Leo's POV
It's been two days of non-stop exhaustion, and I hadn't slept all night again due to the complete chaos Selene was causing.
Amelia ended up back in the pack clinic but luck wasn't on her side this time. Her head needed over a dozen stitches; the blow caused a concussion, and the physicians insisted on keeping her overnight.
Groaning faintly, Amelia patted the bed beside her, " Alpha Leo , please rest a bit. Seeing you like this breaks my heart."
I looked at her delicate, familiar face, and she was still the one I loved.
Suddenly, an image of Selene's pale, broken face flashed through my mind and I stood up instinctively, in confusion.
Why did I keep seeing Selene every time I look at Amelia?
Amelia raised her head a little from the bed as she stared at me with wide eyes, "What's wrong, your highness, are you leaving?"
My whole body twisted in unease as I stood still, thinking about Selene . Especially after seeing her cold, expressionless face yesterday.
"Mm," I muttered before pocketing my hands. " Besides, Lucas, your fiancé would be back today, it wouldn't be right for me to stay."
Amelia pouted her cute lips as she tugged my hand gently. " What does it matter? Lucas knows how close we are."
I sighed, recalling our earlier years. After being swapped at birth, Amelia was abandoned at the orphanage gate. Back then, I was a lone wolf, always bullied and vulnerable but Amelia stood up for me, protecting me.
There was no way I couldn't love her, it was inevitable. I had vowed as a child to protect her forever so when Amelia's car hit Selene , I rushed to the scene after her terrified call.
I remember how puffy and swollen her face was as she cried about losing her sight, she was terrified of becoming blind.
I couldn't bear the thoughts. How could I let the woman I loved go dark?
That was how I found Selene. If I could take her corneas for Amelia , she'd never lose her sight again, right?
With those thoughts, I met with some physicians at the pack clinic and planned with them. Luckily, the transplant was successful and Amelia got her sight back.
Afterwards, guilt began eating me up as I stared at Selene who cried uncontrollably about losing her sight. Then something flickered in my mind, what if she found out the truth?
So to protect Amelia, I had accepted the mate bond and made Selene my Luna.
Drifting back to reality, I peeled Amelia's hands off mine and sighed, "Amelia, you've got Lucas now. You should focus on your marriage, and as an Alpha, it would be termed a scandal if they find out about us."
Amelia's countenance fell as she gazed at me softly. There was a sinister look on her face that I couldn't explain. After, a sweet smile rested on my face as she said.
"Maybe I was being selfish, you should go," She whispered, her voice etched in disappointment and a sense of guilt washed over me.
After a moment's struggle, I finally responded, "I'll come back tomorrow to check on you."
Her mood changed swiftly and she smiled brightly, "It's my pleasure, Alpha Leo."
Nodding in acknowledgement, I dashed out of the room.
Outside, I got into my car and the crease on my forehead returned.
Philip glanced in the rearview mirror. "Going back to the pack house, your highness?"
Pressing my forehead gently to soothe the crease, I replied, " No, take me to the pack station."
Caught off guard by my words, Philip turned back to look at me in surprise.
I couldn't blame him, it was also surprising that I had remembered the woman I married now. That was something that usually didn't happen on a regular day.
The drive from the pack clinic to the pack station was only about twenty minutes. Stepping out of the car, I stretched my long legs before casually fixing my cuffs and shirt hem after which I strode majestically into the pack station.
The moment I arrived, the Gammas bowed their heads slowly in acknowledgement as they greeted their Alpha. One of them rushed towards me, and asked, "What brings the Alpha to a place of punishment? Are you here to file a report or take care of some paperwork?"
That was true, nobody knew what Selene looked like because I had done well to hide her as my Luna. My pack members knew I had a blind wife but they couldn't describe what she looked like.
Standing tall in the middle of the lobby, I replied coldly, " I am here to bail out Selene."
I had ordered the servants to call the Gammas yesterday. After her reckless stunt, she needed to be punished.
Besides, I owed Amelia an explanation. Calling the Gamma police was the cleanest way to handle it.
A night behind bars might teach her a lesson, what's okay and what's absolutely off-limits.
Yes, I could spoil her all I want, but some lines couldn't be crossed Otherwise, she'd start thinking having a baby was her golden ticket to do whatever she pleased.
The man slightly hesitated before speaking, "The Selene you're talking about? She was bailed out yesterday by Lawyer Carter. She's not here anymore."
Wait what?
Widening my eyes in surprise, my tone dropped, sharp as a blade, I asked." What? She's already out?"
"That's right," the officer confirmed. "Lawyer Carter came in person."
So she'd called in Chris to bail her out, no wonder she dared go all out on Amelia at Casper villa, she already planned for the worst.
