Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 298: A good Audience

I don’t know how long Tiffany stood there watching us.

Part of me hoped she would finally understand that waiting for someone who doesn’t choose you will only destroy you. I learned that the hard way once. I paid with my life for loving the wrong person. Chasing someone who doesn’t return your bond doesn’t lead to love. It leads to ruin.

When I looked again, she had disappeared into the crowd.

I barely had time to breathe before something else caught my attention.

Riley.

She had slipped away and was standing far too close to Whitney.

My heart dropped.

Taylor wasn’t far. His eyes kept drifting toward Whitney like a guard checking his territory. The Carlyns were not people to provoke lightly. Even though Whitney was my sister by blood, I couldn’t act like it. Not here. Not in front of them.

Riley knew Whitney’s situation from me. But she was reckless. Brave, yes. Loyal, yes. But reckless.

If Taylor sensed even a hint of a hidden connection, things would turn ugly fast.

I couldn’t walk over. I couldn’t draw attention.

Nina was arguing with Riley again, and Whitney stood there looking lost, like a fragile bird trapped in the wrong flock. She didn’t know who I truly was. She didn’t know Riley either.

As their voices grew louder, Harlan finally stepped in and grabbed Riley’s arm.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

Riley straightened immediately and pointed at Nina. "Your friend is bullying Ms. White. I’m just defending her."

Harlan forced a polite smile and turned toward the Whites. "Sorry. My wife has a temper."

The Whites and the Pearsons had always maintained a smooth relationship. At one point, they had even considered a union between their families. No one wanted to damage that balance.

James laughed lightly. "It’s fine. Young people are passionate. Maybe if Mrs. Pearson spends more time with Nina, they’ll become friends instead of enemies."

Riley’s eyes sparkled in a way that made me nervous. "Sure, Mr. James. I’ll come visit more often to see my sister!"

Nina’s face twisted. "Who’s your sister? That’s disgusting."

I tightened my grip on my fork.

Riley was trying to get close to Whitney by using Nina as an excuse. She thought she was being clever.

She had no idea how dangerous this game was.

If something happened to her because of this... how would I ever explain that to Mom?

Fear rising in my chest, I quickly moved Lewis away from the scene. I couldn’t let Riley expose anything by accident.

Outside, the night air was cooler. But from the gazebo nearby, I heard sobbing.

"I like Lewis!" Tiffany’s voice broke as she cried. "I thought if I waited long enough, he would notice me. But he married that substitute! Aunt, please help me!"

I glanced over without meaning to.

A woman stood beside Tiffany, her back facing me. She wore a black gown decorated with large red roses. Her posture was elegant. Her hair was pinned up with a crystal hairpin. From behind, she looked young late twenties, maybe early thirties.

But Tiffany called her aunt.

The woman didn’t speak at first. She simply wiped Tiffany’s tears gently.

"I told you before," she said calmly. "It’s impossible between you two."

"Why?" Tiffany cried. "What makes me worse than that fake?"

She stopped abruptly when she noticed Lewis and me moving toward the car. She grabbed the woman’s hand and quickly walked away.

Something about that exchange sat heavily in my chest.

When we got into the car, I couldn’t stop thinking about that woman.

"Lewis," I asked quietly, "what’s your connection to the Doltons?"

He intertwined his fingers with mine before answering.

"Years ago, when I left Snowville to build my own power, my leg hadn’t fully healed. I got involved in a project that threatened some dangerous people. They caught me at my weakest and threw me into the sea."

My chest tightened.

"Tiffany’s father saved me," he continued. "The Doltons are not a powerful family, but they’re decent. I owed him my life. We kept in contact after that. That’s how Tiffany became attached to me."

"So she’s been chasing you ever since?" I asked.

"Yes."

I smiled slightly. "And how did she know I was the one you liked?"

Lewis’s ears turned faintly pink.

"I didn’t hide it," he admitted. "When I was abroad, my phone screen was your photo. I kept your picture in my wallet. Even in my office."

I laughed softly. "You left traces of me everywhere?"

"Everywhere," he said without shame.

It made sense. Anyone close to him would have noticed.

"But the Hales didn’t know?" I asked.

"They weren’t close enough," he replied.

I hesitated before asking, "Have you met her aunt?"

"Yes," he said. "She’s kind. Every time I visited, she would cook my favorite dishes."

"Is she married?"

"No. Divorced. No children. She often stays at the family house. Why are you asking?"

I shrugged lightly. "She has a... striking figure."

He didn’t look convinced. His eyes stayed on me.

I laughed. "Alright. It just felt strange. The way Tiffany asked her for help. It didn’t sound like a niece asking for advice. It sounded like someone looking for backup."

Lewis squeezed my hand. "Elena. I swear, I have nothing to do with her."

"I know," I said gently. "I trust you. Maybe we should visit your benefactor someday."

He tapped my nose softly. "Anything you want. Just never doubt how I feel about you."

I rested my head against his chest.

Marriage bond, trust, territory was built on faith.

Still, when I thought about that woman who never turned around, something uneasy stirred in me.

Why had Tiffany sounded so desperate? Why did that aunt feel like more than just a relative?

Maybe I was overthinking.

When we returned home, Lewis noticed I was quieter than usual.

"What’s on your mind?" he asked.

I didn’t want to plant suspicion where there was none. The Doltons had saved his life. That mattered.

As I fastened the stone back around my neck, I said, "Nothing. I’m just tired."

"Let me help you relax," he murmured.

His hands slid to my waist, warm and sure. His breath brushed against my skin, slow and heavy. The bond between us pulsed gently, drawing us closer without effort.

"Elena," he whispered, "you looked beautiful tonight."

"Lewis..." I breathed.

We moved together easily, in quiet harmony. No doubt. No hesitation. Just the steady pull of two people who chose each other.

Then

"Sis, I need to talk to you. Urgh! What are you two doing?!"

Riley’s voice shattered the moment.

Lewis’s expression darkened instantly. In one swift motion, he pulled his jacket around me, shielding me from view. His presence shifted, sharp and territorial.

"Mrs. Pearson," he said coldly, "this is my house."

Riley looked guilty. "I I just came to sleep over with Elena. I didn’t expect you two to be so... eager."

"Don’t you have your own place?" Lewis snapped.

He pulled out his phone and called Harlan immediately. "Where you are is irrelevant. Come and take your wife home. Now."

Moments later, Harlan appeared in the living room. One glance at me wrapped in Lewis’s arms was enough for him to understand.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I’ll take her."

Before Riley could protest properly, he lifted her over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

Honestly, she has legs. He didn’t need to carry her like that.

Riley kicked and flailed. "Put me down! Harlan, I’m not going home with you!"

"If not home, then where?" he shot back.

"I still have something important to tell my sister!"

Her voice faded as he carried her down the hallway and out the door.

Silence settled over the house again.

Lewis looked down at me, his expression slowly softening.

And just like that, the storm passed at least for tonight.