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
Leila knows what is about to come next and she desperately wants to avoid it, she tries to peel away from Carmela’s side to get back to her room and lock herself inside but Carmela hugs her.“Mother, no one is bullying me, Leila and I have made up and she doesn’t have a problem with me being around Tatum, right Leila?” Carmela squeezes Leila tight in a side hug, grinning from ear to ear at Adaline. Leila scrunches her nose and gently shrugs Carmela off her, glancing at Tatum who doesn’t move his face away from the TV.It breaks her heart when he does this, acting like she doesn’t exist when she needs him the most. His mother just called her a bitch and a bully but he acts like he doesn’t even hear it, like he’s not even in the room.Why else would that be but for the fact that he shares the same view as his mother? Maybe just like her, what he lacks is the courage to tell her that her time is up, that he is done with her and that he no longer needs her.“Yeah, sure,” Leila replies
Hearing him say that to his mother means she has a chance. Perhaps, she should bear everything and give him the time he requested.“What?” Adaline’s eyes bulge, her expression riddled with disbelief.“I think Carmela’s wolf got hurt during her time away, I’m still trying to find a cure for her. Once I do and our wolves can recognize each other—” Tatum pauses, glancing at Leila with something odd in his eyes.“The bottom line is, I’m not leaving my pack without a Luna until then.”Leila is immediately hit with mixed feelings. On one hand, she is glad Tatum won’t let her go so easily but on the other hand, she worries, when Carmela’s wolf heals and she turns out to be Tatum’s mate as prophesied, what happens then?“How is that even possible, for her wolf to be so hurt, her mate cannot recognize her?”Carmela heaves, her countenance falling, tears coating her doe eyes, her lips curving into a pout as she walks painfully slow towards
“We have to go right now! I can’t wait another second,” Leila cries, her eyes red and puffy, an unbearable pain lodged in her heart for fear of her precious angel.Anything could be happening to her daughter at this moment. She does not want to even think of it. How is it possible that the one place Leo chooses to attack is just where Amara is?This hardly looks like a coincidence, her heart throbs with pain, pounding in fear. Is it possible that Leo learnt the truth about Amara being Tatum’s daughter and is trying to hurt Tatum by harming her, but how would he have learnt that? Amara’s identity is a well kept secret.She looks back at Tatum from her trembling feet just as he slams his phone down, grunts and runs his hands down his face in frustration, his eyes weary and sad but his rage is clear in them.“I can’t reach anyone over there, it’s like their communications system has been cut off or something,” his voice is laden with worry “That’s why we should be on our way there alrea
It’s her wedding day, it really is her wedding day and it’s not the rushed secret night wedding she had the first time, everything is as she wants.Even if her dream wedding was something small, intimate between just her and her family, she could not deny the pack members who had been abuzz with its attendance so she decided to host it outdoors to accommodate everyone.Several Alphas and Lunas from other packs are also present. It’s a happy day for Leila and the members of the blood oak pack.The wedding was the needed boom of joy to topple the gloom that had overshadowed the pack in recent weeks.Not a single soul wanted to miss it. If they had opted to use a hall as Leila initially wanted, it would be full to the brim and not enough people would get seats.“The crowd outside is wild,” Amanda says, stepping into the room where Leila is getting the finishing touches to her makeup. “This has to be the biggest Alpha wedding I have ever witnessed.”Leila makes a face at Amanda, half roll
“We’re going to the temple?” Leila asks Tatum, seeing the path they are walking down, his hand intertwined in hers.“Yes we are,” Tatum replies with a smile, taking her hand up and planting a soft kiss on it that makes her blush and sets her heart racing even more.She wonders what this surprise may be that it has to happen in the temple. This is the most sacred place in the blood oak pack. Pack members can only visit it on invitation from the priestess of the temple. She has only ever been here once with her dad and even then, she had to wait a distance outside while he went in. The temple is located right in the heart of the pack and yet it is the most secluded place.When they get to the gate of the temple, they are welcomed by attendants who give them water to wash their hands, feet and faces before they are allowed to enter inside.Leila stares in awe at the gigantic statue of the goddess riding a three headed wolf with a sceptre in her hand, the walls of the temple adorned with
“Leila! You have guests!”She hears the sound of her mother’s voice calling her from downstairs and she drops her phone on the bed, which she had been browsing the internet with searching for pictures of a wedding gown and trying to also find a designer even though Amanda swore she had that part covered.Who could those guests be? She doesn’t remember expecting anyone, she’s not exactly the most popular figure in the pack, even though she’s going to be their Luna for the second time.A part of her is honestly quite troubled about how the pack is receiving the news of her wedding to Tatum.It still feels surreal but she knows it is happening. She is going to get married to the love of her life twice in her lifetime. The first time they got married, it was Tatum saving her, now it is her who is more or less saving him by agreeing to be his bride, such an irony.Coming down the stairs, Leila freezes and she takes some steps back, seeing the crowd gathered in her living room, members of t
