Fake Mate Beta Rises to Alpha Heiress (Natalie and Landon) novel Chapter 303

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Chapter 303 Size Me Up

Natalie’s POV:

But when the word “insane” reached his ears, I felt his body stiffen for a moment. Then it relaxed again.

After our shower, I finally told Leonardo about my plans for next week. “I have to go on a business trip to Mervia for a few days.”

“A business trip?” Leonardo was instantly alert. “Most of Moon-Shadowed Pack’s operations are domestic. What’s in Mervia?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be with you every day until I leave,” I said vaguely. “It should only be two or three days. I’ll be back quickly.”

But Leonardo caught my wrist as I reached for the hair dryer.

“Explain clearly. What’s going on?” he asked.

“It’s just a business trip,” I said.

Leonardo stared at me, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through my soul. The soul connection between werewolf mates let me feel his unease. He knew I was hiding something.

Under his stare, I couldn’t keep up the act. I quickly changed the subject. “Oh, by the way, your grandparents want to have dinner with us tomorrow night. I told them you shouldn’t move around much, so they’re coming here. I invited Miranda, too. I’ll cook myself.”

“Wherever you’re going, I’m going, too,” Leonardo cut me off, returning to the topic.

I said, “I can’t take you. You need to rest properly. It’s not good to travel that far.”

“I can go,” he insisted. “I don’t like the idea of you going alone.”

“Why not? It’s for work,” I stated.

“You’re lying.” Leonardo’s voice turned cold.

The softness in his eyes vanished, replaced by an Alpha’s hardness and need for control.

I tried to retort, “I was not lying. I…”

Leonardo’s POV:

“You’re keeping something from me,” I said.

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When Natalie was guilty, her gaze grew evasive, and her speech became artificially bright. If this were just a normal business trip, she wouldn’t bring it up so pointedly. I’d observed these tells after all our time together. If it were just a trip, I wouldn’t be this concerned either.

The smile left my face. I turned my hand and gently cupped her chin. “What is it that you can’t even tell me?”

“Alright. I surrender,” Natalie sighed. “I don’t think I’m capable of lying to your face.”

“I need to go see my grandfather,” she said, her tone subdued.

“Vincent?” A shadow passed over my eyes.

Vincent, Alexander’s father, was the former Alpha of the Moon-Shadowed Pack. He’d been living in Mervia for years. Rumor had it he wasn’t there to retire peacefully, but because his relationship with Alexander had shattered, leading him to avoid Alexander.

There were whispers that Vincent hadn’t returned, even when Alexander was critically ill. He only rushed back for the funeral after Alexander passed, and left the same day.

Natalie nodded.

Natalie’s POV:

“Penelope called me on my way back from the summit today,” I explained. “She said he wants to

see me.”

Leonardo’s frown deepened. “Penelope has always been covetous of the Moon-Shadowed Pack succession. Her contacting you is suspicious in itself.”

I added, “Penelope only spoke a few words on the phone before handing it to him directly. According to Matthew, Penelope visits my grandfather in Mervia every year to brief him on the pack’s situation. After my father took over, she would use these annual visits to discuss company matters. He sometimes gave his input on major decisions. After my father passed, continuing these visits should have been my responsibility.”

Leonardo’s fingers absently stroked my chin-a habit when he was thinking. His pheromone carried a scent of worry.

“I heard he left the country because of serious conflicts with your father before he died,” Leonardo said, hitting the core issue. “You’ve been back with the Scott family for a while now. Why is he only asking to see you now?”

That was exactly my doubt. From what Matthew told me, Alexander and Vincent never saw eye-to-eye on how to manage things. Alexander was cold and stubborn-just like Vincent. They simply couldn’t get along. Later, Vincent went to live with his daughter. After he left, Alexander

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had little contact with him for years.

My father’s death was sudden. Vincent only found out about me later. At the funeral, he was furious. He said Alexander hadn’t even told him he was sick and had left such an absurd will that he wasn’t treated like a father at all. He said he wanted nothing more to do with Moon- Shadowed Pack affairs. He even explicitly said he didn’t want to see me, that Matthew and Penelope should handle the company.

Matthew had advised me to wait before reaching out. He would put in a good word for me with Vincent and arrange contact when the time was right.

But now, Vincent suddenly wanted to see me.

“I don’t know either,” I admitted. “Maybe Penelope said something? Or perhaps he’s uneasy about me leading the Moon-Shadowed Pack and wants to meet me himself, to size me up?”

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