Page 145 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
But Victor only shook his head, pacing around Leila and Ollie like a predator savoring his kill. “And Leila? Who gets her?”
My gaze flicked to her, and the sight almost undid me. Her cheeks were wet, her eyes wide with terror. I clenched my fists, swallowing the urge to rip Victor apart where he stood.
“She isn’t a toy, Victor!” My voice thundered across the space. “She can choose whoever she wants to be with.”
“Oh, bullshit!” His voice cracked with venom. His eyes were hollow now, filled only with hate. He pointed to the folder lying on the floor. “Sign the damn contract.”
Dropping to one knee, I tore the folder open, scrawling my name across the lines without even reading. My only thought was Leila and Ollie.
“Done,” I spat, tossing the pen aside. “Now let them go.”
Victor gestured to one of his men, who brought him the signed pages. His lips twisted into a sinister grin as he slid the papers into a bag. “Release them.”
My gut tightened. Something felt off. Half an hour ago, he’d demanded both the company and my title as Alpha. And now—just the company? No. Something was wrong.
I glanced down at my wristwatch, just briefly. Charles and my menwould be in position by now. All I needed was Leila and Ollie in my arms before I gave the signal.
The guards released Ollie first. The moment his blindfold was taken off, his eyes locked on mine, and he ran straight into my arms.
“It’s okay, Ollie,” I whispered fiercely, clutching him against my chest. “I’ve got you. I’m here.”
I kept my eyes trained on Leila as the guard loosened her restraints. The second she was free, she took a step toward me—only for Victor to cock the gun and aim it directly at her.
The room froze.
“What the hell are you doing?” My voice tore out of me like a growl. “I gave you what you wanted. Let her go!”
“That’s the thing, brother,” Victor hissed, his hand steady on the trigger. “I can’t. I can’t let you have her. Because she’ll never choose me. It’ll always be you. And I won’t live with that. Not when she should’ve been mine to begin with.”
“Victor.” My voice dropped, low and dangerous.
He bared his teeth in a twisted smile. “At least when you wake up every morning without your precious Mate beside you, you’ll think of me. You’ll remember that I took this one thing from you.”
That was it. What happened next was a blur of instinct and raw desperation. Victor pulled the trigger. The crack of the gunshot split the air, and as fast as my legs could carry me, I lunged toward Leila. I shoved her out of the way, but I wasn’t fast enough.
The bullet tore into me, searing pain exploding through my chest as it knocked me backward onto the ground.
It was fine. It had to be fine. I would heal. I always healed. That was the difference between me and Leila—she wasn’t a full shifter, her healing was suppressed. Better me than her.
“It’s okay,” I rasped, forcing my voice steady for her sake as she scrambled to my side, clutching my hand with trembling fingers. “It’s okay, it’s just—”
But then I looked down. My white shirt was already soaked crimson, the wound gaping and burning like fire beneath my skin. Andthere was no pull of flesh knitting back together. No spark of healing. Nothing.
A cold dread sank into me.
“Luca,” Leila’s voice cracked, her eyes wild with panic as she pressed down on my chest, trying to stop the bleeding. “W–why aren’t you healing?”
Her words echoed what I already knew. There was only one thing that could stop the healing of a wolf shifter.
Silver. The realization hit me like a second bullet. Victor hadn’t just shot me with an ordinary bullet. It was silver.
I opened my mouth to reassure her, but no words came. My strength was draining too fast, every heartbeat pushing the toxic metal deeper through my veins. My vision blurred, the edges darkening.
The last thing I heard before everything went black was Leila’s voice—desperate, broken, begging me to stay awake—as the sound of boots thundered and my men stormed into the space.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Leila’s POV
