Chapter 49: Chaos Unfolds.
Leonardo’s POV
“What the hell are you doing, Lena?!” I exclaimed, anger evident in my voice as I grabbed my phone from her.
“How dare you answer my phone? What right do you have?”
“I have every right, Leonardo!” she shot back, her voice rising. “I am your mate and the woman who will become the future Luna of this pack, whether you like it or not.
You are going to marry me, not that… thing you call your mate. I will make sure of that.”
Her voice dripped with venom as she threw my phone onto the chair, then stormed out of my father’s office, slamming the door behind her.
I stood there, my chest heaving with anger. My hands tightened into fists as I replayed her words in my head.
Why can’t they just let me be with the person I want? Why is my life nothing but a series of obligations and expectations that I never chose?
I dragged a hand through my hair in frustration and slumped into the chair near the window.
My thoughts raced, and exhaustion settled over me like a heavy weight.
Alessandro was obsessed with becoming Alpha, desperate to seize control of the pack. I, on the other hand, had no desire for the position. All I wanted was Aurora.
But wanting her was dangerous. Lena’s threats rang in my ears, her smug voice a cruel reminder of how far she was willing to go. Not just against me, but against Aurora and even her mother.
The image of Aurora’s face flashed in my mind her warm smile, her laugh, the way her presence made the chaos of my world seem bearable.
My heart ached knowing I was putting her in danger simply by being near her.
My phone vibrated again, pulling me out of my thoughts. I picked it up cautiously, half expecting it to be Lena with another power play. But it wasn’t. It was Aurora.
Her name glowing on the screen brought a bittersweet mixture of relief and pain. I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the answer button.
I wanted to pick it up and hear her voice, but I didn’t understand why I couldn’t. I just kept staring at my phone as it rang, my heart warring with my mind. In the end, I didn’t answer.
Lena’s words came rushing in like a flood, drowning any sense of clarity I’d tried to hold onto.
"Will your father approve your relationship with Aurora? She’s your step-sister. Your chosen mate, yes, but your father is married to her mother. If he finds out…”
The unspoken threat hung heavy in my chest. Would my father see this as the ultimate betrayal? Would it not only ruin my place in the pack but also destroy Aurora’s life?
I buried my face in my hands, leaning forward in the chair. The thought of putting her in danger twisted my stomach into knots. I had to protect her, even if it meant staying away.
But was I ready to risk that? Risk losing her completely?
A soft knock at the door interrupted my spiraling thoughts. I didn’t bother looking up, assuming it was one of the house staff or maybe even Lena coming back to throw more venom my way.
“Leonardo?”
The sound of her voice made my chest tighten. It wasn’t Lena. It was Aurora.
She called out again, her voice softer this time, as though she knew I was there but couldn’t bring myself to answer.
I stood, my heart pounding, and walked slowly to the door. I placed my hand on it, the solid wood the only thing keeping me from seeing her, touching her, holding her.
I wished more than anything to open it, to pull her into my arms, to tell her everything would be okay. But I couldn’t. Not now.
When no response came, she hesitated for a moment, then her soft footsteps moved away, fading down the hall.
I turned and leaned back against the door, staring up at the ceiling, my frustration bubbling over. “Why is being with the person we really want so… difficult?”
I closed my eyes, my mind replaying the way she’d said my name, the way she always looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. It made the distance I was forcing between us unbearable.
A faint vibration in my pocket brought me back to reality. I pulled out my phone, seeing a text from her.
Where are you? I have been trying to reach you. I need to see you.
Her words struck a chord in me, and for a fleeting moment, I considered throwing caution to the wind. But then Lena’s voice echoed in my head, her threats, her schemes.
I couldn’t drag Aurora into this mess. Not when she had already endured so much.
Instead of responding, I shoved the phone back into my pocket and pushed away from the door.
I couldn’t stay here. Not in this room, not with the weight of my father’s expectations and Lena’s manipulations pressing down on me.
I grabbed my jacket and slipped out through the hidden passageway. It was one of the few places I could go without being seen, without feeling like the walls of this house were closing in on me.
The passage led to the edge of the estate, where the woods began. I needed the quiet, the solitude.
As I stepped into the cool night air, I let out a long, shaky breath.
The truth was, I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t know how to fight this, how to protect Aurora without losing her in the process.
But one thing was clear: if I didn’t figure it out soon, I’d risk losing her forever.
*****
Later that evening, I returned to the pack house, my steps slow as my thoughts were elsewhere. The weight of everything Lena’s threats, my father’s expectations, and Aurora’s pain pressed heavily on my chest.
As I approached the grand doors of the mansion, a commotion from upstairs caught my attention.
Raised voices echoed down the halls, filled with anger and something far more unsettling.
My heart quickened, and I rushed upstairs to see what was going on.
When I reached the source of the noise, my breath caught in my throat.
There stood Aurora, trembling and unkempt, her top torn as though someone had tried to rip it from her.
Her eyes, wide with fear and tears threatening to fall, scanned the room crazily.
I took a step closer, my confusion mixing with a rising fury.
“Aurora?” I called softly, my voice shaking with concern.
Before she could respond, her mother’s sharp voice cut through the tense air.
“You always do these things, Aurora,” her mother accused, her tone harsh and unforgiving.
Aurora drew back, her head lowering slightly at her mother’s words.
“What is… going on here?” I managed to utter, my voice tight as I fought to process the scene in front of me.
Aurora’s head snapped up at the sound of my voice again, and without a second’s hesitation, she rushed to me.
She clung to my arm, her trembling hands clutching at my jacket as though I was the only thing keeping her standing.
“He… he tried to rape me,” she said, her voice barely audible but filled with raw fear.
Her trembling finger pointed across the room. My gaze followed it and landed on one of the pack’s betas, a man I recognized as Marcus.
He stood there, his face pale and his hands raised defensively.
“I didn’t do anything!” he shouted, his voice desperate.
“She’s lying! I swear, Leonardo, she’s lying!”
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