Chapter 91: The Forbidden Kiss.
Alessandro’s POV
I returned to my room to rest for the night. When I went to shower, my mind drifted back to my conversation with Aurora.
Her words replayed in my head, over and over again.
"You are meant to be the Alpha of this pack… You have sacrificed more than your brothers… You deserve it."
No one had ever said that to me before. No one had ever looked at me the way she did like I was worth something.
I turned the water on, letting the warm stream hit my skin as I exhaled deeply.
Why did I care so much about what she thought?
Why did her words feel like they had cracked open something inside me?
And more importantly… why did I feel this unfamiliar pull toward her?
I leaned against the cold tiles of the shower, letting the water run down my face.
My thoughts were a mess, tangled between my duty to the pack and this strange feeling growing inside me.
Aurora.
She wasn’t just Leonardo’s past anymore. She was something else something I couldn’t quite name.
I closed my eyes, but instead of finding peace, I saw her again. The way she had looked at me when she said I deserved to be Alpha.
The warmth in her voice. The way she had placed her hand on mine so naturally, like it belonged there.
Damn it.
I ran a hand through my wet hair, frustrated. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
I had spent years pushing her away, seeing her as a problem, a reminder of my father’s choices. And now?
Now, she was the only thing on my mind.
I turned off the shower and grabbed a towel, sighing as I stepped out.
As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, I saw something different in my own eyes.
A realization.
Aurora wasn’t just Leonardo’s past.
She might be my future.
I exhaled sharply, gripping the edge of the sink as the weight of my thoughts settled on my shoulders.
What the hell was I thinking?
Aurora was off-limits. She was Leonardo’s past, my step-sister by law, and tangled in a mess that could tear this pack apart.
And yet… I couldn’t shake this feeling the need to be near her, to protect her, to be the man she could rely on.
I threw on a pair of sweatpants and a shirt, running a hand through my damp hair as I stepped out of the bathroom.
The room felt suffocating, my thoughts too loud, my emotions too raw. I needed air.
Without thinking, I found myself walking through the halls of the pack mansion, my feet moving on their own.
Before I even realized where I was going, I stood outside Aurora’s door.
I hesitated.
What was I even doing here?
Just as I turned to leave, the door creaked open. Aurora stood there in a loose t-shirt and shorts, her hair slightly damp as if she had just showered too.
Her golden eyes widened in surprise when she saw me.
“Alessandro?” she whispered.
I swallowed hard. “I—uh—I was just…” Damn it.
I had no excuse.
She turned her head, studying me. “Couldn’t sleep either?”
I nodded, exhaling a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
She stepped aside, an unspoken invitation.
And against all logic, I walked in.
Aurora closed the door behind me, the soft click echoing in the quiet room.
The scent of strawberry filled the air, calming yet intoxicating. She walked past me and sat on the edge of her bed, pulling her knees up slightly.
“So… what’s keeping you up?” she asked, her voice gentle but curious.
I hesitated, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed.
“A lot of things.”
She gave a small, knowing smile.
“Let me guess… your father? Leonardo? Or maybe… me?”
I stiffened at her last words, my jaw clenching. She wasn’t wrong.
When I didn’t answer, she sighed and patted the space beside her.
“Come sit, Alessandro. You look like you have too much going on in that head of yours.”
I hesitated, but the warmth in her eyes made it impossible to refuse. Slowly, I walked over and sat next to her.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable it was heavy, charged with something neither of us wanted to acknowledge just yet.
“I meant what I said earlier,” she finally broke the silence.
“You deserve to be Alpha.”
I let out a dry chuckle. “I appreciate that, but it’s not that simple, Aurora.”
“Why not?” she asked, turning to face me.
“You work harder than anyone in this pack. You care more than your father or Leonardo ever could.
If anyone deserves to lead, it’s you.”
I stared at her, mesmerized by the fire in her eyes. No one had ever spoken about me like this before not with such conviction.
“I don’t know if I can fight that battle,” I admitted.
“I’ve spent my whole life trying to prove myself, and all I ever get is second place.”
She reached out and placed her hand over mine, her touch warm and grounding.
“You’re not second place to me, Alessandro,” she whispered.
Something in my chest tightened. The room felt smaller, the space between us almost nonexistent.
“Aurora…” I murmured, my voice lower than I intended.
She blinked up at me, and in that moment, I knew this wasn’t just a fleeting emotion. It wasn’t just some rebellion against my family.
This was real.
And that terrified me.
Aurora’s hand remained on mine, her touch both steady and uncertain. My heart pounded against my ribs, each beat reminding me that this was dangerous wrong, even. But for the first time in my life, I didn’t care about right or wrong.
She opened her mouth to say something, but I didn’t give her the chance.
I lifted my free hand, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. She inhaled sharply, her lips parting slightly.
“Aurora…” I whispered her name like a prayer, like something fragile that could shatter if I wasn’t careful.
She didn’t pull away.
And that was my undoing.
Before I could second-guess myself, I leaned in. Slowly, hesitantly, waiting for any sign that she didn’t want this.
But she didn’t move, didn’t flinch.
And then, finally, our lips met.
It was soft at first, barely there, but the moment I felt the warmth of her mouth against mine, something inside me snapped.
I deepened the kiss, my fingers tangling in her hair as she let out a small gasp.
Her hands gripped the front of my shirt, pulling me closer instead of pushing me away.
Everything around us faded the weight of my father’s expectations, the betrayal of my brother, the uncertainty of what tomorrow would bring.
Right now, in this moment, there was only Aurora.
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