Tatum decides to accept Leila’s invitation even when he doesn’t think it’s the safe thing to do but if she’s inviting him over, it’s more than a step in the right direction and he doesn’t want to fumble it and he also misses Amara so much. Dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a white shorts sleeve shirt, with a bouquet of flowers and a bag of toys in his hands, he knocks when he gets to the door but there’s no response the first time. He knocks again and the door slowly opens. “Good evening sir,” Amara greets him with no smile on her face and no enthusiasm in her voice. Tatum looks down at her, shocked by the cold and blank expression on her face. Amara is always happy to see him. What could be wrong? “Hey sweetheart, how are you doing?” He crouches to her height, showing her the bag of toys, “I got these for you.” “I don’t want them,” Amara replies, folding her hands against her chest and turning away from him just as Leila steps up to the door. Tatum looks up at her, mom
“Amara, why don’t you sit close to your— sit close to the Alpha, you’ve missed him, haven’t you?” Leila says to Amara with a smile, holding back the seat beside her where Amara was going to sit as she glances at Tatum who is sitting opposite her. Amara looks at her mother with a shy smile. “Okay, Mama.” Amanda and Liana share a look, a rather nosy one, trying to hold back the smile on their lips and Leila sees it and makes a face at them and Amanda in particular flicks her brows at Leila. Tatum smiles, stands up and pulls the seat beside him backwards, “there, you go little princess.” “Thank you my good sir,” Amara curtsies, before taking the seat, making everyone at the table laugh. A few minutes into the meal, Tatum grabs the bowl of beef stew and scoops some more into his plate after originally taking quite some the first time. “You seem to be enjoying the meal, Alpha,” Celina says, not raising her head from her own meal. “Oh, it’s splendid. I honestly cannot remember the las
Again? What does Amara mean by she is sad again? Is she often sad? Is it because of him? Is she finding it hard to let go? Tatum looks at Leila who seems to be fully focused on the show on the television but now that he is looking at her well, he sees that she is just looking blankly at it. Her mind is clearly not in the room. “You alright?” He asks, but she doesn’t reply, rather, she sighs sadly, completely oblivious of his presence or question, lost in her own world. What could be wrong with her? She didn’t show any of these signs while they were dining. A sense of worry slowly grows inside of Tatum. He doesn’t want anything to stress this woman. She should be happy at all times, she deserves it. “Mama, why are you sad?” Amara asks, placing her little hands on Leila’s thighs and shaking her. “What?!” Leila asks, jolted back into the reality surrounding her. “What’s going on? Amara’s worried you’re sad and you didn’t even hear me call you, are you okay?” Tatum asks, his heart
Getting into his office the following morning, Tatum begins to go through a couple of business proposals from investors and other Alphas looking to collaborate with the blood oak pack. After a while, he reaches for his cup of coffee and he immediately gets an idea. He takes the cup of coffee and places it in the trash bin carefully. He knows the office staff will always have his coffee ready before he gets to the office but it is a perfect excuse for him to see his sweet pea this morning. ‘Bring a cup of coffee to my office please,’ he mindlinks her, using a straight business tone. ‘Alright,’ Leila replies in the same way. A few minutes later, Leila steps into his office with a try and mug on it but it’s the knee length leather skirt that she’s wearing which hugs her curves deliciously that first steal Tatum’s attention, making his heart thud. She knows how much he loves her in a leather skirt, did she wear this to the office on purpose? His eyes slowly rake over her as she walk
“Are you sure you want to come along? Tatiana and I can handle this, we’ll be more discreet that way,” Tatum says to Leila on the day they are to leave for the mission to find Kelvin. They are standing outside Tatum’s house, waiting for Tatiana to arrive so they can leave. Officially, the Alpha is going on a short vacation with his girlfriend, Tatiana, the king’s sister and Leila, his personal assistant, is accompanying them on the trip. Leila frowns, “we’ve talked about this before, I’m coming along and besides, you don’t know what we might face there and since we’re not taking any warriors, we need all the help we can get in case things go south.” Tatum chuckles, lightly grabbing her by her triceps, “and what can you do if things go south,” he asks in a sarcastic manner, “it’s not like you’re the best fighter around.” Leila sneers at him, pulls her hand away and punches his side. “Underestimate me at your own peril, you forget I am the real phoenix Luna.” “I never took you fo
Tatum pulls the car to a halt at the foot of a mountain and on the other side is the Augustine river, the location where Leila had asked them to check. “We’ll have to continue by foot from here ladies,” he says, glancing at Leila in the front seat beside him, temporarily stunned with the way the sun rays coming in from the car window enhances the beauty of her face. Everything about this woman is just perfect. From her ocean blue eyes, her resting smiling face, her small pout lips and even her slightly big nose, she is a compendium of everything beautiful and it gladdens his heart that he may yet have one more chance to worship this beauty and he’ll do it right and religiously this time. “Are you going to keep staring at her or are we actually going to get down from the car? I too have a sweetheart I’m dying to see,” Tatiana says, making a face at Tatum. Tatum parts his lips but doesn’t find a reply for Tatiana and Leila chuckles, opening the door and she steps out. “We have to hi
