She has given him her heart a long time ago, laid it down at his feet and he picked it up, giving her hope, hope that he would care for it, nurture it and cherish it but the moment his first love returned, he tossed it to the floor and crushed it under his feet.She turns to Kelvin with a wry look in her eyes. “Can I trust you with a secret? A secret you must take to your grave.”“Of course Leila,” Kelvin replies with a serious expression, her words and tone holding every bit of his attention. “You can trust me with anything.”Leila swallows slowly, hoping she does not regret her decision.“I’m carrying his child Kev,” Leila replies. “I’m pregnant.”—Tatum watches with weary eyes as Kelvin carries Leila in his arms, her arms carefully curled over Kelvin’s neck, her head resting peacefully on Kelvin’s chest and he feels an odd pain in his heart.He knows….he understands that their marriage is not really real but why does he feel like this, what is this feeling of something squeezing
Tatum takes the document from Clayton and his heart clenches when he sees the header, a pang of pain slicing through him. He opens his mouth but cannot find the words, he glances at Clayton and stares back at the document, his hands trembling.“Not a word of this to anyone,” he says to Clayton in an icy tone.As he walks out, his legs feel like lead. Leila wants to divorce him? Leila wants to divorce him……why does it feel like his world will be over if that happens?Did he push her to this? Could it be because he has been showing Carmela so much care? He thought Leila understands that he has no choice. The sound of his phone ringing brings him back to earth and he sighs, taking out his phone, staring blankly at the caller ID until the call drops. Carmela calls again and he picks it up, knowing she won’t stop calling.“Not now Carmela, I’m busy,” Tatum says dryly and drops the call before Carmela can get a word in.
Leila’s heartbeat immediately spikes and she lets go of Kelvin’s hands, causing a pained look to cross his eyes.But it quickly disappears when Tatum’s cold grey orbs set on him and Kelvin’s naturally soft blue eyes turn into steel.The tension in the air grows thick, so thick, it is almost visible to the naked eye.“Leave,” Tatum says to Kelvin with enough chill to freeze the entire building.Kelvin smirks coldly at him. “You always seem to show up after I do all the work.”“I’m not going to ask you again,” Tatum’s tone takes a low and dangerous edge, his eyes growing thin and he slowly walks towards Kelvin who stands to his feet, ready to throw hands, if need be.He knows he is no match for the Alpha but he will fight for this woman, even to his death.“That’s enough, both of you,” Leila cuts in. “Please go Kev, I’ll call you.”Kelvin scoffs softly before he smiles at her, taking her hand and kissing it.
Leila stares wide eyed at him, her heart slamming against her ribcage with raw gusto. She is sure she is done with the marriage, that she wants nothing to do with him anymore, that her mind is made up but even now as the words are nibbling at her tongue, she doesn’t dare to utter it. Why can’t she just tell him what’s on her mind? Why is it so hard? She slowly moves her face away from Tatum’s hold, fiddling with her fingers and looks down at her feet. “If you didn’t find the folder, then don’t worry about it.” Her heart feels like it wants to tear out of her chest and she knows Tatum can hear it. She has never been more nervous and scared about something. Tatum scoffs ever so softly, feeling a relief that rents his skin with goosebumps. If she cannot say it with her mouth, then he never saw any folder but how did Clayton get his hands on it when Leila says she left it on his desk? He runs his hand down the back of her hair
He drops the pack of donuts and the beverages on the counter beside the bed before he hoists Leila on his laps, her soft behind pressing against him and he smirks at the slight jolt of pleasure that shoots through him. Leila struggles to free herself, she doesn’t want to be intimate or affectionate with him, it will only worsen the wound he has left on her heart when he leaves her for his chosen. She is better off being treated like she doesn’t exist. Why treat her so coldly in the public only to show his care every time after? Doesn’t he know it’s the slight hope that’s the most tormenting? Tatum wraps his arms around her tight even as she writhes and he softly peppers her neck with kisses, every touch of his lips calming the raging effect in Leila’s heart. “I know you are mad at me and I deserve it. I’m sorry about the recent turmoil, it’s…uneasy times,” Tatum whispers into her ear, his voice soft and soothing and when Leila looks
“Goo- good morning sir.”Clayton glares at the man who just walked into his office, disturbing his morning training.“You know the rules Fred, mornings are for my workout,” Clayton says coldly, dropping from the pull up bar and catching his breath.“But it's the Luna, she insists on seeing you, NOW.”Clayton eyes fly wide open, his already racing heart beating even faster.What could Leila want? Did the Alpha confront her with the divorce papers? But if so, the Alpha would be the one barging into his office because Leila would have told him she did not give the file to him.His brows draw close together in a deep frown, squinting into the distance as he grabs a towel and walks to his desk.“Send her in,” he orders the man who swiftly exits.Is Leila here to blackmail him with what he did yesterday? She said she would not take it up, he was a fool to trust her words, someone who betrayed her own best fr
