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.
“I’m sure it was a mistake, Leila wouldn’t do that to you on purpose,” Tatum frowns as he helps Carmela to her feet, glancing at Leila who holds an unreadable expression on her face.First, at the tunnel and just now, Carmela is not trying to hide the fact that she wants to harm her. She doesn’t care what anyone says but she is not putting her baby's life at risk by living under the same roof as Carmela.She knows that demanding for Tatum to send Carmela out of the house will put him in a difficult position but her child’s safety is what is more important to her and Carmela is no friend either.Who harbours their own enemy?“She did it on purpose. I'm telling y
Carmela insisted on leaving last night and Leila was all the more grateful for it. No matter how much she whined and complained afterwards, Tatum refused to go back on his words, firmly taking Leila’s side.Leila can tell he is not all the way happy about his decision and it aches her heart, wondering if he still has feelings for Carmela, despite swearing himself to her.Afterall, she is still his mate.Right now, she is with Tatum and Adaline heading for the second day of the werewolf games and she is nervous. This will be her first public appearance after the scandal at Carmela’s welcome back party.How will her own pack members treat her in the presence of other packs?
“Stop…” Leila pinches Tatum’s side, breaking the kiss and noticing the eyes of the other Alphas and their lunas fall on them. “The crowd…..people are staring at us,” she whispers.Tatum gives her a sexy smirk, brushing his thumb over her supple lips, his grey eyes full of lust and passion.“Don’t complain now, you’re the one who said I don’t show them you’re my wife enough. What better way to let them know you are fucking mine,” he pecks her lips again and Leila’s heart races even harder, flushing with a joyful feeling at the way he calls her his possessively.“Kiss her again!” Someone yells from the crowd.&ldquo
“Don’t stay longer than needed and mindlink me if anything odd happens,” Tatum says to Leila outside Amanda’s apartment.They had just left the games for that day and Leila wanted to pay Amanda a visit before heading home. Yesterday when she agreed to stay, she called to have her and Curtis released with immediate effect.“I’ll be fine Alpha,” Leila smiles at him, her heart warming at the concern in his eyes and his voice.“Alright, come here,” Tatum curls his hands around her waist, pulling her into him and leaning against the car and he kisses her sultrily in the open.Leila pushes away, gazing around and feeling hot. Something about the way he kisses her anywh
“I really don’t know where he is at the moment,” Curtis says, fully dressed and leaning against the couch where Amanda is sitting opposite Leila.Leila frowns. It isn’t the reply she is expecting.“I don’t understand. He asked you to come here but you don’t know where he is?”“Yeah, he spoke to pops and they were gonna call Alpha Tatum to sort the whole shit out but then he got a call and just bailed. We haven’t heard from or seen him since then.” Curtis replies.He only just properly introduced himself to Leila as the second son of Kelvin’s aunt who is married to the Alpha of the Death Claw pack. Leila had hoped that Curtis would
“Give me your wrist,” Liana says in the room, taking out an amulet from her handbag and slipping it into Leila’s wrist.Her mother had called her to visit and she spoke with a terrible urgency, that Leila was at her house at first light the next morning.It was rare for her mother to be in such panic and it scared Leila.“This is for your protection and especially for the baby. Without your wolf, your body is weak and your cells heal slower. This amulet will help with that. It will also cast evil eyes away from the baby now that everyone knows you are pregnant.”Leila stares from her mother to the red beaded bracelet with dark spots, joined together by a red and black leathe
