She smiles bitterly at him, holding his gaze, letting the pain in her heart take full control of it. Her legs move with a slow tremor under the table and she bites back her tears, hoping her pain is not so evident in her voice.“If I am STILL your Luna, when do I stop being her, Alpha?”“What do you even mean by that?” Tatum looks at her weird.“I mean, your true mate has returned, obviously my days are numbered,” Leila manages to keep her voice from trembling as she speaks.Something that looks like guilt fills Tatum’s eyes and he shifts his gaze back to his laptop screen.“What I choose to do with her shouldn’t concern you,” Tatum replies passively with an aloofness to his demeanour.The tiny sliver of hope that Tatum may yet keep her flicks through Leila’s mind but she quickly pushes it away. He only said not to concern herself with it, he never said it won’t happen.“I’m just asking because-”“Leila, drop it,” Tatum snaps his laptop shut, his tone becoming stern. “Trying to change
A nervous pit settles in Leila’s stomach as she reads through the divorce papers, shaking her feet under the table. She stuffs it back into her bag, frowning at the other item in there, the test result of her pregnancy. One of them will be in the Alpha’s hands tonight. She picks up the cold glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from the gold plated table of the restaurant's VIP section where she is sitting and as she sips, her eyes scan the space and she can see the eyes leering at her. In a VIP section with ten tables that can sit up to forty guests, she is the only one sitting there. Tatum either booked the whole place out for their surprise date night or the pack members who can afford it are just avoiding her as usual. Tatum has barely said two words to her since their argument about Kelvin, in fact, she barely sees him. He leaves the house very early in the morning and returns far into the night, heavily reeking of Carmela’s smell but Leila doesn’t dare to complain, she is qu
Leila looks away from his eyes. How dare she endear him when it brings pain to her heart knowing it only gives her a hope she shouldn’t have. Afterall, the names were only to amplify their act to everyone and now the gig is up.“Leila…that day when I married you, I meant every word, every promise,” Tatum says in a calm voice, his eyes carrying an emotion Leila can’t quite describe.He promised a lot that day. He promised to always be there for her, to help and to protect, even though...they are not mates.They aren't. Tatum knew that, and lied to the pack for her.She once thought it might be the result of somewhat a small but real affection in his heart for her, but now...she realises it's only because her life was saved by his Luna. She is just a symbol of Carmela in his eyes. Nothing more.None of them thought Carmela would come back. Only he did, only he kept searching for her.The signs are there since Carmela returned, she cannot allow herself to hope, he will break his promise f
“Good evening Alpha,” The three chorus, smiling from ear to ear when Tatum breaks the hug.“I didn’t hear you greet the Luna.” Tatum’s voice is cold and with a command, his eyes flashing red, a sign his wolf is also agitated.“Good evening Luna.”The three quickly bare their necks to Leila, feeling terrified by their Alpha’s dominating aura.“Evening ladies,” Leila replies passively, grabbing her glass of juice and looking mindlessly away, knowing Tatum’s full attention will be turned to Carmela. She may just as well pretend to be a ghost at the table.“Can we sit with you Alpha?” Tracy eagerly says, smiling down at Tatum.A deep growl from inside Tatum’s throat is the response she gets and Carmela quickly pulls her back, smiling at Tatum.“Forgive her Alpha, we’ll take another table,” she says, leading her group to the table behind Leila and Tatum.“The Alpha was going to allow us to sit with him, you shouldn’t have pulled us away,” Philomena says the moment they sit down, frowning
Tatum didn’t return for the rest of that night.Leila stares outside the car window as she makes her way to Tatum’s father’s house, seeing a bunch of kids engaged in a fierce water gun fight and she smiles as a distant memory comes to her mind of her and Tatum always being a team at this sport when they were younger.Sometimes, she wishes Carmela never got the phoenix mark because that is when everything changed, when Tatum’s attention shifted from her as a friend to Carmela as his future Luna, only for her to discover as puberty hit her that those fun moments as kids had sown a deep seed of affection for him in her little heart.She hardly sees Tatum now, he doesn’t even come home some nights and it hurts because she knows exactly where he is and why and tomorrow, Carmela will move in permanently with them so whatever they get up to will be right under her nose.Carmela’s panic attacks have gotten worse instead of better and the Alpha of the Blood Oak Pack is the only one that can cal
