Chapter 71: Poisoned Words.
Aurora’s POV
The words on my screen stared back at me like a warning.
“We need to talk. Meet me at the café near the pack house at 6 PM. Don’t be late. – Lena”
My heart thudded loudly in my chest. What could Lena possibly want to talk about? Why now? I glanced up at Annie, who was watching me closely.
“Lena… she wants to see me,” I said, my voice shaky.
Annie frowned, crossing her arms. “Lena? What does she want from you?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. But this can’t be good.”
Annie leaned forward, concern written all over her face. “Aurora, be careful. She’s not exactly your biggest fan.
And let’s be honest she’s got every reason to hate you.”
I flinched at Annie’s bluntness, but she wasn’t wrong. Lena was Leonardo’s fiancée. To her, I was the reason her whole life might be falling apart. I wasn’t blind to that.
“What do you think I should do?” I asked softly, gripping my phone tightly.
Annie sighed and tilted her head, thinking for a moment.
“Honestly? Don’t go alone. She might try to hurt you, or worse. You’re already in a lot of trouble, Aurora.
Why make it worse by walking straight into the lion’s den?”
I sighed deeply, rubbing my temples. “I don’t think I have a choice. If I ignore her, it could make things worse.
What if… what if she knows something? What if Leonardo told her about us?”
Annie’s eyes widened. “Leonardo wouldn’t tell her that.”
“Wouldn’t he? He’s under so much pressure right now. Maybe he…” My voice trailed off as I thought about the possibility.
What if Lena already knew everything? What if this was her way of confronting me?
Annie reached out and squeezed my hand. “Aurora, listen. If you’re going to meet her, at least be smart about it.
Tell someone where you’re going. If anything feels wrong, leave immediately. Promise me that.”
I nodded, trying to calm my nerves. “I promise.”
Annie didn’t look convinced, but she dropped it. We finished our lunch in silence, though I could feel her worried gaze on me the entire time.
******
The rest of the day dragged on. I couldn’t focus during my classes, and every time my phone buzzed, my heart would jump, hoping it was Leonardo. But it never was.
By the time 6 PM rolled around, I was a mess of nerves. I had changed my outfit three times before finally settling on something simple: jeans and a hoodie.
I didn’t want to look too put-together. I didn’t want to give Lena the satisfaction of thinking I was nervous.
When I arrived at the café, I spotted Lena immediately. She was sitting at a corner table by the window, her posture perfect, her expression unreadable.
I took a deep breath and walked over to her, my legs feeling heavy with every step.
She looked up as I approached, her dark eyes locking onto mine like a predator sizing up its prey.
“Sit,” she said coolly, gesturing to the chair across from her.
I sat down slowly, trying to keep my hands from shaking. “You wanted to see me?”
Lena leaned back in her chair, her eyes never leaving mine. “Yes. I did.”
There was a long pause before she spoke again, her lips curled into a cruel smile, eyes gleaming with satisfaction as she sized me up.
“Look at you,” she sneered. “Jeans and a hoodie? You couldn’t even bother to dress like someone worth taking seriously.”
I swallowed hard, forcing myself not to flinch. “I didn’t come here for fashion advice, Lena. Just say what you need to say.”
Lena tilted her head, her smile widening.
“Oh, don’t worry, I plan to.” She leaned forward, her perfectly manicured nails tapping rhythmically on the table.
“You really think you matter to Leonardo, don’t you? That a nobody like you could actually replace me?”
I stiffened. “I’m not a nobody.”
“Really?” She laughed softly, the sound sharp as glass. “Because that’s all you’ll ever be a forgettable fling.
A mistake he’ll regret the second reality hits him. Girls like you always confuse attention for love. It’s pathetic, really.”
Her words stung like venom, but I wouldn’t let her see how much they hurt. “Leonardo loves me, Lena. I don’t have to explain that to you.”
Her expression turned icy in an instant, the mocking smile vanishing.
“He belongs to me, Aurora. He’s been mine since the day we were promised to each other. Do you even know what that means?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but she cut me off, her voice sharpening like a blade.
“It means you’re just his little distraction. The girl he runs to when things get hard. A temporary escape. And once I marry him, he’ll forget you ever existed.”
I clenched my fists under the table, my pulse pounding in my ears.
“You don’t know him as well as you think you do, Lena. Leonardo doesn’t want to be with someone who treats him like property.”
Lena’s lips curled into another smirk, her gaze flicking to my hands as if she could see me trembling.
“Oh, sweetheart, you’re delusional. Leonardo doesn’t want me? Is that what he told you? And you just… believed it?” She scoffed.
“You’re even more naïve than I thought. Do you honestly believe a son of an Alpha would give up his pack, his duty, for you?
A no-name outsider with no rank, no family influence, and nothing to offer? Just because your mother is the Luna of Alpha John’s pack doesn’t mean you hold any real power.”
Her words hit harder than I expected, and I could feel the tears burning behind my eyes. But I refused to let her see me break.
“Leonardo chooses me because he loves me, Lena,” I said through gritted teeth.
She rolled her eyes and stood up, towering over me. “Love?” she repeated, laughing bitterly.
“Love doesn’t matter in our world, Aurora. Power does. Position does. You’ll learn that soon enough once he comes crawling back to me where he belongs.”
She leaned closer slightly, her voice low and dripping with scorn.
“Enjoy these scraps of affection while you can. Because when this little fantasy of yours shatters, and he finally sees you for the insignificant, worthless girl you are… you’ll wish you’d never met him.”
Her words hit me like a slap, leaving me frozen. Lena grabbed her bag to leave, but she paused, turning back to twist the knife deeper.
“I know you’re sleeping with him,” she sneered, her voice dripping with spite.
“But let me tell you something Leonardo’s been in my bed too.
You think you’re special? You’re not. You’re just his little escape, something to keep him entertained while he deals with real problems.
He’ll get tired of you, Aurora. He always does. Girls like you pathetic, clingy, and desperate never keep men like him.”
She smirked, watching my face crumble, and delivered one last blow.
“Leonardo? He doesn’t love you. You’re just… convenient.”
With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving me alone, stunned and broken.
Her cruel words echoed in my head, over and over, like poison sinking into my heart.
Had Leonardo really been with Lena before he met me? Or… was he still with her now? Was I nothing more than a game to him?
My hands shook as I reached for my phone, praying that he’d message me, that he’d tell me Lena was lying that he’d choose me.
But the screen stayed dark.
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