The palace glows under the Blood Moon, its light bathes the open-air pavilion where the ceremony unfolds in an ashen hue. It's a few months after the twins’ birth, and Tatum and Leila are hosting the sacred rite for mateless wolves to seek their fated bonds. Flames from torches dance, casting shadows on tables laden with roasted boar, honeyed fruits, and spiced wine. Wolves from every pack fraternize, their laughter and murmurs braid with the pulse of drums and fiddles. The air twinges with anticipation—some are here to seek love, others quest for destiny, all drawn by the moon’s primal pull. Banners of silver and red flutter above, embroidered with crescent moons, and the scent of pine and wildflowers lingers, a tribute to the wild heart of the kingdom. Amara perches on a stone bench near the dance floor, her eyes bright with mischief. Beside her, Amanda leans in, her auburn curls bouncing as she points at a Luna in a garish yellow gown. “Look at that,” Amanda whispers, smi
It is four years after the coronation, the palace murmurs with life, its stone corridors softened by laughter and sunlight. The scars of Antonio’s cruel reign has faded, replaced by scenic blooms of oaks and phoenix flames. In a sunlit hallway, Amara, now ten, sprints after a giggling three-year-old boy, her dark hair bouncing in a loose braid. The boy, Kael, is Kelvin and Tatiana’s son, visiting for the holiday with his parents. His tiny legs pump furiously, a mischievous grin lighting his face as he dodges Amara’s outstretched hands.“Get back here, you little tornado!” Amara calls, her voice equal parts exasperation and amusement. Kael squeals, darting around a corner, his curls bouncing. He’s fast for his age, but Amara’s longer strides close the gap. She lunges, and scoops him up before he dives into one of the many hiding places in the house behind a groove in the wall. Amara tosses him into the air with a flourish. Kael shrieks with delight, arms wide open like a bird, the
The palace of lies quiet, the firebrands dimmed after the coronation’s fervor the night before. Moonlight spills through the arched windows of the royal chambers, bathing the room in silver. A fire that's been running now smolders in the hearth, casting shadows that dance across the cloistered room. The revelry—cheers, music, oaths—has faded, leaving only Leila and Tatum, alone at last.Leila stands by the window, her sapphire gown replaced by a simple linen nightwear that flatters her generous hips and ample bosom, her hair loose in dark waves. The weight of the crown lingers, though it rests on a velvet cushion across the room. She gazes at the stars, their light a reminder of battles they've won and promises yet to keep. Tatum approaches her, his footsteps soft on the rug. He’s shed his regal mantle, wearing only a loose tunic and trousers, his silver-gray eyes warm in the firelight.“You’re quiet,” he says, his voice a mere whisper as he wraps his arms around her from behind.
The great hall of the palace is agog with a celebration. The marble pillars draped in banners of silver and gold. Weeks after Antonio’s fall, the kingdom gathers for a coronation. The air is alive with hope. Crystal chandeliers cast prisms across the mosaic floor, where roses—white for peace, red for sacrifice—form a path to the twin thrones. Nobles in velvet and commoners in their finest pack the hall, their faces bright with belief in a future minus Antonio and his tyranny. Musicians weave an orchestra of harps and flutes, and incense curls upward from holders, sweet and solemn. Today, Tatum and Leila are crowned regent king and queen, stewards of the throne until Amara, the destined Lycan Queen, comes of age. Leila stands radiant in a gown of sapphire silk, her dark hair woven with pearls, and the Phoenix Luna’s aura is a faint shimmer around her where she stands beside her husband. Tatum wears a mantle of black and silver, his presence steady as stone. Amara who is clad
The crowd's cries for Antonio’s death is a deafening roar. But Antonio rises, his crown askew, tilting to the side, a parody of its glory, his lycan blood burning in his veins. His eyes are wild with defiance, locked onto Tatum. “Enough!” he bellows, silencing the throng. “I demand a wolf duel, one on one, Tatum. To the death.” His voice tremors with menace. “If I win, you, Leila, Amara—all rebels—will die for treason. If I lose, well…” He smirks, baring bone-white, elongated canines. “I won’t.”As a lycan, Antonio towers even in human form, his bulging muscles are a testament to his legendary strength, his wolf form a beast of nightmare. The duel will favor him, for he is a predator born to crush his enemies with every fatal blow he delivers. Leo steps forward, knuckles clenched to cracking whiteness. “No,” he growls. “He’s cornered. We outnumber him, and without his magic, he’s done. Let’s end this now.” Ragna nods in agreement, the scars gleam on his knuckles, ready to charge o