Tatum squints at her as she looks away, realising the growl had come from Leila when he suggested to carry Tatiana. There’s no way Leila is jealous, perhaps it is her wolf but he’ll take whichever. He smiles at the thought, looking away from her so she’s not embarrassed even more, wishing he didn’t have to actually carry Tatiana. “I don’t mind getting there late, as long as I get there in one piece,” Tatiana says in a coy voice to Tatum but she is looking at Leila with a sarcastic look in her eyes, teasing Leila. “Just give me your backpack,” Leila stretches her hand forward, careful to avoid Tatum’s gaze. “No,” Tatum picks up Leila’s own backpack and gives it to Tatiana. “She’ll carry both bags and I’ll carry her.” “I’m pretty sure I can manage,” Leila says, reaching for the backpack but Tatum grabs her hand and holds her close to him. “Listen, it’s going to be pretty uncomfortable and it’s a long climb, plus when you shift back, you’ll feel pain from the bag hitting against y
Leila quickly gets in her clothes and they both run after Tatiana. Tatiana weaves through the thicket of bushes, her heart pounding harder with every step, undeterred by the branches cutting her skin and the leaves whipping against her. The only thing she can think about is seeing Kelvin again, her anxiety mixed with the fear of what could happen when they do find and rescue him. Tatum overtakes Tatiana with Leila behind them so he can clear the path through the forest and makes it easier for them. “When you said you could sense him, I thought he’d be close by,” Tatum said, looking up to the sky, seeing the sun already being replaced by the crescent moon. Tatiana halts, catching her breath as she speaks, the sadness in her eyes mirroring the one in her voice. “I can sense him, even now, I can and it’s strong, he’s close, we should just keep going.” Leila sighs and crouches, the white clouds that once displayed through the space between the trees have now gone dark. She doesn’
Leila stands to her feet and clenches her fists by her side, glaring at the six obviously trained guards surrounding her. She’s far away from any help and if they are here to kill her, this may well be her last day on earth but she won’t go down without a fight.“You’re supposed to be men but you continually gang up against a helpless woman, pathetic,” she sneers, extending her claws, the eyes of the men going wide at the blue and yellow aura surrounding her paws.She cannot risk shifting fully so she does not expose her secret of being the real phoenix Luna. Exposing her claws like this is already a great risk on its own but if she will ever reunite with Tatum and Amara, if their family will ever be complete and live in bliss, she has to survive and survive she will.“Come on! What are you waiting for!” She yells, snarling at them, losing every epitome of fear. Even if she dies here, she will not be the only one.The men all exchange glances, an emotionless look in their eyes but the
Leila frowns as the car speeds off in the distance, her heart sinking as she gazes at the expanse of land around her. She has no idea how to get around in the capital or what she has to do next. Does she return back to her pack? She could but that would only give Antonio an excuse to say that she disobeyed him and only the goddess knows what evil he’ll do to the pack as a result of that. Honoring his summon is suicide as well, he made it quite clear that his intention is to kill her with the order that he gave to Kelvin. If only she could reach Tatum, he would know what to do, he would help her. Tears pool in her eyes and she lets them fall, sitting on the dusty roadside, her heart clenching with pain and churning with bitterness. Every step forward seems like two steps backwards. Trent paying for his crimes hardly feels like any victory at all, her husband and child are still missing and she’s stuck in the capital of a murderous king who wants her dead and turned her best friend
Tatiana scoffs, “Antonio doesn’t need to cast a spell on me to make me do anything, he obviously has other methods,” she glances at Kelvin, “but that had nothing to do with him, I left and delivered his message of my own free will.” “And when you set me up at the border with the royal guards, was that of your own free will too?” Leila asks pointedly but her expression holds zero hostility towards Tatiana. “I didn’t set you up. I was only desperately trying to get help for Kelvin then but I knew my brother had eyes on me, so yes, maybe I knew what would happen if I contacted you,” Tatiana replies in a similar tone, not missing a beat. Leila purses her lip, feeling a slash in her heart. It’s hard to comprehend why Tatiana who rebelled against her brother for their sake would just change. When they worked together, they were able to get Kelvin free and get Antonio to leave the pack. Something came out of their cooperation the last time, why is Tatiana so against it now? Tatiana even
