Chapter 172: Pawn No More.
Alessandro’s POV
“Nope,” I said dryly, taking another sip of my drink.
“Wish I was.”
Rafael gawked at me, still half-choking.
“Holy hell… Lena?
Lena is pregnant with Leonardo’s baby?”
“Apparently eight weeks along,” I said, dragging a hand down my face.
“Right around the time everything fell apart.”
Rafael leaned back like he needed more physical space just to process it.
“That bastard… no offense.”
“None taken,” I muttered.
“He knows he screwed up.”
Rafael let out a long, low whistle.
“Damn. I mean, I knew Leo was a mess, but this?
This is next-level catastrophic.”
“Yeah,” I said, staring into my drink.
“And now he’s going to tell Aurora the truth.”
Rafael blinked like he’d misheard me again.
“Voluntarily?
Like… with his actual mouth?”
“That’s the plan,” I said.
Rafael let out a short, stunned laugh.
“Well, either he’s finally grown a conscience, or he’s completely lost his mind.”
“Maybe both,” I said.
“But I told him if he didn’t tell her, Lena eventually would. And then he’d lose any shred of forgiveness left.”
Rafael grunted. “Lena doesn’t strike me as the quiet, respectful type.”
“She’s not,” I said grimly.
“She’d weaponize the truth. Use it to break Aurora even more.”
Rafael’s face grew serious for once, the smugness slipping away.
“And Aurora? How do you think she’ll take it?”
I looked at him, really looked.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly.
“But she deserves to hear it from him. Not from whispers, or enemies, or some damn test result she finds by accident.”
Rafael nodded slowly. “You did the right thing, man. Even if it blows up in Leo’s face.”
“Especially if it does,” I said.
“It’s not about saving him anymore. It’s about giving her the truth she was denied for too long.”
We sat quiet for a bit. The load of all things - lies, broken hearts, actions that can't be taken back - was on us.
Rafael hit his glass to mine.
“To real talk, then.”
I agreed with a nod, looked at him.
“To owning up.”
We took a drink.
But my eyes moved to the door Leonardo left through.
I could just hope he wasn't too late.
Because when Aurora shuts a door on you... it hardly opens up again.
Because when Aurora shuts a door on you… it hardly opens again.
“I think this was Lena’s plan all along,” Rafael said suddenly.
I turned to him, my brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
He leaned forward on the bar, lowering his voice slightly.
“Lena’s always had this idea in her head that Leonardo would become the next Alpha.
And with her as his Luna, she’d have the power and status she’s always craved.
This pregnancy? It’s not just an accident, Alessandro. I think she planned it.
And now she’s going to use that baby to push Leonardo into convincing Father to name him as the next Alpha. Not you.”
A sharp ache throbbed behind my eyes. I rubbed my temple slowly, letting his words sink in like poison.
It made too much sense. Too calculated, too perfectly timed to be coincidence.
“And you know…” Rafael added, his tone quieter now, almost hesitant.
“Father might actually consider it.”
I looked at him, jaw tight. “You think he’d really choose Leonardo over me? After everything?”
Rafael shrugged, but the look in his eyes wasn’t casual, it was serious.
“You’re the stronger leader, no question. But our father… he values legacy.
Bloodlines. A male heir from a so-called ‘worthy’ Luna? That could tip the scale.”
I scoffed bitterly.
“You mean manipulation wrapped in tradition.”
“Exactly,” Rafael said.
“And Lena knows how to play that game. Better than any of us.”
I leaned back in my chair, a storm of frustration building in my chest.
First, Leonardo’s betrayal. Now, this potential power grab wrapped in a baby’s name.
I wasn’t just fighting for Aurora anymore.
I might have to fight for everything.
Rafael ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply.
“So what are you going to do if it comes to that? If Father even thinks about naming Leonardo Alpha?”
I stared at the bottom of my glass for a long second, then set it down, the faint clink loud in the quiet between us.
“I’ll remind him who’s been here this entire time,” I said flatly.
“Who rebuilt the pack’s strength after the rogues nearly tore us apart.
Who kept our allies close and our enemies in check. Leonardo hasn’t earned a damn thing except guilt.”
Rafael nodded, but his gaze remained unreadable.
“And if Lena starts working behind the scenes?
Whispering in Father’s ear? Spinning this baby as some kind of divine right to lead?”
I met his eyes, steady and cold. “Then I’ll show her what a real Alpha looks like.”
There was silence for a beat. Then Rafael smirked just a little.
“Alright, that’s the Alessandro I know,” he said.
“The one who doesn’t fold when snakes start slithering.”
I gave him a humorless smile.
“Let her scheme. Let her push Leonardo into playing king with a crown built on lies. I’ll be ready.”
He took another drink, then frowned. “You think Leonardo knows that’s what she’s doing?”
“Maybe,” I said. “But guilt makes men stupid. And Lena knows how to twist guilt into a leash.”
Rafael’s eyes narrowed. “And Aurora? Where does she stand in all this?”
My chest tightened again. “She doesn’t deserve to be dragged into another power play. Not again. I’ll protect her from that.”
“You think she’ll even stay?” he asked gently. “After hearing the truth?”
I hesitated. “I don’t know. But I’m not letting her become a pawn in anyone’s game again. Not mine. Not Leo’s. And sure as hell not Lena’s.”
Rafael studied me for a second, then spoke quietly.
“What do you think Leonardo would do? If it came down to it?”
I turned my head toward him, my jaw clenched. “You mean if Lena gave him an ultimatum?
The baby… or Aurora?”
He nodded once, eyes steady. “Yeah. That.”
I let out a slow breath, staring at the bar like it held the answer.
“I think Leonardo’s already broken enough to feel like he doesn’t have a choice,” I said.
“He’ll do what guilt tells him to do. What obligation tells him to do.
But love? I don’t know if he knows how to follow that anymore.”
Rafael hummed low. “So, he’d pick Lena.”
“Not because he wants her,” I said, voice sharper than I intended.
“But because he thinks it’s the price he has to pay for what he did to Aurora.”
“That’s a hell of a price,” Rafael muttered.
I nodded grimly. “And Lena knows that. She’ll use it. Twist it until Leonardo thinks he’s being noble.
“Sacrificing his own happiness for a child that may or may not even be his.”
Rafael leaned forward, voice low.
“Then what should we do?
If the child isn’t his, then—”
“Then we need to prove it,” I cut in sharply, my voice cold with resolve.
“And take her down once and for all.”
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