My apologies for the delay in updates, dear readers. Thank you for reading❤️
Liela stares at the test result in disbelief, her ears ring as Amanda’s voice comes as if through water–“Congratulations Luna, the heir to the Blood Oak pack is five weeks old. In PERFECT condition. You are going to be a Mom!” The only thing going through Liela’s mind is: Thank God her gynaecologist also happens to be her best friend, otherwise she won’t even have a chance to keep this a secret.She has to keep it a secret, at least until she can figure everything out.How could she be pregnant? The Alpha doesn’t want one, and he has done all the precautions he could. So how could she be pregnant?!!! Liela can’t even pinpoint exactly which time went wrong because it happened many times more than usual recently. But that doesn’t matter now.The question Liela needs to answer now is: what to tell Alpha Tarum.Does she even tell him? If she just takes care of the abortion herself, then he doesn’t have to know.After all, he is not in the pack right now. He is out there looking for HER,
The doctors didn’t find anything wrong with Carmela except a few bruises, but Tatum insisted on her being hospitalised for the best care with a full bodycheck. Leila spends all the time she can squeeze out visiting Carmela.The whispers about her have gotten louder than ever now that Carmela has returned, with everyone asking, when will Alpha Tatum make Carmela his Luna?The question is not if he will but when he will. Everyone in the pack is so certain of it. As for Leila, she pretends not to hear these gossips, she tries not to think about it. She is just happy that her long-lost best friend who saved her has returned but the happiness is not a full one.Leila knows the truth in her heart and it is the pain that comes with it that makes her still live in denial.Alpha Tatum has tirelessly spent the last two years looking for his lost love and now that he found her, it was only a matter of time before she got the axe of rejection and let his rightful woman take her place.She knew sh
However, she says nothing and turns. She is not going to let this bitter women come between her and her best friend. They are Carmela’s friends, and they are picking on her on purpose because Carmela sacrificed herself for her.She has no position to defend herself.As she heads for the bathroom to get a mob, Edna shrieks behind her: “Who are you leaving this mess to?! Get the shards first! It could hurt someone, jeez!”Leila nods and kneels to pick up the bigger ones with panicking hands, and it is at this moment, the door opens after a short knock, and Leila looks up with the shards cupped in her palm, only to meet the Alpha’s cold eyes.“What are you doing?” He notices Leila and instantly, a frown crawls onto his handsome face.“Alpha!” Carmela jumps off the bed and runs to the Alpha, throwing her arms around his neck like when they were kids, “Can I please, please leave the hospital now? Pleaseeee.”Her cute tone got a light laugh out of the Alpha and he pats her on her waist to ge
Leila tosses and turns on the pristine white sheets of her soft mattress, her red and puffy eyes settling on the chandelier dancing to the tune of the strong wind blowing in from the open window.She smiles bitterly at the ornament swinging above her, it reminds her of own self. She is not in control, she just dances to the tune of whatever terrible music her miserable life is playing.Two years ago, she was just a regular girl hoping to find her fated mate, to live a simple life with him and raise beautiful children but life has her right now as a hated Luna and a jilted wife.Tatum promised to come home after dropping Carmela but it’s been hours and he is still with her, probably reminiscing of the love they used to share before Carmela disappeared She blinks back the tears tugging at her eyes as her chest tightens in pain from the thought. They aren’t mates. She forgot. She shouldn’t have let his kindness cloud that.It was his ultimate act of kindness that made him marry her. Aft
Tatum is sitting on Carmela’s bed in the dark, with Carmela on his legs, her head resting calmly on his chest, with one of his arms around her waist while the other slowly runs up and down her hair.As his Luna and bearer of his mark, the mindlink gives Leila access to all of Tatum’s physical senses and what she sees in her vision cripples her heart, forcing the tears she has been holding back to run down the corner of her eyes.Whatever hope she held out that she meant something to him instantly shatters and an unbearable pain rips through her.A pained smile curves up Leila’s lips and she is about to cut the mindlink when Tatum’s voice barrages into her head.‘What is it?’The coldness of his voice hurt her even more than the image in her vision. It’s like this man feels absolutely nothing but irritation towards her since Carmela returned.Before Leila can even form words in her head, Carmela notices the glow in Tatum’s eyes and guesses it’s Leila mindlinking him.She jumps down from
The rich smell of coffee and excess milk wafts into Leila’s nostrils and her sullen gaze shifts from the mug to his handsome face but she doesn’t reply to him not knowing how to feel. Tatum’s fingers grazes her arm as he pulls away and his mere touch sends tingles of pleasure through her body.Bringing her coffee every morning in bed was his usual routine, something she has grown used to but why still bring her coffee this morning when he spent the night in the arms of his love?Did he even remotely think about how she must have felt yesterday when he made that decision? Were her feelings something that mattered to him or was she just an object that he took pity on and had fun with while he searched for his true mate?“Earth to Leila,” Tatum snaps his finger and his voice brings her back to reality.Leila gulps, feeling her heart pound with raw nervousness and she drops the mug on the bedside.It’s now or never. If she wants to rid herself of this agonising ache hammering at her heart
