“How long has she been like this?” Amanda asks in a worried tone, checking Amara’s vitals. The child is white, pale white and immobile and she has a fever, her temperature is high and heart rate is slow. Amanda looks up at Leila who is looking down at her child in perpetual sadness, nibbling away at fingers, her eyes red and puffy with dark bags underneath her sleep deprived eyes, fear gyrating back and forth in her heart, worry taking command of her mind, she cannot sleep, she cannot think straight, she cannot do anything. All she feels is anguish and pain. She should be the one lying down on the bed, Amara should be hale and hearty, she will gladly trade places. She looks away and she starts to cry again. She just doesn’t know what is going on, no one seems to know what is wrong with her daughter, three hospitals and four paediatric specialists and no one can figure out what is wrong. Four days ago, Amara was hale and hearty. She returned from the playground with Tatum and would
The sound of her scream makes them all run into the room just as Katrina struggles to her feet, her forehead torn open and blood covering her face.“Maledictio,” Katrina mutters with fear rapt in her dark eyes as she points at Amara, “tenebris maledictio.”“What is she saying? What is she saying?” Leila asks frantically, hugging Amara on the floor. “What have you done to my daughter? I can barely hear her heartbeat.”Leila lunges from the floor, ready to tear the scared witch to pieces when Kelvin blocks her path.“I think this is beyond her Leila. What she said was latin, she says it’s a curse, a dark curse.”“A curse?” Leila’s heart throbs in fear as shock grips her. “Who would curse a child?”This has to be when she went out with Tatum.She should never have allowed them to go out together alone, what is wrong with her? What was she thinking? Everyone in this pack hates her, they see her as their enemy and they know Amara is her child.What if one of them cursed her daughter? What
How could anyone curse a child, a child so sweet and harmless? Leila questions herself as she gets into her car, her vision blurred in tears, her heart soaked in fear as she drives to Tatum’s office. The first name that comes to her mind is Carmela, she once tried to kill her baby in the womb and she cannot put this beyond her even if she has no proof. Carmela is as vile and as wicked as they come and goddess help her, if she finds out that Carmela has anything to do with this, she will no longer sek revenge the proper way that she plans to, no, she will rip Carmela’s heart out and spit on her fucking dead body. She doesn’t know where Tatum is but she has to find him, he keeps blocking her mindlinks. She pulls up to the packhouse, ignores the people staring at her, breezes past the ones who try to walk up to her to make small talk, skips fucking protocol and procedures to see the Alpha and she goes into Tatum’s office but he isn’t there, it doesn’t even look like he has been here i
Leila wraps her other hand around Carmela’s throat and squeezes in a tight grasp.“Do you feel that, my claws grazing your heart, the air being cut from your lungs?” She asks, her voice blended with her wolf’s, cold as ice, her aura blazing around her, suffocating and powerful.Carmela nods gently, fear in her eyes as tears stream out of them.“Good,” Leila replies, feeling Carmela’s heart pound with fear in her hands. “Remember this feeling, because if I find out you have anything to do with the curse on my child, this is the last feeling you’re going to get before I kill you.”“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Carmela grunts in pain, “I was only asking for her welfare, she’s a sweet girl.”Leila plunges her hand deeper, slicing into Carmela’s heart and Carmela yells in pain, hot tears flowing down her eyes.“And if I ever see you anywhere near my house again…I better not see you,” Leila snarls, retracting her claws and she pulls her hands out of Carmela’s chest, wipes the b
Leila quickly wipes her face with the back of her hands and rolls down her car window. “Hi,” she says sharply, fruitlessly trying to put some cheer on her face, “I never got your name the other day.” “Antonio,” he smile widens, “but you can call me whatever you like kitten.” He winks at her. “Can you not call me that? I don’t even know you,” Leila’s brows furrow as she squints at him, a small frown on her face. “But I do know you little mate,” his smile remains plastered. Leila suddenly feels the involuntary change in her emotions just like last time when she could no longer feel fear. Her sorrow drowning, the anguish bleeding away, the pain in her heart dissipating and she knows it’s not her doing. Why does that happen in his presence? Is he the one taking away these emotions or does it have something to do with this whole second chance mate theory? “I’m not going to ask why you are crying but I’m going to get in your car, we’re going to go for a drink and we are going to che
Leila is about to reply when she gets a mindlink from Tatum and she looks away from Antonio to the cars driving past the window outside as she hears Tatum’s voice. For some reason, she doesn’t want Tatum to see her mysterious second chance mate.‘I was told you came by the office, I’m there now.’‘I’ll be on my way,’ Leila replies and drops the mindlink, turning back to face Antonio but he’s gone and in place of him is a note on the table.[I’ll see you soon, kitten. Antonio.]Leila picks up the note and gazes around but there is absolutely no sign of him and she smiles.There is something about Antonio that scares and excites her at the same time. She puts his note in her purse and heads to Tatum’s office.The moment Tatum hears Leila coming, he pulls open the drawer on his table, frantically putting away the drugs he just took and tosses the syringes into the trash can, simultaneously increasing the blow rate on his air freshener to hide any smell of medicine that may linger in the
