Chapter 144: The Price of Love
Alessandro’s POV
Just as we were talking about what to do next, my father started to wake up.
“Alessandro…”
My father's voice was weak, but it shocked me. I stopped talking, my heart racing.
I turned around and saw Alpha John conscious.
“Father!”
I knelt beside him. His eyes were cloudy, but he seemed to know I was there.
“Are you alright?” I asked, gripping his hand.
He nodded slowly, every movement strained, like it took everything in him just to remain awake.
“I don’t have much time,” he rasped.
“Listen closely.”
I glanced at the others in the room Gabriel and Rafael. They all stepped closer, the weight of his words settling heavily over us.
“Someone in the council is working against me,” he continued, his breathing labored.
“I am sorry that iI was poisoned… but not to kill me. Not yet. They wanted to keep me weak. Out of the way.”
His fingers curled around mine, weak but desperate.
“But I cannot disclose who is involved.”
My chest tightened. I knew my father was trying to protect Leonardo and so I didn’t say anything and let him finish.
“They are planning something. Something big and only the three of you can stop it.”
My blood turned cold.
“I have an idea, Father,”
I said slowly, the words forming as the plan took shape in my mind.
“And I think it’s the best way to find out who’s behind all this.”
Rafael and Gabriel turned to me, their faces tense with curiosity.
“Okay…” Rafael said cautiously.
“What’s your idea, Alessandro?”
I hesitated for a beat, looking down at my father, then back at them.
“Father,” I continued,
“I know you might not like it. In fact, you’ll probably hate it. But I think it’s the only way we can draw out the traitor.”
Alpha John’s gaze was heavy, but steady.
“Go on,” he said hoarsely.
I took a breath, steadying myself.
“I want you to choose me as the successor to lead Shadow Pack.”
Gabriel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You want to stage it?”
“Exactly,” I nodded.
“We make Alpha John publicly name me as his successor.”
Rafael raised a brow.
“And why would that help?”
“Because it’ll shake the ones plotting behind our backs,”
I explained.
“Whoever tried to poison father… they’re counting on uncertainty. On chaos.
But if I’m suddenly announced as the next Alpha, everything changes.
They’ll panic. They’ll act. And when they do, we’ll be watching.”
My father studied me silently, his breathing shallow but his gaze sharp.
Gabriel folded his arms, still cautious.
“You’re painting a target on your back, Alessandro. If you truly know who’s behind this…”
He said it carefully, in a way that wouldn’t alert our father to the fact that we suspected Leonardo.
“Then he’ll come for me,” I finished.
“And when he does, we’ll have what we need proof. Names. The truth.”
The room fell quiet.
Then Alpha John’s voice cut through the silence, low and resolute.
“If we do this… you need to be ready.
Not just to bait a traitor but to lead, if it comes to it.”
I met his gaze, no hesitation in mine.
“I am ready.”
He nodded once, slow but firm.
“Then let’s give them the show they’ve been waiting for.”
I turned to Gabriel.
“Have one of the pack members send out a notification,” I said firmly.
“Let everyone know there will be a public gathering tonight.
Our father Alpha John will be addressing the entire pack and naming his successor.”
Gabriel gave a nod, his face sharp with understanding.
“I’ll take care of it right away.”
He and Rafael exchanged a quick glance before turning to leave the room to carry out the task.
As the door closed behind them, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Aurora’s name flash across the screen.
“I can’t wait to be with you tonight.”
I let out a long sigh, running a hand through my hair. Guilt gnawed at my chest.
Without thinking twice, I dialed her number.
She picked up on the second ring.
“Alessandro?”
“Aurora,” I said gently,
“I just got your message. And believe me, I want nothing more than to be with you tonight… but something’s come up.”
There was a pause. I could hear the disappointment in her silence.
“I understand,” she said finally, though her voice was quiet.
“Is it about your father?”
“Yes,”
I said, honest and steady.
“There’s going to be a gathering. He’s naming his successor tonight and we’re using it as a trap to find out who’s behind everything.
It’s... complicated, but I wanted you to know the truth.”
She sighed softly.
“I appreciate you telling me. Just… be careful, okay?”
“I will,” I promised.
“And thank you for understanding.”
There was a pause before she added, with a faint smile in her voice,
“Good luck.”
I smiled, even if she couldn’t see it.
“I love you, Aurora.”
Then I ended the call, the weight of what was to come settling heavily on my shoulders.
When I turned around, I saw Alpha John watching me closely. His face expressionless, but the weight of his eyes told me he’d heard everything.
“So…” he began, his voice low and deliberate,
“you’re with Leonardo’s ex-mate?
The girl who also happens to be my ex-stepdaughter?”
I hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly.
“Yes, Father. I am.”
His face shifted, the disapproval clear in his eyes. The lines around his mouth tightened.
“That girl has been nothing but trouble in this pack,” he said sharply.
“She’s driven a wedge between you and Leonardo turned you against each other. And now you’re dating her?”
I held his gaze, even as the weight of his disappointment settled between us like a heavy fog.
I understood where he was coming from but I also knew where I stood.
“She’s not the cause of the rift between me and Leonardo,” I said quietly but firmly.
“Leonardo made his own choices.”
Alpha John’s jaw clenched as he sat up straighter, his voice rising with frustration.
“You don’t see it, do you?” he said bitterly.
“That girl Aurora, she’s a storm in a pretty face.
Ever since she came into this pack, there’s been nothing but conflict.
First with Leonardo, now with you. You’re both tearing each other apart over a woman who has no place among us.”
I took a step forward, my voice calm but unwavering.
“You’re wrong about her, Father.”
His eyes flashed.
“Am I?
Because from where I stand, she’s the common denominator in all this chaos.
Leonardo used to be your brother, your best friend. And now look at you two.
Fighting like enemies. For what?”
“For love,” I said, my voice firm, louder now.
“Because she changed me. Because she saw the parts of me no one else ever bothered to look at.
Not even you.”
His face darkened, but I pressed on.
“She made me a better man.
Stronger.
Wiser.
More in control of my instincts, of my anger.
She challenged me to be more than just your son more than just a warrior.
With her, I found purpose beyond duty.”
Alpha John scoffed, shaking his head.
“You’re blinded by emotion. Love has made many great men fall.”
I squared my shoulders.
“Then let me fall.
I’d rather fall for love than stand for nothing.
I won’t hide it, and I won’t apologize for it.”
Silence stretched between us, thick with tension.
The old Alpha looked at me for a long moment like he was seeing me not just as his son, but as a man standing on his own ground.
“She’s going to cost you everything,” he muttered.
I met his eyes, resolute.
“Then she’s worth everything.”
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