Chapter 140: When Truth Hurts

Aurora’s POV
Leonardo didn’t even flinch.
"He looked up at Alessandro with a smirk, a slow smile spreading across his face.
“Speak of the devil,” he said casually.
“Or should I say… the thief?”
Alessandro's jaw clenched, but his voice remained calm and sharp.

“I asked you a question,” he said, eyes never leaving Leonardo’s.

“What exactly are you waiting for?”
Leonardo stood slowly, the chair scraping lightly against the floor.

“To reclaim what’s mine,” he said coolly.
I stepped between them, feeling the tension in the air.

“Stop it,” I said firmly, my voice low but steady.
“This isn’t the place.  People are watching.”
Leonardo looked at me, and for a moment, his expression softened, like he was remembering how to be human.
But Alessandro wasn’t finished.
“You had your chance,” he said, his voice low.
“And you threw it away.”
Leonardo scoffed.
“Is that what she told you?
That I threw her away?”
“No,”
 Alessandro replied, stepping forward now.
“That’s what I saw. That’s what everyone saw. You couldn’t make a choice until it was too late.
And now you want to act like you still have a say in her life?”
“She’s my mate,” Leonardo growled, his voice rising.
“And I’m not property,” I snapped, cutting in before Alessandro could speak again.
“I’m not something either of you get to fight over.”
The two men stopped talking, and we all stood there in silence, surrounded by unspoken words.
Leonardo’s eyes dropped to the ground briefly, then back up to me.

“This isn’t over,” he murmured.
“You’ll see.
Everything’s about to change.”
He turned and walked out of the café without saying another word, his shoulders tense with pride.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm down
Alessandro reached for my hand, his touch grounding me.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded slowly.
“I am now.”
But even as I said the words… deep down, I knew Leonardo wasn’t bluffing.
Something was seriously wrong with him.
Alessandro didn’t let go of my hand as we walked out of the cafe. His grip was firm, protective, like he was afraid to let go.
The air outside had grown colder, but I barely noticed. My mind was still spinning from Leonardo’s words.
“Everything’s about to change.”
“What do you think he meant by that?” I finally asked, breaking the silence between us.
Alessandro exhaled slowly, eyes searching the area. 
“I don’t know. But I don’t like it. He’s not thinking clearly, and that makes him dangerous.”
I felt that Alessandro wasn’t telling me some things, and I wondered why.

“How is Alpha John?”
I detected hesitation in his voice, like he was hiding something. I looked closely at his face and saw tension in his jaw.
His eyes looked away from mine too quickly.
He wasn’t telling me everything. I could feel it.
Still, I didn’t press. Not yet.
Instead, I shifted the subject, hoping maybe he’d open up more if I kept things calm.

“How is Alpha John?” I asked gently.
He looked at me, and his tense expression relaxed slightly.
“He’s stable,” Alessandro said.
“But unconscious.
The healers are doing everything they can… but they still haven’t found what kind of poison it was.”
My stomach sank.
“Do they think he’ll make it?”
Alessandro nodded, but the movement was slow and uncertain.

“Yes… they believe he will,” he said quietly.
“The healer told us it was Alpha John’s wolf that took most of the poison. If not… he’d already be dead.”
A chill ran through me.
“That’s terrifying,” I whispered.
“Who would do something like that?”
Alessandro’s jaw tightened, and I could see the storm in his eyes.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” he said.

“And… before I came, the elders of the pack had a meeting this morning about appointing a new successor since Father isn’t strong enough to rule at the moment.

They almost appointed Leonardo as the new alpha, but I had to step in and tell them we shouldn’t make a rash decision that could affect the entire pack.

Choosing a successor without the Alpha’s consent isn’t right. And honestly… I don’t think Leonardo is in the right frame of mind to rule.”
I listened carefully as he finally shared his thoughts with me, his voice filled with frustration and a sense of responsibility.
I couldn't help but smile slightly as I reached out and gently placed my hand on his arm.
“You should be Alpha, Alessandro.”
His eyes met mine, surprised by the certainty in my voice.
“You care about the pack more than any of your brothers,” I continued softly.
“I knew it from the first day I met you.

You didn’t like me at first because you thought I was a threat, but even then, I saw how you cleaned up the messes your brothers made… even your father’s.
And you did it without ever asking for recognition or reward.”
I took a breath, heart full of truth.

“If anyone deserves to lead Shadow Pack… it’s you.”
For a moment, he was silent. He looked at me, and I could see him processing what I had said.
Then, quietly, he said,

“You really believe that?”
“I do,” I whispered.

“With everything in me.”
He turned his eyes away from me and sighed deeply.
“I just… don’t know what to do, Aurora.”
His voice cracked ever so slightly, and it broke my heart to see him like this, torn between duty, fear, and pain.
“Alpha John is lying on the hospital bed unconscious,” he continued,
“and I think… I think he knows who poisoned him. But he doesn’t want to reveal the person.
And I think I know why.”
I frowned, my brow pulling together in confusion.
“Why?”
Alessandro looked at me, his eyes clouded with something between sorrow and fury.
“Because it’s someone close. Someone he never expected would betray him.
Someone… he’s trying to protect.”
I felt a chill run down my spine.
“You think it’s someone in your family?”
He didn’t answer right away, and that silence said more than any words could.
“I don’t want it to be true,” he finally said, barely above a whisper.
“But every piece is pointing in that direction.
And if I’m right… it’ll break this pack apart.”
I reached for his hand, squeezing it gently.
“Then you’re going to need to be strong, Alessandro. No matter who it is.”
He nodded slowly, the weight of it all heavy on his shoulders.
“I just hope… I’m ready.”
I gave his hand another squeeze, my voice soft. “You are ready.
You’ve already been carrying the weight of this pack long before anyone noticed.”
He looked at me, truly looked at me, like he was seeing me through a different lens.
But just as he was about to say something, his phone buzzed on the table between us.
He glanced at the screen, and his entire expression changed.
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s Gabriel,” he muttered, standing abruptly.
“He says Alpha John is awake and is looking for me.”
My breath caught.
“That’s good news, right?”
Alessandro didn’t answer immediately. He was already trying to open the car door for me, his eyes distant and calculating.
“Maybe. Or maybe it means the storm is just beginning.”
He turned to me, cupping my cheek gently.
“I think you need to stay with Annie for a while. The pack isn’t safe, and I believe that winter is coming. So I need you to stay with her at all times and promise me you won’t go somewhere without telling me; promise me that, Aurora.”
My heart kept beating at his sudden urgency, but I nodded.
“I promise.”
He stared at me for a moment longer, like he didn’t want to leave.
Then he leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.
“I don’t know what I will do if anything were to happen to you, Aurora. You mean everything to me.”
His words sank deeply into me, like a gentle promise. I looked up at him, my heart beating in my chest
“I’ll be okay,” I whispered.
“As long as you keep coming back to me.”
His jaw tensed, and he nodded briefly. He then wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me tightly, as if he feared I might slip away.
“I will,” he murmured into my hair.
“No matter what happens, I will always come back to you.”