Fake Mate Beta Rises to Alpha Heiress (Natalie and Landon) novel Chapter 304

Chapter 304 Respect My Decision

Natalie’s POV:

Still, I knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Matthew had warned me that Vincent had a terrible temper and was difficult to deal with. Penelope’s offer to help probably didn’t come from a good place, either.

But this invitation came directly from Vincent. He sounded quite calm. As his granddaughter, it was only right for me to visit. I had no good reason to refuse.

“Then I’m coming with you,” Leonardo said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

I felt a warmth in my chest, but I shook my head. “You can’t. You need to rest and heal.”

“I can go,” he insisted.

I cupped his face, looking him straight in the eye. “Are you not listening to me? What happened to our agreement?”

We had agreed that during his recovery, he would follow my arrangements.

Leonardo’s brow furrowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. I could feel the irritation in his pheromones—raw and coiled.

“I don’t want to be away from you-not even for a single day,” he said, his voice tight with an urgency I’d never heard before.

He stopped. He didn’t say it, but I could feel it. He was uneasy. And he was scared.

“I don’t want to be apart either,” I said softly, pressing my forehead to his. “But this is a special circumstance. I can’t drag a patient all that way. Please respect how I feel as your mate.”

I was reminding him of his own words. He’d told me to respect a patient’s feelings before, so I had. Now it was his turn to respect my decision.

Leonardo fell silent. I knew he was weighing his options. His Alpha instincts to protect me were at odds with his respect for my decision. He couldn’t force me to stay, nor could he force himself to come, especially with his body still recovering.

After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice low. “Take some bodyguards.”

I kissed him, holding his face. He looked a little dejected, but this was as much as he’d give in.

“Okay,” I said.

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He said firmly, “Tell me immediately if anything happens. Don’t hide things from me.”

“Alright,” I agreed.

“If Moon-Shadowed Pack gives you a hard time, we can just cut ties with them for good,” he said, his eyes locked on mine. “You have grandparents right here in our family.”

My eyes grew hot. I stared into his deep, serious gaze for a long moment before managing another firm “Okay.”

Leonardo took a deep breath and pulled me into a tight hug. His arms were so strong I could hear his heartbeat and feel the worry and helplessness mixed in his pheromones.

Secretly savoring this intense care, I suddenly felt like no challenge ahead could scare me. With him behind me, I wasn’t afraid of anything.

But seeing the disappointment on his profile, my heart ached a little. So, I took his hand, led him back to bed, and gently coaxed him to sleep.

Moonlight streamed through the window, shining on his silver hair. Watching his peaceful sleeping face, I remembered Vincent’s words on the phone.

The truth was, I wasn’t taking Leonardo just because of his injuries. Vincent had explicitly asked me to come alone.

He said he had something important to discuss with me privately. His words strongly hinted that I shouldn’t bring anyone from the Silver-Maned Pack, especially Leonardo.

That sounded both normal and strange.

It was normal if he wanted to discuss Moon-Shadowed Pack secrets and didn’t want outsiders present. What was strange was why he specifically named Leonardo. If he had issues with the Silver-Maned Pack, why did he agree to my father arranging the contractual marriage between Leonardo and me in the first place?

I had tried to probe during the call, but Vincent avoided it, saying we’d talk in detail when we

met.

Maybe I was overthinking it.

Aaliyah’s POV:

After finishing the social engagement with Cameron and seeing him back to his hotel, I returned alone to Landon’s villa.

I was leaving Maritime City tomorrow. I wanted to see him before I left. Anna said he was hurt, and I couldn’t just ignore that. Besides, now that Louisa knew I had Gallop Energy’s backing, I

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could tell Landon. We wouldn’t have to break our bond.

I tried the door code several times. But every attempt failed.

He had already changed the code that fast.

A surge of anger heated my veins. I immediately pulled out my phone and called Landon, simultaneously pressing the doorbell.

The phone rang and rang. But it got no answer. I pressed the doorbell for what felt like ages. No one came. The house was completely still.

I waited at the doorstep for over half an hour, until the bone-chilling cold of the deep night had seeped into me, before finally deciding to leave.

“What are you doing here?” The door finally swung open just then. Landon stood there, wrapped in a loose black wool sweater, looking haggard. His voice was low and hoarse.

My breath caught. He had deep shadows under his eyes, and a white bandage wrapped around his head. The bruising on his face had faded somewhat, but was still visible. He walked with a distinct, unsteady limp.

His hair was disheveled, but he didn’t look like he’d just woken up. Without waiting for an invitation, I slipped past him into the foyer. A strong wave of liquor smell hit me from his person, and the heavy scent of alcohol hung in the air inside.

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