Bad Love: An Alpha's Regret (Leah and Aaron) novel Chapter 229

Chapter 229
LEAH
One moment Aaron is loving and open with me, the next I see him totally shut down when he gets a phone call from James.
It’s like watching him become a completely different person.
He becomes cold and indifferent, just like he used to be with me.
It feels like getting a bucket of ice water dumped over me.
I don’t understand what could have caused such a reaction from him.
But it must be something bad.
Something really bad.
“Aaron, what’s wrong?” I ask reaching for him, but he evades my touch.
“I have to go,” he replies, slipping his cell phone away and avoiding my gaze.
“Aaron, wait” I say, trying to keep the confusion and desperation out of my voice as he starts to walk away from me.
“Go find James and Ryker, they’ll make sure you get home safe,” he tells me, tossing the words carelessly over his shoulder, before disappearing into the shadows
“Dam n it, Aaron” I shout after him, frustrated that after everything. we’ve come right back around to this.
But I’m not putting up with it any longer.
I think about following his scent trail, but that won’t do me any good once he gets into his SUV and drives away.
Instead, I hurry into the abandoned factory to find James.
He called Aaron, so he must know what’s happening.
And one way or another, I’m going to find out for myself.
I refuse to simply sit by and let Aaron dictate the terms of my life any longer.
Now I know he can do better than that. We can work as a team, and it’s so much better than the back-and-forth, unbalanced power dynamic we had going on before.
When I reach the main factory floor, I find James and Ryker talking, while their men are gathering up the bodies of Tobin’s pack to be dealt with. They’re tossing them in a pile, and I know from other skirmishes, their bodies will be taken to a remote clearing and burned
The few wolves of our own who were killed are being handled gently, taken out to a van to be transported back to pack lands for the pack death observances.
I feel terrible that some of our men-and Ryker’s men-lost their lives defending Aaron and myself, all because Tobin was making some power-crazed grab for more Alpha abilities.
And it’s not even over after tonight.
Someone was working with Tobin, and we still don’t know what happened to the Al weapons tech
It seems like everytime we’re going to solve a problem, it somehow ends up being ten times bigger.
But splitting up and running off the way Aaron did just now-isn’t the answer to our issues.
I just need to remind him of that when I catch up to him.
“James!” I say as I hurry up to the Beta.
“Leah,” he greets, his gaze running over me as if he’s checking I’m not injured. “We should get you home. There’s no need for you to stay here any longer. Our guys are taking care of the bodies-”
“I’m not going home,” I tell him stubbornly, which he is obviously not impressed about. “You’re taking me to wherever Aaron has gone.”
Ryker arches an eyebrow, whether from my imperious tone, or my refusal to agree with James’s plan to go home, I’m not sure,
“I’ll leave you to sort out Lama Leah’s wishes,” Ryker says, sending me a nod of polite respect, before walking away.
“Leah,” James says in an overly patient tone as he turns to me. “Aaron gave me strict instructions to take you home.”
I cross my arms. “Tm fully aware of Aaron’s penchant for giving orders that he thinks are for my own good. But haven’t I proven time and again that I’m capable of far more than anyone has ever given me credit for? I’m Aaron’s Luna. I’ve been an Alpha myself. Things are different now, and I think you know that.”
James shoves a hand through his hair.
I can see he’s torn.
He agrees with what I’m saying, but at the same time, he clearly feels bound by Aaron’s orders as his Alpha.
His loyalty is admirable, and I know it’s one of the things Aaron respects about him. I hate that I’m having to put him in a position where he’s stuck between the different things Aaron and I both want.
“You don’t have to take me yourself,” I tell James in a quiet voice. “You only need to tell me where he went. When I get there, I’ll just tell him I overheard you talking to someone else. I won’t let him put the blame on you.”
James sighs, and I can see I’ve won him over.
“It’s my duty to protect you,” James says. “More than that, it’s my personal choice because I care about you. So no, I’m not going to let you go off by yourself.”
“Thank you.” Impulsively, I step forward and hug him, realizing James has become my best friend, and I didn’t even realize it.
He’s there for me exactly the way I need-in a purely platonic sense-and I don’t need to worry he doesn’t see my worth or won’t listen to me rant about my husband and mate, and then gently offer surprisingly insightful advice.
He’s done that for me a million times already, and I’m so grateful he’s in my life.
“So, what happened, and where did Aaron go?” I ask once I step back again.
James looks at me, and I can tell whatever is coming, it isn’t going to be pleasant.
“There was an attack on one of Aaron’s properties,” James says, leaving me confused.
“Which property? And why would that upset him so much?”
“Because it’s where Aaron’s been living the past few months. It’s not up to me to tell you anymore, you’ll understand when we arrive.”
James starts leading me out of the factory to where the SUVs are waiting
I feel a sense of foreboding, and wonder if I shouldn’t heed Aaron’s warning, and just go home to wait for him.
“James, where are we going?”