Leila quickly crouches above him, her heart pounding with fear. She grabs Kelvin’s hands and checks for a pulse, a slight shudder of relief taking her when she feels something. She gazes around but she sees no sign of anyone. What does she do? She cannot just leave him out here but at the same time, it is dangerous to be around him and she still doesn’t know who or what sent the beam that hit him. When she tried to focus to bring out her magic, she did not feel anything innate, so she knows this did not come from her. “You should be making a run for it, not kneeling there.” Tatiana’s voice makes her head snap up and her heart races when she hears it, the realisation hitting her. The red beam must have been sent by Tatiana. “Tatiana!” Leila springs up to hug her but Tatiana holds her hand out, pushes past Leila and mutters and incantation over Kelvin. “Is he going to be alright?” Leila asks, peeping the worry in Tatiana’s eyes. Kelvin was cold to her, cold enough to want to t
Leila’s heart pounds. Kelvin may have said the words as if talking about killing her is like talking about taking a walk but the sinister look in his eyes is enough to let her know that he means it. She bolts out of the car to make a run for it but Kelvin is already on the other side waiting for her. Her eyes bulge at his speed. His aura is definitely not the only thing that has changed about him. “You don’t have to make a scene right now,” Kelvin dips one hand in his pocket and retrieves a vile, “this is poison. You can make this easy by drinking it, I’ll watch you die and then I’ll dispose of your body or you can make this hard and I’ll have to use my…” he retracts his claws and smiles sadistically at it. Leila frowns, at the same time hit by a wave of sadness. The Kelvin she knows would never talk about her death in such an amusing manner. She may have to accept that her friend is gone but she has to try to reach him if he’s in there, one last time. “You’re better than this Kel
Outside the hall, one of Kelvin’s men holds the door to the back of the car open for Leila to enter when Kelvin shakes his head. “I’m riding with her in mine,” he says in a cold tone, glancing at Leila, “the rest of you, take the other cars.” The man shuts the door and nods. Leila’s heart races as she locks eyes with Kelvin. Perhaps the Kelvin she knows is still in there and he couldn’t just be himself around her in front of Antonio’s other men which is why he wants her to ride alone with him. Kelvin walks over to his car with Leila in tow and then he walks back to his men, giving them further instructions before he walks back to Leila. He stands close to her at the passenger side of the car and scoffs before he walks over to the driver’s side. “What are you waiting for to get in? Gone are the days when I always opened the car door for you, Luna,” Kelvin says in a sarcastic and cold tone, getting into the car. Leila bites her lower lip, feeling like a boatload of stingers were ju
Leila shoots to her feet, her teary eyes locking with Kelvin’s in the distance. He is looking directly at her but there is no warmth in his eyes and his gaze isn’t cold either, it just ... .is— void, without any emotion. “Uncle Kev!” A teenager in the crowd yells and runs towards Kelvin with her arms wide open to hug him but the royal guards with him block the girl off and Kelvin doesn’t even look at her, he just keeps sauntering forward, his unreadable but eerie gaze focused on Leila. A sore feeling wraps around Leila’s heart and she remembers what Tatiana said Antonio had done to Kelvin, that he was different. The girl his men just shoved aside that he showed no concern for is one of his young nieces in the pack. How far gone is he? “It’s quite a scene you’ve made here,” Kelvin says in a sarcastic yet cold tone, staring from Trent’s headless body to his bodiless head, a cold smirk forming on his lips. Leila’s heart thuds slowly as she climbs down from the podium to meet him. T
“Luna, please don’t do this, we were only following the orders of our Alpha. Surely you cannot punish us for doing our duty,” One of Trent’s men who had been apprehended alongside him wails as the warriors drag them to the front of the crowd. It is the d-day for Trent’s execution but before him, a few of his most loyal men who perpetrated crimes against the pack in his name have also been brought before the pack to dance to the tone of their music. Leila frowns at the man who spoke, sitting atop of the podium, on the central seat reserved for the Alpha. She raises her hands up and the crowd goes silent. She stands up and walks over to where the accused are sitting on the floor, her cold eyes fixated on the one pleading for mercy. “Luna, Luna, Please, have some leniency,” he pleads again, trying to grab a hold of her feet but she moves away from his hold and the guards immediately restrain him. “You plead for mercy, claiming you were only doing the deeds of your Alpha. He may have f
Trent scoffs, “I am not afraid of death. We all will die someday and from how I see it, things worked out quite well for Carmela in the end because of my actions. She is the queen of the kingdom. That is power that you can never taste and there’s nothing you can do to bring her down from there,” he chuckles sinisterly. “You’re so pathetic and deluded you don’t even see that she is living in a bubble that can burst at any moment. She has a noose hanging around her neck, ready to be yanked up at any moment and with such a lie hanging over her head, I’m sure she can’t even sleep peacefully at night, why would I want to stop my enemy from an eternal life of fear and suffering,” Leila scoffs nonchalantly, “by all means, she should continue living her life of misery in the palace.” “Bullshit! Like you didn’t want the king for yourself at some point. Admit it Leila, you’re jealous that she is living a life of luxury far beyond your reach.” Trent’s words hit a spot and Leila frowns. She is