Chapter 142: The Puppet Master
Alessandro’s POV
After I dropped off Aurora and Annie, I sat in the car for a moment, watching them walk into the house. I didn’t want to leave her, not with everything happening, but I knew I had responsibilities waiting.
Ones I couldn’t ignore.
With a heavy sigh, I started the engine again and drove back toward the pack grounds.
The sun was setting, creating long shadows on the road. When I arrived at the hospital, the air felt colder and thicker.
I walked down the familiar hallway, my footsteps echoing off the walls.
As I reached Alpha John's room, I smelled my brothers' scent before I even opened the door.
Gabriel and Rafael were already there, standing just outside.
Gabriel had his arms crossed, leaning against the wall, while
Rafael paced slowly back and forth, a deep line etched between his brows.
“Took you long enough,” Rafael muttered when he saw me.
“I had to make sure Aurora was safe,” I replied calmly.
“She will be staying over at Annie’s place until we figure out who poisoned father and everything in the pack calms down.”
Gabriel gave a small nod of approval.
“Smart move. She’s safer away from the center of things right now.”
Rafael stopped pacing and looked at me with a concerned and frustrated look.
“We shouldn’t even have to do this hiding people like they’re targets.
This is our home. No one should feel unsafe here.”
“I know,” I said, my tone heavier.
“But until we know who’s behind all this, no one’s truly safe. Especially not the people close to us.”
Gabriel looked toward the closed hospital door.
“Has there been any change?” I asked.
He shook his head.
“Nothing yet. The healer said his vitals are stable, but… it’s like the poison weakened his wolf and so it would take some time before he gains strength to handle the pack affairs.”
Rafael rubbed the back of his neck, clearly agitated.
“I hate waiting. Every minute we spend in limbo is another chance for the traitor to cover their tracks or worse, make another move.”
I stepped closer to the door and placed my hand on it, pausing.
“If Father knows who did this… he’s holding it in for a reason.”
Gabriel looked at me sharply.
“You still think he’s protecting someone?”
“I do,” I said quietly.
“And I think we all know who he might be protecting.”
Rafael let out a heavy breath.
“Leonardo.”
Silence fell between us, thick with unspoken truths.
“Why would Leonardo try to hurt father? I mean it doesn’t make sense.” Rafael said, a look of confusion on his face.
“When I went to pick up Aurora, I met him with her and you know what he said to her?”
Rafael and Gabriel leaned closer. “What did he say?”
“He said,” I began, my jaw tightening at the memory, “that he never ended things with her… that she did.
And then he said something else something that didn’t sit right with me.”
Gabriel and Rafael leaned in, eyes fixed on me.
“He said, ‘Don’t worry, everything would soon be in place.’”
Rafael frowned.
“What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know yet,” I replied, my voice low and tense.
“But then he asked her something that chilled me.”
Gabriel furrowed his eyes.
“What?”
“He asked her, ‘If I become the Alpha of the pack, will you come back to me?’”
A stunned silence followed.
Rafael was the first to speak, his tone sharp.
“So he thinks that if he takes Father’s position, he’ll somehow win her back?
That’s delusional.”
“It’s more than delusional,” Gabriel said grimly.
“It’s dangerous.
If he truly believes becoming Alpha will give him what he wants… then maybe that’s why he wanted Father out of the way.”
Rafael shook his head slowly, the truth beginning to take shape in his mind.
“You think Leonardo poisoned Father just to get the title… and Aurora?”
I looked away, clenching my fists.
“I don’t want to believe it. He’s still our brother. But if he’s capable of that kind of manipulation of hurting Father then we can’t ignore the possibility.”
Gabriel nodded. “Then we need to act fast. Before Leonardo makes another move we can’t undo.”
Rafael turned toward the door of Father’s hospital room, his face hardening.
“Let’s just hope Father wakes up soon… before Leonardo takes things even further.”
I stared at the floor for a moment, my thoughts spinning. This isn’t just about the Alpha seat anymore.
It’s about obsession, betrayal… and who’s willing to burn everything to get what they want.
“But how could Leonardo hurt father? He would never try to hurt father.” Gabriel said,
I nodded. “Not intentionally.”
Rafael frowned, his brows drawing together.
“What do you mean not intentionally?”
I exhaled, my voice low and steady.
“I think someone else is behind all of this. Leonardo isn’t the mastermind… he’s just a pawn.
A tool being used to achieve someone else's goal.”
Gabriel and Rafael exchanged a quick glance, tension sparking between them before they turned their eyes back to me.
“Who?” Gabriel asked cautiously.
I paused for a moment, letting the silence build before I spoke.
“Someone who’s always craved power. Someone who’s wanted the Alpha position for years, but could never have it at least, not directly.
But Leonardo?
He’s the perfect candidate. He’s the firstborn son of the Prickette. The moment Father is out of the way, Leonardo becomes the easiest path to the throne.”
Rafael’s eyes furrowed.
“Are you saying this person is manipulating Leonardo?
Feeding his obsession, pushing his jealousy… guiding him toward the title?”
I nodded.
“Exactly.
And Leonardo’s too blinded by emotions and pride to see that he’s being used.”
Gabriel’s jaw clenched.
“Then we’re not just dealing with a jealous brother we’re dealing with a puppet master.
Someone in the shadows pulling strings.”
“And the worst part,” I added grimly, “is that Leonardo thinks he’s in control.”
Silence settled again, heavier this time.
“We need to find out who this puppet master is,” Rafael said.
“Before they get exactly what they want and destroy this pack in the process.”
I paced back and forth, the weight of it all pressing on my shoulders.
“The question is how do we catch the puppet master?”
Gabriel pushed off the wall, his expression thoughtful.
“We start by finding the weak links. Someone this calculated would never get their hands dirty themselves.
They’d need messengers… go-betweens.”
Rafael nodded.
“Someone slipped those poisoned documents into Father’s office. Someone covered their tracks, wore gloves, masked their scent.
That means help from the inside.”
I stopped pacing and turned to them.
“Exactly.
We interrogate the guards quietly. Cross-check who was on duty the day those papers arrived.
And more importantly… who wasn’t.”
Gabriel added, “And we watch Leonardo.
If he’s being manipulated, he might unknowingly lead us straight to whoever’s behind this.”
“We’ll need to split up,” Rafael said.
“Keep an eye on the council too. There were whispers even before Father was poisoned about shifting leadership. Someone’s stirring the pot.”
I clenched my jaw.
“And if that someone is on the council... we might be in more danger than we thought.”
Gabriel looked at me.
“Then we stay ahead of them. We act smart, we move in silence… and when the puppet master slips, we’ll be ready.”
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