“I already told you I summoned her, she doesn’t have to answer—” “It’s okay,” Leila gently holds Tatum’s hand to calm him, feeling the change in his aura. She smiles gently at him, letting her palm trace down his blood ridden forearm, her body tingling with a subtle pleasure as she interlocks her palms with his. Tatum unconsciously or perhaps consciously clasps his hands against hers, while looking at her with confusion in his eyes and feeling as one with him in this moment, the power of Trent’s Alpha’s command dissolves into thin air. That pressure that wolves always felt to speak the truth once under the alpha command is not felt by her wolf, what she feels is different. It is a feeling of bliss, a calmness and a knowing that this is meant to be. Her union with Tatum. Whatever happens next, whatever hurdle they have to face, whatever storms they have to brace, whatever challenges may come, they’ll face it together and so out of her own free will and not under the influence of Tre
Leila frowns as Trent approaches them, looking between Trent and Theo who has a stern expression on his face.Theo switched sides? He betrayed Tatum? Why? She understands Trent is the new Alpha but still, him and Tatum go way back.If she had to take a guess as to the men that would betray Tatum, she would have never put Theo on that list.She looks at him with pain in her eyes and heart as Trent closes the distance between them and says, “Theo’s my man now, my good beta, he does what I say, he’s loyal to me, right Theo?”“A beta must serve his Alpha wholeheartedly,” Theo replies in a clipped tone, that stern expression still etched on his face.Leila’s skin crawls at the way Theo easily dismissed Tatum as his Alpha. She can never understand the reason for his betrayal but she’ll have to worry about that later.Right now, all she needs to do is get Tatum out of this unnecessary torture they are making him suffer. The sound of his painful grunts and groans inside as he continues to fig
“They’re all gone, they think you left. Come with me,” Theo returns shortly after leaving to distract the guards. Leila feels grateful, taking his hand as he leads the way out of the kitchen. “Theo.” “Yeah.” “Nevermind,” she replies, holding herself back from asking how the men knew she was coming in the first place. They didn’t treat her like some intruder, they treated her like a target they had been waiting for and if anyone knew she was going to come, it was him but still, he was the one who saved her. She can’t jump into conclusions, it’s better to keep her speculations to herself. As she follows closely behind him, she wonders if Trent is here, what about Tatum? Just as she thinks about Tatum, she hears a loud and painful grunt, a sound that makes her wolf whimper, hearing the pain their mate is in. “Tatum!” She yelps, her heart slamming against her ribcage in terror of what could be happening to him and she runs towards the direction of the sound but just as she’s abou
Leila gets to the pack, parking her car quite a distance away from the old gym, her heart thudding slowly as she approaches the gym. She goes around the back, deciding not to use the main entrance to keep the element of surprise. The fence behind the gym stands meters above her and is almost fully covered in moss because of its abandoned state. Leila stares at it for a short moment, not allowing any doubtful or hesitant thoughts to enter her mind and she quickly takes a step back before leaping onto the fence, grabbing the top to hold her weight and pushing herself up with a silent grunt and she jumps over to the other side. She stays glued to the fence, closes her eyes and focuses her hearing for any kind of sound that may tell her exactly where she needs to go or where to avoid but surprisingly, she can barely hear anything. Did they leave already or is her hearing just bad? She frowns, cautiously tip-toeing from the fence to the main building itself and she presses her ear again
Leila doesn’t waste another second as she hurriedly turns her car around and heads back to the pack. Theo freezes over at the gym, cursing under his breath. He had mistakenly mindlinked Leila when he was trying to block her. He glances at Tatum as Tatum groans, hit by the hard fist of a warrior that sends Tatum staggering. Will Leila come here? Now that she knows the location? He frowns when Tatum is tackled to the ground by one warrior while two more try to hit him with their spears but he quickly rolls away. There was a time where he would be in the thick of it with Tatum, loyal, by his side but right now, he’s standing behind Trent. When Trent became Alpha, he did not name another beta and he conveniently filled the role and he got no opposition from Trent either. His loyalty is now to his new Alpha. “Someone was mindlinking you, who was that?” Trent asks, turning back to glance at him with a peering as suspectful gaze. As if Tatum heard Trent, Tatum also looks over in their