Despite the bitterness churning in Leila’s heart, she puts a placid smile on her face.“Well, you have always been excellent at everything, Carry on,” Leila replies, turning to leave.Carmela is not half the cook she is, but growing up, Carmela would throw a tantrum and not talk to Leila for days if Leila bested her at anything, whether it was sports, cooking or even academics.Leila was raised to be humble, not to care much for accolades and to put others first, so she would deliberately falter her efforts, sometimes even secretly helping Carmela out so Carmela would come on top.As long as her best friend was happy, Leila was happy, nothing else mattered.“Oh don’t leave, I was hoping we could have breakfast together, the three of us,” Carmela holds Leila back, glancing at Tatum.“I have some more errands to run, I’ll join you for dinner maybe,” Leila replies, gently holding Carmela’s hand that is holding her elbow and giving h
Leila stares at her reflection in the mirror, her puffy eyes telling her not to cry anymore, her head throbbing with an intense migraine, her face completely ridden with gloom, her heart heavy with sadness.She has remained in her room for the whole day and Tatum doesn’t even bother to come up to check on her. She knows he is with his beloved, and she is again, the third wheel in their relationship, just like in the past.She was the one Tatum used to adore, the one he always spent his spare time with originally. He even resented Carmela and used to call her a spoiled brat.Back then, Carmela was the third wheel but Carmela got that mark and everything changed, Tatum pushed her aside, showering all his attention on Carmela.She selfishly thought everything could go back to the way it was these last two years, that Tatum would look upon her with that candid affection in his eyes again but she was wrong, his heart was and is for Carmela and now that Carmela is back, there is no room for
Antonio’s eyes bulge in shock as Leila utters the words of rejection.“I, Leila Rogers, under the all seeing eye of Selene, reject you, Lycan king Antonio Darkside as my second chance mate.”‘How?’ He ponders in his head, blinking to remove the shock from his eyes before anyone notices and he keeps a cheerful smile on his face like a parent proud of their child for making the right decision.When Leila utters the last word, she gasps and her knees buckle making her stagger backwards but Tatum’s hands are safely behind her to stop her from falling.She shrugs Tatum’s hands off her roughly, glaring at him and at the same time mindlinking him. ‘Thank you my knight in shining armor.’Tatum also steps back, keeping a cold face as he replies. ‘You did it.’Antonio’s rage continues to fester inside him, making him restless as he stares at Leila regaining her composure. She should not have been able to do that. Not even Alpha’s can break free from his Alpha command with their own will power
Antonio scoffs, looking at the woman in front of him with utter disgust and contempt in his eyes. What does she think she’s doing?She finally got a glimpse of what it’s like to be the king’s woman? She’s seen the power at Carmela’s disposal since belonging to him and she suddenly remembers that they are mates?There was a time when he wanted her, wanted to taste and ravish her but now he almost finds her repulsive, he sees her for what she really is, nothing but Tatum’s second hand cargo.He smirks at her in a cold manner, a soft yet deadly scoff escaping him and he takes his hand from Carmela and points to Leila.“What in the world makes you think you’re anything compared to this goddess?” His eyes shift with admiration to Carmela who is beaming with a smile, enjoying every bit of his adulation.“Tell me Leila, why would I give up a gift from the goddess herself and pick the trash that nobody wants?” His harsh words cut through the air and murmurs fill the open space from the littl
“What?” Tatum asks, his voice fleeting from shock to what sounds like joy. “That’s right,” Carmela steps out from behind Theo and locks arms beside Antonio with a coy smile on her face, “my king and I are leaving your miserable pack,” her voice is haughty and snobbish. Antonio removes his hands from hers and curls it around her waist, pulling her close to him and he pecks her on the lip with a smile on his face. “How can you call this pack miserable when it gave you to me, my queen?” “You’re right but I’m the only thing not miserable in this pack.” Carmela rolls her eyes at Tatum and the rest of the group who have just stepped out of the car, wondering what the public display of affection is for before she looks back at Antonio. “I can’t argue with that one,” says Antonio, his eyes looking directly at Leila and without breaking eye contact, he rubs his palm across Carmela’s stomach. “You and our child are definitely not miserable.” Leila’s eyes widen in visible shock, unwilli
On the ride back home, Kelvin begins to tell them his findings and the group listens with rapt interest. “Contrary to what we’ve been made to believe, the first Lycan was never created by the goddess, he was an ordinary werewolf, a tyrannical Alpha who seeked more power than one man should have and he ended up getting it but it came at a huge price, a curse. Tatum glances back at him from the steering wheel, “I think I’ve heard this tale before, I just never believed it to be true.” “Wait, what curse? Are you saying Amara is cursed? According to the prophecy, she’s the next Lycan queen,” Leila asks, her voice full of worry. “No. I don’t think so. Every Lycan has been from the bloodline of the first Lycan and she’s not from that bloodline, plus she was born like that. The first Lycan on the other hand was born a werewolf but he stumbled upon an ancient curse, one that would take away his ability to love in exchange for more speed, strength, size and power and he accepted the curse.
