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
Life under the same roof as Adaline is not as bad as Leila expected, no, not one bit, she was completely wrong.What she got was ten times worse.The verbal abuse, the cynic comments, the lashing out for no just reason, finding the slightest excuse to mock and ridicule her, it was frequent, almost everyday.She acts like a shadow in her own house, sometimes a ghost and most days a zombie who just does whatever Tatum and his mother wants as long as it makes their precious Phoenix Luna happy.She doesn’t know how long she can put up with it honestly, she needs to get out of it. Everyday Carmela becomes bolder with her advances on Tatum supported by Adaline but what hurts the most is that Tatum just enjoys it, right in her very face like she doesn’t even exist or her feelings don’t matter whatsoever.She glances at him on the bed and notices he’s staring at her. “What?” Leila asks coldly, glaring at him.Tatum sm
Leila’s men drag Trent out of the house, two of them holding him tight. Another one immediately lodges two syringes full of wolfsbane into his neck, both to weaken him and to stop him from mindlinking anyone.The fourth one opens the car door but one of them holding Trent frowns, “we should parade him round the pack before throwing his ass in jail.”“Sounds like a good idea to me,” the other replies, slamming handcuffs on Trent’s hand behind his back before he kicks him down. “You imbeciles, you’ll pay for this,” Trent says, groaning in pain, the wolfsbane having immediate effect on him.“Shut up,” one of the men throws a hard fist at Trent's face and splits his lip open and blood gushes. Another one yanks Trent up by his collar and gives him a cold stare, “if anyone is going to pay for anything, it’s you who will pay for your crimes,” he drives his fist into Trent’s torso making Trent squirm in pain before pushing him forward, leading away from the old Alpha house.A crowd starts to
“How is this possible?” Trent asks in shock, unwilling to believe what his eyes just witnessed. Adaline has been laying in a pool of her own blood with wounds all over. How is she fucking healed? And Darren has him pinned to the floor. Did he suddenly recover from his illness? He looks sharply at Leila, getting a thought as the blue aura emanating from her slowly starts to dim. Is she the one behind this? Does she have some kind of healing power? “Are you okay, Father?” Leila asks Darren, slowly walking towards him, her heart full of relief and gratitude. She has no idea what happened or why that powerful aura burst forth from her but something tells her that it has something to do with Trent’s recovery. “Never been better,” Darren applies more pressure to keeping Trent in place, “I think whatever happened with you just now healed me, I feel so young and strong.” Leila blinks and tears roll down the corner of her eyes. She immediately mindlinks some of her trusted warriors and fo
“No…” Trent’s voice is filled with terror upon seeing Leila, “you shouldn’t be here, you should be dead.” Leila sneers at him, “you think you’re one step ahead of me with your plotting and scheming to have me sent to the palace so you could get rid of me but the problem with being a step ahead is that you leave steps behind and you never know what’s going on behind you.” “Bullshit!” Trent growls, his eyes red and full of murderous intent as he stares at Leila. “You made a very foolish decision coming back here, your plan should have included you running for your dear life just like your cowardly husband because now I’m going to kill you myself, then I’ll kill this old fool and his wife. Nothing will stop me from my destiny.” Leila grinds her teeth, feeling so much anger inside of her from Trent’s words but she manages to keep the anger away from her eyes and her voice becomes sullen like someone riddled with fear from Trent’s threat. “Why? Why are you doing all of this?” She backs
Trent quickly tries to move out of the way but he’s not fast enough and her claws tear into his cheek, making him yell in pain. She’s been behind the door the whole time listening to the conversation between him and her husband and the more Trent revealed the depth and treachery of his schemes, the more she hated herself. She was Carmela’s number one supporter. All those things she did to Leila, all the many times that she made the poor girl’s life hell, it was because of this man and his evil deeds. “You bastard,” Adaline growls, charging at him again, taking another swipe at his face but this time, Trent blocks her attack and shoves her back. He wipes the speck of blood on his already healing face and rubs it on his finger. “I’d ask your husband to put you under control but seeing as he is not fit to carry out his manly duties, I’ll do it myself.” He throws a punch at Adaline but she ducks underneath it and kicks the back of his leg, making him stagger forward. “You don’t dese
