Page 138 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
“Those weren’t illegal dealings, and you know it.”
“Oh, yes,” he laughed, mocking. “That’s just the result of your stupidity and the delusion that was apparently passed down to you by your mother. But here’s the thing, Luca—no one in the pack knows that. All they saw was their Alpha heir photographed with a rogue leader. They don’t care about the what or the why or the how.”
Disgust twisted in my stomach. “Then tell me—what will the pack think when they find out their Alpha murdered an innocent man and threatened to frame his wife for it if she didn’t leave her sons?”
His voice dropped, dangerously low. “Are you threatening me? Youungrateful bastard!” I didn’t see it coming. His hand shot out, grabbed the mug on his desk, and hurled it at me. I dodged, but not fast enough—it scraped my cheek before shattering against the wall. “I just spent hours convincing the council to give you a second chance instead of stripping you of the Alpha heir title entirely, and this is how you repay me?” he roared. “I raised you into a man. I made sure you wouldn’t be foolish like your mother. Weak like her. I made you strong enough to lead.”
“No!” I shot back. “You wanted to turn me into you. A man who kills without conscience and calls it strength.”
“And that is what has kept me in power,” he snarled. “You may think me vile, but that is what this legacy is built on. You’re thriving because of that. That…is strength.”
“This isn’t strength,” I slammed my palm against his desk. “This is cowardice. This is you being so terrified of losing control that you’d destroy anyone who threatens your perfect little image. If this is what it takes to be Alpha—if this is the legacy you expect me to carry—then I don’t want it.”
He recoiled. “You don’t mean that. You’re being emotional. Dramatic. Just like your mother. Less than forty-eight hours back in your life, and she has planted her roots in you, undoing all the core values I taught you over the years.”
I shook my head, clarity cutting through the rage. I finally knew who I should have hated all along. Who the real villain was.
“You and me. This conversation. This family. We’re done.”
Without waiting for his response, I yanked open the door and stormed out. I couldn’t stomach another word from the man who’d spent twenty-one years lying to my face, who’d made me an unwitting accomplice by keeping me ignorant.
Mrs. Chen stood in the foyer, her eyes pleading with me to stop, to think, but I didn’t so much as glance at her. I walked out, every step fueled by the kind of rage that leaves no room for air.
By the time I slid into my car, my hands were shaking. I pulled out my phone and dialed the one person who could anchor me back to sanity.
“Luca?” Leila’s voice came soft through the receiver, warm and concerned. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” I said, unflinching in the truth. “Nothing’s okay. Where are you?”
“I just dropped Ollie off at school for his spring break excursion. I’m heading home now.”
“Good. I’m coming over.”
Leila was already waiting for me when I stepped out of the car.
“I came out when I heard you pull up in the driveway,” she said, her gaze searching mine. “What’s going on, Luca? You sounded…distraught over the phone.”
Worry was etched across her face as she climbed down the last two steps to meet me, pulling me into her arms. I wrapped myself around her, sinking into her warmth.
“Come inside,” Leila whispered against my shoulder. “It’s too cold out here.”
I followed her into the house, and she guided me to the sofa, settling down beside me.
“I take it things didn’t go well with your father,” she said softly.
“I spent years hating my mother, despising her for abandoning me…and it turns out she was the only one who ever truly loved me.” My lips twisted into a bitter smile. “It’s like my whole life has been a lie. And now that I know the truth—what am I supposed to do with it? How am I supposed to move forward?”
Leila cupped my face in her hands, turning me toward her. Her touch was steady, her eyes unwavering.
“You can try to fix your relationship with your mother,” she said quietly. “I know twenty-one years is a long time. But you were willing to make up for the four years you lost with Ollie. I’m sure your mother is willing too. All you have to do is give her a chance.”
I closed my eyes, leaning into her touch. The storm inside me—the nerves, the hollow ache in my gut—eased beneath her fingers. Leila was the only thing that made sense right now. Her and Ollie.
I opened my eyes. “I don’t want to think about this anymore. Not my brother. Not my father. Not even my mother.”
“Okay.” She nodded slowly. “What do you want, Luca?”
“You.” My voice came out rough, frayed with need. “I want you, Leila.”