Old times? She always felt invisible back then when they all hung out with Carmela getting all his attention, she’ll feel even worse now.“You go on ahead, I have a meeting with the pack widows this morning,” Leila replies, looking away from his eyes.“Leila.”The sternness of Tatum’s voice makes her turn, struggling to keep her emotions together.“Yes.”Tatum closes the gap between them, staring deeply into her eyes, like he is looking into her very soul. Leila’s chest heaves slowly, wondering if he has her figured out but he says nothing and he plants a soft kiss on her forehead before leaving the room quietly.Later that day, Leila is woken from her nap by the sound of laughter from outside her shared room with the Alpha. The voices are more than familiar, she knows she should pretend to be asleep and not go there but she just cannot hold herself back.She steps out of the room and to her surprise, the laughter is coming from the room directly opposite theirs. She selected a room do
“I manage,” Leila replies, her heart sinking to her stomach and she gives Carmela a sullen look but Carmela keeps a straight face like losing your wolf wasn’t such a shameful thing.“I’m sure you do. Now, how about we go make some cold drinks and let the man work?” Carmela’s straight face lights up with a beaming smile as she replies, glancing at Tatum but Leila is too uncomfortable.What else does Carmela know? Is her secret still safe? What if she tells it to the other pack members? The consequences will be too dire for her. The pack members will blame her for Tatum’s actions just like they did when Carmela disappeared.Fear, worry and anxiety all flood her heart at the same time and she stands up abruptly, feeling too self conscious and shameful in front of Carmela.“I um- I have to go, I have somewhere else to be.”“But you only just got here, I was hoping to get more stories about your reign as Luna,” Carmela replies with a subtle coyness in her tone.Leila gulps, becoming more wo
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 hide t
“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
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
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
“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
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
“Has anyone seen the Alpha?” Theo asks no one in particular, walking into the pack house cafeteria.He’s been to the office and he can’t find Tatum, neither is Tatum taking his mindlink which is very strange considering it’s the morning and Tatum is usually the first one around.“I think I saw him at the training complex,” one of the guys replies and Theo squints his brows, a confused look on his face.Tatum hasn’t been to the training complex in years even if training people is one of his favorite things to do. Well the only person he gave special attention to training then was Leila but after the incident between them and she left, he hasn’t stepped a foot in the complex.Theo scoffs, a thought crossing his mind as he waltzes through the corridor of the pack house that leads to the back where the training complex he located.“Harder! Is that all you got woman?” Tatum’s excited and taunting voice is the first thing he hears as he gets closer to the complex.Woman? Tatum is training
Carmela stands up slowly, looking at Tatum and Leila with shame and anger in her eyes, tears pouring out of them. She grabs her purse off the table, sniffing and sobbing before she practically runs out of the restaurant.“I’m really sorry about that,” Tatum says, pulling a seat back for Leila, “she just showed up out of nowhere.”Leila gives him an unsettling look before her gaze turns cold which sinks his heart. “Whatever,” she rolls her eyes in the direction Carmela just went, “like I said, she’s irrelevant,” Leila pauses and gives Tatum a look he can’t quite read. “What is it she needed help with?”“A fake pregnancy test,” Tatum replies, “but it doesn’t matter. I was only going to help her so Antonio doesn’t figure out the truth. Believe me Leila, she was only trying to stir up trouble between us,” Tatum’s voice comes out nervous.“I heard you the first time, Tatum,” Leila replies in a curt voice, sliding her purse off her shoulder and she drops it on the table with a bit of forc
Tatum turns his head in the direction and the moment he sees Leila, the look in her eyes as she sees the two of them that close makes his heart jump and he pulls away quickly from Carmela.He cannot afford to have her thinking otherwise or anything wrong. He wants her and her alone and he doesn’t care that Carmela is here, he’ll let her know that he has eyes only for her.Leila stays rooted to the spot, clearly confused about what is going on.Tatum dashes towards her as she spins on her heels to leave. He holds her hand and turns her to face him, looking at her with passionate eyes.“It’s not what you think. I didn’t invite her here, she came on her own asking for help and when I refused, she was willing to confess a secret. She was just about to whisper it to me, I swear, that was nothing,” Tatum says in a panic voice, hating the judgemental eyes Leila is looking at him with.“Okay, carry on then,” Leila replies, pulling her hand away from him and it breaks his heart that she doesn’