Chapter 122: One Night, No Expectations.

Aurora’s POV
A date with Alessandro sounded nice… but with everything happening in the pack, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would ever be free from all this drama.
My mother, April, had been sent to rehab by Alpha John to get treatment. He had also divorced her and stripped her of her title as Luna of the pack.
But the most painful part? She blamed me for everything.
According to her, if I had been born a boy, my father would never have banished us when she was the one who had cheated on him with a beta from his pack.
Through her countless marriages, I had endured accusations, neglect, and abuse at her hands.
She had never shown me love, never protected me. I had grown up believing love was nothing but an illusion until I came to Shadow Pack.
Here, I met my stepbrothers, who had been nothing but protective of me except for Alessandro.
From the moment I arrived, he made it clear that my presence was a problem. He had been cold, distant, and at times, outright cruel.
Then there was Leonardo, my first mate. He had been the first person to show me kindness, the first to make me believe I was worthy of love.
With him, I had begun to heal, to forget the pain of my past. But then Lena came into the picture, and duty took precedence over love.
He started prioritizing his father’s expectations over fighting for us.
And then… there was Alessandro.
The same Alessandro who had once treated me with indifference suddenly became my protector, my knight in shining armor. He had believed me when no one else did. He had saved my life more times than I could count.
And now… he wanted to take me on a date to help me forget the pain in my heart.
I let out a deep sigh, staring out my window.
Could I really allow myself to get closer to him?
Or was I just setting myself up for more heartbreak?
"Come on, Aurora. Alessandro just wants to take you on a date to help you forget the pack’s affairs nothing more," I told myself.
But deep down, I knew that wasn’t entirely true. He had already confessed his feelings for me.
And that was what scared me the most.
With everything that had happened the recent chaos in the pack, my sudden breakup with Leonardo I wasn’t sure I was ready to accept his feelings.
My heart was still fragile, my emotions tangled in uncertainty.
Could I really open myself up to something new?
Or was I just walking into another storm?
Just then, my phone buzzed, and Annie’s name flashed across the screen. I hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Hey, Annie."
"Hey, you. What’s up?" she asked, her voice light and cheerful as always.
I sighed. "Well… Alpha John almost banished me from the pack yesterday because of my relationship with Leonardo."
"OMG!
Are you okay?" she gasped.
I let out a dry laugh.

"Define 'okay.' I mean, I’m still here, but only because I agreed to stay away from Leonardo. And now… Alessandro asked me out on a date."
Annie went completely silent on the other end. I could practically hear the gears turning in her head before she finally spoke, her voice filled with excitement.

