Fake Mate Beta Rises to Alpha Heiress (Natalie and Landon) novel Chapter 267

Chapter 267 The Only Light

Victoria’s POV:

My phone buzzing in the middle of the night woke me up.

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My social media account was blowing up. People were tagging me constantly, demanding a response. My fans had been happily following the rumors about Leonardo and me for days. If it were all fake, why would he come forward so forcefully to deny it? Why would he post that pointless, lovey-dovey

announcement?

My fans were furious. They were convinced this was a deliberate attempt to hurt me. Maybe I was the one who got dumped and heartbroken, which led to my earlier troubles. That was what they thought.

Now that he had responded, my fans wanted me to be brave and respond, too. Some even wanted me to post about our past with Leonardo, to set the record straight and get justice.

Reading the news and the comments felt like a heavy weight settling in my chest. My heart ached, a sharp, piercing pain.

I hadn’t been sleeping well since returning from Faeloria. Tonight, I had finally managed to drift off, only to be wide awake again. Moonlight filtered through the gap in the curtains. That light, which should have soothed any werewolf, just felt cold to me now.

On my phone, close friends were sending messages and calling one after another, checking on me. The truth about my incident over Leonardo wasn’t public knowledge, but it had spread through my inner circle. Now, with Leonardo making such a big statement, everyone was worried I might break down again.

I didn’t have the energy to respond to anyone. I just stared at the photo Leonardo had posted and the words, “Bonded. Not available.”

Those words felt like a slap in the face. My eyes burned, but the tears wouldn’t come anymore.

So this was the pain of truly losing someone. Especially when that person had once promised to protect me forever.

Leonardo’s POV:

The next morning, after Natalie left for the Scott Group, I got a text from an unknown number. I didn’t see it until much later.

Victoria typed, “Are you feeling better? I’m leaving the country tomorrow. Can we meet tonight? Just to talk.”

When I didn’t reply, she sent another message a while later, “You said you’d never forget what my family did for you. Is making me suffer like this how you repay the Thompson family? I just want to say a proper “goodbye. Otherwise, I could tell Natalie everything. But Leonardo, I don’t want to do that.”

Her final words made my eyes darken. My fingers tightened unconsciously around the phone.

My mind went back to when we were younger.

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19:47 Mon, Jan 19

Chapter 267 The Only Light

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The Sanchez family was powerful, and Silver-Maned Pack was top-tier. But my father, Ryan, had made many enemies in his youth. In his fight for pack leadership and to push the family business to its peak, he had clashed with many, even within our own clan. There had been bloody internal conflicts.

Later, because of my mother, my father cast me aside. I naturally became a target-a “sacrificial piece” for both internal rivals and outside enemies to use against him.

The Thompson family’s help wasn’t just about kindness during my childhood. They once saved my life.

When I was fourteen, I was kidnapped. The culprits were from a rival pack. They knew who I was and wanted to use me to humiliate and extort Ryan, demanding a huge ransom and territorial concessions.

Ryan didn’t care if I lived or died. He just called the police.

It was Victoria who begged the elders of the Thompson family. They worked with the police, provided the ransom money, and negotiated with the kidnappers for what felt like forever to get me out.

Ryan never showed up, not even when I was finally safe.

The trauma and terror, combined with the silver tools the kidnappers had used to torture me-which was ruinous for a young werewolf-left me unable to speak for six months. Victoria stayed by my side every single day, talking to me, soothing me.

It was the first time I opened my heart, wanting to accept someone, to cling to any warmth I could find. In those dark days, she was my only comfort.

But we were both so young back then, confused about our feelings. The lines between pity, dependence, and real affection were blurry.

I was incredibly good to Victoria-cold to everyone else, but gentle only with her. I promised her I would marry her, that she would be my Luna.

Victoria’s POV:

But Leonardo’s devotion could feel stifling, even boring at times. I wasn’t that lovestruck young girl anymore. After we left school and entered werewolf society, we felt more like a deep friendship or family bond.

No matter how well Leonardo treated me, the passion had long since faded. I watched my friends cycle through mates, while my relationship with Leonardo stayed exactly the same. It felt like I could see our entire future laid out-a polite, predictable, methodical aristocratic werewolf union. It was suffocating.