Darren already knows this so it does not come as much of a surprise to him but he never thought Trent would openly admit his atrocity, which makes him gaze at Trent with a bit of surprise in his eyes. Trent scoffs, reading the look on Darren’s face and he smirks. “I’ll admit that I had a little bit of luck with the drunk old witch, finding out what the phoenix mark was going to look like from the prophecy before anyone else. After consulting with my own witch, it wasn’t hard to discover who was most likely to be the real phoenix Luna. Imagine my anger when I found out it could be Henry’s daughter. I was livid. “I wanted to wipe out the entire family that day when I killed him but he wounded my wolf before I could take his life. Leila wasn’t even there and I was too weak to take out his wife but I figured I’d spare them and let his family watch as I stole their destiny, just like he stole mine. All I had to do was put the beautiful mark on my daughter and present her to you all. Oh,
Trent watches from a distance as Leila’s car drives out of the pack and he picks up his phone and dials a number. “She’s enroute, make it look like an accident.” He ends the call and licks his lips, still staring as the car becomes as tiny as a dot in the distance and an evil smirk adorns his lips. It’s time to take what should have belonged to him all these years. “Take me to the old Alpha’s house,” he instructs his driver, cracking his knuckles and his neck like a fighter getting ready for some action. “How art the mighty fallen,” Trent mocks Darren who is lying in bed, shivering and covered with two thick blankets, his eyes pale and as red as blood and he can even barely keep them open. “The once great Alpha Darren the ruthless,” he shakes his head pitifully, “look at how pathetic you have become. This is what you get from deciding to surround yourself with weaklings!” He yanks the top blanket of Darren’s body. “No Trent, stop…” Darren weakly reaches out to grab the blanket b
“Darren told me the king summoned you?” Adaline sobs, wiping her face with the back of her hand. Leila squints at her, confused at why she’s crying. “Yes,I’ll be leaving at dawn. Is everything okay?” “Yeah…” Adaline sniffs, “I just wanted to thank you Leila, for everything. Since you became Luna, even if it’s only been a short while, the pack has prospered.” Leila keeps the look on her face blank. She’s always put her best into being Luna no matter what and made sure things progressed. She can even say she did more back then when everyone treated her terribly than she is doing right now. It only seems like a lot because she is wrestling with an opposing tyrannical power and this time, instead of seeing her as an usurper, the people are seeing her as a Saviour. “We all have duties we have to carry out, you don’t have to thank me for doing what I have to do,” Leila replies, glancing through the mess of things she has scattered on her bed. Her mind is continually hassled by what th
Leila’s newfound revelation of Tatum’s long lasting love for her somehow just happened to be the boost that her mind and spirit needed. Rather than spend time wallowing in worry and fear, she now catches herself fantasizing about her future with him. Knowing that he has always loved her and seeing how they have been through so much together, she believes their love can only grow stronger. She takes a day off from her Luna duties for the first time in a while to have a spa date with Amanda and some other women that were pivotal in helping her stabilize the pack. Things are running more smoothly now, Trent has been quiet, not stirring up much trouble with more and more people offering her their support over him. She doesn’t worry but she also cannot wait to be reunited with her family. Whatever Tatum is planning, she hopes it works out soon because she is sure that his plan includes them being together, she just has to be patient and make sure that he returns back to the pack better
Leila sets down a cup of coffee on a stool beside Darren and she takes hers, sitting beside him. Darren takes a long sip before smiling at her. “You know, from when you both were kids, I’ve always wished you would be his fated mate. Tatum did too, he would always speak about it, even if was just out a boyish crush. Do you remember the night your father died?” It is a night Leila remembers too well. She had faked an illness to avoid going on the trip to the neighboring pack with them so she could attend Tatum’s birthday party. The next morning, her mother showed up wounded, her father dead and Carmela was named the phoenix Luna a few days later. She can hardly ever forget those days. Trent stole her father from her and Carmela stole her destiny, how can she forget? “I try not to remember it,” she replies in a wry tone. “Hmmm,” Trent takes another sip of his coffee. “That night was the first time I realized that Tatum’s affection for you was not just something in passing. He had