Fake Mate Beta Rises to Alpha Heiress (Natalie and Landon) novel Chapter 313

Chapter 313 That Slap

Ryan’s POV:

68

Finished

“What are you saying, Ryan? The older you get, the more cold-hearted you become!” Fiona stood up angrily. Her gentle, high-ranking Omega aura turned sharp. “Your son just survived a life-threatening situation. He’s still recovering. Can’t you say anything kind when you visit? Do you always have to put on that ‘Alpha leader’ routine?”

Roger coughed and frowned, saying, “Enough. If you’re here to eat, sit down, and we’ll set a place for you. Talk less. If you don’t want to eat properly, then leave.”

Miranda came over and forcibly linked her arm with mine, her voice softening. “Are you tired from the trip? Not feeling well? Come on. I’ll take you home to rest.”

But I kept staring at Leonardo.

The whole family was talking, but Leonardo didn’t move a muscle. The silent, closed-off aura radiating from him was more provocative than any words.

“It’s just an injury.” My voice rose sharply, laced with sarcasm. “Are you really acting like a pup that needs coddling now? Is this the mettle of the Silver-Maned Pack’s Alpha leader?”

I hadn’t wanted to be unwelcome. I came specifically to see Leonardo. I didn’t expect him to be so ungrateful, so arrogant that it felt like he was looking down on me.

I finally snapped. I shook off Miranda’s hand, stepped forward, then swiped the plates and dishes off the table in front of Leonardo.

Then I shouted, “What? You’re injured, so you forget how to address your father? Did the upbringing I gave you and the spirit of a pack leader get tossed aside?”

S

Natalie’s POV:

The sound of shattering plates was shockingly loud.

Ryan’s words hit like a boulder crashing through ice.

I felt Leonardo’s body go rigid instantly. The hand holding mine tightened, his grip almost crushing my

bones.

Leonardo, who had been silent until now, finally reacted.

“Ryan!” I jumped up in alarm, instinctively moving to shield Leonardo, trying to get between him and Ryan. “Leon is still healing. Please, calm down…”

Fiona and Miranda were also startled, trying to restrain Ryan.

But when a top-tier Alpha was enraged, that raw strength wasn’t easy to hold back. Roger slammed his cane down hard, the floor seeming to shake. “Ryan! That’s enough!”

Leonardo’s POV:

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18:07 Tue, Jan 27

Chapter 313 That Slap

68

Finished

I lifted my head very slowly. My gaze met my father’s furious eyes calmly. But there was no fear or anger in my eyes-only a deep, overwhelming tiredness.

I said, “Upbringing? Did you ever teach me that? From childhood, you only taught me how to become the qualified heir you wanted-how to be cold, how to calculate, how to lock all emotion behind the mask of an Alpha’s authority, just like you.

“I have no upbringing. Because I’ve always been the child you never approved of. So, isn’t it perfectly normal that I turned out this way?”

For so many years, I told myself I had worked hard to overcome the rift with Ryan, to be a passable son and heir.

But if I were truly honest with myself, didn’t I resent him just as much as he seemed to resent me?

I continued, “I was never the son you acknowledged. No matter what I did, it never worked. I understood that when I was very young. I don’t expect anything anymore-I just hope to stop being affected by you.”

Every word was clear and slow-not hysterical, but heavier than any shout. It wasn’t defiance, just an accusation. The disappointment I’d held for over twenty years had seeped into me, and in that moment, it cut through the fake calm between us.

Natalie’s POV:

Ryan froze for a few seconds, as if he hadn’t expected Leonardo to say such things. Then, rage completely consumed him.

“You ungrateful child!” he snarled, his voice dropping into the low, guttural tone of a werewolf.

The oppressive pheromones of a top-tier Alpha surged through the room. My breath caught, my body instinctively wanting to curl in on itself.

Ryan’s face was dark with fury. He raised his hand and swung at Leonardo’s face. The movement was lightning-fast, carrying the raw power and ferocity of a werewolf.

Leonardo didn’t flinch. He just kept looking at Ryan, his eyes almost hollow with a kind of release.

“Ryan!” Just as the hand was about to connect, I threw myself forward, putting my whole body between Ryan and Leonardo.

I didn’t think. It was pure instinct. The instinct to protect Leonardo, who seemed so invincible to everyone else but was as fragile as a pup right now.

Then came a sharp crack.

It didn’t hit Leonardo.

That slap, fueled by Alpha strength, landed squarely across the side of my face and neck.

Blinding pain exploded instantly. My vision went dark, my ears rang, and I lost my balance, stumbling and falling to the floor. A metallic taste filled my mouth.

“Natalie!” Fiona screamed.

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18:07 Tue, Jan 27

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