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 hLeila 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
“Tatum, please…..it’s nothing,” Leila replies, clutching the phone against her chest with trembling hands, her eyes full of fear at the rage in Tatum’s voice.She hasn’t even read the text from Kelvin to know what it is but she doesn’t want to have any issues with Tatum because of him.After the recent fight they had because of Kelvin, Tatum went from barely noticing her and giving all his time to Carmela to completely cold towards her, sometimes even ignoring her on purpose.As much as she is mad at him, as much as she hates the way things are between them, being able to still talk to him, to still spend a little time with him, to be in presence and bask in his smell, it is these little things that give her some sanity in her insane world.No matter how little attention he gives to her now, she cherishes it greatly, she doesn’t want him to take it away because of his misconceptions about her relationship with Kelvin.“I thought I made my
“For the last time Carmi, Tatum and I had an argument but it wasn’t about you,” Leila replies to Carmela, stirring her tomato sauce.Just like she expected, Tatum never returned to the room last night and he left the house very early this morning without saying a word to her.She plans to apologise to him when he gets back, bringing up divorce is a big deal and she honestly did not expect him to refuse outrightly.Even if it’s just because of the Luna position, it shows he values her in some way.“Are you sure Leila? Because he has been so nice to me and spends all his time with me, I hope it’s not making you jealous, because there really is no need to be. Tatum and I are just friends,” Carmela replies with an innocent smile on her face and glee in her tone.Just friends? Leila resists the urge to scoff at Carmela, turning off the cooker so her spaghetti is not overcooked.There was a time she used to cook for everyone in her hou
“The Luna of the blood oak pack is so pretty and she’s very smart too. Alpha Tatum is lucky to have a woman like her.”“I heard she’s no ordinary Luna though, her wolf has special powers, she is a child of prophecy.”“No wonder she has such beauty and brains, a truly magnificent person.”Leila hears the whispers from some omegas working as she strolls to the Ruby conference room of the Halitad hotel. A hotel co-owned by the blood oak pack and the moon rock pack, right on the borders that separate both pack grounds.She subtly blushes at the whispers, they seem full of high praise for her but she’s sure she’s never seen them before.The annual werewolf games are coming up, a competition where werewolves of different ages showcase their talents across various competitions and this year, the blood oak pack is hosting it and as is customary, the planning is left to the Lunas of the twelve packs that participate in the event.She push
Leila looks at Carmela and her eyes are full of remorse but Carmela’s words barely have any effect on her.She keeps saying she doesn’t want to be Luna but her actions would suggest otherwise but now is not the place to air such grievances.Besides, like her, Carmela is just a victim in all of this too, she was supposed to be married to Tatum, was supposed to be Luna, she has been preparing for it half her life, only to have it snatched away from her.It must be hard for Carmela coming back to see another woman living her life and her best friend for that matter, she has been so selfish she didn’t even consider Carmela’s feelings about seeing her with Tatum.Before she can reply, the security guard grabs the Luna closest to them and holds a knife against her throat.“If I see any eyes glow, I will slit her throat and kill as many of you as I can before your men get here,” he warns them sternly not to mindlink for help.The rest o
“Welcome to my humble and temporary abode Angel,” Leo smiles at Leila, opening his arms for a hug. Leila keeps her face grim, her feet rooted to the spot, barely any amusement in her eyes as she stares at Leo blankly. “My bad,” he chuckles and drops his hands, “we’re not friends yet, according to you. I’m glad you took up my offer. Come, I’ll introduce you to everyone.” Leila narrows her eyes at him as she walks in behind him. His men do not bow or show any sign of respect or anything like that as Leo walks past them. Everyone is just going about their normal duty and activities as if they cannot even see him. Even Tatum who doesn’t force anyone to respect him will not have his men just lazing about when he walks in with a guest. Is Leo really this jovial with his men or is this all an act for her to drop her guard? Make her feel like he is a warm and homely person? She only has one mission here today and that is to find her daughter. Whatever theatrics and schemes Leo has up hi
“I think you should go Leila,” Jenny says later that evening after Leila tells her of her encounter with Leo and how he both directly and indirectly gave her an invitation to his camp. Leila looks at Jenny with shock, not expecting her to say that, “can you even hear yourself? It’s an obvious trap. He already has Amara, if he kidnaps me too, then what happens?” Jenny frowns, “you’re both invitees of the king and I know where you’re going, he can’t actually kidnap you if you walk in there with your feet. This may be our only chance to confirm if he really has Amara in there or not.” Leila sighs, a sad and conflicted look on her face. Jenny has a point but it is also risky too. The Leo she met is a far cry from what she thought him to be but of course, that too might just be pretense. “I have an idea,” Jenny’s face lights up as Leila raises her head to face her, “to ensure Leo cannot do anything silly when you get to the camp, we just have to make the king aware of your visit to Leo’
What does he want with her? Is he going to— “I thought I told you boys to back off, are you trying to scare the lady?” Leo’s voice breaks into her thoughts and she looks at him with eyes agape in shock, then squinted in suspicion. “Alpha, we’re only doing our duty, it’s not safe for you to roam these streets alone, considering our current standing with the king,”one of his men replies. “The angel here knows a thing or two about standings with the king and she’s roaming, is she not? Unless you boys think a woman can handle what your Alpha can’t.” “Of course not Alpha,” the guy immediately goes on one knee and bows to Leo. Leo rolls his eyes and frowns, “you’re always too serious Dexter, I meant that as a joke but if you thought so, you wouldn’t be wrong, this lady here is a special one.” The discomfort in Leila’s heart grows and a tinge of fear rises in her from the words of Leo. He was somehow able to find out that Amara is Tatum’s daughter, what else does he know? Does he know h
