Alpha's Regret: Losing His True Mate-Chapter 159

Nonna Wilson had no idea she was hosting a funeral.

Well, not a real one. But the marriage between Elodie and Dante was definitely in a coffin, and Nonna was over here serving lasagna like it was a wedding reception.

"Elodie, Liora, come eat!" Nonna beamed, ushering them toward the table. "It’s getting cold!"

"Okay, we’re coming," Elodie said.

"Coming," Dante echoed.

They spoke in perfect unison. Same rhythm. Same polite, and empty tone. It was synchronized swimming in a sea of lies.

Liora skipped ahead, clutching Elodie’s hand, totally oblivious. Levi watched them go, a knot tightening in his stomach. He slid into the seat next to Dante, across from Elodie and the kid.

"Levi, dear!" Nonna chirped, slapping a massive platter of veal onto the table. "You haven’t been here in ages. I told the chef to make the parmigiana just for you. Eat!"

Levi forced a smile. "Thanks, Grandma. You’re trying to kill me with carbs, I see."

"Good! Get fat! Matteo is too skinny, you need to balance it out."

Levi laughed, but it died in his throat. Because he wasn’t looking at Nonna. He was looking at Elodie.

She was serving Liora. It was a picture-perfect moment. She was meticulously picking the tiny bones out of the white fish, her movements graceful. She placed a flake on Liora’s plate.

"There you go, baby," Elodie murmured.

On the surface? Mother of the Year.

But Levi’s skin started to crawl.

He stared at her, trying to figure out the glitch in the matrix. And then, she felt it.

Elodie looked up.

Her eyes locked onto his.

Levi froze. Oh.

That wasn’t the look he was used to. The old Elodie? If he stared at her, she’d give him this shy, hopeful little smile. Like a puppy waiting to be petted. She’d always been awkward around him and Harry, always trying so hard to be liked by Dante’s friends.

This now? This was ice.

It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t sadness. It was just... nothing. She looked at him like he was a chair. Like he was a piece of dust floating in the air. A stranger she had zero interest in knowing.

She hates me, Levi realized. No, worse. She doesn’t care enough to hate me.

And then the really fucked up thought hit him.

He shifted his gaze to Liora.

Elodie was looking back down at her daughter, cooing something soft. But Levi replayed that look in his head. The coldness. It was the same.

The warmth in her voice was a recording. The smile was painted on. But her eyes? Her eyes were dead calm. She was looking at Liora the same way she looked at him.

Like they were both just... props.

Is she faking it? The thought whispered in his brain. Is this a move? Is she acting cold to get Dante’s attention? Like, ’Oh look, I’m so hurt I’m turning into a robot, please notice me’?

It sounded crazy. But it sounded like something a desperate wife would do.

Levi glanced sideways at Dante.

And there it was. The proof.

Dante wasn’t eating. He wasn’t talking to Nonna. He was staring at Elodie. Just... drinking her in. His fork was halfway to his mouth, forgotten. His jaw was tight, his dark eyes narrowed, focused entirely on the woman who had ignored him all day.

He was hooked.

Levi let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Holy shit. She’s playing him.

She wasn’t fighting for custody. She wasn’t begging. She was pulling away, and Dante, Mr. Control Freak, Mr. Alpha CEO of the Bellini Pack, couldn’t stand it.

"Levi!"

Nonna’s voice cracked like a whip.

Levi jumped. "Huh?"

Nonna narrowed her eyes at him, pointing her fork accusingly. "What are you staring at? You’ve been zoning out since you sat down. Eat your food!"

Nonna Wilson wasn’t born yesterday, but she was old enough to miss the obvious sometimes.

She narrowed her eyes at Levi, who’d been staring at Elodie so hard he’d probably burned a hole through her skull. "Levi? Why are you looking at your sister-in-law like that?"

Shit!

Levi’s brain scrambled for an excuse. He couldn’t exactly say, ‘Oh, I’m just wondering why she looks like she’s planning a murder instead of eating lasagna.’

