Fake Mate Beta Rises to Alpha Heiress (Natalie and Landon) novel Chapter 316

Chapter 316 Devastating Pain

Natalie’s POV:

68

Finished

All strength seemed to drain from Leonardo’s body. Along with his partially shifted form, now larger than usual, he began to sink heavily toward the floor.

Everyone rushed forward immediately.

I didn’t let go. Instead, I let myself slide down with him, sitting to cushion his fall and pulling him tightly against me.

“Na-Natalie?” Leonardo’s voice was so hoarse that it was almost unrecognizable, thick with confusion and fear.

His eyes were red-rimmed. The vertical pupils were slowly receding, returning to their usual shape—now veined with red and shimmering with panic. He looked dazedly at my arm wrapped around him—it was streaked with blood, my hand a mess of torn flesh.

It was as if he had just been jolted awake from a nightmare. His eyes narrowed sharply, and all color drained from his face.

“I… I hurt you?” His voice shook uncontrollably, each word feeling like it cut his throat. “I… I did it again…”

“It’s over now. It’s okay.” I knew he must be utterly devastated inside. I didn’t let him finish. I wrapped myself around him more tightly, using my uninjured hand to stroke his still-trembling, broad back over and over.

I could feel his inner turmoil. It hurt worse than any physical pain.

Ryan opened his mouth as if to step forward, but his foot hesitated. He looked at us holding each other, at the utterly broken, childlike vulnerability on Leonardo’s face. Finally, all his emotions condensed into a frustrated snort as he growled a curse under his breath.

“Just as I said, you are just an uncontrollable monster. I wasn’t wrong.” Then he spun around and slammed the door behind him on his way out. The sound echoed in the now-silent room.

But no one paid him any mind now.

A servant had already rushed over with a first-aid kit, frantically trying to tend to me. Miranda wiped her tears as she pulled out her phone with trembling hands to call their private doctor.

Only Fiona understood the silent communication between Leonardo and me.

Holding Leonardo, I looked at the whole frantic, worried family and gave a slight, silent shake of my head. My eyes signaled for them to be quiet and step back.

What Leonardo needed now wasn’t a doctor, or medicine, or even his family’s concern.

He needed to be alone-alone with the person who made him feel safe. He needed space and time to slowly climb out of the darkness of losing control and self-loathing.

Fiona signaled for the servant. They very quietly cleaned and bandaged my hand, then swiftly cleared the blood from the floor.

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ue, Jan

Chapter 316 Devastating Pain

68

Finished

Miranda’s eyes were still red, but she stayed quiet. Roger helped Fiona, who seemed to have aged years in minutes. They all gave us one last look of deep worry and pain before silently filing out of the living room, gently closing the door behind them.

Finally, the room was completely quiet.

Only Leonardo and I remained-only the sound of our mingled heartbeats and breathing.

I didn’t let go. Instead, I rested my chin gently on the top of his head. The hair that had bristled during his partial shift was slowly settling. With my uninjured hand, I continued stroking his tense back, slow and firm, feeling the powerful yet fragile body in my arms gradually calm..

“Okay, okay. They’re all gone. It’s over,” I said, deliberately making my tone light, even a little teasing. “A grown man, the mighty Alpha leader of the Silver-Maned Pack, losing control like some newly presented teenager? Losing control of your shift is pretty embarrassing, you know.”

My tone was casual, as if commenting on the weather.

But we both knew the more nonchalant I acted, the more unusual it was. Underneath surged a fear, worry, countless unanswered questions, and… a trace of instinctive fear left over from being face-to-face with the beast-a fear I didn’t want to admit even to myself.

“Natalie.” Finally, Leonardo whispered my name. His voice was dry and fragile, as if it would shatter at the lightest touch.

I shifted back slightly to look down at him. “Feeling better?”

He didn’t look up. He just sat there on the floor, one long leg stretched out, the other bent. His tall frame wasn’t straight and proud anymore. It seemed slumped. Slowly, he raised a hand. His fingertips trembled uncontrollably as they carefully, with the lightest touch, brushed over my thickly bandaged palm.

He looked at it as if it were a priceless treasure he had personally shattered beyond repair. His eyes were filled with devastating pain and bone-deep self-hatred.

“Does it hurt?” The words were forced from the depths of his throat, raspy and broken.

I said, “The pain from a surface wound will fade quickly. But if the hurt is inside, that’s much harder to fix, right?”

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