The night was eerie and dark, the hoots of the owls sounding through the dense forest path, the trees hummed a melodic yet scary hum until the forest’s rhythm was broken by the loud painful grunt of a man.
Dry blood coated every inch of his skin like a tattoo even as crimson red liquid spilled out of a wound from his torso, running down his legs who despite their tiredness refused to stop running.
It was Tatum and securely clutched in his arms was a pouch and in it was a young sprout of the dry scorpion lily.
Getting it wasn’t easy but it was worth it.
Getting into the enemy pack and securing the herb was the easy part but because of how rare they are, they had the place boobie trapped and he was struck
“Get out! Get out! I don’t want to see you, I hate you!”Leila screams at Tatum the moment he enters her room after she leaves the tunnel.Tatum pauses, smiling warmly at her, she has every right to be mad at him, he deserves it. His only hope is that after today, he at least gets a chance to make it up to her.This rift between them is tearing his heart apart more than she can ever know but it’s also made him realise how hard life can be without her, without the warmth from her.As Luna, she makes being Alpha so easy, as a wife, she makes being a husband so loving and as a friend, she makes being her friend so comforting.
“No!….”Horror fills Tatum’s voice as he rushes to the broken vial on the floor, his eyes wide in utter disbelief as he kneels above it.A sharp pain squeezes his heart as he watches the liquid spill out onto the floor, the shards of broken glass look whole compared to his broken heart.Tears tug his eyes and he blinks for the single tear drop to run down, feeling completely helpless and devastated.Why…..What does he do now?Does he start all over again?He scampers on his knees to the mattress
Tatum scoffs softly, a wry smile adorning his lips and he gets up from the bed, bending to pick up the shards of broken glass one after the other before he stands up and holds the broken glass in his palm to Leila’s face.“To hell with it anyway,” Tatum remarks and Leila looks at him completely clueless.“Why, what was it?”The liquid from the vial doesn’t seem to have a particularly pleasing smell, so it couldn’t have been some very expensive perfume and Tatum wouldn’t shed tears over something as trivial as that.“You should have asked first before destroying it,” he walks away from her and kicks the small trash can by the dresser open and tosses th
Leila stares calmly at him, but her heart is slamming against her ribcage but instead of feeling scared or upset about his psychotic plans to murder and cremate her mate, she feels her heart flush with warmth, feeling good to know he desires her this much.This is the Tatum she knows, wild and deadly when it comes to protecting what he loves.Maybe she can give him another chance?Perhaps their baby can grow up, loved and adored by its mother and father.She wriggles away from his hands and folds her arms against her chest, an angry pout on her lips.“If you won’t let me go, it’s not only me you should be telling,” she replies in a c
Leila spent the rest of the afternoon cradled up in Tatum’s arm until he had to leave to close out the first day of the Werewolf games as is customary.He didn’t even want to leave her but she insisted and it made her feel giddy to see him so clingy.Who would have thought.But she wonders if the attention and affectionate moment she got from him was all for her or because of the baby growing in her womb? Tatum did ask her to stay before she told him about the baby and that gives her a little hope.He may yet be in love with her, nothing would make her happier but it is nothing but mere hope, the same one that kept her around all this time.
Carmela doesn’t know what hit her next but her eyes fly wide open at the overbearing pressure that comes down on her and she grits her teeth, fighting hard to resist the command in Leila’s voice.Leila doesn’t have her wolf, yet her own wolf is trashing in her head, unable to resist the pressure to submit to Leila’s authority.Is this the sort of power that the— no, it’s impossible, not without her wolf but why can’t she stop herself?She caves in, feeling her wolf going crazy, her head throbbing with immense pain and she bares her neck to Leila submissively.“Luna,” Carmela mutters, shock clear in her eyes, her heart pounding in sheer horror as Leila smile
Leila hears Tatum as he enters the house, his minty scent enveloping her nostrils, standing out from the smell of food brings comfort to her.She has already finished cooking and has set the dining table but she is still in the kitchen, waiting for her strawberry cake to be ready for dessert.“There must be a feast going on here,” Theo says, stepping in behind Tatum, seeing the array of dishes laid out on the dining table.Carmela comes down the stairs, wearing a skimpy red leather gown and red hot lipstick.“Welcome Alpha,” She hugs Tatum, just as Leila steps out of the kitchen to greet Tatum.Tatum locks eyes with Leila and he sees
Her heart hammers against her chest with such ferocity like it is trying to burst out.Anger, hatred, bitterness, resentment, everything she feels for Leila doubling their portion in her heart.Tatum turns with Leila still hanging off him but he quickly drops her, holding her firm in front of him to cover his boner.Adaline rushes in, immediately attacking Leila.“What have you done to her this time, you—”“Mother….” Tatum growls, his alpha aura blazing and the pressure is so intense that Adaline feels the name she is about to call Leila run back down her throat.
“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