“Thank you,” Leila replies. She did not expect him to agree so easily. There is a reason wraith-kons don’t live within a pack, they are rumoured to bring death and destruction with them, wherever they go. Tatum should be aware of this, he’s the first person who told her about wraith-kons even before she found out her grandmother was one but he doesn’t seem to care about that. Does she tell him about the curse on Amara? She doesn’t want him anywhere near her anymore, right? But she is still his child and he is an Alpha, he may have connections to someone who might be able to help as well. “Would that be all?” Tatum’s curt voice snap her attention back to him. “Yes,” Leila replies, noticing the way his eyes are completely stoic and unreadable and his demeanour is cold. Why does that bother her? How long has it been since he found out they were mates? Has it been a while or did he just find out when she returned? He is getting ready to marry Carmela, he should be talking of rejec
“Sister, huh?” Leila whispers to Kelvin as she ushers them inside.Kelvin glances at her and the guilt in his eyes tug something in Leila’s heart.Could this Tatiana be the reason Kelvin has been scarce around her for some days now? Does he like Tatiana? She’s the first lady she has seen Kelvin with in a long time and he even brought Tatiana to her house.“Make yourself comfortable, just want to have a quick chat with Leila,” Kelvin sits Tatiana on the couch and gestures for Leila to come with him.“I know this is going to sound crazy but–”“You’re seeing her?”Leila cannot stop herself from asking, watching Kelvin’s eyes carefully.“What? No, yes, I mean, look–” Kelvin pauses and heaves a deep sigh. “She has witch blood.”He glances at Tatiana from over the counter before he turns back to Leila and Leila does not miss the admiration in his eyes. “She’s one of the new employees in my firm, we’ve had a few drinks, nothing serious but today over lunch, I was quite distracted because
“Welcome to my humble and temporary abode Angel,” Leo smiles at Leila, opening his arms for a hug. Leila keeps her face grim, her feet rooted to the spot, barely any amusement in her eyes as she stares at Leo blankly. “My bad,” he chuckles and drops his hands, “we’re not friends yet, according to you. I’m glad you took up my offer. Come, I’ll introduce you to everyone.” Leila narrows her eyes at him as she walks in behind him. His men do not bow or show any sign of respect or anything like that as Leo walks past them. Everyone is just going about their normal duty and activities as if they cannot even see him. Even Tatum who doesn’t force anyone to respect him will not have his men just lazing about when he walks in with a guest. Is Leo really this jovial with his men or is this all an act for her to drop her guard? Make her feel like he is a warm and homely person? She only has one mission here today and that is to find her daughter. Whatever theatrics and schemes Leo has up hi
“I think you should go Leila,” Jenny says later that evening after Leila tells her of her encounter with Leo and how he both directly and indirectly gave her an invitation to his camp. Leila looks at Jenny with shock, not expecting her to say that, “can you even hear yourself? It’s an obvious trap. He already has Amara, if he kidnaps me too, then what happens?” Jenny frowns, “you’re both invitees of the king and I know where you’re going, he can’t actually kidnap you if you walk in there with your feet. This may be our only chance to confirm if he really has Amara in there or not.” Leila sighs, a sad and conflicted look on her face. Jenny has a point but it is also risky too. The Leo she met is a far cry from what she thought him to be but of course, that too might just be pretense. “I have an idea,” Jenny’s face lights up as Leila raises her head to face her, “to ensure Leo cannot do anything silly when you get to the camp, we just have to make the king aware of your visit to Leo’
What does he want with her? Is he going to— “I thought I told you boys to back off, are you trying to scare the lady?” Leo’s voice breaks into her thoughts and she looks at him with eyes agape in shock, then squinted in suspicion. “Alpha, we’re only doing our duty, it’s not safe for you to roam these streets alone, considering our current standing with the king,”one of his men replies. “The angel here knows a thing or two about standings with the king and she’s roaming, is she not? Unless you boys think a woman can handle what your Alpha can’t.” “Of course not Alpha,” the guy immediately goes on one knee and bows to Leo. Leo rolls his eyes and frowns, “you’re always too serious Dexter, I meant that as a joke but if you thought so, you wouldn’t be wrong, this lady here is a special one.” The discomfort in Leila’s heart grows and a tinge of fear rises in her from the words of Leo. He was somehow able to find out that Amara is Tatum’s daughter, what else does he know? Does he know h
