Alpha Loren novel Chapter 220

Leo's POV

I could feel myself drifting out of sleep. I don't know what brought me to. Whether she made a noise or if it was just pure instinct but thank the Goddesses I did. 

I opened my eyes to see Ella sat up in the bed with the empty pill bottle in one hand and at least a dozen pills in the other.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Her eyes snapped to me and I noticed the tear stains on her cheeks and how she shook. She hadn't cried in weeks. Not since she started taking the pills.

"It's all come flooding back," she said. "And I can't bear it."

Her eyes flicked back down to her hand with the pills.

"I need to be numb again," she added in a whisper.

Realisation came with a deep sinking feeling in my stomach.

She opened her mouth and lifted her hand.

"No," I said, grabbing her wrist and stopping her. "You can't take that many, Ells. You'll kill yourself."

My hand on her wrist must have triggered more terrible memories because I could sense her panic rising. She then began to fight against me, trying to bring the pills to her mouth.

"Ella," I repeated.

"You don't understand," she sobbed as I knocked the pills out of her hand and they scattered all over the bedsheet. 

I had to grab both her hands to stop her picking them up which only panicked her more so she began to kick and push me.

She screamed and desperately cried and fought more and more and I ended up having to straddle her and pin her to the mattress. The fear in her eyes was torturous. I couldn't even imagine the pain I was inflicting but I could think of no other way to stop her from harming herself. 

"Ella, please listen to me," I said in a tone as calm as possible. "You can not take that many pills."

She shook her head and screamed again.

At that point, the bedroom door creaked open and a blonde little head popped in.

"Daddy?" Cato asked rubbing his sleepy eyes. "What's happening. Is Mama alright?"

"She's fine, sweetheart," I replied. "Go back to bed."

He was a smart kid and I wasn't convincing him at all. He peered round to Ella who I still held down.

"Are you fighting?" he asked. "Are you hurting her?"

"Cato, go back to your room," I repeated as I tried to hide how hard Ella was struggling. "We'll talk about this in the morning."

His lip quivered as his big blue eyes looked up fearfully.

"Cato," I said sternly. "Go."

He nodded and slowly stepped away, closing the door behind him.

I reached for my phone by the bed and dialled Luca's number.

"I need you to come over. Now," I said once he had picked up.