Bad Love: An Alpha's Regret

Chapter 279

AARON

All of my senses are on high alert as we leave the house and

hurry down the block to where James parked the SUV.

It’s like I can feel the threat of Vampires dragging over my

skin.

I can’t believe Leah and James risked coming here to rescue

me.

Actually, I can’t believe Karolina was foolish or desperate enough not to be discovered by her fellow

Councilmembers stealing all of my Alpha power for herself, that she would risk.

coming into Vampire territory.

This isn’t like some bit of Twilight, with some peaceful co-existence ala the Cullens. We’re sworn

enemies, and our species staunchly avoid each other.

We jump into the SUV and Leah insists on driving since she’s in

the best condition out of us all.

James gets into the backseat and immediately shifts to finish healing his head trauma that’d looked

really nasty. Probably

Neither me nor Leah say anything as she starts driving, navigating out of the suburban streets to leave © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

the run-down neighborhood and Vampire territory behind us, both of us tool

on edge until we know we’re in safer lands.

A while later, Leah suddenly pulls off the highway into one of those picnic rest stops. There aren’t any

other vehicles parked there right now, so the place is empty.

Leah pulls the car into a parking space and cuts the engine.

“Leah, is everything okay?” I ask, wondering why she’s stopped so suddenly.

She doesn’t answer me, but wordlessly climbs out of the SUV

and walks around to the back.

Confused, I climb out and go to join her.

I find her standing there, her head bowed into her hands, and

her shoulders shaking as she cries.

“Leah!” I say in alarm, quickly stepping in to pull her tightly into my arms. “What’s happening? What’s

wrong?”

She buries her face into my neck, and my skin is instantly wet

and scalded by the heat of her tears.

“They told me you were dead, Aaron. I thought you were gone. I thought Ethan and I were somehow

going to have to live our lives without you. Do you have any idea-”

She breaks off then, crying too hard to say anything else.

“Yeah, actually, I do,” I tell her. “They told me the same thing, that you didn’t survive breaking the

mating bond. I thought you were dead as well.”

This seems to quiet some of her tears, and she looks up at me, lashes damp and sparkling with tears,

her hair tousled

and my entire body aches as I wonder if she’s ever looked as

beautiful as she does in this moment.

“They did?” she whispers in confusion. “Why would they do

that?”

“I don’t know,” I tell her, running my hand over her soft, silky curls. “Maybe they knew we wouldn’t stop

coming for each

other, that we wouldn’t let anything or anyone stand in the way of us being together.”

“It’s true,” she replies, smiling through her tears. “I would never

stop coming for you. Nothing in this life or the next can keep

us apart.”

G d, I love this woman.

But I don’t have the words to tell her that, instead I drag

her into a kiss, putting every ounce of longing and love into claiming her mouth beneath mine.

Leah immediately goes pliant against me, and it sends both me and my wolf crazy.

Next thing I know, I’ve got her pinned up against the back of the SUV with her legs wrapped around my

waist as I kiss her deeper and more desperately.

This isn’t the time or place, but f ck, I want her so badly right

now.

I let us indulge for a few more long minutes.

All I want to do it take her home, throw her into my bed and then keep her naked and begging for the

next week straight.

But we can’t pretend like the rest of the world doesn’t exist.

Countless lives could depend on me and Leah finding the Al

tech and stopping the Council from misusing it.

Eventually I reluctantly break the kiss but rest my forehead

against Leah’s as we both catch our breath and try to come down from the high.

“I love you,” I murmur to her, even though love is too simple words to describe the things I feel for her.

“I love you too,” she whispers in return with a smile. “I can’t wait to go home to Ethan so we can finally

start our lives.

together.”

I step back and let her slip down to stand on her own feet. “Me too. But first, let’s go get this da ned

software back once and

for all.”

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