Chapter 192: The Girl Who Knew Him First.
Aurora’s POV
The room shifted instantly.
Rafael’s chair scraped back first.
“Tamara!”
His face lit up as he moved fast toward the tall, sure, dark-haired girl at the door.
She gave a laugh, the sort that made you think she fit in every room she stepped into.
"Raf!" They hugged like they had not seen each other for ages, her arms around his neck.
Gabriel was next, all smiles.
"I can't believe it's you." He gave her a big hug, and she hit his arm in fun.
I blinked, not sure what was going on.
"Uh... who is—?"
At first, no one told me, since Alessandro had stood up too, but he stayed quiet.
Tamara saw him right away. Her smile went soft, then a bit playful.
"Well, well... look at you, Al. Still alone in the corner?"
He did not speak, but a small smile showed at the edge of his mouth.
Rafael finally turned, still smiling. “Aurora, this is Tamara Dickson, our childhood friend.
Daughter of Alpha Henry Dickson, leader of the Raven Pack. One of the strongest packs in the country.”
“Oh.” I forced a polite smile, even though the title made my stomach twist.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Tamara said, though her eyes were already back on Alessandro.
She closed the distance in a few strides, reached up, and without hesitation, grabbed him by the head and pulled him into a rough, mock headlock.
“Still think you can take me like in training?”
Alessandro chuckled—actually chuckled—and reached up to push her away.
“You cheated back then.”
I froze. Alessandro never smiled like that. Not at me. Not at anyone.
Tamara grinned wider. “I was smarter, that’s all.” She gave his hair a little shake before finally letting go.
I kept my expression neutral, but inside, something bristled. Were they… something once?
Before I could spiral too far, I pushed my chair back. “If you’ll excuse me, I should check on something.”
Annie’s eyes followed me immediately. “I’ll come with you.”
We walked in silence until we reached my room. I shut the door and leaned against it, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.
Annie’s voice was gentle. “Are you okay?”
I let out a short laugh that didn’t sound convincing, even to me. “No. Not really.”
Her brow furrowed. “Because of Tamara?”
I didn’t answer, just sank onto the edge of the bed.
Annie sat beside me, her tone soft but firm. “Aurora, if something’s bothering you, you can tell me. You don’t have to keep pretending.”
I stared at my hands. “It’s not just her… It’s the way he looked at her.”
Annie leaned toward me, lowering her voice like we were back in school passing forbidden notes.
“Okay… And how exactly did he look at her?” she asked, eyebrows raised. “Are you sure you aren’t seeing things wrongly?”
I shot her a look. “Annie. I was there. I saw it.”
She tilted her head, studying me. “Saw what? A man greeting someone? Because honestly, you might just be—”
“Overreacting?” I cut in. “No. It wasn’t just a greeting.”
Annie sat back against the headboard, crossing her legs. “Alright, then describe it to me. In full HD detail.”
I groaned, flopping onto my pillow. “It was like… like his face changed. Softer. Almost… warm. He’s never looked at me like that.”
Annie chewed her lip. “Mhm. And you’re one hundred percent sure you’re not mixing that up with your own… I don’t know… paranoia?”
I shot up. “Annie!”
“Hey, I’m just saying.” She held up her hands. “Because Rafael literally said they were childhood friends, didn’t he?”
I paused, frowning. “…Maybe.”
“Not maybe. He did.” Annie leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.
“And if they grew up together, then maybe that’s all it is. Familiarity. Nostalgia. You know, the whole ‘Hey, haven’t seen you in years!’ vibe.”
I rubbed my temples. “You didn’t see the way he was looking at her.”
She smirked. “No, but I did see the way you were looking at him while he was looking at her.”
I groaned again. “Annie!”
“What?!” She chuckled. “Look, if it bothers you that much, you’ve got two options. One—ask him directly.
Two—act like it doesn’t bother you and keep your cool until you know for sure.”
I gave her a dry look. “And what would you choose?”
“Option two, baby.” Annie leaned back like she’d just given sage wisdom. “Always play it cool. Never let ‘em see you sweat.”
Before Annie could add another “wise” remark, there was a knock at the door.
Three soft taps.
We both looked at each other. Annie mouthed, “Who?” and I just shrugged before calling, “Come in.”
The door opened slowly, and Tamara stepped inside like she owned the place.
“Aurora, right?” she said with that same easy confidence from earlier.
I nodded, sitting up straighter. “Yes.”
“I just thought I should properly introduce myself,” she said, walking further in.
“I heard we’re… well… stepsisters now.”
I blinked, caught off guard. Stepsisters? My mind immediately screamed to say I’m also Alessandro’s mate, but for some reason, the words stuck in my throat.
Maybe because she was standing there with that perfect smile and perfect hair, and I couldn’t bring myself to sound like I was… claiming him.
Tamara’s smile softened. “I’m glad I’ll have a sister to talk to here. Since, you know, I’ve never had one before, and I can’t really tell the boys everything.”
I forced a small smile. “Right… sure.”
But confusion must have shown on my face, because I blurted, “Wait, are you here to visit?”
She chuckled, almost pitying. “No, sweety. I’m here because our families are coming together for an alliance in marriage.”
My shoulders loosened just a bit. “Oh… is it the marriage between Lena and Leonardo?”
That earned me a strange look, like I’d just said something ridiculous.
Tamara’s lips curled into a warm smile, like she was telling me something sweet, not shattering.
“No, silly. That’s between another pack.” She straightened a little, pride slipping into her tone.
“I’m talking about my marriage to Alessandro… the future Alpha of this pack.”
The words hit me like ice water down my spine.
I didn’t even hear the rest of what she said because all I could hear was the pounding in my ears.
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