Alpha Loren novel Chapter 158

"You fucking shot him in the foot," I said about half an hour later. "He's not gonna be able to walk for months."

"They weren't taking us seriously," Luca replied.

"How do you even know how to use a gun?" I asked.

"I've been doing this a long time, Ells," he told me.

"Couldn't you have shot Guillermo?" I asked. "He was clearly the leader."

"You don't fuck around with Guillermo unless you want death."

"Says the one that held him in a headlock with a gun to his head," I muttered.

"That's justifiable. He had you."

"So now what?" I asked looking out into the empty desert.

"We go to Miami. Drop of the shipment and then I'll take you to the airport," he said.

"Are you not coming with me?" I asked.

"I have to go back to Mexico," he told me. 

"Why? It's dangerous," I said.

"We pissed Guillermo off and he's not just gonna let it go," he explained. " I can't go back to him after this unless I can get approval from the boss."

"Luca-" I began disheartened that he wasn't going to come with me to Paris.

"I'm sorry Els but duty calls. I've got to do this for the pack and then I promise I'll meet you in Paris."

"Why can't I come with you?" I asked.

"Because if you thought Guillermo was bad, you do not want to meet the boss," he said. "And I can't risk your life again."

"Luca-" I began again.

"It is not up for discussion. You're getting on a plane to Paris. And I'm going to deal with this shit," he said in a deeper tone to usual.

I leant back on my seat before pausing for a moment.

"It's my life Luca. I will decide whether I want to risk it or not," I said. "This sounds incredibly dangerous. But I could do with an adventure."

"No, you need to go somewhere peaceful and grieve Connor."

"I'm starting to think that quiet and reflection is not what I need," I replied. "Time away from Leo? Yes. Time to be depressed and watch over and over the images in my mind? No."

Luca sighed, "I forgot for a moment that you can't be told what to do."

I gave him a sweet smile and he sighed defeatedly.

I looked down at my hands which I could just about see from a combination of the glow from stars and the moon and lights of the dashboard. 

"You know he left me a letter. Connor. Just in case he died. I found it in his room when I went to get his things and in it, he told me not to be sad for too long and to live my life. This is honouring his wishes. He also told me to forgive Leo. I can't do that just yet but I will one day," I said twiddling my thumbs.

"Hold on. He died fighting against your mate and trying to kill him but his dying wish was for you to forgive him?" Luca questioned looking away from the road a second to give me an eyebrow raised look.

"He just wants me to be happy. He denied it but he knew that however bad of a man Leo can be, he is still my mate and I can't help loving him and I can't be happy without him."

"So if he succeeded in killing him, he knew that he'd be sentencing his own sister to a lifetime of misery?" 

"That's what I don't understand," I replied with a sigh as I looked at the window into the dry desert. "I don't get how he could have even considered doing that to me. Maybe he was considering all the others that Leo has hurt and all the others Leo will hurt but it still doesn't add up. He saw Leo as the evil, ruthless, murderous, merciless monster that tried to kill our father and ruined our childhood but never the good side. Not the side that is father to his eight nieces and nephews. Not the man that does everything he can to help and protect the people in his pack- including me. Not even as the man that no longer invade other packs and takes their people and lands but sends relief and aid when another pack has attacked them. Maybe he killed Connor out of fury but maybe it was because he was willing to give up the stability of our relationship to protect his pack from Connor's threat. Because Connor wasn't innocent in this. I love my brother but what he was doing was wrong and was going to harm a lot of people."

There was a brief moment of quiet with just the sound of the engine and the wheels rolling on the road before Luca sighed.

"You aren't going to like this but it sounds to me like you need to talk to your mate."