With Chris backing her, getting out of custody was a piece of cake. This was all part of her plan.
That woman!
I furrowed my brows deeper and my face darkened with a frown. I had seen how she got that expensive Jacket, it turns out she had been seeing Chris secretly.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I spun around and headed out. I walked hurriedly to the car and sat in the passenger seat, slamming the door hard.
"Drive straight to the pack house," I muttered coldly to Philip, and good thing he didn't utter a word because I'd have lashed out at him.
Throughout the whole ride, my mind raced, trying to figure out how to put my defiant wife in her place. Since she found out she was pregnant, she'd changed, was all that sweetness just a front? Was she really as ruthless and nasty as her family claimed?
Drawing a deep breath, I clenched my jaw tight.
It's time I gave her a serious warning, so she doesn't think having a pup meant she could do whatever she wanted, I won't tolerate it.
"Step on the damn accelerator, Philip ," I ordered impatiently.
"Ye..yes, your highness," Leo responded, obliging.
We arrived at the pack house in the late afternoon and I stormed up the stairs in fury, my footsteps heavy on each step as I thought of ways to punish my blind wife.
Pushing open the master bedroom door, I searched for Selene and found her sitting alone on the balcony behind the yellow curtains, her silhouette faint and distant.
For a moment, I thought about those quiet moments… the kind that'd make you feel like the world was fragile.
I didn't love her, but seeing her sitting quietly there stirred up some uncertain emotions, an uneasy calm, and I wasn't about to break it.
I strode to the balcony and stared at her. She had obviously heard my footsteps approaching but this stubborn woman sat ignorantly without acknowledging my presence.
Sitting at the chair beside her, I chuckled softly, "I guess I really underestimated you, Luna Selene."
"How touching. Instead of sitting by Amelia's side at the pack clinic, the Great Alpha Leo comes here to lecture me? What's next? Are you planning to arrest me and make me apologize? Aren't you afraid I'll actually kill her?" Selene mumbled, her voice as cold as ice.
My eyes narrowed, fury flaring silently, "You really think I wouldn't dare lay a finger on you? You think you can run wild like a lunatic because you've got a pup in you?"
Selene straightened up as she turned to face me, her face was stern and her brows arched," You're imagining things, Alpha Leo, I'm not lucky enough to ride on a baby's coattails."
This … I had never seen Selene acting like this before. For the last three years, she had been calm and obedient. But since getting pregnant, something was off, but I couldn't decipher what it was.
Rejection? An inner thought whispered, and I shrugged the thought immediately.
I couldn't reject her, she would never let me go because she loved me. Besides, she was carrying my child. What else could she want?
This behavior of hers had to be a tantrum… yes, she was sulking because I had lost control and hit her the other night.
My gaze fell on her flat belly, my beta's warning played in my mind, and my gaze softened.
Leaning closer, I mumbled, " I was wrong to hit you. But you had no right to keep attacking Amelia. I know you hate her because you think she stole your family's love, stole Lucas from you. But the Casper clan's blood flows through her veins. Of course, they'd love her, and if Lucas chose her over you? That just means he never really loved you. None of this is Amelia's fault."
I said so smoothly and was impressed with the way the lie came out as a truth. But her next words stirred the stagnant feeling in me.
"I don't hate Amelia. But my love for Lucas? That's real. From the moment he pulled me out of that river when I was ten, I was his. If not for that accident three years ago…"
She loved that scoundrel? And not me?
Hearing her speak about another man in such a manner was a punch to my gut.
A frown rested on my face as I twitched my lips, "You still love him?"
Chuckling, she said slowly," Maybe I don't, maybe I do."
Damn! What was she playing at?
That half-answer made me lose my cool and my breath grew heavy as I fought to control my rage. " Am I not good enough for you?"
As if controlled by the spirit of possessiveness, I instinctively grabbed her face and crushed my lips onto hers, kissing her fiercely, desperately, trying to stake my claim on her. The mate bond clicked between us, and just before I could deepen the kiss, Selene's body tensed, and she pushed me forcefully away from her.
Shocked by her action, I breathed hard, a blazing desire of lust still lingering in my eyes. "It's been days since we've been close… Come to bed with me, okay?"
Her face suddenly drained of color as she shook her head in disagreement, "I don't want to."
Furrowing my brows quizzically, I pinned her under my embrace. "Are you still mad at me?" I said, my voice low.
She shook her head as she fought stubbornly to escape my grip. With a grunt, I wrapped my strong arms around her waist and lifted her effortlessly over my shoulders.
"Put me down!"
"Don't shut me out, Selene. Trust me, I know what I'm doing, I won't hurt our baby…"
Running my tongue over my lips, I strode back to the bedroom to start an unforgettable experience when suddenly a knock interrupted.