Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Have you ever seen a deer caught in headlights?

There’s shock. The inability to see just how brittle life can be.

But this time, it was a shock that knocked the air out of Leo’s demeanour. I caught the choking disbelief, his face reddened, eyes widened so much I feared he’d attract an insect, and he stood there for the longest time.

Same as Kai. Same as me.

Silence overtook the room, nobody moving or even saying a word.

Then, what I feared happened. Leo stomped towards me. I readied myself for the impact of what was to come, expecting pain to reverberate through any part of me at any moment, except that didn’t happen.

I heard the impact, but I didn’t feel it. The sound of the skin-tearing slap carried a fraction of Leo’s rage.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Kai standing in front of me, Leo’s hand plastered against Kai’s face. At first, there was shock in Leo’s expression, not having expected Kai to protect me, but then it vanished almost instantly.

"I was right all along." He tuts. "I was right, and you made me a fool. You made me think I was delusional, irrational, and erratic, but no, really, you were fucking my best friend behind me."

"No, you didn’t see anything. You’re still nothing but delusional, Leo," Kai said, shocking me from the inside.

How could he be so manipulative towards Leo?

Leo’s jaw nearly hit the ground, lips parted like he had just heard the most horrifying news of his life. "How could you lie even to my face?"

"It could have been anything. For example, I came to see the same friend you claimed is your best friend, yet abandoned. And newsflash, baby..." Leo recoiled at that word that had once been endearing to his ears. "...Alex is my friend too."

"With you in your boxers? Fuck you, Kai."

"Alpha Kai."

"Only if you deserved it. You’re a bi..." Leo paused, blew out air in a frantic exhale, and turned his gaze to me.

It was impossible for him to attack Kai anyway. The blood drained from my face the moment I saw those death glares.

"You’re a disgrace, you know that?" He tried to step forward but instead bumped into Kai. "Get away from in front of me." Leo directed at Kai, attempting to hit him only to fall on his butt.

The bodyguard who had been at the threshold, once invisible to our sights, rushed to aid Leo, offering a helping hand. Though Leo slapped him away, the man remained by his side.

"Get the Omega. Get him locked up. He’s committed treason, no less."

Kai stepped forward, eyes darkening as he sized up the bodyguard. "Touch him, and your life ends here. I’m your Alpha, and I come before any other demand."

Once Kai saw the cowardice in the bodyguard, who bowed his head after hearing his life was on the line, he continued, "Take the Luna out of here."

"I’m not your Luna," Leo shouted. "And you’re not my Alpha."

"Please, go and rest, Leo. You are stressed and seeing things that aren’t there."

My head was in a haze. I didn’t know what to do or what to say or how to react. Everything was happening too fast for my brain to catch up or even judge the situation, including my own actions.

Leo’s eyes brimmed with tears. Right there on the floor, he wept, cheeks wet and shining as his tears caught the reflection of light coming from the window where the sun hung high in the sky, making them glisten like diamonds.

"I wished I never helped you, Alex. You are a monster," Leo started, picking himself up from the ground. "You could have hurt me in many other ways. It didn’t have to be this. You didn’t have to take away what was mine."

My jaw clenched, causing my teeth to clash and quiver while the veins on my neck spiked beneath the skin, throbbing painfully.

What do I say?

Leo breathed heavily. I could tell his eyes were burning into my skin, but I dared not catch his gaze again. Instead, my eyes remained fixated on the ground and my fingers intertwined, faintly gripping my stomach as though to prevent myself from throwing up the food I had eaten.

Even now, I no longer had an appetite.

"I swear, I’ll make you both regret this." That was the last thing Leo said as he wiped his tears clean.

Without letting us witness more of his humiliation, he left in a hurry with the bodyguard trailing after him.

The room once again fell into utter silence. I tried to grab the table only to trip and hit my elbow against one of the chairs, but I barely felt the pain. And when Kai tried to hold me, I slapped his hand away.

My sight found the path to the wardrobe, an idea settling in my mind, and without thinking twice, I pulled apart the sections and began dragging out my clothes.

From atop the furniture, I pulled down a suitcase. Without even arranging my clothes, I stuffed them into the luggage.

"Woah, woah, woah," Kai uttered, his footsteps nearing me. "What do you think you’re doing?"

"NO!" I screamed. The sound sent waves across the confined space. I blinked as I grabbed my head. "What have I done?"

"You’re exaggerating this matter, Alex. I don’t like that."

When I raised my eyes, they were red with tears and heavily dilated. "Do you really not care about him?"

"What?"

"Leo. Do you really not pity him? Feel remorse over the sin we’ve both committed against him?"

"What’re you saying?"

"No, don’t do this. Don’t feign ignorance. I won’t accept that," I yelled at the top of my lungs, anger brewing beneath my skin, though it wasn’t even directed at Kai. My voice softened again, almost into a whisper. "Oh, goodness. What have I done?"

Kai pulled my arms, forcing me to focus on him. "Hey, you didn’t do anything. If anyone’s to be blamed, it’s supposed to be me."

Truly, he was right. Come to think of it, he could have resisted the temptation too. Though I cursed myself for my fallen ambition and the grave I had dug for myself, he had deepened it in a way.

According to his own words, he chose Leo, yet he still wanted to be with me. He never knew what he wanted right from the start, and for all I knew, he could have left the door open that night so I could stumble upon them. He could have restrained his pheromones from reaching me and pushing me into heat, but he didn’t.

Maybe I was just as manipulated as Leo was.

Maybe he’d only use me until I was also "loose" and no longer interested him, then he’d go looking for another exciting distraction.

"Leo saved me when no one did, and I did this to him. I can never forgive myself, and I’ll never forgive you."

"What exactly did he do for you? House you?" He chuckled, as though he wasn’t seeing the gravity of what I was saying. "I got you both that house, specifically for you. Leo’s uncle is more the reason than my father’s demands for why I’m in this mess. There’s a lot you have no idea about."

I scoffed, turning to resume packing.

"You don’t understand anything, Alex. Trust me, politics is at play here, and Leo knows what game he’s playing."

"Whether it’s a game or not, all I know is that in real life, you’re engaged to him, and the entire pack knows both of you as a couple. All over the Internet. Imagine what happens when he starts a rumour."

"I will deal with that."

Kai sounded like he knew more than he was letting on. Maybe he was right when he said I knew nothing about politics, but at least I knew what was right and what wasn’t. Even when the One Tree claimed we were fated mates, what happened with Leo was wrong. And I swore, for the last time, I had to decide. And that decision had to be about leaving Kai once and for all.

"No." I fought to take back the shirt he had snatched from me. "No, you’ll go back to Leo and leave me alone. Be with him, Kai."

"Are you even listening to yourself? Stop this madness, Alex. You’re what I want," he countered, matching the volume of his voice to mine.

I shouted back.

"Why? Why exactly are you making this difficult?"

"I thought it was already clear when I took a spear for you."

"What?" I threw my hands into the air. "What was clear?"

"That I love you, Alex."

The air stilled instantly.

"I love you, Alex," he repeated for the second time.

And my ears confirmed it.

He had actually said it.