Alpha Loren novel Chapter 74

November 27th

A week later and Leo and I hadn't had another argument. We listened to each other, refrained from shouting and stopped the snide comments and the pointless disagreements.

And it was all traced back to the forest escapade.

Before, our personalities had been incompatible, constantly clashing as we battled one another, both reluctant to give in.

It was never going to work like that. Something had to change.

And that something was me.

I no longer questioned Leo's every move and I fought the urge to snap and push against him and everything just started to run smoothly. Life was so much easier standing by Leo rather than against him and peace returned to the house.

But easier didn't equal right. Something made me feel uneasy. Every command I followed and opinion I withheld, gave me a mixed feeling of both satisfaction and guilt. Guilt that I'd just chosen the easy option. Guilt that I'd sacrificed a part of my self. And guilt that I'd let everybody he made suffer down.

My Mom finally came though.

She arrived on the doorstep, escorted safely through the territory by Leo's men so she wasn't mistaken for a malicious intending rogue. 

Her hair was long and knotty and her clothes grubby and torn. She shuffled on her feet nervously as she looked from me to Leo before I threw myself forwards into her arms.

She was taken aback at first but then she hugged me back, tighter than ever as we both wept.

We was thin and withered so we were sure to feed her up before she took a shower and changed into some of my clothes.

She was still cautious of Leo and anxious to get back on the road soon but I convinced her to stay one night and by the time she was heading back out the door, she was giving Leo a warm smile and warning him not to break my heart.

The day she left, Allison texted me telling me it was time for that mall trip with Amber. 

I was feeling a little down and it was just what I needed.

I asked Leo.

He said yes.

Well...he said yes to going to the mall with Allison. 

I withheld the part about Amber, feeling an immense amount of guilt but I knew he'd never let me go if he knew. So I fought down my conscious as I made lunch.

"So Allison is picking me up in like an hour," I said as I cut some cheese.

"Which mall?" he asked.

"Mansford," I replied. "It's on the territory."

"Yeah, I know where it is. And it's just the two of you?"

"Leo, relax. It's not even a fifteen-minute drive from here. We'll be fine," I reassured him, dodging the question.

"Take that magic swordy thing. Just in case," he said presumably referring to the paralyzing knife I used in the war.

"So is that a yes?" I questioned.

"If you charge your phone. It's on like 2%," he replied.

I smiled and kissed him on the cheek as I he walked to the bin with the peelings of the carrots he was preparing.

"And it's definitely just the two of you?" he asked.

"...Mmhhm," I said, my tongue burning in my mouth.

He turned around to face me, "Sure about that?"

I nodded again and he narrowed his eyes, "Okay, I believe you."

"And you still don't want anyone to go with us?" I asked, "Luca?"

"No, he's still banned," Leo replied. "And I trust you to be safe with Allison. She knows what she's doing."

"I miss Luca," I said. "When can I see him again?"

"When I'm no longer pissed off at him," he replied. 

"How can you be pissed off at Luca?" I asked. "He's harmless."

"He actively went against my orders twice and he doesn't take me seriously," Leo explained.

"He doesn't take anything seriously. Don't take it personally," I replied.

"I'm his Alpha and when he understands that, he can see you," Leo said firmly.

After lunch, I went to get ready. I showered changed and as I stood in the mirror brushing my hair, Leo drew up behind me.

"One fully charged phone," he said putting it into the pockets of my jeans.

And yeh, my jeans have pockets. Suck on that.

He then wrapped his arms around me to the buttons on my shirt and did one more button-up that I was planning on leaving open.

"I know I usually undo your buttons rather than do up them but you're going out without me," he replied. "And I'm worried."

"Going out alone. What an honour," I remarked.

"Hey, what's the attitude for?" he asked. 

I said nothing. I'm not sure where it had come from or why.

"I used to go out on my own all the time before you revoked the privilege. I can handle it, Leonardo," I replied.

He rested his head in the crook of my neck, "I know. You're a big girl."

I smiled and rolled my eyes, "fuck off."

He chuckled and kissed my neck. He then began leaving the room.

"You've got toothpaste on your cheek!" he called.

I looked closer in the mirror. Shit, I do.

An hour later the doorbell rang and Leo answered it. Luckily, only Allison had come to the door but if I could see Amber sitting in the car so could he.

"Didn't realize Amber was going too, Ells," he said deeply.

"Last minute change of plan," I lied before stepping towards the door. 

