Page 37 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
Her eyes narrowed. “Why would I freak out?”
“Because you can be overly dramatic sometimes.”
She shrugged. “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. Period.”
I took a breath, glanced around, then leaned forward and dropped my voice to a whisper. “The groom is Luca Vaughn.” The words came out as casually as I could manage, trying to seem unaffected. I was deceiving myself—I knew that.
“Luca Vaughn? Manhattan’s Pack Alpha heir Luca Vaughn? Your ex-Fated Mate? That Luca Vaughn?”
I’d told Valerie about Luca when I’d first come to the Bronx, back when I was still looking for a house. She’d been incredibly helpful, and I’d felt relief that I was finally able to talk about it with someone,considering my father was out of the question. I sighed. “That Luca Vaughn.”
Valerie’s eyes flew wide. “Holy shit!”
And here comes the drama.
“This is peak soap opera, Leila—planning the wedding of your former Mate and lover.”
I stifled a smile. “It really isn’t. It’s a normal, regular, everyday occurrence.”
She gave me a look. “No, it’s not. But tell me—how was it seeing Luca after all this time?”
I let out a small breath. “It was hard, Val. Seeing him again…it brought everything back. Things I thought I’d gotten over. I told myself I was fine, that I’d moved on. But the second our eyes met, it all came rushing back like it never left.”
Valerie leaned in, her tone softening. “Because of the Mate bond?”
I hesitated, staring down at my hands. My fingers had gone cold. “Yeah. I wish it didn’t still affect me, but it does. Even now, after everything. After he rejected me.”
She let out a low whistle. “And you still feel it?”
I nodded slowly. “Like a phantom ache. I walk into a room and if he’s in it, I know—before I see him, before I smell him. It’s like some part of me wakes up just because he’s near.”
Valerie’s expression turned thoughtful. “That’s the thing with fated mates. People don’t get it—how rare that bond is. It’s not just hormones and attraction. It’s like the universe hardwires your soul to another person’s. Rejection or not, that doesn’t just…vanish.”
“I know.” My voice cracked a little before I caught it. “I keep telling myself I’m over it. That I moved on. But seeing him again—it shook something loose.”
She watched me for a beat, then asked, carefully, “Does he know about Ollie?”
My chest went tight. “What?”
“Ollie.” Valerie tilted her head. “Is he Luca’s?”
The question sliced through the air between us. I felt my spinestraighten like a shield was going up. I gave her the most neutral, unaffected shrug I could muster.
“No,” I said flatly. “He’s not.”
Valerie studied me. Not suspiciously, not like she didn’t believe me. Her face was gentle, full of quiet concern. Which made it worse.
“Okay,” she said, and didn’t push.
I looked away, suddenly engrossed in a crack on the ground. The lie sat heavy on my tongue, but I wasn’t ready to tell that truth. Not even to her. Not even to the one person who might understand.
Some things had to stay buried. At least, for now.
Elena Moreau:Can’t make it to the meeting. My Vera Wang fitting got moved up, and I’ve got a flight to catch. Priorities, you understand…or maybe you don’t. Either way, my fiancé insists the meeting goes on, so he’ll handle it. I’ve sent him your number. Try to keep things on track.
I read the message at least five times, my heart skipping a beat with each pass.
