Chapter 152: Against the Clock.
Alessandro’s POV
“DON’T LIE TO ME!”
I yelled, gripping Leonardo’s collar even tighter. My anger was boiling over, my wolf clawing beneath my skin, desperate to break free.
Leonardo’s smirk wavered, but he quickly masked it with feigned annoyance.
"Let go of me, Alessandro," he said, his voice calm, but I could see the flicker of unease in his eyes.
I shoved him back hard, barely controlling the urge to shift right then and there.
"Tell me where Aurora is!" I roared.
"If anything happens to her—"
He straightened his shirt, brushing off my grip as if my rage didn’t shake him.
"You think I’d be stupid enough to kidnap her?" he scoffed.
"This isn’t my doing."
I wasn’t convinced. My heart pounded in my chest, the letter’s words burned into my mind.
Forfeit or she dies.
"Then who the hell did this?!" I snapped, my fists clenched at my sides.
Leonardo sighed, turning his head.
"Maybe you should be asking yourself that question," he said coolly.
"You’ve made plenty of enemies, brother."
I bared my teeth.
"If I find out you had anything to do with this, I swear—"
"Enough!"
Alpha John spoke loudly, his voice breaking through the tension.
"What is going on here?"
I forced myself to take a breath, but my pulse was still racing. I had no time for this.
Aurora was in danger, and every second wasted here was another second she was at risk.
I turned to Alpha John, my voice sharp.
"Someone took Aurora." I held up the letter.
"They want me to forfeit the challenge and hand the throne over to Leonardo or they’ll kill her."
A murmur spread through the pack members watching. Gasps. Shocked whispers.
I didn’t care.
Alpha John’s brows furrowed as he stepped forward with the healer helping him, taking the letter from my hand.
His eyes darkened as he read the words.
"This is serious," he muttered.
I turned back to Leonardo, my rage still burning.
"If this isn’t your doing, then who is it?" I demanded, my voice sharp with frustration.
Leonardo turned his face away, his jaw tightening. He was hiding something.
I could see it in the way his shoulders tensed, in the flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
"I can’t tell you that..." he muttered.
I stepped closer, my anger boiling over.
"Can’t?
Or won’t?"
Leonardo exhaled sharply and finally met my gaze.
"Believe me or not, I would never kidnap or threaten Aurora just to win," he said firmly.
"That’s not how I want to defeat you."
Before I could respond, Rafael and Gabriel rushed over, their faces tight with concern.
"What do you mean Aurora was kidnapped?" Rafael asked, his eyes darting between Leonardo and me.
"By who?"
I clenched my fists, the helplessness gnawing at me.
"I don’t know," I admitted through gritted teeth.
"Someone sent me this—"
I held up the letter, my hands shaking with barely contained rage.
"They want me to forfeit the challenge and hand the throne over to Leonardo… or they’ll kill her."
Gabriel cursed under his breath.
"That means someone’s trying to control the outcome of this fight."
"Who else knew about the challenge?" Rafael asked.
I shook my head.
"Everyone.
The whole damn pack. But only a few would dare to pull something like this."
My mind was racing, trying to figure out who had the most to gain.
Leonardo exhaled, looking at the letter again.
"If someone’s trying to use Aurora as leverage… then that means they’re afraid you’ll win," he said quietly.
My blood turned cold.
Whoever did this knew me well. They knew I would never put my own ambitions above Aurora’s life.
But that didn’t mean I was going to let them win.
I turned to Rafael and Gabriel, my voice like steel.
"We need to find her. Now."
Rafael nodded without hesitation.
"We’ll split up. Check all the borders, all the hidden routes. We will find her, Alessandro.”
Leonardo hesitated for only a second before stepping forward.
"I’ll help too," he said.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Why?"
He sighed. "Because if something happens to her… I wouldn’t be able to live with myself either."
I scoffed, my anger boiling over. "You won’t be able to live with yourself?
You’re the one who got her into this mess in the first place."
Leonardo’s brow furrowed. "Me?"
"Yeah, you!"
I snapped.
"If you had just let everything be, none of this would have happened!
You had your chance, and you chose your so-called duty over her. And now, because of your selfishness, she’s in danger!"
He scoffed, frustration flashing across his face.
"You think this is easy for me, huh?
Letting go of the one woman I love because I made the mistake of not choosing her when I had the chance?"
His voice was bitter, filled with regret.
"You think I don’t live with that every damn day?"
I clenched my fists, my jaw tightening.
"If you really loved her, you would have put her first."
His eyes darkened.
"And if you really loved her, you wouldn’t be standing here arguing with me while she’s out there in danger."
That hit me like a punch to the gut. My rage didn’t fade, but he was right. This wasn’t about him. This wasn’t about our fight for power.
This was about Aurora.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to push aside the hatred.
"We don’t have time for this," I muttered.
"We need to find her."
Leonardo nodded, his expression hard.
"Then let’s move before it’s too late."
Without another word, we both turned and headed out. For the first time, we were fighting for the same thing.
Aurora.
And I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.
“We need to check Annie’s apartment. I dropped her off there before I returned to the pack,” I explained as we got into my car.
Leonardo, who had just opened the passenger-side door, hesitated.
He stood there for a second, his eyes flickering with something sharp, jealousy.
“You were with her last night, weren’t you?” His voice was low, almost accusing.
I didn’t respond. There was no point in answering a question he already knew the answer to.
Instead, I got into the driver’s seat, gripping the wheel tightly.
He scoffed and slid into the passenger seat, shaking his head.
“Unbelievable.”
I ignored him, my mind already racing ahead. Aurora was missing, and every second we wasted could mean the difference between finding her safe or finding her too late.
Without another word, I started the engine and sped off toward Annie’s apartment.
*****
As I drove to Annie's apartment, I didn't say a word. I gripped the steering wheel tightly and focused on the road.
I was worried and hoped we'd find a clue about Aurora's whereabouts. We really needed to find something.
Leonardo sat quietly beside me. For once, he didn't make any mean comments or challenges.
We both felt uncertain and worried.
The streets passed by quickly, but I couldn't stop thinking about Aurora.
Was she safe?
Was she scared?
I tried not to panic and drove faster.
We had to find her, and fast.
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