Chapter 81: Brother Against Brother

Leonardo’s POV
“What did I just do?” I muttered, my hand resting on the cheek Aurora had slapped.
“Why in the hell would I say something so cruel to her?”
Before I could make sense of my own actions, Alessandro’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Leonardo, what the hell was that for, huh?” he demanded, his tone sharp and full of frustration.
I looked at him, my anger bubbling again. But it wasn’t just his words that irritated me—it was what I had seen earlier. That look in his eyes.
I had never seen Alessandro like that before. Was he… was he developing feelings for Aurora? My Aurora?
My fists tightened as I squared up to him. “Don’t you dare accuse me of anything, Alessandro!
How dare you touch my woman?
And now you stand here and question me?” My voice rose as I continued.
“What the hell were you doing touching her shoulder like that?
She’s not yours. She’s mine!”
Alessandro scoffed, shaking his head, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
I frowned, my frustration boiling over. “What’s so funny?”
He slid his hands into his pockets, meeting my glare with a calm yet piercing look.
“Leonardo, Aurora was yours. But not anymore. And that’s not on her, it’s on you.”
I clenched my jaw as his words cut deeper than I wanted to admit.
He didn’t stop. “You’re mad at me for doing exactly what you told me to do. Remember?
You came into my room and made me promise to look after her. To make sure she was okay.
I told you it was a bad idea to marry Lena for that ridiculous ‘alliance’ plan, but you didn’t listen.
Now, you’re blaming me for taking care of her? You’re unbelievable.”
Alessandro shook his head, his expression filled with a mix of pity and disappointment.
“You let go of her the moment you decided she wasn’t worth fighting for. The moment you told her she was a mistake, that you should never have been with her—”
“Enough!”
I bellowed, my fists trembling with barely controlled anger.
My entire body tensed, my hand curling into a tight fist as if ready to swing. Alessandro didn’t flinch.
Instead, he stood there, calm as ever, staring me down like he had nothing to lose.
“What’s the matter, Leonardo? Can’t handle the truth?” he asked quietly.
I wanted to shout, to argue, to prove him wrong. But deep down, I knew he was right. I hated it, but I couldn’t deny it.
I walked closer to Alessandro, my anger boiling over. Without thinking, I began poking his chest with my finger, each word coming out sharper than the last.
“Stay away from her! I mean it, Alessandro. Stay away from Aurora.”
Alessandro stood his ground, unflinching, and his calm demeanor only fueled my rage.
“Or you’ll do what, huh?” he said, his tone laced with challenge.
“Punch me?
Go ahead.”
He gestured toward my clenched fist, his eyes briefly flicking to it.
“You’re already set on it, aren’t you? Might as well make it count.”
I glared at him, the weight of his words pushing me further into the brink. But as much as I wanted to take that swing, something held me back.
Alessandro’s calmness wasn’t arrogance it was confidence. He wasn’t afraid of me. He didn’t even flinch.
“What’s stopping you, Leonardo?” Alessandro asked, his voice quieter now but no less intense.
“Is it because deep down, you know you have no one to blame but yourself?
You had her, and you let her go.
Now you’re angry at me because I actually care about her feelings something you didn’t seem to consider when you tossed her aside.”
I gritted my teeth, lowering my fist but still glaring at him.
“This isn’t about me being jealous. It’s about you stepping out of line, Alessandro.
You know she’s off-limits.”
Alessandro slanted his head, his face softening but still resolute. “No, Leonardo.
She was off-limits when she was with you.
But she’s not with you anymore. And let’s be honest, you don’t get to decide how she feels or who she chooses to trust.”
His words stung because they rang true. I had no claim to Aurora anymore, no matter how much it hurt to admit it.
Before I could respond, Alessandro pushed further, his tone cutting like a blade.
“You chose duty over her. You always have because you’re desperate to be the perfect son for our precious father.
Yes, I wanted to be Alpha because I believed I was worthy, but if I had a woman like Aurora, I’d choose her over everything else if it meant making her happy.
But you?
You keep choosing things you shouldn’t. You always will, because pleasing Father matters more to you than anything else.”
He stepped closer, his words laced with bitter truth.
“Well, how’s that working out for you? Is it worth it?”
I scoffed, trying to mask the fire building inside me.
His words filled with venom, but I wasn’t about to let him have the last word. I held my ground and fixed him with a hard stare.
“Do you think Aurora can love you?” I asked, my voice low and sharp. “You’re fooling yourself if you believe that.
You don’t even know what love is, Alessandro. You’re incapable of loving anyone.”
I shook my head, my tone growing colder. “If you were given the same choice as I was, if you had to pick between being Alpha or keeping her you’d do the same as I did.
You’d choose power, the pack, the title. You’d let her go. So tell me, Alessandro, am I wrong?”
For a moment, there was silence between us. Alessandro’s face became hard but I caught a glimpse of something in his eyes, hesitation, maybe guilt.
He didn’t answer right away, and the pause only fueled my anger.
“You can’t even deny it,” I said with a bitter laugh, crossing my arms.
“You’d do exactly what I did. So don’t stand there acting all righteous like you’re any better than me.”
Alessandro finally spoke, his voice steady but filled with emotion.
“The difference between us, Leonardo, is that I wouldn’t make that choice in the first place.
I wouldn’t give her up, not for anything. That’s where you and I are different.”
For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. Alessandro’s words hit me harder than I expected, and for a fleeting second, I wondered if he truly meant it.
But the fire inside me wouldn’t let it go. I clenched my fists at my sides, refusing to back down.
“That’s easy to say when you’re not the one in my position. When you’re not the one who has to bear the responsibility of keeping this pack together.”
Alessandro shook his head, his expression turning colder. “Responsibility? Don’t kid yourself, Leonardo.
You’re hiding behind that word because it makes it easier to justify your choices.
But the truth is, you’re afraid. You’re afraid to stand up to Father. You’re afraid to fight for what you really want, so you convince yourself that you’re doing it for the pack, for the family.”
I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a growl. “You don’t know what it’s like to carry this weight, Alessandro.
You’ve always been the reckless one, the one who doesn’t think things through. You don’t get to judge me for making the hard choices.”
“And you don’t get to judge me for stepping in where you failed,” Alessandro shot back, his eyes narrowing.
“Aurora needed you, and you abandoned her. She needed someone to stand by her, and you threw her aside like she was nothing.
If you think that makes you strong, then you’re more blind than I thought.”
His words were like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, I couldn’t speak. Instead, I turned my back on him, trying to reign in the storm of emotions swirling inside me.
“You think you’re some kind of savior?” I finally said, my voice tight. “You think she’ll forget everything because you’re there to pick up the pieces?”
“I don’t need her to forget,” Alessandro replied, his tone calm but firm. “I just need her to know that someone cares.
That someone’s willing to fight for her. Something you clearly weren’t willing to do.”
I spun back around, my jaw clenched. “And what happens when you can’t deliver?
When you realize that all the promises you’re making mean nothing because you can’t give her what she needs?
What then, Alessandro?”
He didn’t flinch, didn’t look away. “I won’t make promises I can’t keep.
But I can promise her this, I won’t let her down. Not like you did.”
Ensnared by My Stepbrothers' Realm
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