Selling Myself To The Alpha
Chapter 66

Liana POV

"This is t*****e," I grunt as I jump out of my chair and start pacing on the deck.

"It's only been ten minutes," Nina snorts and raises her face to the sun. She stretches out on the deck chair into a more comfortable position. "The exchange will take more than ten minutes. So, sit down and enjoy the sunshine. It's not like you can do anything else." "Why aren't you stressed out?" I practically yell as I take a seat next to her, but my leg cannot stop bobbing up and down. "I mean, Wilson is after you too."

"Yeah, but we're safe here," she shrugs nonchalantly. "Stressing about it is not going to change it. Look, there's nothing we can do but sit here and wait. The way you wait is your choice. I chose not to pace and chomp down on my fingernails." "Easy for you to say," I roll my eyes. "You're not worried about the safety of the love of your life."

"You should have a little faith," Nina sighs. "You should hear how much awe and respect David has for him. And the things he told me about Axel. That man is indestructible. You have nothing to worry about." "You're missing..."

"Hello, ladies," David walks in and I immediately go quiet. The very last thing I need is for David to report back to Axel about my feelings. "Axel just called, it's over."

"It is?" I jump up and walk over to David. "And everybody is fine? No one got hurt?"

"None of the guards or Axel were hurt," he says compassionately. "You can relax now."

"Oh, good," I sigh relieved and hug him tightly. "Thank you."

"Pack your bags, ladies," he smiles and pulls away awkwardly. "We're going home."

"So soon?" Nina pouts from the chair. "I was enjoying our little vacation."

"We're leaving in an hour," David looks at her longingly and I take a step back to observe them. The connection between them is tangible. No wonder Nina does not want to go back. She wants more time with David.

The loud ringing of my phone splinters the moment and I eagerly reach for it. Disappointment fills my gut when it is not Axel's name on the screen.

"Ah, dammit," I grunt and decline the call. "It's my mother."

I want to shove it back into my pocket, but it starts ringing again.

"You should answer," Nina says as she stands up and David walks away. "It could be about your dad."

"No," I shake my head. "I spoke with him this morning and he's just fine. Mommy dearest just wants money - again."

"She keeps on calling, Liana," Nina looks at the ringing phone in my hand. "You're going to hate yourself if this is not about money and you didn't answer."

"You're right," I sigh heavily as I answer the phone.

"Mother, calm down," I say urgently as her hysterical cries threaten to burst my eardrums. "Crying isn't words and I have no idea what you're trying to say. Is Dad okay?"

"He... he's dead," she sobs, and my legs go numb.

The blood drains from my face as I take a seat in the closest chair.

"Daddy's dead?" I murmur in disbelief. It does not make sense. He sounded perfectly fine this morning.

"L... Leon," she stutters.

"Mom, please," I beg on the verge of panic. "Who's dead?"

"Leon," she cries. "Your brother was killed. Murdered, right in front of us."

"I'm coming home," I say quickly before I end the call with trembling fingers.

"What's wrong?" Nina asks urgently as she kneels by me and takes my hand in hers. "Who died?"

"Leon," I whisper. "Leon's dead."

"What happened?" Nina gasps in shock.

"I... I don't know," I stutter as I pull my hands free and stand up. "I need a minute."

I walk blindly towards the lake as my mind jumps from one thought to another. I am not a moron. This is not a coincidence. Wilson collecting money from me and Leon dying at the same time is no coincidence. And I hate, hate to think that I am responsible for his death.

If I just played along with Wilson and gave him the money, Leon could have been still alive. Leon and I might not have gotten along, but that does not mean I wanted him dead.

No, I shake my head. This cannot possibly be my fault. Wilson cannot be at two places at once. He was at the park meeting me - or rather the fake me, Adele, and somebody else killed Leon. What the hell did Leon get himself into?

Axel POV

Impatiently I watch David parks in front of Liana's cottage. It feels like an eternity since I have last seen her and what could have been a happy reunion is now going to be a messed-up affair because I have the dreadful obligation of telling her about Leon's passing. But the second Liana gets out of the car, I can tell she knows. Her eyes and nose are all puffy and red. She only glances in my direction before she thanks David and walks to her cottage.

