Chapter 36: Fueling the Fire.
Alessandro’s POV
“Fuck!”
I yelled, sweeping everything off my desk—papers, books, pens, everything—crashing onto the floor in a fit of rage.
My fist slammed down onto the table, my knuckles stinging from the impact, but I barely felt it through the anger boiling inside me.
“How could my father do this to me?! How could he humiliate me like that in front of Leonardo and that… *bitch*!”
Marcus stood by the door, silent as always. He knew better than to interrupt me when I was like this.
“You should’ve seen the look on that bitch’s face when my father kept insulting me,” I spat, pacing back and forth, my hands clenched into fists.
“It was like she *enjoyed* every second of it. Like she was… savoring my humiliation!”
The memory burned in my mind, Aurora’s eyes on me, watching every second of my father’s verbal onslaught.
She had stood there, beside Leonardo, watching me get torn apart like I was nothing. That smug expression… it haunted me.
I punched the wall, the sharp pain bringing a momentary release, but it wasn’t enough.
“I swear, Marcus, she thinks she’s so untouchable, standing there next to Leonardo like she belongs.
But I’ll show her. I’ll show them both. I’ll show my father what happens when you humiliate *me.*”
My breathing was ragged, my thoughts spiraling.
“No one makes a fool out of Alessandro,” I growled, my voice low and dangerous.
“No one.”
Marcus finally stepped forward, his voice calm, steady. "Alessandro, losing control won’t help right now."
I turned to him, my fists still clenched at my sides. "What would you know about it, Marcus?
You didn’t just stand there while your father ripped you apart in front of your own pack!"
My words came out harsher than I meant, but I didn’t care. I needed to vent, and Marcus was the only one here.
He kept his gaze on me, unfazed by my anger. "I know this isn’t the time to act on impulse.
Your father’s power only holds as long as he thinks you’re beneath him. You’ve got to play this smart, not reckless."
I ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. "Smart?" I scoffed.
"What’s smart, Marcus? Letting him walk all over me, letting Aurora ‘Aurora!’ see me like that?
It’s bad enough that Leonardo was there, but ‘her’? I’m the next Alpha, and they treat me like a child!"
I collapsed into the chair, my hands still shaking from the adrenaline. I couldn’t get the image of Aurora’s face out of my head.
That silent judgment, that infuriating calm she always had.
"It’s not just about being humiliated, Marcus," I muttered, almost to myself.
"It’s about power. Control. If I can’t command respect from my own father, how am I supposed to lead this pack?"
Marcus crouched down next to me, his tone more serious now. "Then you’ve got to take that control, Alessandro.
You’re the rightful Alpha. But that means you’ve got to be better than him. Better than all of them.
They need to see your strength, your discipline. You’ve got to make them follow you because they *fear* what happens if they don’t."
I looked at him, my anger finally cooling as his words sank in. He was right. Losing my temper wouldn’t win me anything.
Not respect. Not power. I had to be smarter than that. Stronger.
I leaned back in my chair, the weight of the situation pressing down on me.
"You’re right," I finally admitted.
"I need to play the long game. But they won’t get away with this, Marcus. Not my father.
Not Leonardo. And especially not Aurora."
Marcus nodded, standing up. "Just make sure you strike when the time is right, not when your emotions are high. That’s how you win."
I clenched my fists once more, but this time it wasn’t out of blind rage. It was with purpose.
"They won’t see it coming."
After Marcus left my office, I decided that I needed to take a walk to think. I preferred running at nighttime. It was cooler, there was less traffic on the streets.
While jogging, I noticed that Aurora’s light was on and I wondered why the pest hasn’t slept.
I slowed my pace, my eyes furrowed as I caught sight of Rafael through Aurora's window.
He was sitting casually on her couch, like he belonged there. The thought made my blood boil all over again.
“What the hell is he doing in there?” I muttered under my breath, stopping just outside her window, my hands instinctively clenching into fists.
My mind raced, jumping to conclusions. Aurora and Rafael weren’t exactly close, not that I knew of.
What kind of game was Rafael playing, sneaking into her room this late at night?
I thought about confronting them, but I stopped myself. If I stormed in there, it would look weak, like I cared too much.
And I wasn’t about to give Aurora or Rafael that satisfaction. But still… the idea of them plotting something in secret didn’t sit right with me.
I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears as I stared up at the window, torn between barging in and walking away.
Marcus’s words echoed in my mind ‘play it smart, not reckless.’
I took a deep breath and forced myself to turn away, jogging back towards the packhouse, my thoughts still swirling with anger and suspicion.
There was something going on, and I was going to find out exactly what it was.
Back at the packhouse, I headed straight for my room. As I paced around, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Rafael was involved in something.
Maybe Aurora too. Why else would he be in her room so late?
I had to stay sharp. Whatever game they were playing, I needed to stay one step ahead.
This wasn’t just about my father anymore, or even Leonardo. This was about the power dynamics within the pack, and I wasn’t about to let anyone ‘especially’ Rafael and Aurora outmaneuver me.
Sitting down at my desk, I started planning. I wasn’t going to let anyone take my birthright, not Rafael, not Aurora, not even my father.
This was my pack. They would all learn that soon enough.
------
The next morning, while I was getting ready for the pack meeting, I heard a knock at my door.
"Who is it?" I called out as I slipped on my shirt.
There was no response, which made me suspicious. I moved cautiously toward the door.
"I said, who is it?" I repeated, a little louder this time, but still no answer.
Growing irritated, I grabbed the doorknob and flung the door open.
My eyes widened in both shock and anger when I saw who was standing there.
"What are you doing here, Aurora?"
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