Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 330: Theo set his trap

Ever since Theo set his trap, my days had been filled with restless fear. My instincts stayed on edge, like the air before a storm. I needed to see Lewis. Not just hear his voice. Not just feel him through the bond. I needed to stand in front of him and breathe him in.

The night before, we had parted too fast. I didn’t even get a proper look at him. But now, under the soft lights of the exhibition hall, I saw everything.

He had cleaned up just for me. The rough stubble I saw during our call was gone. His hair was neat, every strand in place. He didn’t want me to see him worn down. But I could still tell. He had lost weight. His face was sharper. Harder. His presence carried that quiet dominance that made other Alphas step back without knowing why.

He looked like he had been fighting alone.

I reached up, wanting to smooth the tight line between his brows. I wanted to say his name. My throat closed.

"Elena, come with me," he said, his voice low and controlled. "I can’t leave you with the Blackwells anymore."

His tone wasn’t just protective. It was territorial.

I shook my head and grabbed his phone. My fingers moved quickly.

Whitney has a tracker inside her. I don’t know where. The Morrigan estate is rigged. If we take her, we trigger everything.

He read it once and pulled me into his arms immediately. His body wrapped around mine like a shield. His scent filled my lungs, steady and grounding.

"We deal with Whitney later," he said firmly. "Vito hasn’t touched her in years. That means he won’t rush now. But you?" His grip tightened. "If they discover you, it’s over."

His logic was calm. Too calm. The kind leaders use when they’ve already decided.

"We fought too hard to get here," he continued. His forehead pressed against mine. "I know you can’t leave her. But tell me... can you leave me?"

The question sliced through me.

His icy mask was gone. In its place was something raw. Almost desperate.

"Carl," I mouthed silently.

Inside me, two instincts tore at each other. My loyalty to my mate. My promise to Whitney.

If it were anyone else from that pack, I would walk away without looking back. But Whitney wasn’t an enemy. She was trapped. Just like I had been.

I remembered her face when I returned. The way her eyes lit up. She wanted me to escape. But she also didn’t want to be alone again.

Lewis would burn the world down for me. I knew that. If I died, he wouldn’t survive it. The bond would destroy him from the inside.

He didn’t know I had already lost the Stone of Duality. If I fell now, my fate would not drag him with me.

Every day with the Blackwells felt like standing on the edge of a blade. One wrong move and everything would end.

My mind told me to leave.

My heart refused.

I clutched his jacket, pressing my face against his chest. The world doesn’t give us everything. We always lose something.

I loved him.

I loved Whitney too.

His fingers brushed my cheek softly. "Elena... don’t you want a child?" His voice turned gentle, almost coaxing. "Come home with me. We’ll build our own pack. Fill it with children. Strong ones. Beautiful ones."

I almost laughed.

This Alpha. Trying to tempt me with pups.

I hid my face against him and listened to his heartbeat. Strong. Steady. Familiar. I didn’t answer him. I couldn’t promise him anything.

Whitney had suffered for twenty years.

But he had waited twenty years for me.

No matter what I chose, someone would bleed.

"Carl," I whispered weakly, "please don’t force me."

He sighed. It sounded tired.

"Alright," he said. "I won’t force you."

Relief barely had time to bloom before our eyes locked. His gaze was deep. Decided.

Then everything happened too fast.

He pulled out a white cloth. I barely had time to react before he pressed it over my nose and mouth. A strange scent filled my lungs.

"I’m sorry, Elena."

My body went weak instantly. I tried to fight it, but the strength drained from my limbs.

"I’ve never been good," he murmured as darkness swallowed me. "Forgive me for being selfish. There will never be anyone more important than you. I won’t let you die."

The last thing I felt was his arms holding me tightly.

For the first time...

My Alpha chose for me.

Outside, Yael had been distracted by a cleaning staff member. Lewis carried me out of the exhibition hall like I was nothing more than a sleeping mate being taken home.

Meanwhile, Whitney and Riley sat inside, unaware.

Neither of them had ever attended something like this before. The lights. The music. The flowing fabrics that shimmered like moonlight on water.

Riley’s eyes sparkled as she leaned toward Whitney. "That ombre fringe dress would look perfect on you. You’d be stunning."

Whitney hesitated. Surviving had always been her only goal. She never had the space to think about beauty. Or desire.

But deep inside, she was still a girl.

Her eyes lingered on the dresses. Soft. Hopeful.

Vito noticed.

For a moment, she didn’t look like a broken captive. She looked alive. Like the child he once knew. The one who used to smile without fear.

"You’d look beautiful in anything," Riley insisted, grinning.

Whitney shook her head quickly. "It’s too much."

Riley didn’t care about money. She had grown up drowning in it. Numbers meant nothing to her. In her past life, she hadn’t known how to spend it. Others had used it instead.

This time, she wouldn’t hold back.

She ordered the dress. And accessories. And more. Soon, staff placed bags at their feet.

When the show ended, Yael appeared in front of them.

"Where’s the mute girl?" he demanded.

Riley blinked innocently. "Mute girl? Who?"

"The one who came with you."

Riley frowned. "Didn’t she go to the restroom? She hasn’t come back?"

The exhibition had lasted three hours. His men had searched everywhere.

Someone had taken me.

And he already knew who.

Lewis.

Yael’s gaze darkened. He suspected Riley. But he had no proof. And even if he did, he had no right to accuse her.

After all, he was the one who forced me to stay.

He leaned closer, voice cold and heavy with command. "If you’re involved, tell her this she’ll regret running from me."

The threat carried the weight of dominance. It made the air colder.

Riley swallowed but kept her expression steady. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. We barely spoke."

Yael smirked.

"She’ll regret it."

And somewhere between darkness and waking, I felt the bond pull me toward home whether I chose it or not.