Mated To The Crippled Alpha-Chapter 190: Weddings

The kind where your instincts rise before your mind does. Where something inside you stiffens, quietly warning you to step back.

That was what I felt when I looked at Vito.

There was something careless in the way he watched people. Like he was amused by them. Like he saw everyone as pieces on a board.

Just as I was about to look away, he started walking toward me.

I lifted my glass of red wine and kept my face calm. In pack gatherings like this, composure is survival. You never show unease.

"You must be Mrs. Hale," he said, his tone warm but edged with something playful.

I nodded. "And you are?"

"Vito," he replied smoothly. "You’re stunning. You remind me of someone I used to know."

My fingers tightened slightly around the stem of my glass.

"Someone you used to know?" I asked lightly. "Many people say I resemble the late Ms. Morrigan. Is that who you mean?"

His smile deepened.

"Exactly. I met Ms. Morrigan years ago at a banquet. Her death was... unfortunate."

Unfortunate.

The word felt deliberate.

I searched my memory. I had no recollection of him. No scent of familiarity. No flicker of recognition from the past life I carried.

So why bring it up?

Why look at me like that?

"Mr. Blackwell," I said smoothly, "today is Camilla’s celebration. Let’s not darken it with old tragedies. My husband has arrived. I should join him."

"Of course," he said easily, stepping aside.

But even as I walked away, I could still feel his gaze between my shoulder blades.

Across the lawn, Lewis was surrounded by a group of pack elders and business allies. He looked calm, but I knew.’ Gatherings like this drained him. Too many eyes. Too many layered intentions.

I slipped into his side naturally.

He leaned closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear.

"What did Vito say to you?"

"Not much," I replied. "Just that I resemble Elena."

Lewis’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

"Stay away from him."

He rarely warned me like that.

Lewis is not a man who fears easily. If someone unsettled him, it meant he had sensed something deeper. Something beneath manners and polite smiles.

I nodded immediately. "I will."

A mate bond isn’t just affection. It’s awareness. When he feels danger, I don’t ignore it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vito move toward Jake.

So they knew each other.

That explained his presence.

Still, something about him felt too calculated. Too interested.

And then I remembered the woman he had once taken away.

A faint chill slid down my spine.

Was she somewhere hidden now? Locked in some quiet, airless room? Smiling in public while fading in private?

I found myself glancing up at the top floor of the Morrigan estate.

Vivian.

If she was still alive, she was probably being kept upstairs. Out of sight. Out of the way. Madness is inconvenient at weddings.

The music below was lively. Laughter rang out. Glasses clinked.

But beneath it all, I felt it.

Tension.

Lewis gently tugged my hand, grounding me.

"Let’s head back," he said quietly. "Nothing’s going to happen tonight."

I nodded.

He was right.

The real reckoning would come tomorrow. Tonight was only the calm before the storm.

Back in our room, sleep refused to come. I sat by the window, staring at the streetlights outside the estate. The night was clear. No snow. No soft white blanket to cover old wounds.

"What are you thinking about?" Lewis asked softly as he rolled closer to me.

"It didn’t snow today," I murmured. "It feels strange."

He studied me for a moment. "It’s not the snow you miss," he said gently. "It’s the memories. You’re thinking about the night before your wedding, aren’t you?"

He always sees through me.

I rested my hand over my stomach, still flat. Still empty.

"Yes," I admitted. "That night was unbearable. I knew the truth about Julian and Camilla. I wanted to expose them in front of everyone. I wanted to tear down the lies. But I was afraid."

My voice trembled.

"I knew if I did it, I would become the enemy of both packs. The Morrigan would cast me out. The Hales would reject me. I would have nowhere to go. No territory. No protection. Just me... and the child I was carrying."

I swallowed hard.

"I didn’t sleep at all that night. I kept thinking about what kind of world I was bringing him into."

From my wedding night to Camilla’s wedding banquet, only two months had passed.

But in those two months, my world had shattered and rebuilt itself in fire.

Lewis’s expression darkened with quiet pain.

"Elena," he said softly, "it’s behind you now. Maybe... maybe Joy not making it into this world was mercy."

I gave a faint, bitter smile.

"You’re right. Even if I hadn’t miscarried, he wouldn’t have survived that chaos. There was too much hatred around me. Too much instability. At least... at least he hadn’t fully formed yet."

The memory still clawed at my chest.

Lewis moved closer. His scent wrapped around me, steady and warm. Protective. The kind of presence that makes your instincts settle.

"Don’t stay in that pain," he murmured. "We’ll have children one day. Strong ones. Loved ones. How about we name our first child Joy?"

My heart tightened.

Joy.

I pressed the button, and the electric curtains slid shut behind him. The outside world disappeared. It was just us now.

I leaned into his neck, and the tears finally fell.

"Lewis..."

He cupped my face, wiping my tears slowly with his thumb.

"Don’t blame yourself," he said firmly. "You were alone back then. No Alpha stood in front of you. No one shielded you. That was not your failure. That was theirs."

His voice was calm, but beneath it I could feel the restrained fury. The instinct to hunt down anything that had ever hurt me.

"Joy knows you loved him," he continued. "If souls choose where to return... he’ll choose you again. And this time, he won’t be alone. He’ll have me. He’ll have a pack. He’ll grow up knowing safety."

Even though I knew he was trying to comfort me, his words warmed something deep inside my chest.

Lewis can be ruthless in a room full of enemies.

But here, with me, he is unbearably gentle.

I leaned close to his ear, my lips brushing his skin.

"Lewis..." I whispered. "Tonight... I want to belong to you completely."

His hand slid to my waist, holding me as if I were something precious and breakable.

"You already belong to me," he murmured. "Not because I claim you. But because you chose me."

His forehead rested against mine. Our breaths mingled.

The bond between us pulsed quietly, not loud, not overwhelming just steady. Certain.

Outside, the night remained silent.

Inside, he gathered me into his arms, and for the first time in a long while, the past loosened its grip.

Tomorrow would bring war.

But tonight, I was safe.

And I was his.