HELIO’S POV
Rosalia and I were led into the mansion.
None of this felt real as I watched everyone run up and down the mansion.
I was still in shock about what happened.
I couldn’t stop looking down at my hands.
The blood on them drying.
I’d killed a man.
Lorenzo wasn’t my favourite person, but that didn’t mean I wanted him dead.
Then again death was the only way we were going to resolve this.
Except I thought it would be me.
I barely spoke to him all my life, I barely knew him.
All those times he fought me growing up, I didn’t resent him.
And that was fine with me.
He was in his world, Mara and I were in ours.
All I wanted was to provide for Mara and leave Salvador in three years when sh’e old enough to go to university.
Not for all of this to happen.
We were led back into mansion by the servant.
I glanced at Rosalia beside me.
She appeared relatively calm with a serious expression.
I know she did it to help herself but I’m shocked she revealed her secret.
There was no taking it back after this.
Several servant eyed me in either shock or hatred as we walked past.
I was fully prepared to die in that moment against the Salvador Pack.
Only for Rosalia wolf to appear before me.
She claimed me in front of the pack despite everything.
I knew she was dangerous from how she handled her wedding.
However, to completely turn the tables and convince Gabriele to spare me was incomprehensible.
More importantly I hadn’t disclosed the fact that I was wolfless to her when we formed our bond.
However, she doesn’t seem upset by it.
At least she hasn’t confronted me about it yet.
We arrived at Rosalia’s room first.
We agreed to talk later.
I was led to a room down the hall close to Rosalia’s.
“Gabriele has ordered this to be your room for now. A doctor will come to tend to your wounds soon.”
I would be a ‘guest’ like Rosalia until everything was resolved.
The glares were even worse than from when I was growing up and I was simply the bastard.
Great.
Salvador wants me dead.
At the very least I’d protected Mara.
I ran straight to the bathroom and washed the blood off my hands and then I returned to the main bedroom.
I sat on the bed for moment as the days events played over in my mind.
That’s when the pain came crashing into my body.
The adrenaline had worn off.
Pretty sure I’d broken a few ribs and and not mention my shoulder which had dislocated and felt like it was throbbing.
A doctor soon came to my room and attended to my wounds.
Salvador didn’t have a healer but I knew Lorenzo was trying to find one.
My whole life I’d never received any kind of medical care.
It was just Nigel and I.
So this was a first.
After a shower and a change of clothes was I ready to talk to Nigel and Mara.
“What the actual fuck is happening?” Nigel asked.
“I don’t know,” I told him truthfully.
“The situation escalated so quickly,” I told him.
“You are one reckless dude to pull out a gun like that.
“Do you know what everyone is saying?” Nigel asked.
I looked at him.
“What?”
“Everyone is now talking about Rosalia having a gift and you possibly becoming Alpha. They think you did it on purpose. Some mastermind planner who intended to take the throne.”
“Oh my god,” I said and sat down on the bed.
“Yeah, it looks bad,” Nigel went on.
“That being said ,are you ready to take over Salvador?”
“I don’t know. I’m still processing everything,” I explained to him.
I would worry about that later.
“Wonder what Gabriele will do now but I guess if you become Alpha we wont have to worry about that.”
“So that’s why you bonded Ramirez’s woman you knew she had the power?” He asked.
“Yeah,” I replied.
She literally put” I’m not sure,” I told him.
Perhaps she’d explain when I talked to her later.
We talked for a little while before Nigel had to go and clock in for his next sentinel shift.
“I have to go talk to Mara,” I said and we exited my room.
I went to where she was being held.
Upon entering her room I found Mara seated on her bed drawing something in her sketchbooks.
“Helio,” she said looking up at me.
She ran toward me got up and jumped into my arms.
“Watch the ribs I’m in pain,” I told her.
Back int he front courtyard I was still feeling the adrenaline so I didn’t feel the impact of her hug at the time.
“Oh sorry,” she said and broke away from me.
“I’m just so glad you’re alive she said.
“Lorenzo promised me that he wouldn’t hurt you as long as I listened to him,” she explained.
“I thought it was all for nothing
My hands curled into fists.
It pissed me off how he used me to manipulate Mara.
“Have you talked to my mother?” She asked me.
I shook my head.
“No. But we will both see her soon,” I assured her.
“Just need to hang tight for a couple of days until this gets resolves.
I recalled the way Mara’s mother had cried when she found out Mara was getting married off to Alpha Mendez.
The wails of a mother losing a child are haunting.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” I apologised to her.
“What’s going to happen now? Does it mean I’m not going to get sold anymore?” She asked.
“I don’t know if I’ll become Alpha but yeah, the deal with Mendez is ruined.” I assured her.
However, I didn’t know what that meant in the future or what the repercussions would be.
“Rosalia was amazing the way she jumped in and stopped the sentinels from attacking you,” she praised.
“I’m happy it turned I didn’t go but you weren’t supposed.
You could have died today if
“But how did you get bonded to Rosalia?
What happened.
“I should have known that the only way you were going to get a mate was is it were forced,” Mara said to me.
“I’m happy for you. You might actually forget about Natalie now.”
I flinched at the mention of her name.