Chapter 124: Under the Stars.
Alessandro’s POV
As I walked around to the driver’s side and got in, gripping the steering wheel, one thought echoed in my mind.
Yeah. This definitely wasn’t just a casual date.
I started the engine, the low hum of the car filling the silence between us.
“So, where exactly are we going?” Aurora asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
I smirked slightly, keeping my eyes on the road. “You’ll see.”
She let out a small huff. “Mysterious, aren’t we?”
I chuckled. “Just trust me.”
The drive was mostly quiet, except for the soft music playing through the speakers.
Every now and then, I’d glance over at her, catching the way she stared out the window, lost in thought.
Was she thinking about Leonardo? About Alpha John? About all the chaos in her life?
I wanted tonight to be different for her. A night where she didn’t have to think about the pack, about betrayals, about heartbreak.
After about twenty minutes, I pulled into a secluded spot just outside the city, where the town lights shimmered below us.
It was a high viewpoint, one of my favorite places to clear my head.
Aurora frowned. “A lookout point?”
I turned off the engine and got out, walking around to open her door.
“Come on.”
She hesitated but eventually followed me.
The view was breathtaking. The entire town stretched out beneath us, glowing like a sea of stars.
A cool breeze brushed past us, carrying the scent of pine and earth.
I glanced at her. “What do you think?”
She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. “It’s… peaceful.”
“That’s the point,” I said, leaning against the hood of the car.
“You needed a break, so I brought you somewhere where you could just… breathe.”
Aurora turned to me, her gaze softening. “You brought me here to help me relax?”
I shrugged. “Well, I figured fancy restaurants and candlelit dinners weren’t really your thing.”
She laughed, actually laughed. A real, genuine sound that made my chest tighten.
“You’re right,” she admitted.
“I would have been completely awkward in a place like that.”
She moved closer, leaning against the car beside me. We stood there in silence for a moment, just staring at the view.
Then, out of nowhere, she asked,
“Why are you doing this, Alessandro?”
I turned my head slightly. “Doing what?”
“This,” she gestured between us.
“Taking me out, making me forget, being… nice.”
I smirked. “Am I not allowed to be nice?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, that’s not what I mean. You were distant before, cold even.
But now…” she trailed off.
I exhaled, running a hand through my hair.
“I guess… I just realized I was wrong about you.”
Aurora stared at me, her eyes searching for something in mine.
“And?” she pressed.
“And…” I hesitated.
“I care about you.”
She froze.
I could see the way her fingers tightened around her sleeves, the way she bit her bottom lip like she was processing my words.
“I don’t expect you to say anything back,” I added quickly.
“I just wanted you to know.”
Aurora swallowed hard but didn’t look away.
For a moment, I thought she was going to change the subject, pretend she didn’t hear me. But instead, she let out a small breath and said—
“You confuse me, Alessandro.”
I frowned. “How?”
She shook her head. “Because I don’t know if you actually want me, or if you just feel guilty.”
That hit me like a punch to the gut.
I opened my mouth to respond, but she spoke before I could.
“Do you want to have sex with me?”
I froze.
The question caught me so off guard that, for a second, I thought I had misheard her.
Aurora stood there, arms crossed, eyes locked onto mine with an unreadable face.
She wasn’t teasing. She wasn’t joking. She was dead serious.
“Aurora—” I started, but she cut me off again.
“Just answer me, Alessandro.” Her voice was quiet but firm.
“Do you want me like that, or is this just some kind of guilt-driven redemption?”
I ran a hand down my face, exhaling sharply.
“This isn’t about guilt.”
“Then what is it?” she challenged, stepping closer.
“Because you were never nice to me. You were cold and then all of a sudden you became a different person. Like I mean something to you.”
I clenched my jaw, searching for the right words.
“You do mean something to me,” I said finally, my voice lower, rougher.
She scoffed. “That doesn’t answer my question.”
I shook my head. “Aurora, this isn’t about sex.”
“Isn’t it?” she whispered.
“You’re a man, Alessandro. An Alpha to be. Men like you don’t just do things out of the kindness of their hearts.
There’s always something you want.”
My hands curled into fists. “Is that what you think of me?”
She laughed bitterly, looking away. “I don’t know what to think of you.”
I reached out, turning her chin up so she was forced to look at me.
“If I wanted you like that, Aurora, you’d know,” I murmured.
“I wouldn’t play games. I wouldn’t be vague about it. But that’s not why I brought you here tonight.”
She searched my face, her breathing uneven.
“Then why did you?” she asked again, softer this time.
I let out a slow breath.
“Because… you’ve been through hell,” I admitted.
“Because I wanted to give you a moment where you didn’t have to think about any of it.
No Leonardo. No Alpha John. No betrayals. Just… you.”
Aurora’s lips parted slightly, but she didn’t say anything.
I pulled back, letting my hand drop. “I’m not here to take advantage of you.”
She swallowed. “I never said you were.”
“Good,” I said.
“Because when—”
I stopped myself.
She frowned. “When what?”
I hesitated, then held her gaze.
“When I finally have you, Aurora… I want it to be because you want me too.
Not because you’re lonely. Not because you’re running from your past.”
I leaned in just enough for her to feel the warmth of my breath.
“I want you to choose me as your mate.”
Aurora's breath caught, and her face turned red, but before she could say anything, I took a step back to give her some space.
“Come on,” I said, nodding toward the view.
“Let’s enjoy the night.”
She blinked, as if snapping out of a trance, and nodded slowly.
But just as we turned, we heard giggling sounds of a man and woman coming from one of the nearby parked cars.