Chapter 186: More You, Less Walls
Alessandro's Pov
My grip loosened, fingers still clenched at my sides, but suddenly... I wasn’t breathing.
“You better not be screwing with me, Leo.”
He scoffed, rubbing his throat where I’d grabbed him.
“Trust me, if I wanted to screw with you, I’d be a lot more creative than threatening her through a damn note.”
“Then talk,” I snapped.
Leonardo pushed off the wall and limped to his desk.
He opened a drawer, pulled out a stack of papers, and walked toward me.
“Here,” he said, extending them.
I snatched the documents from his hand and glanced down. My eyes scanned the bold heading across the top.
"DNA Paternity Test Certificate."
I blinked.
“It’s a DNA certificate,” I muttered aloud.
Leonardo nodded once. “Yep.”
I shot him a confused and irritated look. “What the hell does that have to do with the letter sent to Aurora? You said you knew who sent it.”
“I do,” Leonardo said calmly.
My grip on the paper tightened. “Then why the hell are you showing me this?”
He let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair.
“Because Lena gave me that… to prove the baby she’s carrying is mine.”
I stared at him, stunned for a second then scoffed, bitter laughter scraping my throat.
“Nobody believes anything that comes out of that b*tch’s mouth.”
Leonardo gave a dry chuckle. “Yeah, well… neither do I.
I don’t even remember sleeping with her, Alessandro. I was drunk. Drugged. I don’t even know if what she’s saying is true. But she keeps showing up with this smug confidence like she’s already won something.”
I tossed the papers onto the nearby table, disgusted.
S“She’s playing a game. She’s always been playing a game. With both of us.”
Leonardo's jaw clenched. “I think she’s the one who sent that letter to Aurora.”
My stomach dropped.
My rage shifted. Refocused.
Of course.
Of course it was her.
The same manipulative snake who slithered her way through this pack, whispering poison into every ear, turning love into leverage, weakness into war.
“She’s trying to scare Aurora away,” I said, my voice like stone. “Trying to remind her she’s still in the picture.”
Leonardo nodded. “Or trying to get under your skin.”
I was already moving for the door.
“She succeeded.”
****
I stormed out of Leonardo’s room, my blood burning hot under my skin.
That woman.
That manipulative, poisonous woman.
She had crossed the line. Again.
Sending a letter to Aurora anonymously to plant fear, stir doubt, and try to worm her way back into our lives?
Not this time.
I wasn’t going to let her.
I reached the guest wing of the pack house, the part where Lena had been given temporary residence after the last disaster she caused. Two guards stood by her door.
“Out,” I barked. “Now.”
They didn’t ask questions. One glance at my face and they both stepped away in silence.
I pounded my fist on the door.
Nothing.
Again harder.
Finally, the door creaked open slowly, and Lena stood there in a silky red robe, her hair messy like she'd just woken up from a nap she didn’t deserve.
“Well, well,” she said with a slow smile. “To what do I owe this midnight visit, Alpha?”
I grabbed her by the arm and pushed her back into the room, slamming the door shut behind me.
She laughed softly. “You’re as dramatic as ever. Should I be scared?”
“You should,” I hissed. “You sent her that letter.”
Her smirk faded only slightly, but enough.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said too smoothly.
“Cut the act, Lena,” I snapped. “You think I won’t recognize your pathetic games? Who else would threaten Aurora with lies and try to remind her you’re ‘still around’? Who else wants to break her confidence? You’re not clever. You’re desperate.”
Lena’s eyes narrowed. “And if I did? What then? You’ll throw me out like trash while your precious Aurora clings to you with those big innocent eyes?”
I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper.
“If you ever ever send anything like that to her again, I won’t just throw you out. I’ll drag your name through every corner of this pack until there’s nothing left for you to hide behind. Not your fake pregnancy. Not your lies. Not even the fact that you were once my brother’s mistake.”
Her lips trembled for a second before she caught herself.
“You don’t scare me, Alessandro.”
“Good,” I said coldly. “Then you’ll see it coming when I ruin you.”
I turned to leave, but paused at the door.
“One more thing,” I said without turning around. “That child? You better pray it isn’t Leonardo’s. Because if you think having his baby will give you power in this pack, you’re even more delusional than I thought.”
And with that, I walked out and slammed the door shut behind me.
****
I needed air.
Not the kind that came from wide open spaces or long walks but the kind that came from her.
After leaving Lena’s room, every step I took toward Aurora’s quarters helped ease the tension knotted in my chest. But the anger still lingered low, sharp, and dangerous.
I paused at her door, exhaled slowly, then knocked once.
It opened almost immediately.
Aurora stood there in her pajamas, soft lighting behind her, worry still lingering in her eyes.
But she didn’t speak. She just stepped forward and closed the door gently so as not to wake Annie who was fast asleep.
She turned to face me.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “For how our night ended. It was supposed to be… something better. I didn’t want our impossible date to turn into chaos again.”
Her lips twitched. “Are you kidding?” she said, walking toward me. “I’ve had worse dates. One time a guy actually tried to serenade me with a guitar that only had three strings. And he couldn’t even sing.”
I stared at her, and a low laugh broke through my chest.
She grinned. “At least tonight, no one howled outside my window… yet.”
A smile touched my lips despite everything. “Thanks for that,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck.
Her hand found mine. “You okay?”
“No,” I admitted. “But I am now.”
We stood like that for a bit, silent, close, grounding each other without words.
Then I looked at her. “Do you want to come with me? Just a short stroll around the pack grounds. I could use… less walls around me right now. And more you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Strolling with the Alpha to be at midnight? Sounds scandalous.”
I smirked. “Scandal’s already our middle name.”
She smiled, nodding once. “Let me get a jacket.”
And just like that, the weight on my chest started to lift.
****
We walked next to each other under the silver light of the moon, our feet soft on the small rock path that took us to the training field. The night air was cool, clear, and had a light smell of pine and far-off rain.
Aurora had put her hand in the bend of my arm. She wasn’t talking much, but she didn’t need to. Just being with her made me feel calm inside.
“I used to sneak out here as a teenager,” I said quietly. “Especially when things got too loud inside my own head. Sometimes I’d just lie on the field and stare at the stars.”
Aurora glanced up at me. “Let me guess… always brooding. Always serious.”
I chuckled. “I wasn’t always like that, you know.”
She gave me a teasing look. “Oh really? I find that hard to believe. You were probably born with that scowl.”
“I had dimples, thank you very much.”
“Had?” she smirked. “So you admit they’re gone?”
We laughed softly as we crossed the edge of the training grounds, the gravel turning into soft earth. The trees rustled around us, their whispers blending with the night.
Then Aurora grew quiet. “Alessandro…”
I looked down at her.
“Do you really think we’ll ever get peace?”
I paused, my fingers tightening slightly around her hand. “I don’t know,” I said honestly. “But I’m not giving up on trying.”
She nodded, her face solemn. “Neither am I.”
Just as we turned toward the small footbr
idge that overlooked the stream behind the warrior quarters, something caught my senses.
I stopped.
So did Aurora. “What is it?”
“Get behind me,” I growled, baring my teeth.
“We’re not alone.”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
