Chapter 104: A Mother's Shame.

Aurora’s POV

I stood there stunned by what I heard. Leonardo stood up to his father and professed his love for me in public?

This….must be a dream or something.

Alpha John’s word brought me back to reality. “So you want to destroy the image of this family and marry your step sister? Have you gone mad?”

Leonardo nodded. “Yes father. I have gone mad. I have gone madly in love with her and my wolf accepts her as my mate, father. Why can’t you see that and just….let us be together.”

“Never!” Alpha John shouted.

“You will not put this family’s name in jeopardy and destroy my name as the Alpha of this pack, you understand me!”

“And why not? You can choose and marry who you love and I can’t?”  he protested.
Alpha John’s face turned red with fury.
“Because you are my son, and you have a duty to this pack!
Your responsibility is to uphold our legacy, not throw it away for some foolish love affair!”
Leonardo clenched his fists. “It’s not foolish, Father! My wolf recognizes her as my mate, and I will not ignore that.”
The murmurs in the crowd grew louder, some in support, others in shock.
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. This was happening. Leonardo was standing up for me for us.
Alpha John took a deep breath, his voice cold.
“You will end this madness right now, Leonardo.
You will forget about Aurora and do what is right.”
Leonardo shook his head. “I am doing what is right. For once, I’m choosing my own happiness.”
He turned to me, his eyes filled with determination. “And that happiness is with Aurora.”
I felt a lump in my throat as he took my hand. I never thought he would fight for me like this, not against his father, not in front of the entire pack.
Alpha John’s expression hardened. “If you go through with this, you will no longer be my son.”
A heavy silence fell over the hall. My breath caught in my throat.
Leonardo didn’t hesitate. “Then so be it.”
Gasps filled the room. The weight of his words crashed over all of us, but he didn’t waver.
He simply squeezed my hand tighter, his warmth anchoring me.
Alpha John looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. His jaw clenched, his hands trembling at his sides.
“You’re making a mistake.”
Leonardo held his gaze. “No, Father. I’m finally making the right choice.”
I swallowed hard, tears welling in my eyes. I never thought I’d see the day Leonardo would defy his father for me.
But here we were.
Together, but I just couldn’t understand why I wasn’t feeling at ease with his decision.
Just then my face felt a painful feeling. When I turned to see who slapped me, it was my mother, April our Luna.
I raised my hand to touch my face as I looked at my mother in shock.
“Mother.”
She scoffed. “I have always knew you were a witch causing trouble and dividing or stealing every ounce of happiness that I have. So you want to now destroy a father and son relationship for your stupid unreasonable feelings?”
I tried to say something but words couldn’t come out of my mouth….only tears.
“You made your father banish us from the pack and now you want Alpha John to banish his own son because he fell in love with you?”
I stood frozen, my cheek stinging from the force of my mother’s slap.
My heart ached, not just from the pain, but from her words, words filled with so much hatred.
“Mother…” My voice was low.
She scoffed again, her eyes burning with fury.
“Don’t call me that! You are no daughter of mine.”
Tears filled up in my eyes, but I couldn’t look away from her, from the woman who had given birth to me yet treated me like I was nothing.
Leonardo stepped between us, shielding me. “Enough,” he growled, his voice filled with warning.
“If you lay a hand on her again, I won’t stand by and let it happen.”
My mother let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, how noble of you.
Defending the woman who has done nothing but bring ruin to this family.” She glared at me.
“You stole my husband from me. You took away my home. And now, you want to take away Leonardo from his father?”
I shook my head furiously, my voice finally breaking through the pain.
“I never wanted any of this!
I never wanted you to be banished!
I never wanted to hurt anyone!”
My chest tightened as I fought back sobs.
“But you’ve never believed me. You never even cared to know the truth.”
My mother sneered.
“The truth?
The truth is you are nothing but a curse, Aurora.”
Leonardo’s hands clenched into fists.
“That’s enough.” His voice was sharp, commanding.
“Aurora has done nothing wrong.
"I chose her. This is my decision, and I will live with it, no matter the consequences.”
April’s eyes furrowed, her expression twisting with anger. “Then you are just as much a fool as she is.”
“You are wrong, Luna April,” Alessandro’s voice cut through the tension.
I turned to look at him as he stepped forward, his gaze locked onto my mother.
“Aurora wasn’t the reason her father banished you,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “You were.”
April’s face contorted with rage. “How dare you say that to me?! How dare you speak to your Luna that way?!”
Alessandro scoffed, shaking his head. “Our Luna?
Ever since you took that title, tell me, Luna, what have you done for this pack?
How have you led? How have you earned the respect of the people?”
A heavy silence filled the room. My mother’s lips parted as if to respond, but no words came out.
Alessandro didn’t stop. “You want the truth?
The only thing this pack knows you for is your addiction. While Father led, while Rafael and Gabriel took on responsibilities you abandoned, while I cleaned up after your mess what did you do?
Nothing. And now, you stand here blaming Aurora, when in reality, you destroyed yourself.”
April’s hands curled into fists at her sides.
“You ungrateful child!” she spat.
“After everything I sacrificed—”
“Sacrificed?” Alessandro let out a bitter laugh.
“No, Luna. You didn’t sacrifice anything for anyone. You had many chances to do what is right, but you threw it all away.
And now, it’s time for Father to make a choice.”
He turned to Alpha John, his face unyielding. “Father, I know she’s your wife, but we both know what the pack has been saying about her addiction.
It’s ruining the reputation of our family and the pack. You have to decide.”
April’s eyes widened in horror, and in an instant, she rushed at Alessandro, her hand swinging through the air.
The sharp sound of the slap echoed through the silent hall.
Alessandro didn’t flinch. He stood there, staring at her with unreadable eyes, while she trembled with rage.
“You can hit me all you want,” he said, his voice dangerously calm.
“But it doesn’t change the truth.”
April’s chest rose and fell rapidly, her eyes wild with fury.
“How dare you say that to me? After everything I have endured in this pack!
I am your Luna!”
Alessandro scoffed. “A Luna in name only.” His voice was cold, sharp like a blade.
“Tell me, Luna, what have you done for this pack? What have you contributed?
Do you even know the names of half the warriors who risk their lives for this pack every day?”
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. The silence that followed was deafening.
All eyes turned to Alpha John. He had been silent through the entire confrontation, watching everything unfold with an unreadable expression.
“Father,” Alessandro said firmly, “for the sake of this pack, for the sake of its future, you need to decide now.”
April’s eyes widened in horror as she turned to face Alpha John.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
But Alpha John just stood there, his face serious and deep in thought.
For the first time, it looked like he was really thinking about what needed to be done.
Slowly, he stepped closer to April and looked her in the eyes.
“April, I’m sorry… but I want a divorce.”