Alpha Enzo (and Alaria) novel Chapter 96

Enzo:

I walked down to the dining room to frown when I saw that Alaria got up the second I walked inside the room.

Her eyes refused to meet mine, and I had to force myself to look way as I leaned in and kissed the crown of my son’s head. Ashton smiled and looked up at me with cheerful, calm eyes.

“Mama says that I can’t go to school today, daddy. She says that it is too dangerous.” Ashton said, and I nodded.

“Well, what do we do when mom says something to us?” I asked, smiling at him. He looked at the door for a moment before pulling me closer to him. I knew that everyone would hear what he says, but I doubt that he understood that concept.

“She is very sad, papa.” He said, and I closed my eyes only to process the new name that he called me.

“No daddy this time?” I asked, and he shook his head, making me chuckle. I kissed his cheek one more time before pulling a rose out of the vase that was on the countertop. My eyes met Yasmin’s, and she nodded, silently letting me know that she would watch over Ashton as she got up from her chair to sit beside my son.

I walked toward the back garden, she normally either went to the library or the garden, and considering that we didn’t have a library in this house just yet, I figured that the garden would be the place for her to be.

“You don’t need to follow me wherever I go.” She said, not even bothering to turn to look at me. I didn’t say a word for a moment, but I walked toward her and put the rose behind her ear as I normally did when we were married before things grew as messed up as they did.

“I know that I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I understand your anger and I respect your decisions.” I whispered, putting a hand on her waist gently. I turned her to face me and she put her finger on the rose, running her finger over it.

I tucked her hair behind her ear and put my finger under her chin, forcing her eyes on mine, even if for a moment. “I know that I was wrong in everything that I did. I broke you in a way that I know that would have had another woman grab my face and break it in return, you didn’t do that and for that I am grateful. I know that I don’t even deserve your gentleness with me nor do I deserve the kindness that you keep showing me…”

“Enzo, you saying that now is not going to change the reality of things, nor is it going to erase the past that the two of us have been through, I have been forced to endure, and the present that I am forced to have my child in.” She said, stopping me. I looked away from her for a moment before nodding in agreement.

“Things got to where they are now because I was stupid and still am. I was fooled into believing a lie that wasn’t going to be true,” I said, taking a deep breath. “When I was told of our arranged marriage at the time, I told them that I didn’t want it.”

“What?” She asked, frowning in confusion. I looked away from her for a moment before putting a hand on her waist, turning her around for the two of us to walk. She followed close beside me, and I removed my hand, crossing it over my chest as I was forced to relive the memory.

Flashback:

“We have found you a suitable woman to be your bride. The marriage between you is not only going to bring peace, but with her being an Alpha blood, it is going to make our family line stronger.” Mom said, and I frowned, closing the book that I was reading.

“Excuse me?” I asked, trying to process what I just heard. Katherine, my mate, was the first thing that popped into my head as I looked at my mother who didn’t even bother hesitating for a moment. The two of us had a plan to meet up later tonight and after last night, the promise that I made to her, one that would be bounding our love and relationship, I couldn’t imagine betraying her like this.

“Her name is Alaria…”

“I did not ask for her name, mother.” I said, stopping her. “I am not going to marry a woman of your choosing, one that I don’t even know.”

“That is not your choice to make, and I will not have my son marrying a waitress who he met at a restaurant simply because you claim that she is your mate.” She said, making my heart drop to my stomach. “You have yet to mark her and neither has she done you, and that is going to mean the end of your relationship. You are not going to see her again and I will be sure that you do not…

“And if I am to mark her?” I asked, challenging her.

“Then you are to lose everything that we have given to you. And that includes your title as Alpha and your pack.” She said, forcing me to fight my wolf from letting out a low growl. Her eyes glowed, understanding my anger, and mine did too. “I have allowed you many things, and I have been patient, long patient, with you, but this is the final straw. If you wish to go rogue, then you can be with her; however, if you are to think of your pack, your own future, and everything that you have trained for, then you are to be here for tonight’s dinner. She is going to be coming.”

“I have plans with Katherine tonight. I am not going to leave the woman…”

“Then you are to break up with her within the next hour.” She said, stopping me. “The choice is yours, and I hope that you aren’t foolish enough to make the wrong decision.”

End of Flashback…

“It was the first time that I felt like my hands were tied, and I couldn’t even voice it out. You had no fault in this, and I knew that you were just as forced.” I said, watching as Alaria looked away from me.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Enzo?” She asked, and I scoffed.

“What would I have told you?” I asked, “it was something that I was forced to bury in my memory, deep inside, and the wound was one that didn’t heal easily. At some point, I knew that I was going to be forced to let go, but the more I wanted to, the harder it became.”

“And when she came, when she told me about Alonso, I swear, Alaria, I didn’t want this to happen.” I said, and she took a deep breath as she fought back her tears. “But at the same time, it was all I ever wanted. I know that it might not be a reason, but I want you to understand that I went from being happy with the woman to her being kicked out of my life overnight. And when I first married you, no matter how hard I tried, that wound was one that I couldn’t heal.”

“I didn’t have a problem with it until this happened,” I said, showing Ezio my missing finger. The man frowned, and I looked away from him. The man shook his head, and I sighed.

“The man is aiming to have our heads, and we are going to be doing that before he makes his move. Leonardo would have had the place bugged, getting in through the secret doors is going to be impossible without our men dying, and that is not something that I intend to have.” I said, changing the subject. The last thing that I needed was Ezio to pity me.

I knew that he had a lot in mind and I knew that he was going to be dealing with more than he wanted to be going through right now, but I knew that this change was going to have to happen. “What did your mom say about this? You said that you were going to tell her…?”

“She is with me with whatever I want to do. She has nothing against me taking what belongs to Enzo. The one issue that she does have is…”

“Alaria.” I said, and he nodded.

“We will have to pretend that her death is an accident. The least she suspects anything, the better it is going to be for us. I don’t want to her to see me any differently and I don’t plan on losing her support. She is going to be playing a vital part in keeping the loyalty of the pack, and that is not something that I want to lose.” He said, and I took a deep breath.

The fact that I couldn’t enjoy the pleasure of killing her myself wasn’t one that I liked, but I understood where he was coming from, and unfortunately, no matter how much I didn’t like it, I knew that I was forced to comply and listen. It wasn’t going to go any other way if I didn’t, and if I wanted him as an alley, this was a necessity.

“Leave that up to me. I am going to be sure that it looks like an accident. And I am going to be sure that your mother knows how much we are ‘mourning’ over her lost daughter.” I said, and he raised an amused eyebrow. “All you have to do is trust me.”

“As if I have another choice.”

“Of course, you do.” I said, and he raised an eyebrow.

“You allow me to kill her, publically, for betraying you as an Alpha and siding against us. We can even plot a game, and your mother will not suspect a thing. Though I doubt that you would be willing to allow that, and for that, an ‘accident’ seems to be more decent excuse, right?” I asked, and he took a deep breath.

“Do your thing, and I will do mine. But to ensure his safety, he has to leave.” Ezio said, making me frown. “Else he will be used against you and trust me, you do not want to test what an angry Alpha would do to claim something…”

“My son is not going to leave my side.” I said, stopping him.

“Then suffer the consequences of your choice, I gave you the warning, the rest is up to you…”