Chapter 69: The Price of Passion.

Aurora's POV
I woke up feeling exhausted from the wild night we had, a smile tugging at my lips as I stretched. I turned to his side of the bed, but it was empty.
A frown crossed my face as I sat up and scanned the room, calling out for him.
“Leonardo?”
There was no reply. I got out of bed, my mind racing, wondering where he could be. I headed toward the bathroom, thinking he might be in there. But when I opened the door, it was empty.
“Where could he have gone?” I muttered, closing the bathroom door behind me.
Then it hit me. Maybe he went to get us something to eat. After everything last night, I’m starving, and a nice breakfast would definitely hit the spot.
I smiled to myself and walked back to the bed, reaching for my phone. As I unlocked it, I saw a message from him.
My heart warmed at the sight of his name. I opened the message.
“Hey Aurora, Sorry I had to leave early before you woke up, but I have some urgent matters to take care of. I’ve ordered breakfast for you, so eat and relax. I love you and miss you.”
I smiled and quickly typed a reply. “Hey Leonardo, I’m awake now and missing you constantly. Hope everything is okay. I’ll see you soon. Love you.”
I pressed send and placed my phone back on the bedside table. My thoughts lingered on his message. What could be so urgent that he had to leave so early?
I shrugged it off, deciding that whatever it was, he would handle it.
Knock! Knock!! Knock!!!
“Who is it?” I called, walking toward the door.
“Room service. I came to deliver your food, ma’am.”
I opened the door and saw the room service guy standing there, holding a tray of food.
“Good morning, ma’am,” he greeted with a smile.
“Good morning,” I replied, returning his smile.
“Um, this room ordered breakfast, and it was supposed to be delivered by 8 a.m., so here I am.”
I nodded and reached for the tray. “Oh, thank you so much,” I said as I took the tray and closed the door.
I walked over to the table and set the tray down, opening it.
When I saw the spread, I couldn’t help but smile again. Leonardo had thought ahead and ordered me a special breakfast, knowing I’d be hungry when I woke up.
His thoughtfulness never failed to make me feel cared for.
I walked towards my phone and picked it up, deciding to send Leonardo another text. “Hey Leonardo, I just received the special breakfast and I must say you really have great taste. How did you know that I really needed that kind of breakfast today? I will enjoy it. Thank you.”
I pressed send, dropped my phone back on the bedside table, and went to eat the breakfast.
After finishing, I went to shower and then left the hotel room, heading towards school since I had classes that morning.
When I arrived, I saw Annie busy chatting with some of my coursemates. I sat down and sighed deeply.
“Hey, Aurora,” she called out.
I turned and smiled at her. “Hey, Annie.”
“Everything alright?” she asked, and I nodded with a smile. But I knew Annie—she had a way of reading me, seeing through my words.
During the lecture, I wasn’t really concentrating; my mind kept wandering. After class, Annie and I decided to grab lunch at a nearby café.
We walked into the café, heading toward the counter. Annie looked at the menu and started placing our orders, while I was absorbed in my phone.
Since Leonardo sent that one text before he left, he hadn’t replied to any of my other messages, and I couldn’t help but wonder why.
“Aurora!” Annie called out, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I looked up. “Yeah?”
“Aren’t you going to order?”
“Oh,” I said, turning toward the staff behind the counter. I glanced up at the menu.
“I’ll have, um… strawberry juice and…” I paused, still distracted.
“What’s up with you today?” Annie asked, giving me a knowing look. “You spaced out during class and now you’re doing the same here at the café. What’s going on?”
I turned and went to sit at an empty table near the window, placing my bag on the chair beside me.
“I don’t know… I just… things have been a bit rough this week for me,” I said, glancing at my phone before putting it on the table.
Annie sat across from me. “Talk to me. What happened?”
I let out a heavy sigh, then looked at her. “I was attacked four days ago,” I admitted.
Annie’s eyes widened. “You were what? By who?”
“A creature.”
She stared at me in confusion. “A creature? Where?”
I scoffed. “Surprisingly, at the pack when I was heading back to the house that night. The scary part was that the creature actually called my name, Annie.”
“What?…” Her face turned to one of fear.
“Yeah. It knew my name, and it felt like it was sent after me by someone I don’t even know. I almost died, Annie… I almost died…” I said, my voice cracking as tears filled my eyes.
“Oh my god… Aurora, I didn’t know…” she said, placing her hand over mine.
“Yeah… I couldn’t leave for a while. I was in shock, scared to go outside, worried the creature was still out there waiting to hurt me.
If Alessandro hadn’t saved me, I probably would’ve been dead.”
“Wait a minute. Alessandro?” she asked, surprise on her face.
I nodded. “Yep. He saved me.”
“Again?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah, he did. He promised to get to the bottom of it. He’s the one who told me I wasn’t safe at the pack and that I should stay away for a while until things calmed down. So, Leonardo took me to a hotel so we could talk, and… we ended up sleeping together again.”
Annie’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, you and Leonardo again?”
I sighed. “Yeah. But now… he hasn’t replied to any of my texts after he left this morning, before I even woke up.”
Annie stared at me for a long moment, her eyes full of concern. Finally, she spoke, her voice tight with worry.
"Aurora, why did you sleep with Leonardo when you knew he was engaged to be married to Lena? Don’t you think that’s a bit reckless?"
I looked down at my phone, feeling the weight of her words. "He promised me, Annie.
He promised he wouldn’t go through with it that he would sort everything out. He told me he loves me so much and doesn’t want to lose me.
So, I decided to believe him. I trust him."
Annie let out a deep sigh, clearly worried. "I’m just... I’m just worried about you, Aurora. I don’t want to see you get hurt."
I bit my lip, staring at my phone in my hands, and then glanced at Annie. "I believe in him," I said, my voice steady but uncertain.
"I believe that he will make the right decision. He won’t let go of what we have. He’ll choose me."
Annie nodded slowly, though her expression was still filled with concern. "I hope you’re right. I really do.
I just hope that, when it comes down to it, Leonardo will choose love over duty. Being the son of an Alpha comes with so many expectations. It’s not easy."
I stared at my phone, my thoughts swirling around in my head. "But… what if he doesn’t?" I whispered, the doubt creeping into my voice.
"What if he chooses his duties over us? Over our love?"
Annie looked at me, her face softening with empathy. "I guess all you can do now is wait and see.
And just remember… you deserve someone who chooses you, not just out of obligation, but because they love you."
I nodded, but the uncertainty stayed in my chest. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for the heartbreak that might be coming. But all I could do now was wait and hope.
Just then, a text message popped up on my phone. I picked it up, my fingers shaking slightly as I unlocked the screen.
When I read the message, my heart sank. Annie, noticing the change in my expression, immediately furrowed her brows and looked at me with concern.
"What’s wrong?" she asked, her voice gentle but full of worry.
I glanced at her, still processing the message in my head, before responding.
"Lena sent me a message… She wants to see me."