and for all. But there she was my ex–wife, arms spread wide, putting her body between me and my prey.

She loved him.

I shifted back immediately, chest heaving, refusing to hurt her. Damon shifted too.

“Move,” I growled at Natalia.

“No.” Her chin lifted stubbornly, but it wasn’t just me she was angry with. She looked between me and Damon with a fire in her eyes I had never seen before. “This is idiotic. Both of you. Have you gotten so caught up in your Alpha male posturing that you’ve forgotten you’re brothers?”

Brothers. The word almost made me laugh. Yes, we shared blood, but that was where the connection ended. Damon had always been the weaker one, the one who needed protecting, the one who couldn’t handle his own pack. And now he had Natalia. He had her love.

Why was she so loyal to him? She’d thrown herself between us without hesitation, risked her life for his sake. He didn’t love her–he was just using her, and we all knew it. The Natalia I’d married would never have done that, would never have fallen for a man who was so obviously just treating her like a tool of revenge.

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She had changed.

Did she truly never love me like she claimed?

I studied her face, searching for some kind of bluff. But all I saw was fierce, loyal determination and something that looked uncomfortably like actual, real concern for my good–for–nothing brother.

No. This didn’t make sense.

She hadn’t actually fallen in love with Damon, right? Surely she hadn’t genuinely chosen my piece of shit brother over our marriage? Over the family we were about to have five years ago?

Surely she hadn’t actually faked her own death and aborted our child just to elope with him?

No, Natalia wasn’t the type to be cruel like that. She wouldn’t have put me through the agony of believing she was dead, holding a funeral for her and our child, just to run off with another man. Which brought me back to my original suspicion–Damon had manipulated her.

He must have. Maybe he’d found her after her accident, vulnerable and confused, and convinced her that I was dangerous and that she could only trust him. Or maybe he had been poisoning her against me even before she left,

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planting seeds of doubt until he could deliver his final strike.

Hell, maybe he had even caused the accident just to sway her to his side.

And if the accident was what caused her to lose our baby…

“You do love her,” my wolf’s voice said. “Take her back. Take what’s yours-

“No,” I replied. “It’s not that. It’s the child.”

“She says the child is dead. And yet you still try to pull her back to you.”

“I just want answers.‘

“You kissed her.”

My jaw ticked, and I quickly shoved my wolf back down. “This isn’t over,” I said out loud, taking a step forward.

Natalia held her ground once more and bared her teeth, fangs partially extended. “You males need to get a grip,” she hissed. “This land is ceremonial, the law states that there will be no wolf–on–wolf bloodshed, and yet you-‘

Suddenly, before she could finish, a gray wolf burst out from the underbrush nearby. It was one of the hunters- although something was seriously wrong. Foam was dripping from its muzzle, and its eyes were completely

bloodshot.

I knew from one look that that wolf was feral.

And it was headed straight for Natalia.

The wolf’s claws raked across her leg before any of us could react. She cried out, crimson liquid immediately staining her leather pants, and stumbled backward, falling to the forest floor.

My protective instincts roared to life, drowning out everything else. I shifted in an instant, my black wolf slamming into the attacker before it could strike again. Beside me, Damon had the same idea. For once, we moved in perfect synchronization, two brothers united by a single purpose–protecting Natalia.

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The raw intensity of the confrontation laid bare the tangled emotions that bind Andrei, Natalia, and Damon—love, betrayal, loyalty, and pain all intertwined in a fragile dance. Natalia’s unwavering courage and fierce loyalty challenged Andrei’s assumptions, forcing him to confront the reality of their fractured past and the complex truths hidden beneath their shared history. The moment of crisis, with the feral wolf’s attack, shattered the bitter tension, revealing that despite their differences and wounds, the instinct to protect one another still flickers beneath the surface.

In the face of danger, the brothers set aside their rivalry, united by a common goal to safeguard Natalia, hinting at the possibility of healing and reconciliation. This chapter closes on a poignant reminder that even amidst deep scars and shattered trust, the bonds of family and love remain powerful forces—capable of bridging divides and igniting hope where once there was only despair.

The tension between Andrei, Natalia, and Damon reaches a boiling point, but just as the conflict seems destined to explode, an unexpected threat forces them into an uneasy alliance. In the next chapter, the arrival of the feral wolf will test their ability to work together despite the deep wounds and betrayals that linger beneath the surface. As they face this new danger, the fragile threads of loyalty and love will be pulled taut, revealing just how much each of them is willing to risk—and forgive.

Emotions will run high as Natalia’s injury brings vulnerability to the forefront, challenging Andrei’s hardened heart and Damon’s desperate need for redemption. The complex dynamics between the three will deepen, and readers will be left wondering if old wounds can truly heal or if the pain of the past will shatter any chance of reconciliation. Prepare for moments charged with raw emotion and the stirring possibility that even fractured bonds might find a way to mend under the weight of shared peril.

Sara Lili

Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.