Leo grabbed my wrist tightly and I froze.

"She won't be a second Allison," Leo said calmly. 

Allison nodded and headed back to the car.

"I knew it," he hissed. "I wanted to trust you but I knew you were lying to me."

"If I told you, you wouldn't have let me go so I didn't have a choice," I replied.

"I told you to stay away from her didn't I?" he growled. 

"Don't be a dick, Leo."

"Do not make this any worse by speaking to me like that," he said threateningly.

"Are you going to let me go or not?" I asked, instantly looking down.

"No, I'm fucking not," he hissed.

"Can I at least go and explain?" 

"You have twenty seconds," He responded coldly.

I scowled and shook him off me before slowly approaching the car as he watched with his arms folded.

"I'm so sorry but I can't-" I began after reaching the car.

"Don't worry Ella, we heard," Amber replied.

"Maybe another time? When Leo's no longer in a foul mood," Allison asked before pulling me into a hug, "You gonna let him treat you like that?" she whispered in my ear.

I smiled and looked back at him, "I better go," I said as he glared me down.

She nodded and got back into the car before driving away.

I returned to the house and walked straight past Leo to the stairs.

"Ella wait," he ordered and I turned around only having made it a few steps up. "Next time can you just tell me the truth and maybe I won't have to do that."

"You didn't have to do that this time either," I replied.

"Yes, I did."

"Why?"

"I'm not gonna go back on my word. If I tell you that you can't hang out with Amber then I am not letting you hang out with Amber. If I allowed this, the next thing I know you'd be going to hang out with your ex-boyfriend or something. I have a difficult enough job already and if I start letting things like this slip it will get a whole lot worse," Leo explained.

"So I'm a child that you gotta discipline, right?" I asked.

He narrowed his eyes, "Watch where you step babe."

"And you still haven't told me your problem with Amber anyway," I said stepping exactly where he told me not to step. "As for as I can see it's just because you slept with her. And I don't have a problem with that anymore and you certainly didn't have a problem with her when you put your dick inside her, so why do you now?"

I was stood a few steps up the stairs, making me about equal in height to him and it made me feel far less intimated by his glare.

"As I have told you, there is more to it than that," he growled.

"Well until you tell me then I will continue to misunderstand why we can't be friends," I hissed.

At that, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the steps so that he could loom over me.

"Get rid of that attitude," he snarled in my ear. 

I winced at how tightly he was gripping my wrist but still managed to glare up at him.

"We've had a good week," he replied pulling me closer to him. "Don't fuck it up."

For a split second, I let my eyes flicker away and I couldn't stop myself leaning away from him as I held my breath.

"Good," he said letting go of my wrist as his face softened. "Now come and watch a movie with me."

I furrowed my eyebrows.

How could he act like we hadn't just had a major argument?

"I don't wanna fight all day. It's sorted now, let's just move on," he said taking my hand and leading me to the sofa.

I sat quietly wrapped in a blanket on the edge of the couch as I let Leo choose the movie. When he had started it, he sat beside me and gestured me into his arms so I lay with my head across his chest as we watched the movie without a single word. I wasn't really following the story but instead staring down at the knots in the wooden floorboards.

Twenty minutes in, Leo paused the TV.

"The silence is killing me. Where is the usual running commentary?"

"I'm not paying attention," I said.

"Why? It's Disney," he replied. "I thought you loved Disney?"

"I do but you scared me, Leo," I replied quietly.

"I'm not scaring you anymore am I?" he asked.

I shrugged.

"Ella-" he began.

"You wanted me to be scared," I interrupted. "You can't be upset now that I am. You win Leo...again."

At that point, Leo's phone rang.

"You need to get to Mansford mall immediately Alpha,"  Luca's voice said through the phone. He was being serious and that scared me

"Why what's happened?" Leo asked sitting up.

"I don't know exactly but Amber and Allison could be hurt," he replied.

"I'll be there in 10 minutes."

"Don't leave the Luna on her own," Luca added before hanging up.

"Get your shoes and jacket," Leo ordered and I did so immediately before we got in his car and he sped in the direction of Mansford.

He was definitely speeding but his reasonings were obvious. Leo didn't say a word, even as he strode across the parking lot dragging me behind him.

He knew where he was going and I did too. The smell of blood was overpowering. My heart began to race as we neared the edge of the forest surrounding the mall. 

That was when I saw the three figures. Two standing and one on the floor.