“This mysterious savior of yours seems to be one of a kind,” Jenny says after Leila recounts her ordeal at Leo’s camp to her. “I guess he is,” Leila replies, her eyes holding a conflicted look, her thoughts still unsettled about the probable identity of the man and his proximity when her life is in danger. “Jenny.” “Yeah.” “Is it possible for one’s wolf to change, maybe by magic or a spell?” “Why do you ask?” Jenny squints, her face becoming doused with scrutiny and a hint of sudden realisation, “wait. You don’t think it’s Tatum, do you?” “I don’t know…” Leila replies, her voice sullen and dry, her heart soaked in grief, “if such a spell was possible, I suppose I would think so. I mean, who else would come to my rescue like that but him and his choice to stay mute too. Plus Tatum has a habit of doing things and keeping me in the dark. I’m just so confused.” Jenny heaves a deep sigh, pity covering her eyes. She sits beside Leila on the mattress and drapes her hand around her. “D
Leila immediately takes off in the direction through which she came, the guard at the post takes a swing at her with the silver spear clutched in his arms but she ducks underneath it, her heart pounding hard and fast as more guards join in the chase. She reaches the fence and in one swift move, she leaps over it but the barbed wire tears into her back and the side of her arm as she lands but the pain doesn’t deter or slow her down. Leo already has Amara, no doubt to have an edge over Tatum, if she gets caughts too, it will only make things worse and judging from what she has heard about Leo, he could do much worse than just capture her. The sound of the dogs barking and men yelling gets louder as she takes off into the deep of the woods. She almost shifts so she can gain more ground on the dogs who she can see closing in on her from her peripheral vision when she remembers the dangerous spell cast on the capital, way before Antonio even became king. It is a tale every child growing
“If your mind's made up, give me a few hours, I’ll do a cloaking spell to keep you hidden when you get there, go get our little warrior and bring her back,” Jenny replies, giving Leila a hug. Leila feels a bit of relief hearing that. With a cloaking spell, she can easily move in and out of the camp undetected and hopefully, she can get Amara out. Armed with Jenny’s cloaking spell which Jenny channeled into a bracelet around Leila’s wrist, Leila heads to Leo’s camp. As long as she keeps the bracelet around her wrist and avoids water getting on it, the ordinary eyes of men will not be able to see her. Her eyes scan the camp’s walls—high wooden fences reinforced with barbed wire and guarded by sentries, their sharp eyes scanning the darkness for any movement. She can see their figures in the distance, shifting in and out of view as they pace. She holds her breath, listening for any noise that might betray her presence. Even with the cloaking spell, she still has to be very careful, o
The next day, Leila makes her way to the palace to officially answer Antonio’s summon. She would rather be looking for Amara or Tatum right now but it’s important that she sees Antonio too. The last thing she wants to do is give him an excuse to legally place any kind of punishment on her or pack using her disobedience as an excuse. “State your business,” a rough looking guard, a guy as tall as a mountain, confronts her at the gate. “I’m here to see the king by his summon. I’m Leila Cromwell, Luna of the blood oak pack,” she replies, staring at the gates that stand tall and imposing. The guard grunts and they his eyes change colours, showing he is mindlinking, possibly confirming if she was truly summoned by the king. “Wait here,” the guard frowns, before walking through the gates and into the gate house. Leila’s heart thuds nervously as she waits aside. A lot depends on the outcome of her meeting with Antonio but what would she even say to him when she sees him? The man singl
Leila’s heart races, her breath becoming unstable from Jenny’s revelation as she tries to make sense of it. “If it wasn’t for Amara’s power that caught him off guard, he would have captured us right there and then but she bought us enough time to escape and stay hidden until Tatum and his men arrived and the moment Tatum left with Amara, Leo and his men stopped their onslaught and went after him,” Jenny concludes. Leila sighs sadly and massages her temple. This endless cycle of torment and confusion just seems to never want to stop revolving around her. She knows Amara is alive but she still cannot ascertain her safety from what Jenny is saying. It makes no logical sense for Tatum to bring Amara to the last place that she should be and another thing is how far the North Star pack is from the capital. It’s a very long journey that would take travelling through different packs and despite the measures she put in place and people she had sent to different packs in search of Tatum and A
A terrific sigh of relief escapes Leila, her eyes going wide in shock and she hugs Jenny again, tears falling out of her eyes, a rush of relief filling her heart. For many nights and days she has prayed and hoped that Amara would be safe, that no harm should befall her but why the capital, why did Tatum choose here of all places to bring her, right under Antonio’s nose. What is his plan? She breaks the hug and tugs Jenny by her arms, “do you know where she is, can you take me to her?” She asks, her heart pounding wildly, nothing would bring her more joy right now than seeing her little girl again, seeing those shiny pretty eyes, her bubbly personality. The last time they saw Amara was withdrawing into a shell because of how different she was from kids her age and how they treated her. Will she still be the same or will spending time with her father have that effect removed? “Leila , calm down,” Jenny replies, a bit of a sullen look in her eyes, “I know where she is but it’s not t