Page 120 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
I stood and turned in an instant. But I turned too quickly, without looking, and ran straight into one of the waitresses carrying a tray of dessert cakes. Everything shattered on the floor, glass breaking. The impact drew everyone’s attention—heads swiveling in our direction.
I saw Luca stand from his seat urgently, worry clouding his eyes. In the corner, a furious Elena watched us, but I didn’t give her gaze any attention.
“I’m so sorry about this,” I apologized, crouching before the girl and helping her wipe chocolate smudges from her stained uniform. “I’ll replace your uniform, I promise. I’ll speak to your manager and explain that this was all my fault—”
Staff rushed into the room, and after helping the girl with the tray, I left the hall. My emotions overwhelmed me as I grabbed my bag, trudging toward the empty service stairs. I stopped, pressing my hand against my chest as though to still my heart, to keep it from breaking all over again. The pain was too much—too much to bear.
When I saw Luca again for the first time, I had been determined to keep my distance from him, to not let the years of our past resurface, because I didn’t want to get hurt…and because he was getting married to another woman. But I’d been foolish enough to let myself fall for him the first time, and foolish enough to embrace the feelings the second time. And both times ended in pain—a pain that felt like being stabbed right in the chest.
I leaned against the stair railing, trying to catch my breath, trying to keep the tears from spilling—though they were already flowing freely now. I hadn’t even heard the footsteps over the pounding in my chest. Not until he spoke.
“I thought I’d never have to see your wretched self again.”
I whipped my head around, and there he was—Luca’s father—his face twisted in disdain, eyes narrowing at me as if I were filth under his shoe.
“What are you doing here? To steal more money from my son?”
“Alpha—”
“I always told him you couldn’t offer anything good. You were a lowlife. And what do lowlifes do when they see an opportunity? They leech.” He chuckled, dry and ugly. “But Luca was too blinded by whatever juju you put on him—talking about Fated Mate bonds and all that bullshit.”
“He’s not wrong,” I said, my voice steady now, even if my chest still ached. I wiped the tears from my cheeks, meeting his gaze head-on. “He is my Fated Mate.”
Luca’s father closed the distance in two long strides and grabbed my hand in a crushing grip. “Don’t you dare say that to anyone! My son can never be Fated to someone like you. You’re weak. Unsuitable to be Luna of even a fraction of my pack!” His voice boomed, venom dripping from every word. “If you do dare to do anything to ruin this wedding, I will end you. Do you hear me?”
“You can threaten me all you want, but that bond you hate so much? It’s real. And nothing you say will change that.”
I saw raw, undiluted anger flash in his eyes. His jaw tightened, and just as he opened his mouth to speak, Luca’s voice thundered through the stairwell, each word vibrating through me.
“Get your hands off her. Now.”
In an instant, he was there, prying his father’s grip from my wrist, stepping in so close they were nearly nose to nose. His jaw was locked, his eyes blazing.
“How dare you lay your hands on her?”
His father scoffed, but there was a flicker—something between outrage and disbelief. “How dare you speak to me like that? Over this…tramp?”
“Mind how you speak to her.” Luca’s voice was low, dangerous, the kind of tone that promised consequences. I could feel the heat of his rage radiating from him.
“God, you’re pathetic, Luca! Don’t tell me you’re still in love with her!” His father jabbed a finger in my direction like I was something foul.
“In love with who?”
The voice came from behind us. I turned, and my stomach sank atthe sight of Elena at the top of the stairs. She stood frozen, her eyes wide, her lips parting as if the air had been knocked out of her.
“In love with who, Luca?” Her gaze snapped to me, and I saw the disbelief flash before it hardened into something far uglier. “Don’t tell me you’ve been hooking up with our wedding planner.” The way she said the words made them drip with contempt, each word dipped in acid—because clearly, the very idea that Luca would stoop so low for me was the most ridiculous thing she could imagine.
Things were getting far too complicated. I really needed to leave.
I bent to grab my bag from the floor, every movement feeling heavier than it should. I turned to go, but Luca’s hand caught my arm.
“Leila, wait.” His eyes swept over me, searching for bruises, for damage.
“Luca, please…” My throat burned as I managed to slip my hand free from his grasp. “Go back to your soirée.”
Amidst the heavy downpour of rain, I rushed home in a storm of emotions. The cab driver kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror, his brow furrowed like he wanted to ask if I was okay but didn’t know if he should. When I got home, I tried to drown the sorrow in the most cliché way possible—a bowl of ice cream and back-to-back comedies. But the laughter on screen felt hollow, and the sweetness on my tongue tasted like nothing.
Eventually, the pain dulled, giving way to something worse—numbness.
