Alpha Loren novel Chapter 73

November 20th

Two hours later and I was still lying beside my mate wide awake. I watched as his chest rose and fell with every breath and listened for every single heartbeat. Every now and then I would reexamine his wound to check if it was still healing- it always was. Slowly but surely. I know it's ridiculous of me to worry so much but I can't help it. Our personalities clash and we argue all the time but he is my mate and I love him all the same.

The first movement was a slight twitch of his right hand, then a groan and then his eyes slowly began to open.

"Leo?" I asked stroking his hair. "Are you alive?"

"I don't know about you but last time I checked dead people can't open their eyes," he replied weakly but with a smile.

"You scare me half to death by almost dying and the first thing you say when you wake up is sarcastic. Typical," I ranted.

"What the fuck happened?" he asked. "I nearly died?"

"Well...there was wolfsbane in your cut and it knocked you out pretty well but probably wouldn't have died," I replied. "But my mind was thinking worse case scenario."

He rolled his eyes.

"You're cute. Come here," he said reaching up his hand to pull me closer to him. I felt the warmth of his lips on mine and a sparkly relaxing sensation throughout my body.

Sparkly? Yeah.

At that point, my phone received a text.

I reached over the bed to pick it up and read the message.

Blair: Men assembled and already held off one rogue attack. Got it under control for now. How is the Alpha?

"Who is it?" he asked still lying down.

"Ummm....your Mom," I lied.

"What is she saying?" he asked seeing right through me.

"Urrrrr..I...found.....a........meatball," I said screwing up my eyes and grimacing.

"My Mom is texting you in the middle of the night to tell you she found a meatball?" he confirmed.

I nodded.

"You're an awful liar," he said with a smile. "Tell me who it is," he added more seriously.

"Well it's just Blair," I said quietly trying to be as brief as possible.

"Give it to me," he ordered.

"It's nothing important," I replied.

"Ella, give it to me," he demanded.

He was still weak and I probably could have avoided giving it to him but I slowly handed him my phone and he read the text.

He immediately sat up and shot me a glare, "Nothing important, huh? Just my pack under attack."

"Leo, don't. You're too weak," I said as he threw a shirt on, wincing as he touched his wound.

"I'm not weak," he said gruffly.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Leo. Five minutes ago you were unconscious."

"Well I'm not anymore am I?" he snapped.

I was slightly taken aback by his tone but tried not to let it stop me.

"For once can you just listen to me, Leo. Please," I begged. "Blair's got it under control. There is no need for you to go out there when you still have wolfsbane in your system. You are risking your life for no reason!"

"He has it under control right now but that isn't to say he will in ten minutes. I'm sorry Ella but I have to be there if my pack needs me. It's my duty as Alpha," he replied in a gentler tone.

My eyes began to well up as he pulled me into his arms.

"Don't worry about me," he said. 

"How can I not?" I asked.

"I love you," he replied kissing my forehead.

"I love you too."

"Call your brother and tell him he has my permission to come and stay for a bit," Leo said.

"Really?" I asked and my mate nodded.

"I'll see you soon," he said kissing my forehead one more time as I hugged him tightly.

An hour later I heard the doorbell ring. Leo had left me alone in the house on the basis that Connor was only five minutes away but considering the situation out there, I was afraid to open the door.

"Ella it's me," someone called through the door and I instantly relaxed.

I ran downstairs opened it and threw myself into my brother's arms.

"I've missed you so much!" I squealed strangling him.

"Can't breathe," he gasped.

"Sorry," I said releasing him giving him the chance to close the door.

He wore a wide smile before his eyes fell down to my stomach.

I suddenly felt nervous about what he was going to say about the ever-growing baby bump. My brother then pulled me back into another hug.

"I'm happy for you now El," he said. "and I'm sorry for being such a dick when I first found out."

"I guess I could forgive you," I replied with a smile. "Come in out of the cold, please."

"Mom called me," he said, "She said that you reached out to her."

I nodded, "She's coming to stay...or at least she said she would. But she wasn't keen on the idea of meeting Leonardo and I haven't heard from her since."

"She won't let you down, El," Connor said, "She may take her time and be a bit weird and roguey about it. But she'll come."

I smiled, "That's Mom. 'weird and roguey'."

"So why'd he suddenly let me come here?" Connor asked looking around the hallway.

He picked up a picture from the shelf. It was of the Loren family, all smiling and looking happy.

