Lahat ng Kabanata ng Alpha, Let's End This Bond!: Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

AriaI returned to the family estate with the others, and the moment my foot crossed the threshold, the whispers were already waiting for me.“Did you hear? Alpha Luca personally drove Ivy to the hospital.”“I knew it. Blood ties don’t disappear that easily.”“Poor girl. Fainting like that—how frightening.”My pace dropped, my fingers digging into the strap of my bag as I held on tighter.“So it’s Ivy again?” another woman scoffed softly. “No wonder he left in such a hurry.”Someone lowered their voice, failing miserably. “If she weren’t important, would he really rush out like that?”"Wait, so Alpha Luca just grabbed Ivy and left right in the middle of Magnus’s funeral?" a voice whispered. "I can’t imagine how that must have looked to—well, you know who."I didn’t have to guess; they were talking about me. The awkward, out-of-place Omega that Luca brought in.My stomach knotted.“Does this woman truly believe she belongs here?” a woman whispered to her friend, both of them dressed in

LucaThe dining hall was exactly what I expected—long tables decorated with expensive centerpieces, and people who talked about business while they ate.Aunt Camilla cornered me almost immediately.“Show’s over, I take it?” she murmured, her eyes scanning the room. “The damsel is safe.”“I took her to the hospital,” I said. “She’s dehydrated and stressed.”“Or she’s an expert at knowing exactly when to collapse.”I grimaced. “Aunt—”“Don’t ‘Aunt’ me,” she said. “You’re a smart boy, Luca. Don’t play dumb now.”She had a point.“I saw Aria,” Camilla added. “She looked like she was attending a stranger’s funeral.”There it was again—that silent strength Aria always carried. She had been pushed to her limit, but she hadn't snapped.That was worse.Something inside me went cold and sharp, like ice cracking under pressure.“Where’s my mother?” I asked.Camilla paused, just long enough to tell me the answer wouldn’t be good.“She asked for you,” she said. “Had you called over. She’s in the e

LucaI should’ve known better than to think I could crush a rumor once it learned how to walk.The moment I stepped into the office, I immediately hit a wall of tension.Kenia already stood by my desk, holding her tablet and her jaw set in a hard line. When she bypassed the greetings and small talk, I knew we were already in the middle of a disaster.That alone told me everything.“Say it,” I muttered, tossing my coat aside.She turned the tablet toward me. The same photo I’d been dreading all night blazed across the screen.It was Ivy and me. The camera had captured the two of us perfectly: me, gripping her as if to keep her from collapsing; and Ivy, looking fragile and frail, playing the part of the victim to perfection.I exhaled through my teeth and snatched the tablet from her hand.The headline hit even harder this way.ALPHA STORMBOURNE RUSHES TO A PREGNANT WOMAN'S SIDE AS HIS "TRUE BOND" MAKES HEADLINES.Her tone turned ice-cold as she spoke. "They’ve scrubbed Luna's name from

LucaI had caught her.The treadmill kept spinning like it wanted blood, the belt still moving even after Aria’s foot slipped.Her body pitched forward, arms flailing, breath torn out of her lungs in a sharp, broken gasp.My reflexes beat my thoughts.One second, I was crossing the gym, the next, my hands were locked around her waist, dragging her back against my chest as the machine screeched to a stop.Her pulse slammed under my palms. Like she’d been running from something that wasn’t the treadmill at all.“Aria—”“Let go.”She peeled my hands off her like they burned, stepping away before I could even say her name again.Her ponytail was matted to the back of her neck, and her shirt was soaked with sweat. She wouldn't even look my way.“I’m fine,” she said, already reaching for the towel. “You don’t need to hover.”I just stood there, breathing hard as if I were the one who'd almost wiped out on the treadmill. My hands just hung there, my fingers twitching uselessly at my sides.“

LucaThe Castemont place was dead silent, it felt like even the house was holding its breath.Eunice put herself right in the middle. She spoke quietly, but her words cut right through the room.“Enough,” she said. “You’re not solving anything by tearing each other apart in front of everyone.”Rowan’s jaw was locked so tight I could hear his teeth grind.Ivy sat stiffly on the sofa, one hand pressed flat to her stomach as if she was afraid the world might reach in and steal something from her if she blinked.Eunice turned to Rowan. “Take her home so you guys can talk. Work this out between yourselves. No elders involved. No one else needs to see this.”Rowan scoffed. “And say what? That this baby ruined my life?”Eunice’s eyes went icy. “Say whatever you want. But you’ll say it in private, like a man.”Silence dropped.Rowan let out a sharp, bitter breath. He got up, grabbed his coat, and held it out to Ivy. He wasn't being mean, but it wasn't a nice gesture either. He just looked com