CHAPTER 33: BACK TO THE ALPHA

It was strange, honestly. I had only spent one day around Lewis. Barely enough time to understand his habits, his scent, or the way his wolf reacted to things. And yet... here he was, clinging to me like a wolf who’d finally found something he thought he’d lost forever.

For a moment, I wondered if this was just the alcohol talking. His scent was strong sharp, bitter, and heavy. Maybe the drink had pushed his wolf right to the edge.

But even then... I didn’t push him away.

I rested my hand on his back, feeling how tense his muscles were beneath my palm. His wolf was trembling under his skin, fighting something I couldn’t see.

"Lewis... about earlier..."

The moment I spoke, he slowly pulled back. He braced himself with one arm and really looked at me eyes scanning my face like he was searching for something important.

But the second his gaze landed on the red mole on my forehead, something inside him shut down.

All that raw emotion vanished.

What replaced it was the cold, guarded look he always wore the stare of an Alpha who had learned to lock everything away. He almost looked... disappointed.

"Sorry," he muttered, his voice flat. He pushed himself away from me and sat heavily against the side of the bed, legs stretched out as if all his strength had drained away.

It startled me.

The Lewis Hale I knew was a fortress. Even with injured legs, he carried the dominance of an Alpha the quiet kind, the controlled kind, the kind that didn’t break easily.

But the man sitting in front of me now... he looked shattered. Empty.

He didn’t look at me again. He didn’t speak. He just stared at the floor, silent and hollow, like he had nothing left.

The silence grew thick and heavy. Almost suffocating. I shifted awkwardly on the rug.

"Um..."

"You " he started at the same time.

We both paused. I let him speak.

Finally, he whispered, "Did you... see her?"

I frowned. "Who?"

He picked up a bottle from the floor not to drink it, but to roll it between his fingers. His voice came out low and rough. "The statue. How did you know?"

Ah. So that was it.

Of course he’d be suspicious. The statue had been hiding a secret no wolf should ever be able to uncover. And then I had walked in and exposed everything in a single night.

With Lewis’s sharp Alpha mind, questions were bound to come.

Luckily, what truly happened was so impossible that no sane wolf would ever believe it.

I nodded slowly. "When I saw the statue yesterday... something felt strange. Like it was calling to me. I can’t explain it it was like an invisible pull. And then suddenly... I saw a girl inside it."

Lewis’s hand froze.

The bottle slipped in his grasp.

His knuckles turned white.

His wolf surged under his skin, restless.

"She wore a white dress," I continued softly. "She looked a lot like me... but she didn’t have this mole."

His expression darkened, eyes stormy.

"And then what happened?" he asked.

I lowered my gaze. "I passed out. And while I was unconscious... I heard a voice. She told me her name was Elena Morrigan. She said she needed my help."

Lewis’s head snapped up.

In a heartbeat, he grabbed my hand too tightly. I gasped softly at the sting. Riley’s body was far more delicate than mine had ever been.

But I didn’t pull away.

His jaw tensed. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

"What else? What else did she tell you?"

I had never seen Lewis like this. Not as a CEO. Not as an Alpha. This was something deeper something personal.

I explained quietly, "She said she was trapped inside the statue. That she couldn’t leave. That no one knew she was there. She begged for someone to help her."

Then I hesitated.

"Lewis... wasn’t Julian’s mate named Elena Morrigan? Could the girl I saw have been her?"

Lewis shut his eyes slowly, like the memory burned him.

"Yes," he whispered. "That was her."

I couldn’t help it. The words slipped out.

"She died a painful death. And someone still used her remains to make a statue and placed it at the entrance of her own pack home. That kind of hatred... it’s not just cruel. It’s evil."

My chest tightened.

Until now, my suspicions toward Camilla had been only guesses... but now things were changing.

Lewis’s eyes darkened, a shadow passing through them cold, controlled anger flickering behind his calm face.

"The patrol and the pack police are on it," he said quietly. "They’ve already started digging deeper. We should have answers soon."

He let out a long, tired breath.

"But even if we find whoever did it... it won’t change anything. She’s still gone."

My chest tightened.

"How can you say that?" I snapped before I could stop myself. "She was murdered. Her body was torn apart. Someone used her remains in the most cruel way a wolf can imagine. We have to find who did this. It’s the only way her spirit will ever rest."

My voice echoed with more heat than I intended. My wolf growled inside me. Because even if no one else knew... they had done this to me.

Lewis’s gaze lingered on me for a long moment.

There was something sharp there. Something too aware.

"You never met Elena," he said softly. "So why do you care so much about her?"

His words made my pulse jump.

He wasn’t accusing me not exactly but he was studying me with the eyes of an Alpha who missed nothing.

Lewis wasn’t like Julian. He didn’t fool easily. He questioned everything. He weighed every reaction and read people like wind reading the trees.

And in that moment, I could feel him trying to connect pieces that shouldn’t fit.

For a heartbeat, I almost told him everything.

That I hadn’t died.

That my wolf refused to vanish.

That I was Elena, in a body that wasn’t originally mine.

But telling him would destroy every plan I had left.

Lewis had never betrayed me... but he belonged to a world that had tried to bury me.

So I forced my face to stay calm and said simply,

"She suffered terribly. And I just want justice for her. It’s the least anyone can do."

Before he could reply, a knock sounded at the door.

Theo’s voice came from outside.

"Alpha Lewis, Gune has arrived."

Lewis didn’t move. His posture was slouched, empty bottles scattered around him. He looked like a wolf who had lost too much in one night.

"I’ll handle it," I said quickly.

He looked like he wanted to protest until I reached out and took his hand gently, but firm enough that he felt it.

"I’m your mate now," I whispered. "Let me take care of things."

He hesitated... then nodded once.

I rose, smoothed my clothes, and opened the door with a calm smile.

Gune stood outside, formal as always. "Is Alpha Lewis unavailable?"

"He’s in the shower," I said smoothly. "Can I help you?"

"Tonight is Ms. Elena’s moon memorial," Gune explained. "As a member of the Hale pack, Alpha Lewis’s presence would stop unnecessary rumors. Alpha Jeffrey requested that he attend."

Of course.

To the outside world, Lewis was a cold Alpha with no heart. It wasn’t surprising they thought he wouldn’t bother showing up.

But I nodded.

"Of course. I’ll make sure he’s there to pay his respects."

"Thank you."

When Gune left, I closed the door gently.

Lewis was still sitting on the floor, staring ahead, lost in thought.

"You heard?" I asked.

He didn’t look up, but his grip tightened slightly on the empty bottle.

"Yeah," he whispered. "I’ll go. I need to... say goodbye."

His voice cracked just a little. Soft. Barely noticeable.

But I heard it.

A small ache formed in my chest.

The Hales always acted cold, but beneath that icy Alpha front... Lewis felt deeply. More deeply than he wanted anyone to know.

I walked to him again and reached for his hand warm, rough, trembling slightly.

"If it’s okay," I whispered, "I’ll go with you."