Alpha Loren novel Chapter 38

November 2nd

Leo's POV

The TV screen turned black and the room fell deadly silent.

"How has this happened?" I growled, my voice rumbling through the house.

Nobody spoke.

My sister's all sat close together and my Mom looked as if she could burst into tears any second. 

I don't like to do this to my family, but I'd returned to the pack with Lia only to find my mate missing and was now being greeted with a video from Haden that made my blood boil. 

I couldn't help but be angry.

He had my mate and that was all that mattered right now needed her back.

"Max and Ella went to the grocery store how long ago?" I asked.

"About six hours ago," My Mom replied quietly. 

"And when did he call?" I questioned.

"About an hour later."

"And he said she just...ran off?" 

"Yes," Rosa said with a nod.

I knew Ella and I still had our issues but I didn't think she'd run away again. Not now that she's pregnant.

Even Antonio looked doubtful and he hardly thought highly of her.

"One of Haden's men must have taken her," he concluded. 

"I have to get her back," I said hoarsely before slowly looking over to Lia. She looked paled and weak as Maria held her tightly.

"Leo, you can't sacrifice your sister like that-" Rosa began.

"I don't have a choice," I interrupted. "I'm sorry, Lia."

"No," Maria said firmly. "We could never see her again if you do this."

"And I will never see my mate again if I don't do this," I replied coming closer to Maria and Elena.

"Then find another way," Elena hissed stepping between me and Lia.

"There is no other way Elena! I am not risking my Luna's life!" I said pushing the kitchen table over in frustration.

"You need to calm down, Leonardo," My Mom said. 

"I will not calm down until I have her back in my arms!" I said before pausing and looking back to Lia.

Guilt coursed through me. Lia was my family but so was Ella and the baby and even if this did mean betraying my sister, it at least ensured that nobody dies.

 "Lia, get your bags," I said in a monotone voice. 

"But-" Lia started before I interrupted her.

"I said get your bags," I repeated in a deeper tone.

There was a tense silence in the kitchen and Lia eventually nodded her head and went upstairs in fits of sobs.

"There has to be another way," Lisa said after Lia had gone.

Mateo wrapped his arms around his youngest sister, "She'll be okay, Lisa. Haden is her mate."

"Haden is a bad man," Elena growled, "You can not hand our sister over to him!"

"Elena," our Dad said deeply, "He is Alpha and he will do what is best for the pack. Without it's Luna, stella will crumble and fall."

"And what about family?" she replied.

"Ella is my family too now," I replied. "And Haden will kill her if Lia is not returned." 

"But he will just treat her cruelly again," Bella protested.

"And she will get through it. We raised you kids to be strong and tough," Antonio said. "It's gonna be hard for us all but not forever. They are mates and they will figure things out eventually. And alls well that ends well, right?"

A minute later Lia came back downstairs, her eyes red with tears. She gave each one of our siblings a long hug before moving onto our Dad and finally our Mom.

"Do whatever Leo tells you to do, okay baby?" Rosa said hugging her even tighter. Lia nodded her head and wept into her mother's shoulder. I was getting anxious. The longer I waited, the longer Ella was with Haden possibly getting hurt. They didn't appear to be breaking up the hug so I went over to the and prized Lia out of Rosa's grip.

"We need to go," I said taking Lia's wrist and leading her out of the house. 

"No...a few more minutes..." She cried, but I didn't stop. I sat her in the passenger seat of my car and buckled her in like a small child. She continued to cry for about 5 minutes whilst we were driving before I decided I had to say something.

"Like Dad said, things will work out in the end Lia. Having an Alpha as your mate is hard, any Luna can tell you that, but Haden will love you even if it doesn't feel like he ever will sometimes. Just obey him, respect him and submit to him. You will be fine," I explained.

"What if he wants to mate tonight?" Lia asked shakily.

"Then you will mate tonight," I responded feeling more and more guilty as she broke down in tears again.

"Don't leave me with him, Leo. Please," she begged. "You have to get Ella and the baby back but you have all the power in the world, there has to be another way to do it."

"I had more power than anyone in the world. That's because I had no weakness, scarcely an emotion in sight. You remember how I was before I found Ella, right? And you must like me far more now. I feel a way about her that I've never felt about anyone before and I can never get her out of my head. She is my weakness and people are going to exploit that to try and get to me and the pack. Now her life is being threatened and however much you believe there is another way. There isn't. Not without gambling with her life," I said.

"Just tell me that this isn't it. Tell me that I will see all again. You and Maria and Mateo and Elena and Marco and Carlos and Bella and Lisa and Lenny and Mom and Dad and Matt and Allison and Ella and the baby and everybody else. Tell me that this isn't it," Lia said.

"This isn't it," I said. 

It may have been a lie, it may not, but it's what she wanted to hear. I loved my little sister and giving her away pained me in ways I hadn't been pained in a long time, but I had to have Ella and my child because without them my life would be nothing but pain.

"So you love her?" Lia asked after a few minutes of silence.

I hesitated, "Yes. I think I do."

I smiled to myself as a certain warmth ran through me and a slight shudder. 

"Why don't I love Haden?" she asked bringing me back to reality.

"Because you have to work through all the shit first. Ella and I didn't exactly have the perfect start either," I told her. "I fucking hate his guts but you'll be happy with Haden one day. I promise. And if you aren't, give me a call and I'll punch his face in."

She let out a short laugh.

"Thanks, Leo," he replied. "And for the record, I don't blame you for this. You're doing what any good Alpha and mate would do."

I nodded and smiled.

The rest of the 8-hour journey was pretty much silent. The border guards were expecting us and didn't even bother stopping the car. Lia seemed to have run out of tears to cry until we arrived at Haden's house and the flood gates opened again. I had to support her as we walked to the door. Her small frame shook even more with every step closer.

"Lia, the best thing you can do right now is act brave. Think about what Ella would do. Take it from me, she's good at getting out of things she doesn't want to do," were my final words before I knocked loudly on Alpha Haden's front door.