Cheers, jokes, smiles, laughter, everyone seems happy, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, enjoying this lunch but not Leila, she is just stabbing her food, occasionally giving comments when she has to and keeping that placid yet fake smile on her face.She used to be the centre of attention whenever she visited Alpha Darren, his questions and riddles to test people’s wit used to be directed at her but now, it’s like he doesn’t even see her, no one sees her, not him, not his wife, not even her own husband.“Saving Leila’s life came as an instinct to me. I always thought I was going to be Luna since I was ten and I thought of it as my duty to save the life of a subject,” Carmela replies to a question from Alpha Darren and the room goes silent, all eyes falling on Leila.Leila keeps her head down, avoiding the many eyes leering at her, knowing Carmela just put her on the spot.“But of course, Leila wasn’t just any subject, she was also my best friend. I’m glad she’s the one Tatum
Surprised to hear Carmela yelling and seeing the cold look on the old Luna’s face, Leila lets go of Carmela’s arms, still confused about the absence of the scar.“Ouch..” Carmela cries out, gripping her wrist as if to massage it but she twists it out of its socket, causing hot tears to stream down her eyes.“What have you done to my daughter in law, you silly girl?!” Adaline, Alpha Tatum’s mother, yells at Leila, storming forward.Leila freezes at her words, shock evident in her eyes and pain pinching her heart. Adaline has never hidden her displeasure towards her but she never expected her to call Carmela her daughter in law openly. “My wrist, I think it fell off its socket,” Carmela cries, gingerly supporting the damaged wrist with her other hand, her face a mess of tears.“What? How?” Leila turns to her with a confused expression, trying to hold the arm but Carmela backs away.“Don’t touch it, don’t touch me, it hurts, it really hurts.”“Get out of the way,” Adaline shoves Leila,
Leila gasps in shock, clutching her chest at the pain that rips through her. Her head spins, feeling like it is ready to split open. The torture is emotional, mental, as well as physical.He turned his back against her, he didn’t take her side, he doesn’t choose her yet again but she wants to hear him say it, she wants to hear the words from his lips, she wants to hear him say: ‘I believe you are a monster, a vindictive woman who hurt my true mate out of bitter jealousy.’“Alpha,” she sobs silently, her eyes full of pain, every syllable laden with agony. “I know I am not above the law but do you believe I broke it?”Tatum frowns, looking down at the pitiful Carmela gently resting in his arms before he turns his gaze upon Leila but before he can speak, Carmela cries out.“My arm…..I can’t take it anymore, this pain is going to kill me,” she wails, seeing that the cold look in Alpha Tatum’s eyes was morphing into a pitiful one as he looked at Leila.“Stay here till I return, I will see
Antonio scoffs, looking at the woman in front of him with utter disgust and contempt in his eyes. What does she think she’s doing?She finally got a glimpse of what it’s like to be the king’s woman? She’s seen the power at Carmela’s disposal since belonging to him and she suddenly remembers that they are mates?There was a time when he wanted her, wanted to taste and ravish her but now he almost finds her repulsive, he sees her for what she really is, nothing but Tatum’s second hand cargo.He smirks at her in a cold manner, a soft yet deadly scoff escaping him and he takes his hand from Carmela and points to Leila.“What in the world makes you think you’re anything compared to this goddess?” His eyes shift with admiration to Carmela who is beaming with a smile, enjoying every bit of his adulation.“Tell me Leila, why would I give up a gift from the goddess herself and pick the trash that nobody wants?” His harsh words cut through the air and murmurs fill the open space from the littl
“What?” Tatum asks, his voice fleeting from shock to what sounds like joy. “That’s right,” Carmela steps out from behind Theo and locks arms beside Antonio with a coy smile on her face, “my king and I are leaving your miserable pack,” her voice is haughty and snobbish. Antonio removes his hands from hers and curls it around her waist, pulling her close to him and he pecks her on the lip with a smile on his face. “How can you call this pack miserable when it gave you to me, my queen?” “You’re right but I’m the only thing not miserable in this pack.” Carmela rolls her eyes at Tatum and the rest of the group who have just stepped out of the car, wondering what the public display of affection is for before she looks back at Antonio. “I can’t argue with that one,” says Antonio, his eyes looking directly at Leila and without breaking eye contact, he rubs his palm across Carmela’s stomach. “You and our child are definitely not miserable.” Leila’s eyes widen in visible shock, unwilli
On the ride back home, Kelvin begins to tell them his findings and the group listens with rapt interest. “Contrary to what we’ve been made to believe, the first Lycan was never created by the goddess, he was an ordinary werewolf, a tyrannical Alpha who seeked more power than one man should have and he ended up getting it but it came at a huge price, a curse. Tatum glances back at him from the steering wheel, “I think I’ve heard this tale before, I just never believed it to be true.” “Wait, what curse? Are you saying Amara is cursed? According to the prophecy, she’s the next Lycan queen,” Leila asks, her voice full of worry. “No. I don’t think so. Every Lycan has been from the bloodline of the first Lycan and she’s not from that bloodline, plus she was born like that. The first Lycan on the other hand was born a werewolf but he stumbled upon an ancient curse, one that would take away his ability to love in exchange for more speed, strength, size and power and he accepted the curse.