"Wait… Alessandro asked you out on a date? That’s awesome!"
"Really, Annie?" I groaned, rubbing my temples. "That’s your reaction?"
"Uh, yeah!" she said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Have you seen him? Tall, brooding, ridiculously hot and now he's asking you out? Aurora, that’s a win."
I sighed. "It’s not that simple."
"It never is with you," she teased. "So… are you going?"
I hesitated. "I don’t know."
"Well, what’s stopping you?"
I swallowed, my chest tightening. "Everything."
"What do you mean, Aurora?" Annie asked, concern lacing her voice.
I hesitated, chewing on my bottom lip. "I mean everything, Annie. Alpha John told me to end things with Leonardo even though we had already broken up before he did.
So I can’t just… start dating his brother because he confessed his feelings for me.
That would be wrong and hurtful to Leonardo and to myself. I don’t even know if I like Alessandro that much, or if I’m just a lonely female who needs love desperately."
Annie sucked in a breath.
"Wait, Alessandro confessed his feelings for you?"
"Yeah," I admitted, my voice low.
"And you’re just telling me this now?" she practically shrieked.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
"Annie, this isn’t some fairy tale.
It’s messy. Complicated. And I don’t know what to do."
Annie was silent for a moment, then let out a breath. “Aurora, I get it. I do.
But you need to ask yourself something how do you feel about Alessandro?
Forget the pack, forget Leonardo, forget all of it. Do you feel something for him?”
I swallowed hard. “I… I don’t know. It’s confusing.”
“Then don’t rush into anything,” she said gently. “But don’t shut yourself out either.
You’ve been through so much, and you deserve happiness, Aurora. Whether it’s with Alessandro, Leonardo, or no one at all that choice should be yours, not the Alpha’s.”
Her words struck something deep inside me. My choice. How long had it been since I truly made a choice for myself?
Everything in my life had been dictated by others my mother, the pack, Leonardo, and now Alpha John.
“I just don’t want to hurt anyone,” I murmured.
Annie sighed. “I know. But you can’t live your life just trying to avoid hurting others. You matter too, Aurora.”
I bit my lip, emotions swirling inside me. Maybe she was right. Maybe, for once, I needed to think about myself.
Just then, a knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts.
“I have to go,” I said.
“Okay, but think about what I said.”
“I will,” I promised before hanging up.
Taking a deep breath, I walked over and opened the door.
And there he was Alessandro.
His expression was unreadable, but his eyes held something I couldn’t quite place.
“Hey,” he said, his voice softer than usual.
“Hey,” I echoed, my heart beating.
He hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath.
“So… about our date. Are you still up for it?”
I looked at him, my mind spinning. Was I ready for this?
Maybe I wasn’t.
But maybe, just maybe, I wanted to try.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“I’m up for it.”
A small smile played at his lips. “Good. I’ll pick you up tonight.”
As he walked away, I shut the door and leaned against it, exhaling shakily.
For better or worse, I had made my choice.
Now, I just had to see where it would lead me.
For better or worse, I had made my choice.
Now, I just had to see where it would lead me.
I took a deep breath and grabbed my phone, dialing Annie’s number again. She picked up on the second ring.
“Aurora?”
“I’m going,” I blurted out.
“On the date. With Alessandro.”
There was a beat of silence before she practically squealed into the phone.
“Oh my God! Finally, you’re doing something for yourself!”
I let out a soft laugh, shaking my head.
“Don’t make a big deal out of it. It’s just a date.”
“Uh, no, it’s Alessandro asking you out on a date.
The same Alessandro who was once cold and distant, and now suddenly all knight-in-shining-armor for you.”
I sighed, flopping onto my bed.
“That’s exactly why I’m doing this, Annie. I don’t want to overthink it.
I just want to forget all the drama and actually enjoy myself for once.”
She hummed in approval.
“That’s the spirit! So, what are you going to wear?
It has to be perfect. You have to—”
“Okay, okay,” I cut in, laughing.
“I don’t want you to make a big deal out of this. It’s a casual date, not an actual date… so I don’t need to overdress, Annie.”
“What?
That’s nonsense!” she practically shrieked.
“You need to dress up and make him know that you are a beauty and that anyone who eventually becomes your mate is the luckiest man alive.”
I rolled my eyes playfully.
“Annie—”
“Nope!
I’m not hearing it. Change our call to a video call right now so I can see your wardrobe ASAP!”
I groaned but switched to video call, holding the phone up to my closet.
“Happy now?”
She gasped dramatically.
“Girl, you have options and you were really about to throw on a sweater and jeans, weren’t you?”
I bit my lip. “Maybe.”
She shook her head like she was deeply disappointed in me.
“No. We are going to pick something jaw-dropping but not too obvious.
You want to say, ‘I’m effortlessly gorgeous’ not ‘I spent three hours trying to impress you.’”
I snorted. “This is why I called you.”
“Exactly!
Now, show me what we’re working with.”
I started pulling outfits from my closet while Annie gave her very loud, very detailed opinions on each one.
After a few minutes, we settled on a simple but stunning black dress that hugged my curves just right.
It was casual enough to not scream ‘date,’ but elegant enough to make an impact.
“Ooooh, yes. That’s the one,” Annie said, nodding approvingly.
“Pair it with some strappy heels and natural makeup, and Alessandro will be speechless.”
I smiled, a flutter of excitement creeping in despite my nerves.
“Okay,” I admitted.
“Maybe I do want to look good for this date.”
Annie smirked.
“Exactly. Now go get ready, my beautiful bestie. You’re about to remind Alessandro why you’re unforgettable.”
I laughed as we ended the call, but as I stared at my reflection, the nerves returned.
Was I really ready for this?
With a deep breath, I whispered to myself, “It’s just one night. No overthinking. Just fun.”
Ensnared by My Stepbrothers' Realm
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