The plaza hums with apprehension, both of the crowd and those of the faction that now rises against Antonio's tyranny. Alpha Leo’s words hang in the air, a challenge to King Antonio’s reign. The king’s face darkens, his crown glinting like a warning as everyone watches. “You dare betray me?” he snarls, turning to the other Alphas—towering figures clad in furs and steel, their eyes gleaming with lupine intensity. “You dare to defy me?” The crowd quiets, the air tight with impending violence. Antonio struts, eyes like firebrands, his shoes picking off prints from the blood left by Camela earlier. “Alphas, end Leo and Tatum. Now!” he commands again. Stillness descends in the crowd. But the Alphas—Ragna, Soren, and Veyra—stand unmoved, their faces look like they're carved from stone. Ragna, broadest of the three, steps beside Leo, his voice a low growl. “No, Antonio. Your tyranny ends here.” Soren and Veyra nod, their silence louder than any shout. The crowd murmurs, shock rip
The fall of Carmela lingers but a new dread takes root as Leila rushes through the crowd, hurling herself towards the stage where Amara stands, her small frame dwarfed by that of Antonio. Tatum follows behind her, his face red with fury, his eyes shot with pumping membranes. The crowd parts, clearing the way for the couple as sparks of whispers trail them. “Antonio!” Leila’s voice cuts through the silence, sharp as a blade. “You cannot marry our daughter!” Behind them, a flurry of murmurings animate the crowd, speculations fly, questions too. Tatum steps forward as guards inch around the king. “She's not yours to claim,” Tatum barks, “And you know why.” Antonio's eyes narrow with piercing sharpness at the couple. He knows. Leila feels it in her bones. He now knows. She is the Phoenix Luna. Amara, their daughter, carries the same fire, destined to rise as the kingdom’s next ruler. By binding her to him, Antonio seeks to snuff that destiny, to chain the Phoenix’s lineage to h
The Grand plaza glitters under the midday sun as Carmela steps out of a silken pavilion, a gorgeous sight that hushes even the worst cynics. Her gown, woven of lace and pearls and sequins, clings to her frame, before fanning into a train that drifts like mist behind her. A diamond studded veil shimmers over her face, and gold threads gleam in her hair. Arches swathed in white silk and roses tower over the wedding altar, where dozens of blossoms—crimson, ivory, gold—spill and waver like a fragrant tide, matching Carmela’s aura. The event that has had everyone wagging their tongues wagging across the kingdom for months is finally here. Cheers and applause erupt from the crowd as she glides with a queen's grace across the raised stage. As she floats down the steps, whispers trail her—some name her divine, the chosen queen. “Look at her,” Leila muses loud enough for Tatum to hear. “If I never saw a snake in a dress. I do now.” “Apt,” Tatum says through a smile as painful as Leila's
“No he’s not,” Leila snarls at him, her heart burning with rage, her eyes clothed with vengeance, “whatever you have done to him, undo it, now!” “Done to him? I said Tatum’s dead woman, nothing can be done to a dead man. This one here is just my faithful loyal guard dog,” Leo snaps his fingers twice and the man walks over to his side, silent and submissive. Leila’s heart boils with a fervent anger. She knows deep down in her heart that this is her husband, the man she has loved for years. Is he now completely under Leo’s control? Why is everything about him transformed with the exception of his face and voice and if he really is completely under Leo’s influence, then why did he save her, not once but twice. “Tatum, you’re not his dog,” tears stream out of Leila’s eyes, her heart clenching with unimaginable pain. “You’re the most powerful Alpha in the realm, Alpha of the Blood Oak pack, my Alpha, my husband…do you really not recognize your sweet pea anymore?” The man’s eyes snap to