The Alpha Behind The Mask-Chapter 105: Scared

Aurora’s POV

​I looked at my hands, feeling my stomach twist with nerves. This was the part of my life I kept locked away in the dark, but I knew I had to tell him. We were finally getting to know each other, and it only felt right that he knew the truth about me too.

​I swallowed hard and forced my lips to move. "My family was... perfect," I whispered. "My parents. My older brother, James. Everything was good... until my fourteenth birthday."

​The memory hit me like a movie playing in my mind. I could almost smell the awful, sharp scent of gunpowder.

"Three masked men broke into our home. They shot my parents and my brother, leaving me behind. Actually, they never even knew I was in the kitchen, hiding."

​I risked a look at Oliver. His eyes softened instantly. He looked like he wanted to cry for me, his grip on my hand tightening as my own eyes started to get blurry with tears.

​"I fainted," I continued, my voice shaking. "When I woke up, I was screaming for them. I couldn’t stop. It broke something inside me. I lost my sanity, Oliver. I was admitted into an asylum."

​I saw his eyes widen. He didn’t look at me with judgment, only with a deep, painful shock.

​"I stayed there for two years. Eventually, I got better, but I had nothing left. I didn’t know any of my parents’ relatives. Nothing."

I wiped at my tears.

"My father’s best friend took me in." I choked back a sob, the anger rising in my throat. "But he was a pervert. He wanted to take advantage of me. I was only sixteen. When I realized he was going to force himself on me, I knew I had to leave. I ran away, and he never looked for me."

​I took a shaky breath, trying to compose myself.

​"I lived in a youth shelter for a while. I spent my days in the public library. I used their computers to teach myself everything I had missed. I studied for hours, and I eventually passed my high school equivalency exams."

​Oliver’s thumb rubbed soothing circles over my knuckles, urging me to continue.

​"I didn’t have the luxury of a four-year university, Oliver. I had to survive. I worked as a waitress and a cleaner, saving every penny I had. I put myself through an accelerated business training program at a private vocational college. I graduated at the top of my class with a Business Management Certificate, which I believe you already know about."

​I swallowed hard and looked up at him, my face wet with tears. "My brother James... he didn’t die. According to my father’s best friend, he sold our home and all my father’s properties to foot my brother’s bills for the two years I was at the asylum. When I ran away, I was left with the bill for his treatment, which has been piling up."

Silence filled the room.

"I got a job at a club..." ​I paused, trying to find the words. I couldn’t bring myself to say it was a BDSM club. "The pay is a little better compared to my old job as a waitress, and then... I got this job with you."

​I lifted my eyes to his, my face wet with tears.

"That’s... everything."

For a moment, Oliver didn’t speak. Then slowly, he reached out and pulled me into his chest, tucking my head under his chin. He held me so tight I could feel his heartbeat. It was fast and heavy, matching my own.

​"You are the strongest person I have ever met, Aurora," he murmured into my hair. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

​He kept stroking my hair gently. "This friend of your father... where is he now?"

​I swallowed hard. "I don’t know. We never crossed paths again."

​"Do you know his name?" he asked.

​I nodded and told him the name. He hummed quietly, a sound that made me feel uneasy. I lifted my head and looked at him. "Why are you asking?"

​He didn’t respond, but I knew that look. He was up to something.

​He ignored my question and shifted his focus. "The assassins. Do you suspect anyone? Did your father ever talk about having a fight with anyone? Do you remember anything at all?"

​I knew why Oliver was asking. He wanted to help. He wanted to find out who they were to give me justice. But the funny thing was that I already knew who the leader was. It was Raymond. The same man I had fallen for. The same man I loved.

​How could I tell him that?

​Oliver continued, his eyes filled with protective anger. "Aurora, if you have any clue, if you remember anything at all, please tell me. Let me help you. Let me give you justice."

​My lips were sealed. I couldn’t say a word. How could I tell him that I was in love with one of the men who ruined my life?

​"I don’t have any clue," I lied, my heart racing.

​He sighed and nodded. "No problem, darling. All I need you to do is provide me the information on your parents. Their names, their old business. I will look into it myself."

​I panicked. If he started digging, he would discover Raymond. I knew Oliver had connections and power. If he found out the truth, what would he do? He would punish him. He might even kill him.

​The thought of Raymond being caught was supposed to make me happy, but I felt sick instead. No. I couldn’t let Oliver find him.

​"No," I said quickly, my voice rising. "You don’t have to do that. Please, just leave it alone."

​"You don’t have to be scared, Aurora," Oliver assured me, trying to comfort me. He reached for my hand again, but I pulled back. I could feel the heat of his gaze, that royal determination to fix everything, to hunt down everyone who had ever touched me. "I have the resources to find them. I can make sure they never hurt anyone again. I can give you the justice you deserve."

​"I don’t want justice," I snapped. The words were sharp, echoing in the room. "I just want to forget. Please, Oliver, just let it stay in the past. It’s buried. Let it stay there."

​He frowned. He wasn’t angry, but he wasn’t backing down either. That was the problem with a King—they didn’t understand the word "no" when they thought they were protecting something.

​"I can’t just leave it alone," he countered, stepping closer. "If there are men out there who did this to your family, they are a threat to you. Tell me their names. Tell me where your father worked. Give me something to go on."

​"No!" I shouted.

​The panic finally boiled over. My heart raced faster. I couldn’t tell him. If he started digging, he would find Raymond, and he would kill him. And me? I couldn’t imagine it.

​Unable to breathe properly in the room, I turned and ran. I didn’t look back to see if he was following. I sprinted through the long hallway, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps. I fumbled with the heavy front door of the penthouse, finally wrenching it open and bursting out onto the private terrace.

​The evening air hit me like a bucket of ice water, calming my nerves. I inhaled deeply, trying to force the air into my lungs, but it felt like I was breathing in glass.

​My eyes were instantly filled with tears, blurring my sight. I leaned my forehead against the railing and let out a broken sob.

I was trapped.

I was in love and protecting the man who destroyed my life.