"An emergency," I said, "Plus I think he's finally responding to my pleads for you two to...connect."

Connor let out a short laugh, "What's changed his mind?"

"Well...things are different between us now," I said.

"Different?" he asked. "How so?"

"I stopped fighting him and in return, he's stopped fighting me," I replied, "It happened in an instant."

Connor turned from his examination of the pictures on the shelf and raised an eyebrow.

"You submitted?"

I swallowed, "No."

I then quickly walked through into the kitchen but he stayed frozen to his spot in the hall.

"Tea? Cake?" I offered.

Eventually, he followed me down the hall and stood in the doorway of the kitchen, watching me carefully.

 There were a few minutes of awkward silence before he spoke.

"So what is that if it's not submitting?" he asked.

I stuttered for a few seconds, trying to think of something to say.

Connor let out a laugh of disbelief as he shook his head, "What the fuck, Ella!? What did he do to you?"

"Nothing!" I exclaimed, "We just decided to stop arguing."

"Is he abusing you?" he asked, not buying any of it.

"No," I said.

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Connor asked, the volume of his voice raising, "He's Alpha Loren for fuck's sake."

"You don't know him," I snapped. "He cares for me."

"Does he love you?" Connor asked.

"Yes," I said sharply.

"Then why in hell would he want to force you to be someone you're not?!" Connor exclaimed, "Without your opinions and strong will and hard head, who are you?"

I sighed, "Before you decide you hate him, please just at least try to get to know him."

He scoffed again, "I decided I hated him long ago. The moment he plucked you from your life of ambitions and independence only to drop you into his violent, chaotic life of fear and control."

"Connor, please. What do you want me to do?" he asked, "He's my mate whether we like it or not and I'm pregnant with his son. All we can do is all just try to get along."

After that, Connor left it and instead we sat on the sofa, chatting about anything except Leo until we grew tired and fell asleep.

At 6 am I woke up still on the sofa to the sound of the front door opening. Besides me and with his arm around my shoulder Connor still lay.

"There are 15 beds in this house and you choose to sleep on the same sofa," Leo said.

"Leo," I said, breathing a sight of relief as I got up to hug him.

He kissed me on the lips before looking over to my brother.

"Morning Connor," he said a little too chipper. "Coffee?"

"No thanks," Connor replied as bitterly as a milkless, sugarless coffee.

"Okay. I'm sensing a bit of hostility here boys," I said looking at Leo and then to Connor.

"Hostility? No..." Leo answered before beginning to make his coffee.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Don't roll your eyes at me," he said sternly.

"She can roll her eyes if she wants to roll her eyes," Connor felt the need to say.

"Connor-"

"Don't stop him from saying what he likes to me. This is a free country," Leo interrupted.

"The irony," Connor muttered under his breath.

"What was that Connor?" Leo asked.

"Leo please stop provoking him and Connor you can stop encouraging him to carry on?" I said pointing at each of them. "Let's just be civil?"

Neither of them replied.

"What do you do all day in this huge house?" Connor asked in what I hope was an attempt to change the subject.

"Fuck," Leo answered and I screwed up my eyes.

"Sorry?" Connor questioned.

"You know what fucking is right?"

"Leo!" I exclaimed.

"Oh sorry. I thought you were saying fuck because you spilled some coffee or something and not because you were telling me about how you regularly have sex with my sister. Call me insane," Connor said sardonically.

"I'll be in the library," I said.

"No, stay," Leo ordered.

I turned around, trying to hold in the tear that was at the brink of escaping my eye.

"Are you really gonna just obey him like that?" Connor asked disappointedly. "If you want to go to the library, go."

I looked to Leo and he seemed to notice the tears in my eyes and his face softened a little before he gestured that I could go.

I turned once again and ran up the stairs, the tears finally able to escape in private.

"You made her cry," I heard Connor snap.

"No, we both did," he replied.

For the next two hours, I read Italian and Latin books in the library whilst listening to Connor and Leo wind each other up in the kitchen. At least it was fairly low scale bickering and not Leo about to murder Connor kind of bickering. If we were to find a positive in this situation. But it still hurt that they couldn't bring themselves to get on. Afterall, they are the two I love the most.

At some point in the late morning, I felt suddenly exhausted. I hadn't slept for the majority of the night and I was pregnant so I felt as though a nap was well deserved. When I woke up it was dark outside. 

Some nap that turned out to be.

I went downstairs in search of food and found Leo beginning to make dinner in the kitchen.