99 Pranks Done, I Ditched My Alpha

Isabela's POV: Leon Gonzales pressed me, Isabela Bonilla, against the floor-to-ceiling window in the study, his hands roaming urgently over every inch of my body. He kissed me hard, his mouth taking mine with a hunger that stole my breath. I clutched at the front of his shirt, trying to anchor myself, but I could barely stay upright under the force of him. "Leon... Slow down..." "Isabela." He murmured against my lips, voice rough with urgency, before dragging his mouth down my neck in a trail of hot, desperate kisses. I closed my eyes as he unhooked my bra with practiced ease. When I looked at him again, the intensity in his gaze made my breath catch. His hand closed over my breast, kneading hard, while his mouth and tongue worked over me in long, wet, relentless sweeps. Something wet slipped down my chin, and I was too gone to care. His hand slid between my legs, and a moan escaped me. "Louder." He whispered, wickedly. "I love hearing you like this." He knew every sensitive part of my body. His fingers moved fast, thrusting in and out with precision, and before long, his hand was slick with my arousal. I pressed myself tightly against him, barely able to keep my legs under me. "Does it feel good?" he asked against my ear, catching my earlobe lightly between his teeth and sending a shiver through me. "Yes..." He gave a low chuckle. Just as I thought I might catch my breath, he thrust into me, filling me in one hard, overwhelming stroke. "Leon..." "Baby... My turn now." He murmured, his tongue brushing the shell of my ear. It made me squirm at first, but the feeling was quickly swallowed by everything else. He flipped me over, lifted my legs onto his shoulders, and started thrusting into me with a relentless rhythm that never let up. Time lost all meaning until the first light of dawn crept through the windows, and only then did Leon finally exhale, satisfied. I collapsed into his arms, boneless and trembling from the intensity of it. He buried his face in the hollow of my neck like a predator finally sated. "Isabela, I love you." He murmured softly. ***** I traced the raised scar at the back of his head, left from the battle three years ago. The doctors had warned that the trauma had erased so much from him. He could not remember being the Alpha of the Midnight Pack. He could not remember his arranged union with Cassandra Kirby of the Silverfrost Pack. He had even forgotten the mock engagement we had once agreed to. He remembered only me. Or rather, his body responded only to my scent. Every full moon, the ancient blood in him surged out of control. The purer the bloodline, the worse the frenzy. I was the only one who could calm him. I looked at his face and felt his heartbeat gradually settle beneath my hand. I rose onto my toes and kissed him softly. "Leon, I love you too." We were having a baby. I didn't say the last part aloud. Three days ago, my friend, Camina Norris, had handed me the pregnancy report with a solemn expression. "Isabela, as the pack's healer, I have to tell you to keep this baby. Everyone knows how powerful a child from two strong bloodlines can be. But as your friend, I won't lie to you. The mother's survival rate is under forty percent. And Leon... Is he really ready to be a father?" She looked at me with worry. "I..." I started, but no words came out. Three days ago, I had only stayed silent. Now, looking at the ring on my finger, I felt a mixture of sweetness and dread. Maybe I could give Leon a chance. Maybe I could give myself one, too... I picked up the results from the hospital and headed for the study to find Leon. I gripped the paper, my fingers tightening around it as a rush of anticipation and nerves coursed through me. As I approached, I noticed the door had been slightly ajar all along, and laughter drifted out from inside. "She actually believed it? She spent ten hours out in the storm looking for it? That's insane!" It was Cameron McCoy, one of Leon's closest friends. My hand froze on the doorknob. "No shoes." Rick added, mock pity in his voice. "Leon said maybe the bracelet had fallen on the trail, and she ran out without a second thought." "Oh my God." Cameron laughed, slapping his thigh. "I used to call her Luna, and it felt fine, but now? She's so stupid it's actually embarrassing to say it out loud." A shiver ran through me. I felt a bone-deep chill. These men were Leon's most trusted friends, the betas sworn to protect the Midnight Pack. They had once called me Luna with warmth. Now, I was their fool. "Hell, the best part has to be that Alpha election," Cameron said, nearly breathless with laughter. "She thought you were dying, gave it up, and came running back. The Silvermoon Pack gets a female Alpha like that once in a century, and she threw it all away over one stupid stunt." "She didn't deserve it anyway," Leon said, calm as if discussing the weather, as if I were irrelevant. Yet last night, after making love to me, he had proposed. It had all been an act. My nails dug into my palms, the pain making me tremble, but I didn't dare make a sound. I couldn't let him know I was there. "By the way," Cameron said, teasing, "how far along are you with the prank count?" "Ninety-six," Leon said, triumph curling through his voice. "Four more to go." "And Emily?" Emily Bonilla was my half-sister, the daughter of my father's other marriage. Her mother had been the third party in my parents' marriage and had been expelled from the Silvermoon Pack by my mother, the Luna. My relationship with Emily was volatile. Leon knew it. He had once kissed away my tears and said, "She's not worth your sorrow." And now he used the same familiarity with her as if she mattered more than me. "She said not to let anything slip before prank ninety-nine," Leon said, narrowing his eyes as he sent a dart straight into the bullseye. "The last one has to land perfectly." "When will you..." "One hundred pranks and then it's done." Leon interrupted, voice tinged with anticipation. "Emily deserves my attention. Unlike Isabela..." He let out a short, derisive laugh. "She's just a toy." A high, painful ringing filled my head, sharp enough to make my vision blur. ''A toy?' The pregnancy test slipped from my fingers. I did not look down, but I slowly backed against the wall, inch by inch. "By the way," Cameron said, leaning in, his voice dropping to a lewd whisper. "The password for that encrypted album is still Emily's birthday, right?" "Yes." "Didn't you tell Isabela it was the day you first met?" Leon chuckled. "It doesn't matter. She believes whatever she's told." "How many did you upload?" "Ninety-six. Every prank recorded. Emily wants to watch them all." "That's our Alpha. Thorough as ever." "That's the kind of woman Isabela is." Leon's voice went cold. "If I don't keep proof, what happens when she tries to deny it later?" I bit my lip. Suddenly, every accident I had endured made sense. Then Cameron leaned closer, voice dropping. "Wait... The one you just uploaded, the ninety-seventh..." "Yes," Leon said plainly. "You actually recorded that?" Cameron's voice cracked. "That was you and Isabela..." "Emily wanted to see it," Leon said casually, as if he were commenting on the weather. Cameron laughed awkwardly. "Isabela's got a hell of a body, though. Shame she's such an i***t. Alpha, when you're done with her, let the rest of us take a turn." Leon frowned, opening his mouth to reply. Rick said before he could, "Seriously, the fake amnesia... Was that Emily's idea?" "Yeah," Leon said. "She knew Isabela would fall for it. All that 'I only remember your scent' and 'you're the only one who can calm me.' I almost laughed while feeding her those lines." Feeding me lines. Every time he held me tight during the full moon, every time he pressed his face into my neck and whispered, "Don't leave me", those moments had been scripted. Every last detail had been prepared beforehand. And I, in my pathetic stupidity, had mistaken this clumsy performance for love.