Page 20 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
His brows furrowed. “Why the hell would Leila be at the Moreau Estate?”
“Because she’s the wedding planner,” I muttered, “for my wedding. With Elena Moreau.”
His eyes went wide. “No way.”
“Trust me, man. It’s fucked up. But it’s real.”
Charles shook his head. “The Moon Goddess really does have a sick sense of humor, doesn’t she?”
I rolled my eyes but said nothing.
“Does Elena know?”
“No.”
“So what—you just sat through a meeting together and Elena didn’t notice a thing? You’re barely holding it together right now.”
Elena didn’t notice because Leila made damn sure she wouldn’t. She played it cool. Too cool. Like I meant nothing. Like we weren’t once crazy in love with each other. It infuriated me. And ultimately, it drove me to follow her into that bathroom just to see. Because it couldn’t be just me losing my mind.
And it wasn’t.
I saw it in her eyes. Felt it in her body. I still had the same effect on her that I did five years ago.
And somehow, that made everything worse.
“You know Elena. Too self-absorbed to notice anything beyond herself.”
“Right,” Charles muttered. “But she’s not dumb. She’ll catch on soon, unless you do something about it.”
I looked up sharply. “Do what?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Should you even be feeling this way? I mean…you rejected her. You severed the bond. Tore it in half.”
“I thought so too,” I said quietly. “But the bond’s still there, Charles. That fucking Fated Mate bond. It’s like my wolf’s been asleep for years and someone just jammed a hot blade into his spine. He’s awake now. Furious. Desperate for her.”
“And you?”
“And me?” I let out a bitter laugh. “What do you think, Charles? One look from that woman—just one—and I wanted to claim her all over again.”
Charles leaned back, his expression softening into something dangerously close to pity. Like I was helpless in a goddamn storm.
I shot him a warning glare. And as quickly as it came, he wiped the look off his face.
For a moment, he said nothing. Then, in that low, steady voice of his, the voice of reason, he spoke. “Look, man. I get it. What you and Leila had…it was real. Maybe a part of you still feels that bond.”
He paused, then added, quieter. “But she betrayed you. Lied to your face. Stole from your company, cheated on you. And even if you could forgive all that, even if you were willing to gamble on her again…she’s still a half breed. You know what the council would do with that. Hell, you know what your father would do. The pack wouldn’t just disapprove, they’d revolt if you named her Luna.”
“I’m not naming her anything, Charles. I just told you I saw her again after five years. I didn’t say I was ready to burn down everything I’ve built for her.”
“Then stay away from her. Talk to Elena. Change the wedding planner. There are a thousand qualified people out there. I’ll even help you find one. But it can’t be Leila. You say you’re not about to throw it all away, but I know you, Luca. She's a walking time bomb and if you do not disarm that threat now, while you still can, you will detonate the bomb.”
I lowered my eyes on him. “Vivid illusion, Charles.”
He smirked. “That’s why I’m your head of security.”
“Look,” he continued, his voice turning serious again. “If you walk away from this wedding, or screw up this alliance in any way, Victor gets the title. Your birthright goes up in smoke.”
At the mention of that name, my jaws clenched. And as if summoned by pure and sheer disdain, the door opened again.
