Alpha Loren
Chapter 200 Chapter 200

Ella's POV

Three weeks later, I'd slipped into life with Andrea. It was horrible and painful but I'd learnt totolerate it.

Every day, I'd get up, take my pill and make breakfast for us both. Sometimes Chico would help,sometimes he wouldn't. Then he'd put me to use doing whatever job he had going whether that betending to the latest bullet victim, cleaning, cooking or serving food and beer to him and whicheverdisrespectful, misogynistic friends he had over that evening. He liked to take me out of the housetoo, whether that be because he needed my assistance distracting or persuading someone or simplyjust to drag me along.

I lost count of the number of times I watched him kill someone. At first, the coldness and completeemptiness in his eyes frightened me. I guess how easily he could just take a life without a secondthought made me realise how dangerous he really was. But although with every death my heartsunk, the ringing in my ears from the shot of a bullet became normal and his utter lack of emotionno longer phased me.

When he wanted to sleep with me, which was three or four times a week, was by far the worst. Eventhough I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it, the guilt I felt was terrible. Everything else Ibecame numb to overtime but with this, I felt the same excruciating pain every time no matter howmuch tequila he'd given me beforehand.

One evening afterwards, I sat with my knees against my chest against the headboard as he sat nextto me, laid out comfortably as he put a cigarette in his mouth.

"Want one?" he offered.

"No," I whispered almost inaudibly.

"Try it," he urged.

I could tell by his tone that it wasn't a choice so I took one out of the box he was holding out to meand held it in my fingers.

He brought my hand to my mouth and rested it in my lips before lighting it and then lighting hisown.

It filled my lungs with the most revolting ash and smoke that burnt and itched. But I didn't cough orreach for water, I just stayed still and felt the sting scratch at my throat. It was a distraction ifnothing else.

"You ever smoked pot, Blanca?" he asked.

"No."

"Your Alpha didn't let you, huh?" he said with a slight laugh.

"I have kids," I replied.

"Shit yeh you do," he said. "A lot of fucking kids. But they aren't your problem anymore and you'rewith me now."

"I'd rather just sleep,” I told him, handing him my barely touched cigarette before scrambling underthe covers.

"Another time," he said. "Sweet dreams."

I closed my eyes and listened until he finished his cigarette and had fallen asleep before rolling ontomy back and staring up to the ceiling.

It must have been hours until he moved and I felt his arm wrap around my waist.

"Do you ever sleep, Blanca?" he asked.

"When I run out of things to think about," I replied quietly.

"Go to sleep or you'll look like I haven't been treating you right,” he said pulling me closer to himand closing his eyes again.

He hadn't been treating me right though.

The moonlight poured in the large window and onto the bed, lighting up Andrea's sleepy figure.Even in innocent rest, he looked evil. Even when his piercing, satanic eyes were covered, a low senseof danger hung around him.

"How did you get like this?" I asked suddenly.

He opened his eyes again and looked at me disgruntledly.

"Like what?" he questioned with a sigh.

"Such a powerful man at only nineteen despite being born a rogue,” I elaborated treading carefullyunsure of how he'd react to the reminder of his past.

"Must we get into this at 1 am? It's a long story," he slurred, his Mexican accent coming out strongas he closed his eyes again.

"It's been playing at my mind for a while and the curiosity is keeping me awake," I said.

His eyes opened again and he propped himself up on his elbows.

"My father was the future Alpha of a pack in Southern Mexico. My mother was his high schoolsummer fling,” he began. "She wasn't his mate so when she fell pregnant with me at sixteen, myGrandfather, who was Alpha at the time, exiled her from the pack and she raised me as a roguealone. He later found his mate and had more kids but I was his first son, first in line to theAlphaship."

"So that is why you are so strong?" I asked. "You're an Alpha?"

"Only by blood," he replied. "I didn't get no pack handed to me. I had to replace my own way, buildinga criminal organisation and making billions a year from trafficking drugs.”

"Where's your mother now?" I questioned genuinely curious.

He shrugged.

"I don't know. She found her mate when I was ten. Of course, as the son of another man, he hatedme so naturally, abandoned me in the middle of the desert. From there, I found my way to awarehouse containing a gang of criminals that adopted me and taught me their ways. And here weare," he finished.

"Oh," I replied, kinda shocked. "Maybe you should replace her. Or him."

"They won't want anything to do with me," he said with a laugh. "I'm the kid they never wanted.”"You had a fucked up childhood.”

"Yeah but I ended up better off. I have everything I want now," he replied.

"Except love," I said quietly.

"Love is bullshit."

"You think that because you've never felt it," I replied. "So you've given up on it, right?"

He stared at me for a few seconds, "To give up on it implies that I ever believed in it in the firstplace.”

"Well shit," I stated. "No wonder you're how you are.”

"What is that supposed to mean, Blanca?" he asked raising an eyebrow as his tone hardened again.For a moment, I had seen another side to Andrea. More personable, softer...perhaps even human.But he'd gone with my accidental slip of disrespect.

"Nothing," I mumbled quietly as I rested my head back on the pillow and closed my eyes.

I waited until I was sure he was asleep again before slowly sitting up and leaning against theheadboard.

Curiosity wasn't stopping me from sleeping. It was the thought of my children now having spent anentire month and a half without their mother and of how desperately I missed them and their father.The more I sat and thought as that intolerable man slept beside me, the more I began to choke onmy own grief. Soon enough I was unable to contain my tears and shaking so I fumbled my way intothe bathroom and leant against the wall trying to control my breathing.

I let out broken sobs as the agony consumed my every muscle. Sliding down the wall so that I waspositioned in a ball by the sink, I allowed the tears to flow.

This wasn't a rare occurrence. Almost every night in fact. It had been weeks and the mostinsufferable thing was that I was beginning to lose faith in Leo. The hope that he would replace me wasthe only thing keeping me going but he hadn't yet and it felt as though he never would.

"If you are going to cry, can you at least do it quietly?” Andrea asked as he appeared in the doorwayof the bathroom.

I looked up at him in his single pair of shorts and nothing else before returning to myuncontrollable sobs.

He grunted before dragging himself into the bathroom and to the toilet on the other side of theroom. He lifted the seat and for a short moment, the only sounds filling the room were his urinehitting the water and my snuffles.

When he was done, he washed his hands and then crouched down so that his face was pretty muchlevel with mine.

"¢COmo estas, Blanca?" he asked placing a finger under my chin and lifting my eyes to meet his.

"I miss my home and my family," I replied truthfully as I wiped my eyes. "And my mate. I miss him so50 so much.”

His jaw clenched and he inhaled deeply.

"You'll get over it," he said monotonously before standing up and leaving the bathroom.

"Can I phone him?" I asked hopefully.

"No. How is that supposed to help you get over it?" he asked from the bedroom. "Now come backto bed."

I pushed my head against the sink and allowed more tears to roll.

"I won't be able to sleep and I'll only keep you awake, Andrea," I replied, willing to use any excusenot to get back in the same bed as him.

I heard the draw of his nightstand open before his heavy, disgruntled footsteps marched backtowards the bathroom.

"Open your mouth," he ordered crouching down in front of me again.

"What are you-" I began before he grabbed my face in his hand and shoved a pill in my half-openmouth.

"This will help you sleep,” he said lifting me off the floor. A weird sense of tiredness engulfed me,one I hadn't felt in a long while. Suddenly, the prospect of sleep felt very appealing.