Leila and Tatum make their way up the tunnel and then down the basement of the castle as described by Tatiana. The air in the basement is musty, like no one has been there in ages. Sounds of creeping things skittering across the floor irritates Leila and she yelps when she steps on a bug. “Who’s there?” Kelvin’s voice comes faintly from ahead of them. Leila’s heart leaps with joy and she hugs Tatum arms. “Kelvin?!” “Leila?! Leila is that you?” Leila pulls Tatum ahead as they run towards the sound of the voice. “Kev, where are you?” Leila asks, confusion taking over her happy expression. Kelvin's voice sounded like it was just ahead but it’s nothing but walks around them. “I’m right here,” Kelvin replies. This time his voice sounds even closer but they still can’t see him, it’s like his voice coming from the walls. “Damn that Antonio, it’s probably some sorcery again,” Tatum says with a deep frown on his face. “Oh, oh, it’s not sorcery, it’s science, there’s a lever somewhere
“Leila!” Tatum rushes towards then with his heart pounding in sheer fear as the guard aided by some spell of some sort plunges the knife into Leila’s back. The sound of her scream peirces the air as the guard yanks out the knife from her back, about to stab her again when his head gets completely torn off his body by a brutal swipe by Tatum. Leila groans in pain as she slams to the ground. Tatum crouches, taking her in his arms. “No, please, stay with me, you’ll be fine.” He looks down at her wound and she’s not healing. His heart lurches at the realization that the knife was spelled, it was not an ordinary knife. His heart pounds in terror and he rips his shirt off, making it into a ball to apply pressure on the wound and to stop her bleeding. Leila heaves slowly, her body quaking with unimaginable pain and she is not speaking, just taking short rapid hung breaths with pain in her tear filled eyes. “Over here!” The heavy footstep sounds of more guards approaching along wit
“Get in the car,” Antonio orders Carmela hours ago at the Blood oak pack. “Where..where are we going?” Carmela stutters, looking up at Antonio with fear in her eyes. Antonio gives her a full grin, leaning close to her, his voice soft yet sinister. “My dear fiancée, we are going to the hospital to test for our baby.” Carmela’s heart jumps in her chest, dread drenching her. This is Tatum’s fault. If he had given her the fake test results, Antonio would be convinced by now. “Why can’t you just believe me? Do you really think I’d lie to you?” “Get in,” Antonio replies coldly, the grin on his face vanishing as he circles to the other side of the car and gets in with her. Carmela’s heart thuds, her palms becoming sweaty, her legs shaking, her mind discombobulated. If things go south for her, she needs something to put her on Antonio’s good side back. “I think I know where they are going, it’s not for a vacation. They’re going to rescue Kelvin, you have him right? You should go and st
“No, no, you can’t come,” Tatum replies, turning to face her with a worried look on his face, “you stay here as well, I'll handle it.” If the warriors in there are as dangerous as Tatiana says, he doesn’t want her anywhere close to them. If it’s just him, he can fight tooth and nail like a savage if anything goes wrong to get out but if she comes, he’ll have to constantly be watching her back. It’s best if he does this alone. “I’m not saying you can’t handle it, but if the warriors in there are as dangerous as she says, what if you can’t take them on by yourself, you need to let me come with you,” Leila replies in an assertive tone. Tatum sighs and scratches his brows, if there’s one thing he’s learnt about this woman since she returned, it’s that she’s become very stubborn. If anything happens to her, he’ll never forgive himself, he cannot let her come. “Let me go alone, Leila, so if Antonio finds out, it won’t involve you and no trouble will come your way.” “Antonio can go to h
Tatum mutters the words of the riddle to himself, Leila gazes around the forest as if the answer would be written on one of the trees. Tatiana bites down on her finger as the three rack their brains to try and come up with an answer to the riddle. “We each get one try, so three tries to try and get us out of here,” Tatum says as a reminder. “Any ideas?” he glances at Leila and then at Tatiana. “No, I don’t know, the answer could be anything,” Tatiana replies and Leila shakes her head. “It’s definitely something abstract if it can cross time and space but then it can take many forms which can also contradict that theory,” Tatum mutters, scratching his head. “Exists between silence and words, between a glance and a touch, is the answer a thought?” Tatiana speaks. The forest rumbles, “No, daughter of Hecate.” Leila heaves a deep sigh, worthy beginning to fill her and cloud her sense of reasoning, she looks at Tatum who has his head down thinking and then at Tatiana who already looks
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’