Leila and Tatum make their way up the tunnel and then down the basement of the castle as described by Tatiana. The air in the basement is musty, like no one has been there in ages. Sounds of creeping things skittering across the floor irritates Leila and she yelps when she steps on a bug. “Who’s there?” Kelvin’s voice comes faintly from ahead of them. Leila’s heart leaps with joy and she hugs Tatum arms. “Kelvin?!” “Leila?! Leila is that you?” Leila pulls Tatum ahead as they run towards the sound of the voice. “Kev, where are you?” Leila asks, confusion taking over her happy expression. Kelvin's voice sounded like it was just ahead but it’s nothing but walks around them. “I’m right here,” Kelvin replies. This time his voice sounds even closer but they still can’t see him, it’s like his voice coming from the walls. “Damn that Antonio, it’s probably some sorcery again,” Tatum says with a deep frown on his face. “Oh, oh, it’s not sorcery, it’s science, there’s a lever somewhere
“Leila!” Tatum rushes towards then with his heart pounding in sheer fear as the guard aided by some spell of some sort plunges the knife into Leila’s back. The sound of her scream peirces the air as the guard yanks out the knife from her back, about to stab her again when his head gets completely torn off his body by a brutal swipe by Tatum. Leila groans in pain as she slams to the ground. Tatum crouches, taking her in his arms. “No, please, stay with me, you’ll be fine.” He looks down at her wound and she’s not healing. His heart lurches at the realization that the knife was spelled, it was not an ordinary knife. His heart pounds in terror and he rips his shirt off, making it into a ball to apply pressure on the wound and to stop her bleeding. Leila heaves slowly, her body quaking with unimaginable pain and she is not speaking, just taking short rapid hung breaths with pain in her tear filled eyes. “Over here!” The heavy footstep sounds of more guards approaching along wit
“Get in the car,” Antonio orders Carmela hours ago at the Blood oak pack. “Where..where are we going?” Carmela stutters, looking up at Antonio with fear in her eyes. Antonio gives her a full grin, leaning close to her, his voice soft yet sinister. “My dear fiancée, we are going to the hospital to test for our baby.” Carmela’s heart jumps in her chest, dread drenching her. This is Tatum’s fault. If he had given her the fake test results, Antonio would be convinced by now. “Why can’t you just believe me? Do you really think I’d lie to you?” “Get in,” Antonio replies coldly, the grin on his face vanishing as he circles to the other side of the car and gets in with her. Carmela’s heart thuds, her palms becoming sweaty, her legs shaking, her mind discombobulated. If things go south for her, she needs something to put her on Antonio’s good side back. “I think I know where they are going, it’s not for a vacation. They’re going to rescue Kelvin, you have him right? You should go and st
“No, no, you can’t come,” Tatum replies, turning to face her with a worried look on his face, “you stay here as well, I'll handle it.” If the warriors in there are as dangerous as Tatiana says, he doesn’t want her anywhere close to them. If it’s just him, he can fight tooth and nail like a savage if anything goes wrong to get out but if she comes, he’ll have to constantly be watching her back. It’s best if he does this alone. “I’m not saying you can’t handle it, but if the warriors in there are as dangerous as she says, what if you can’t take them on by yourself, you need to let me come with you,” Leila replies in an assertive tone. Tatum sighs and scratches his brows, if there’s one thing he’s learnt about this woman since she returned, it’s that she’s become very stubborn. If anything happens to her, he’ll never forgive himself, he cannot let her come. “Let me go alone, Leila, so if Antonio finds out, it won’t involve you and no trouble will come your way.” “Antonio can go to h
Tatum mutters the words of the riddle to himself, Leila gazes around the forest as if the answer would be written on one of the trees. Tatiana bites down on her finger as the three rack their brains to try and come up with an answer to the riddle. “We each get one try, so three tries to try and get us out of here,” Tatum says as a reminder. “Any ideas?” he glances at Leila and then at Tatiana. “No, I don’t know, the answer could be anything,” Tatiana replies and Leila shakes her head. “It’s definitely something abstract if it can cross time and space but then it can take many forms which can also contradict that theory,” Tatum mutters, scratching his head. “Exists between silence and words, between a glance and a touch, is the answer a thought?” Tatiana speaks. The forest rumbles, “No, daughter of Hecate.” Leila heaves a deep sigh, worthy beginning to fill her and cloud her sense of reasoning, she looks at Tatum who has his head down thinking and then at Tatiana who already looks