Chapter Seventy-Three
When did you fall in love with her?
I wasn't stupid or ignorant I knew who the Head Alpha was talking about, he was talking about me.
Did he actually think that Alpha Alessandro was in love with me?
Perhaps from his dad's point of view it would seem that way, after all Alpha Alessandro did hide the body so no one would believe Miles when he said we killed and buried him and he didn't exactly punish us when he found out what we did.
I wouldn't say what he did was because of love.
Then why else would he have done it?
The mate bond must have compelled him to protect me and there's a huge difference between protecting someone and loving someone.
Unless he was in love with me? No, of course he wasn't. I'm being ridiculous here, Alpha Alessandro was not in love with me.
"I'm not in love with her." Alpha Alessandro finally answered his dad's question, his tone low and very casual as if they were discussing the weather.
See he wasn't in love with me, of course he wasn't. Why would he be?
Why did that sting a little?
Because you want him to be in love with you.
I shook my head trying to shake that thought out of my mind. I didn't want Alpha Alessandro to be in love with me and I wasn't in love with him.
The Head Alpha let out a chuckle. "If you say so son."
Alpha Alessandro met my eyes for a brief second before looking away but I could have sworn I saw tenderness flash through his eyes.
The Head Alpha continued with his questioning, it was very thorough and we had to recall everything multiple times so he got an accurate account of what happened. Despite the frustration I felt at having to repeat myself and answering a million questions I was elated that it was all coming to an end. Once the Head Alpha was satisfied with everything we would be able to go back to our lives.
It was made very clear to everyone that not one word of what we had discussed could be uttered to anyone. There were some people such as my Uncle Tom and Beta Keiran who were privy to more information than the Head Alpha would have liked but that would be dealt with. The Head Alpha would speak to them about not disclosing any information to anyone and not to discuss it further, we were confident that Uncle Tom would listen as he too wanted this to all be over and Beta Kieran was part of the pack and would have to do what Alpha Alessandro or the Head Alpha said anyway.
Alpha Alessandro did a very good job of limiting the number of people who were around when the discussions about Harlan were being carried out. No one read or had access to the pictures and text messages Miles had sent me and he did not allow Miles to say anything too incriminating in front of anyone.
I was thankful for Alpha Alessandro future planning and awareness, other than the slight rumours about why we were here there were no actual reason or evidence of Cami killing Harlan and of us disposing his body. He was meticulous from the start and ensured that nothing could ever be traced back to me or Cami.
Because he's in love with you.
I ignored the thought that was flashing inside my head and tried to concentrate on what the Head Alpha was asking. He didn't seem too pleased with Alpha Alessandro's past action but there was nothing to be done now and it could be justified with me being his mate and the natural instinct to protect his mate.
A plan, if we can call it that, was going to be put in place. We were not to discuss Harlan's death with anyone or with each other after today. Harlan would be classed as a missing person and a few years later they would 'find' his remains in water and declare it as an accidental drowning.
I was unsure of how that would work in regards to his injuries and the condition of the remains but the Head Alpha said he would deal with that and we did not need to know anything else. I'm presuming that the Head Alpha has a doctor on standby that would be able to falsify the medical record or maybe the remains would be too decomposed to determine the cause of death.
To be honest I didn't really care how the Head Alpha and Alpha Alessandro dealt with all of this as long as they didn't include or involve us in it I was happy with whatever they did. The less we knew the better and the quicker we could move on from this nightmare.
As for our involvement, the pack would be told that we have been ruled out as suspects and have returned back home. After a few days we probably wouldn't be talked about or even remembered.
After what felt like an eternity we were finally allowed to leave the room. Both Cami and I waited with bated breath as Alpha Alessandro got a pack member to escort us back to our room. We no longer needed an escort but since we didn't know our way around, it was best to have one to guide us back to our room.
Alpha Alessandro said nothing to me as we exited the meeting room but his eyes were scorching into mine and he had a strange look on his face. I gave him a small smile which he did not return before I left the room.
A small part of me was slightly sad that he did not return the smile or say anything to me as we left. We only had one more day here and then we would be able to go home and this could potentially be the last time we see each other. It wasn't type of goodbye I thought we would have but then again I wasn't sure what I had expected.
Both Cami and I walked back in silence as if we were both still stunned by the outcome of the meeting. I most certainly didn't anticipate we would be walking out of it alive, never mind as free people who could go back home tomorrow.
"I can't believe it." Cami was the first one to speak once we entered the room. Her voice was barely above a whisper and full of shock.
"I know, me too."
After worrying for months about what would happen to us, it was finally ending. Every day I would be filled to the brim with anxiety of what could happen but now that would all change. Tomorrow morning I would wake up carefree, without any anxiety or worries.
A smile graced my face and my body erupted with happiness at the knowledge that this time tomorrow we would both be home and back to our usual lives.
"Alpha Alessandro is your mate."
The smile dropped from my face and my happiness dissipated.
I was happy for all of one second!
I cleared my throat. "Yes."
"Everything makes sense now." Cami muttered as she stared at me.
I nodded, his actions and behaviour did all make sense now. I was his mate and he felt obliged to help and protect me. "Anyways, forget that. It's over Cami, its finally over!"
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "We're going to go back tomorrow, we're going home."
Cami pulled away from me and frowned. "You're Alpha Alessandro's mate, that's the only reason why we're still alive."
"Yes but that doesn't matter Cami, all that matters is that we're alive and we're free to go."
Cami shook her head. "You're Alpha Alessandro's mate."
I didn't mean to but I was starting to get frustrated by Cami's lack of happiness and her repeated words. "Yes I'm Alpha Alessandro's mate and yes that's the reason why we're alive but who cares, we're alive Cami and we're free to leave!"
A look of sadness covered Cami's face. "You can't leave, you won't be able to."
Before I could say anything, there was a knock on the door and a second later the door opened. In walked Alpha Alessandro, his face void of any emotions.
"I need to talk to you."
Why did he need to talk to me? Has his dad changed his mind?
"Wait here." I told Cami, ignoring the pointed look she was giving me.
I closed the door behind me and quickly began to speak. "What's going on? Have you guys changed your mind? We can still leave tomorrow right?"
I'm not sure if I could handle it if Alpha Alessandro told me that they had changed their mind and we could no longer leave. Freedom was just hours away and to snatch it away from us now would be very cruel.
"Calm down." Alpha Alessandro simply said, ignoring the questions I had fired at him.
Calm down? How can I calm down when our future could potentially be up in the air again?
I took in a deep breath to steady my racing heart. "Has the Head Alpha changed his mind?"
"No."
His one-word answer sent relief through my body and I almost slumped down against the door. "Then what is it?"
His lack of answer was starting to worry me and I swallowed harshly. "Alpha Alessandro, we're going home tomorrow right?"
"You can't leave tomorrow."
"Why not?" I whispered as fear began to creep inside my body.
Alpha Alessandro looked like he was having an internal battle with himself and was struggling to find the words he wanted to say as he opened his mouth and closed his mouth a few times
"Alpha Alessandro?" I said as I took a step towards him.
Alpha Alessandro finally managed to utter the words he wanted to say and it shook me to my core.
"I'm in love with you."
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A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter
Did anyone expect Alpha Alessandro to say that? Do you think he's actually in love with her? How do you think Nala is going to react?
Let me know what you think is going to happen next
Thank you for reading 😊
-Kayy xx