Finding Forgiveness

The accompanying note read:

We’ll be back together soon enough, Blanca.

My hands began to shake and I slammed the door, locked it and ran upstairs.

“Frannie, Marie, why don’t you go and play in your room. Max will finish the story later,” I said.

He looked at me confused as there were a couple of disappointed wines from the twins but they soon left after a little encouragement and I thrust the letter towards Max.

“This was on the doorstep,” I said.

“Ella Martinez?” he questioned.

“Read inside,” I ordered.

He did and his face dropped.

“And this was with it,” I added presenting the ring. “It’s the ring Andrea gave me when he proposed.”

“And it just showed up on the doorstep?”

I nodded.

He stood up and marched down to the front door where he looked out into the forest. There was still nothing.

“I should search the area. Whoever it was can’t have gone far,” he began. “But I can’t leave you alone in case they really haven’t gone far.”

So instead, he phoned Leo who on hearing the news was a terrible mix of angry because somebody had managed to get so close to me and into the pack, concerned about the sudden reappearance of Andrea’s threat and shocked at the news that he actually still does exist.

“Are you okay, Ells?” Max asked me as we sat in the living room, awaiting Leo’s arrival home.

I shook my head.

“No,” I replied. “I was beginning to believe he was gone. I was beginning to move on. Now this has brought it all back and it feels like poison in my veins.”

“It could be nothing,” Max suggested.

“You don’t know Andrea like I do,” I replied. “He’s got something planned and it will be the most flawless, clever and wicked scheme in existence. This was just the warning.”

Twenty minutes later, Leo was home and staring motionlessly at the letter as he spun the ring in his fingers.

“I don’t understand. How did he get it to our front doorstep without the border guards or anyone else noticing a thing?” he said.

“I don’t know,” Max replied. “But at least he did. We wouldn’t have had a warning otherwise.”

“You’re right. He’s sacrificed covertness for grandiose,” Leo concluded. “Now we will see him coming. I need to go and prepare my army. Max, stay here until I get back. I’ll send Luca too, just in case.”

“Leo, wait,” I said. “Andrea wouldn’t have just blown his cover without meaning to. You know what he wants you to know, remember? He clearly wants you to know he’s coming.”

“I don’t see how that could ever be a disadvantage to us,” Leo replied.

I sighed, “Neither do I but just be wary. Try not to fall into any of his traps, okay?”

He nodded and pulled me into a hug.

“I will protect you at all costs, Ella,” he said, kissing my head. “I will not let him hurt you. Not again.”

That night I hardly slept. I couldn’t stop thinking about the ring and the letter and how it got to the doorstep.

Leo was right next to me and had promised not to fall asleep until I did. But I felt terrible keeping him up, especially as he was so busy with being Alpha at the moment, so I had closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep until I heard his gentle sleeping breaths.

Lying wide awake in bed was beginning to drive me mad so I got up and wandered down the moonlit hall. It was a clear starry night and I stopped by one of the long windows. The forest was perfectly still and peaceful but I couldn’t bring myself to look for long before I shivered and had to shift my eye away. There was something unsettling about the darkness that the branches created.

My throat was dry and I was craving a glass of icy water so I went downstairs.

As I stepped across the threshold into the kitchen, I felt my stomach sink. There was a scent and I knew it immediately. Too afraid to even switch on the light, I stood silently, praying that at some point I had fallen asleep and this was just another nightmare.

But then somebody else switched on the light and everything was nothing but real.

“Don’t scream,” his accented voice said. “Not unless you want Pablo here to shoot your little kids.”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

By the light switch was a burly man with a gun poised in his hand. His face was stony and harsh but I stared straight at him, unable to turn to face the other man in the kitchen.

I heard his footsteps step around the table and slowly up to me until he rested his fingers under my chin and lifted my head so I had no choice but to look into his eyes.

“It’s good to see you again, Blanca,” he said.

He wore the same black suit as always with the same pristine white shirt. His hair was as combed back in the same way it usually was and his eyes as menacing as ever.

He lifted up my hand and inspected it.

“I’m disappointed to see you’re not wearing my ring,” he said.

“How did you get here?” I asked pulling my hand out of his.

“Your Alpha has control over the borders, the airport, the docks… but there’s a loophole,” Andrea said wandering over to the sink.

“What?” I asked.

“Why would I tell the Alpha’s bitch, huh?” he said with a wink.

He then filled a glass up with water and brought it over to me.

I looked down at it.

“What? You came down for a glass of water I presume?”

I narrowed my eyes, “why are you here, Andrea? It’s certainly not to bring me a glass of water,” I said.

He grinned.

“I just wanted to see my wife. It’s been months since I had the joy of setting my eyes on such a beautiful woman,” he replied, putting his hands on my waist.

“And where have you been?” I asked, pushing him off.

He shrugged, “Around.”

“I don’t understand,” was all I had to say. “You went to all of this effort just to see me?”