"How much does she know?" I ask David softly as I watch Liana disappears inside.

"Her mother called," he replies. "She only knows her brother has been murdered."

"Fuck," I grunt as I push my fingers through my hair. I should have known her mother would have called. But with everything that has been going on, it slipped my mind.

"Keep security on Nina," I order. "Until we know exactly what's going on, I'm not assuming anybody's safe."

"No problem," David nods as he gets back into the car, and I walk to Liana's cottage.

Silently I walk to her room and stand at the door as I watch her pack her bags. I want to take her in my arms and kiss the pain away but after the way we left things, I have no idea if I am the person she wants around. "Liana," I say softly.

"It's Wilson, isn't it?" She continues packing without even looking my way. "He's responsible for Leon's death."

"I think so, yes," I confirm.

"But it doesn't make sense," she shouts as she looks at me with blazing eyes. "How could he meet Adele at the park and kill Leon at the same time? Did he even come? Where is he? I want to talk to him."

"Liana," I sigh as I walk to her and take her hands in mine. "We should talk."

"We are talking," she frowns but a moment later her eyes widen and looks at me with disgust. "Wilson's dead, isn't he?"

"He had a gun and ..."

"You killed him," she cuts me off yelling. "And now ..."

"I didn't kill him," I defend myself loudly and she takes a step back.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm myself. I should have known that would be her conclusion. After all, I am a monster in her eyes.

"Then what happened?" She starts crying and goes to sit down on her bed. "How did things get so f****d up?"

"Wilson shot himself," I explain patiently as I sit down next to her and tell her everything that transpired. "He's been declared brain dead, and his heart will go to Stacey."

"Stacey?" Liana's blue eyes are large, and her face is awfully pale when she looks at me. "His mate?"

"We don't know yet," I put my arms around her shoulders, and I am relieved that she allows me to. "We're still investigating."

"I know it's her," Liana whispers as she nestles closer to me, and I wrap my arms around her waist. "He died for his mate. That poor girl."

"What do you mean?" I look at her curiously.

"He sacrificed himself so she could live," Liana stands up and resume packing. "She is going to spend the rest of her days without her mate, and she will be conflicted about it. On the one hand, she is going to love and adore him for his sacrifice. On the other hand, she is going to hate him for making her live without him."

"It sounds like you know her," I frown.

"No, Axel," she sighs as she zips her suitcase closed. "I've seen her once. But that is exactly how I would feel if somebody did that for me."

"I don't know if you're right," I murmur after a moment of thought. "But I do know I would've done exactly the same as Wilson if it meant keeping my mate alive."

"So would I," she looks at me with her soulful eyes. "Guess it's a good thing we don't have mates."

"You do have a mate," I say softly as I get up and go to stand in front of her. It is time that I tell her about us. This has been going on for far too long. I kept it a secret to give her time to get over Wilson. To give us time to grow closer and bond but lately, it feels like we are drifting further and further away from each other. "Liana, your mate is ..."

"Was," she interrupts sharply. "Wyatt was my mate. And he didn't love me enough to sleep with me, let alone give me his heart - literally or figuratively speaking." "I'm not talking..."

"Oh, dear goddess," she whispers, and I did not know that she could possibly turn paler than she already is. "Wyatt. It's him! He's behind all of this."

"Why would you say that?" I grunt frustrated because she killed my - almost - confession with rational thinking.

"You said it yourself, Wilson's not in charge," she says early while she rubs her forehead as she is thinking. "And he admitted Wyatt's involved. It has to be him." "That's a wild assumption," I frown. "Wyatt could be just another pawn like Wilson."

"Sure, maybe," she throws her hands up in the air. "But at the very least, he'll be able to answer questions or tell you who is calling the shots."

"Liana," I stand up and rest my hands on her shoulders. "We need to talk. About us."

"And we will," she smiles weakly. "But not now. I need to go home, Axel. My parents need me now."

"Okay," I nod after a moment and let go of her.