Chapter 196: The Ring and the Ruin
Aurora’s POV “OMG!” Annie exclaimed in surprise. I was also shocked as I stood there, my hand flew immediately to my mouth in disbelief. “Uhmmm… Aurora, aren’t you going to say something?” Annie whispered, eyes wide as she glanced between Alessandro on one knee and me frozen in place. I swallowed hard, my voice trembling. “Alessandro… I don’t know what to say. I mean… you were just asking me last night if I still had feelings for your brother. Why the whole proposal all of a sudden? Are you scared that you would lose me?” His eyes softened, guilt flashing in them as he lowered his head for a second. “Aurora, I know I was a jerk last night. I asked a question I should have never asked, and I regret it more than you know. I hated myself the moment those words left my mouth.” “Then why ask it?” I pressed, my voice breaking. “Why make me feel like I was still stuck in the past when all I want is to move forward?” He sighed deeply, his voice dropping to a rough whisper. “Because I was scared. Scared that maybe, just maybe… your heart hadn’t fully healed from Leonardo. Scared that I wasn’t enough to make you forget the pain he caused you.” “Alessandro…” I whispered, torn between anger and tenderness. He lifted his gaze, locking his deep eyes onto mine. “I wanted to propose to you during the impossible date. I wanted it to be perfect just you, me, and the stars. But those damn rogues ruined everything and delayed what I should have asked you long ago.” His voice cracked with emotion. “Aurora, I can’t lose you. Not now. Not ever.” Annie looked at me, then back at Alessandro, her lips twitching nervously. “Well, this is officially the most dramatic proposal I’ve ever witnessed,” she muttered, though her eyes were glossy with tears. Alessandro’s voice grew stronger, more determined. “Aurora, I’m not proposing out of fear. I’m proposing because I love you. Because every second I spend with you, I realize I want a lifetime more. Because when I see you cry, it feels like my own chest is being ripped apart. Because I can’t imagine a future where you’re not by my side.” My throat tightened, and my eyes blurred with tears. “Alessandro…” “I’ll spend my whole life proving to you that I am not my brother,” he continued, taking a shaky breath. “That I’ll never betray you. That I’ll fight the world, even fate itself, if it means keeping you safe and loved. I’m asking you to be my Luna, my partner, my wife… the woman I grow old with.” His hands trembled slightly as he held the ring up to me, his eyes never leaving mine. “Will you marry me, Aurora?” For a moment, the whole world stood still. My breath caught in my throat as Alessandro’s words sank into me like sunlight after a storm. Then— “WELL?!” Annie blurted loudly, making both of us jolt. “Do I need to come down there and marry him myself? Because honestly, Aurora, if you don’t say yes in the next three seconds, I swear—” “Annie!” I gasped, half laughing, half crying. She grinned, waving her hands dramatically. “What? Someone had to break the tension. I was starting to feel like I was in one of those tragic romance plays where everyone dies in the end.” Despite myself, a shaky laugh escaped my lips. My chest still ached with emotion, but the heaviness eased with Annie’s playful tone. Alessandro glanced at her with an exasperated look, then back at me, his eyes pleading. I drew in a deep breath, my lips trembling. “Yes,” I whispered. Then louder, my voice breaking but certain. “Yes, Alessandro. I’ll marry you.” The relief that washed over his face was so powerful, I thought my heart might burst. He slid the ring onto my finger with shaking hands before pulling me into his arms, kissing me with such passion and tenderness that the whole room seemed to disappear. Behind us, Annie clapped her hands together. “Finally! About time! If I had to watch you two dance around each other any longer, I would’ve gone mad.” We broke apart, both laughing breathlessly, and Alessandro rested his forehead against mine. “I love you, Aurora,” he whispered. “You are my heart, my strength, my everything. I’ll never let you go. Not in this life, not in the next.” I cupped his face, smiling through my tears. “And I love you. You’re the only one I want.” Annie sniffled exaggeratedly from the side. “Ugh, you two are so disgustingly romantic. Someone get me a bucket.” We laughed again, but as the laughter faded, a quiet thought slipped into my chest like a shadow. I bit my lip, hesitating before speaking. “But… Alessandro,” I whispered, “what about your father? Alpha John wanted you to marry Tamara. What if he won’t accept me? What if he sees this as disobedience?” For the first time since his proposal, Alessandro’s eyes hardened not with doubt, but with resolve. He cupped my cheek, his voice steady. “I don’t care what my father thinks. This is my life. My choice. I refuse to let him dictate who I marry or how I lead. If he can’t accept that, then so be it. But Aurora…” His hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me closer. “…I will never let anyone, not even my father, take you away from me.” A deep warmth spread through my chest at his words, and my lips curved into a soft smile. I threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly. Annie let out a dramatic sigh. “Well, I guess I’m third-wheeling a newly engaged couple now. Fabulous. Just fabulous. Please, don’t start making out in front of me or I’ll die of secondhand embarrassment.” I laughed against Alessandro’s shoulder, and for the first time in so long, happiness felt real. But that moment of peace shattered in an instant. The door to my room suddenly burst open with a loud BANG! All three of us spun toward it, my heart lurching in my chest. Rafael rushed in, his eyes wide and filled with worry. “Alessandro,” he panted, his chest rising and falling as though he’d run the whole way, “Father… I mean, Alpha John just made a decree that Aurora be banished from the pack immediately.” “WHAT?!” Alessandro roared, his voice shaking the walls as his grip on me tightened protectively. Annie gasped beside me, her hand flying to her mouth. “Banished? But why—?” I felt my knees go weak, my heart dropping like a stone. Banished again. The word sounds so familiar as it rang in my head like a death sentence. After everything… after all the pain, the tears, the struggles… was this how it was going to end? Alessandro shoved past Rafael, his eyes blazing. “Over my dead body! No one, least of all my father will take her away from me!” “Alessandro, wait!” Rafael reached out, grabbing his brother’s arm, desperation flashing in his eyes. “You don’t understand. Father isn’t just angry he’s gathering the council. He’s making this official!” “What?!”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