He forced a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "No, no, Grandma. I just... it’s weird, right? She’s usually the one talking Matteo’s ear off. Tonight she’s so quiet. I guess I was just surprised."

It was a lie. A good one.

Nonna’s face fell, the smile dropping right off. She let out a long, suffering sigh and shot a look at Dante. "It’s his fault. That’s what it is."

Dante didn’t even look up from his plate. Just a faint, almost imperceptible twitch of his jaw.

"The girl tried so hard," Nonna muttered, shaking her head. "For years. And him? Stone. A man can’t just ignore his wife like that and expect her to stay the same. He froze her out. Of course she’s quiet now."

Levi glanced at Elodie.

She was... eating. Just eating. She speared a green bean, brought it to her mouth, chewed. Swallowed. Not a single flicker of emotion. It was like Nonna was talking about a neighbor, not her.

”She really doesn’t care, Levi thought, a chill running down his spine. She’s checked out.

Before anyone could say another word, Dante’s phone buzzed.

He pulled it out. One look at the screen, and the whole atmosphere in the room shifted. He stood up so fast his chair scraped loudly against the floor.

"I have to take this," he said.

He walked out onto the terrace, the glass doors sliding shut behind him. Levi watched him pace, hand on his hip, his head bowed. He was only gone for two minutes.

When he came back, he was grabbing his keys. "I have to go. Business."

Business. Right. The only ‘business’ he had at 9 PM on a Tuesday was in a hospital bed downtown.

Liora, perked up. "Dad! I wanna go too!"

Dante paused. "Fine. Get your coat."

Nonna, bless her oblivious heart, clapped her hands. "Elodie! Go with them. Take Liora. It’s a nice night, go for a walk around the gardens."

The room went silent.

Levi held his breath. This was it. The explosion. The screaming. The ‘How dare you ask me to go see your grandson’s mistress’ moment.

Elodie slowly put down her fork. And it clinked.

She dabbed her mouth with her napkin. She looked at Nonna, then at Dante, then at Liora. Her face was a perfect mask.

"I can’t, Grandma," she said. Her voice was light and polite. "I’m meeting a friend later."

Nonna blinked. "Oh. Oh, okay then."

Liora looked visibly relieved. "Bye Mom!"

"Bye, Liora."

Dante didn’t say anything. He just stared at her for one second too long, that dark gaze searching for a crack in the armor. He didn’t find one. He turned and left.

***

The sound of the garage door closing was the sweetest music Elodie had ever heard.

She didn’t rush. She walked to her own car, the little one she’d bought with her own money, not Dante’s and slid into the driver’s seat. The leather was cool against her back.

She didn’t cry. She didn’t scream. She didn’t even feel angry anymore. Anger was for people who still had hope.

She pulled out of the driveway, the tires crunching on the gravel. Once she hit the main road, the streetlights blurring past her windshield, she hit speed dial.

It rang twice.

"Elodie? To what do I owe the—"

"I’m doing it, Johnny," she cut in. “I’m divorcing him."

There was a clatter on the other end, like Johnny dropped his fork. "Wait. What*? Holy shit, really? Did he finally—"

"He gave me the papers tonight," she said, stopping at a red light. She watched a moth batter itself against the streetlamp. "He’s giving me assets. Shares of the company. The house in Milan."

Johnny whistled low. "Okay... that’s... a lot. Is it a trap? Because Bellini Pack lawyers are sharks, El."

"That’s why I’m calling you," she said, a small, cold smile touching her lips. "I need you to find me a lawyer. The best one. Someone who isn’t afraid of Dante. I need them to tear this agreement apart. Every clause. Every footnote. If there’s a single loophole that Sienna can use to screw me over later, I want to know now."

She wasn’t asking for advice. She was giving orders.

Johnny sounded ecstatic now. "Consider it done. I know a guy. He’s a vulture. You’ll love him."

"Good." The light turned green. She pressed the gas. "Send me the number."