Mated to Two Bad Boy Alphas (Lia zane Blake) novel Chapter 268

Mated to Two Bad Boy Alphas

Chapter 268 – Suspicious

–LIA’S POV–

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The smell hit me before we even reached the bottom of the stairs. Sweet, buttery pancakes, something savoury like bacon, and the faint scent of coffee. My stomach growled instantly.

We stepped into the kitchen to find Mom by the stove, flipping pancakes onto a plate stacked so high it was practically a tower. Beside them sat crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, and a jug of fresh orange juice.

I blinked. “Wow. This is… a lot.”

Mom smiled at me. “Thought I’d treat everyone. You’ve stayed here after so long, haven’t you?”

I forced a smile, nodding.

“Honey, can you check your Dad’s shirt. I’ve ironed it but just make sure there’s no creases, please.”

Zane and I exchanged a glance.

“Sure,” I said, walking over to the ironing table.

Dad’s shirt was laid out and ironed to perfection.

I couldn’t believe she’d done it.

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Usually, Mom burnt clothes.

This was odd.

All of it.

ww

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Dad skipped down the stairs, straight out the shower, wearing everything else except a shirt. I handed it to him and he grinned, quickly putting it on. “Thank you, honey. I’m glad you ironed it

and not your mom

“No, she did it.”

He frowned, staring down at it. “This perfectly?”

“Of course,” Mom grumbled from the kitchen.

Dad stared at me, shooting me a look. “It’s like she’s a different person.” He chuckled.

I froze, my heart starting to race. Zane walked up to me and put an arm around me, instantly easing my nerves.

He’d noticed too.

Dad checked his watch. “It’s almost time.”

He grabbed a plate, kissed Mom’s cheek, then turned back and kissed her again, properly, like he used to when I was a kid. My

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brows shot up.

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“Heading out early,” he said, grabbing his coffee. “Love you.”

“Love you,” Mom replied softly.

Once he left, I slid into a chair, still watching her. “Since when have you two gotten all… romantic again?”

Mom gave a small laugh, like it was nothing. “Just decided to

give him the love hayataraya matatalogue to be pat

I stabbed a fork into a pancake. “Right.”

Her tone was light, but something about it didn’t feel like Mom.

Images of the vision I’d had replayed in my head, making me clutch my fork tighter.

Zane sat opposite her, casual, his elbow propped on the table. “So,” he said, spearing a strip of bacon, “We still got more exams coming up. Any advice for Lia?” he said in a teasing tone.

Mom’s eyes flicked to me. “Oh, Lia will be fine. She’s always been so clever. She’d ace her exams whether she studied much

or not.”

I froze mid–chew. That… wasn’t true.

And Mom knew that.

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I always had to be the one buried in revision notes, highlighters all over the place. If anything, Mom used to joke that I studied too much.

Zane glanced at me, and I looked away. He kept going, still casual. “Also, you won’t believe who called that day.”

“Who?”

www

www

Chey

“Blake. Imagine the audacity.‘

I braced for it—the scowl, the instant disapproval, the reminder of why she couldn’t stand him.

Instead, Mom just raised an eyebrow. “Oh? He did?”

“Yeah,” I muttered. “He was just checking in.”

“Good,” she said, turning back to her plate.

That was it. No lecture, no warning, no mention of what happened. My stomach twisted. She’d never been able to hear his name without making it clear she hated him for hurting me.

Zane leaned back in his chair, watching her like he was noting every reaction. “You’ve been busy lately?” he asked.

“Just keeping the house in order,” she said smoothly.

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I tried to focus on my food, but my mind kept circling back. The pancakes tasted perfect, the bacon was crisp, but it all felt

wrong.

Mom shouldn’t have been able to cook like this without getting

tired. She shouldn’t have let Blake’s name slide without a reaction. And she definitely wouldn’t have said I didn’t need to study.

It was all so small—things anyone else would brush off—but they stuck in my head like splinters.

Zane met my eyes for a second.

I smiled at Mom, forcing it. “Breakfast’s great,” I said.

She smiled back, like nothing at all was out of place.

“I’ll do the dishes,” I announced, standing up.

“Oh, you don’t have to, Lia. It’s okay, I’ll manage.”

After a bit of argument, she let me.

Zane came to stand next to me when I was rinsing my plate, sliding it into the dishwasher. He didn’t say anything at first, just leaned against the counter, staring at nothing in particular.

“We need to keep our guard up,” he said quietly, his voice low enough that it wouldn’t carry into the living room.

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I swallowed, not looking at him.

I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t wanna admit it.

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“About what?” I whispered, hoping he would mean something else. Hoping he’d say something that would make me realise I was simply being paranoid.

why

But Zane gave me a pointed look, like he didn’t even need to say it out loud.

I glanced towards the sofa, where Mom was flipping through a magazine like she had no idea she’d just been under some weird interrogation during breakfast. Dad had left an hour ago, so it was just us and her.

“You think she’s…?” I trailed off, my chest tightening.

“I think something’s off,” Zane said. “And your dad can’t know. If we push too hard, we’ll scare him—and she will notice we’re suspicious.”

I swallowed, nodding. “You think it’s…?”

His gaze softened a little, but he didn’t sugar–coat it. “I think we don’t know what it is yet. We have to be sure. If it’s her, then where’s Mom?”

My stomach twisted, tears pricking my eyes. “In a cave,” I

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whispered. “Somewhere. What do we do?” I asked, voice shaking.

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“We watch,” he said simply. “We listen. And we wait until we know exactly what we’re dealing with.”

I nodded, even though my hands felt cold. Because deep down, I knew it.

This wasn’t her.

“There’s something else too,” I whispered. “I should’ve told you earlier.”