“This mysterious savior of yours seems to be one of a kind,” Jenny says after Leila recounts her ordeal at Leo’s camp to her. “I guess he is,” Leila replies, her eyes holding a conflicted look, her thoughts still unsettled about the probable identity of the man and his proximity when her life is in danger. “Jenny.” “Yeah.” “Is it possible for one’s wolf to change, maybe by magic or a spell?” “Why do you ask?” Jenny squints, her face becoming doused with scrutiny and a hint of sudden realisation, “wait. You don’t think it’s Tatum, do you?” “I don’t know…” Leila replies, her voice sullen and dry, her heart soaked in grief, “if such a spell was possible, I suppose I would think so. I mean, who else would come to my rescue like that but him and his choice to stay mute too. Plus Tatum has a habit of doing things and keeping me in the dark. I’m just so confused.” Jenny heaves a deep sigh, pity covering her eyes. She sits beside Leila on the mattress and drapes her hand around her. “D
Leila immediately takes off in the direction through which she came, the guard at the post takes a swing at her with the silver spear clutched in his arms but she ducks underneath it, her heart pounding hard and fast as more guards join in the chase. She reaches the fence and in one swift move, she leaps over it but the barbed wire tears into her back and the side of her arm as she lands but the pain doesn’t deter or slow her down. Leo already has Amara, no doubt to have an edge over Tatum, if she gets caughts too, it will only make things worse and judging from what she has heard about Leo, he could do much worse than just capture her. The sound of the dogs barking and men yelling gets louder as she takes off into the deep of the woods. She almost shifts so she can gain more ground on the dogs who she can see closing in on her from her peripheral vision when she remembers the dangerous spell cast on the capital, way before Antonio even became king. It is a tale every child growing
“If your mind's made up, give me a few hours, I’ll do a cloaking spell to keep you hidden when you get there, go get our little warrior and bring her back,” Jenny replies, giving Leila a hug. Leila feels a bit of relief hearing that. With a cloaking spell, she can easily move in and out of the camp undetected and hopefully, she can get Amara out. Armed with Jenny’s cloaking spell which Jenny channeled into a bracelet around Leila’s wrist, Leila heads to Leo’s camp. As long as she keeps the bracelet around her wrist and avoids water getting on it, the ordinary eyes of men will not be able to see her. Her eyes scan the camp’s walls—high wooden fences reinforced with barbed wire and guarded by sentries, their sharp eyes scanning the darkness for any movement. She can see their figures in the distance, shifting in and out of view as they pace. She holds her breath, listening for any noise that might betray her presence. Even with the cloaking spell, she still has to be very careful, o
The next day, Leila makes her way to the palace to officially answer Antonio’s summon. She would rather be looking for Amara or Tatum right now but it’s important that she sees Antonio too. The last thing she wants to do is give him an excuse to legally place any kind of punishment on her or pack using her disobedience as an excuse. “State your business,” a rough looking guard, a guy as tall as a mountain, confronts her at the gate. “I’m here to see the king by his summon. I’m Leila Cromwell, Luna of the blood oak pack,” she replies, staring at the gates that stand tall and imposing. The guard grunts and they his eyes change colours, showing he is mindlinking, possibly confirming if she was truly summoned by the king. “Wait here,” the guard frowns, before walking through the gates and into the gate house. Leila’s heart thuds nervously as she waits aside. A lot depends on the outcome of her meeting with Antonio but what would she even say to him when she sees him? The man singl
Leila’s heart races, her breath becoming unstable from Jenny’s revelation as she tries to make sense of it. “If it wasn’t for Amara’s power that caught him off guard, he would have captured us right there and then but she bought us enough time to escape and stay hidden until Tatum and his men arrived and the moment Tatum left with Amara, Leo and his men stopped their onslaught and went after him,” Jenny concludes. Leila sighs sadly and massages her temple. This endless cycle of torment and confusion just seems to never want to stop revolving around her. She knows Amara is alive but she still cannot ascertain her safety from what Jenny is saying. It makes no logical sense for Tatum to bring Amara to the last place that she should be and another thing is how far the North Star pack is from the capital. It’s a very long journey that would take travelling through different packs and despite the measures she put in place and people she had sent to different packs in search of Tatum and A
A terrific sigh of relief escapes Leila, her eyes going wide in shock and she hugs Jenny again, tears falling out of her eyes, a rush of relief filling her heart. For many nights and days she has prayed and hoped that Amara would be safe, that no harm should befall her but why the capital, why did Tatum choose here of all places to bring her, right under Antonio’s nose. What is his plan? She breaks the hug and tugs Jenny by her arms, “do you know where she is, can you take me to her?” She asks, her heart pounding wildly, nothing would bring her more joy right now than seeing her little girl again, seeing those shiny pretty eyes, her bubbly personality. The last time they saw Amara was withdrawing into a shell because of how different she was from kids her age and how they treated her. Will she still be the same or will spending time with her father have that effect removed? “Leila , calm down,” Jenny replies, a bit of a sullen look in her eyes, “I know where she is but it’s not t