Revenge to the Alpha Mate novel Chapter 274

Chapter 274: Chapter 274

Aurora’s Perspective

The argument that ended so badly became a persistent thorn, pricking the days that followed with awkward silences between Lex and me. We still lived under the same roof, crossed paths at the dining table, passed each other on the training grounds, but something fundamental had shifted. I was no longer the sister he could casually tease or occasionally scold. He was no longer the brother I instinctively protected, thinking he just needed guidance. A sharp, fundamental disagreement on *what our future should be* now lay between us.

In some ways, I still did as I pleased. Turn me into the demure, reserved young lady Mother and the elder women expected? Not a chance. I still trained myself to exhaustion, sparred with members of the guard who respected my skills, spoke sharply, and carried myself with defiance.

But in other ways, I learned to compromise. Or more accurately, I chose a different form of rebellion—a kind of tactical retreat. Lily didn’t say much about my clash with Lex. She simply watched me with those all-seeing eyes for a few days, then began taking me to all the events I used to avoid like the plague: charity galas, social gatherings with other packs (especially those with suitable young Alphas), and tedious business luncheons.

"You need to be seen, Aurora," Mother said one evening, smoothing the hem of my gown. "Not just as a Lytton daughter, but as a young woman who has faced adversity and remained strong. Rumors need managing. Impressions need shaping. That in itself is a form of power."

I understood. Word of my "adventure" and Brett’s ordeal had spread, both within the pack and beyond. Instead of letting people whisper about "that reckless girl who almost got herself taken," we presented "the composed heir who handled a crisis with grace." It was political. Calculated. And damnably effective.

I wore the expensive, uncomfortable gowns, pasted on the appropriate smile, made conversation, danced, accepted tentative compliments and more subtle appraisals. I no longer openly challenged people or slipped away early. I bottled up the restlessness and rebellion deep inside, like capping a boiling kettle.

I told myself this was building capital, learning the rules of the game. Until I was strong enough. Until I found my own path... But on some nights, wiping off the makeup and shedding the fine clothes, looking at my familiar-yet-alien face in the mirror, I’d feel a wave of suffocation. Was this really me? Or was I becoming another bird in a gilded cage?

Once, after a particularly long and dull alliance-building dinner with some East Coast werewolf family, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I told the driver not to take me straight home, got out midway, and headed to Marta’s bar in the old district. The place was a mix of supernaturals and humans in the know, the atmosphere gritty and real. It let me breathe.

I ordered a whiskey, neat, and had just settled into my usual corner booth when I saw him.

Lex.

He was at the bar, two empty glasses in front of him, a third half-finished. He wore a dark shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, collar undone, hair slightly mussed. It was a far cry from the composed future-Alpha I saw at home and in meetings. He looked... weary, agitated, even a little lost.

"Well, well," I said, leaning against the bar next to him and taking a sip, letting the burn slide down my throat. "If it isn’t our overburdened, ever-busy future Alpha. Slumming it in ’chaotic’ places?" My tone slipped into the familiar, sardonic cadence despite myself. Seeing him like this made that thorn twitch. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

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