Page 21

Azura

S hit.

No.

Do I tell Leo?

I am trying to calm my racing heart. What do I do?

The first thing that comes to my mind is to ask him to stop at the service station and get away from him, but I have to think about my baby. Doing that would not only be a risk to me but the baby, too.

“Who is the message from?” Leo’s voice snaps me from my thoughts, making my breath hitch at his question. He is watching me intensely. His piercing eyes seem to be peering into my soul.

“One of my girls.” I find myself lying as I gaze out of the side mirror, trying to see behind us. Only the glaring headlights of a car can be seen. Is that him? Is he close? Will he try something? I am putting Leo at risk as well if I don’t tell him. What should I do?

“Oh, yeah? Stop lying, Azura. Are you going to keep hiding it from me?”

“I’m not hiding anything…” I’m struggling.

Why should I tell him? I know why I don’t want to… because I’m not ready for him to tell me he doesn’t care. Maybe the mate bond will make him feel something? Yet I’m still not convinced…

“My patience is fucking wearing thin. Tell me the truth because for the last fifteen minutes, we’ve been followed, and I fucking assure you, it’s not one of my enemies.”

Followed.

“Have we?” I ask, my heart thudding as I do my all not to press my hand against my stomach protectively.

“You’ve been too distracted to even notice, but I’ve taken several detours, yet that black McLaren has continued to fucking follow. So, either you tell me the fucking truth now, or I will fucking stop this car and deal with this shit my way, no questions asked,” he almost growls, his eyes flashing a steely blue.

“No,” I say, grabbing hold of his arm.

Judah has weapons that kill instantly… if he uses something on Leo… just the thought of him getting hurt terrifies me. Although he pisses me off, I can’t let anyone get hurt because of me, especially when he has Corrado waiting for him at home.

“Then start talking,” he threatens icily.

Our eyes meet before I look away, not wanting to appear as vulnerable as I feel, and I run my other hand through my hair, trying to word a sentence.

“It was from my ex,” I begin hesitantly, not daring to look at him, but I feel his aura fill the car. “He -”

“Is he the one who was there the day I found you?” He cuts in. His voice is menacing, although I can tell he is trying to control his anger. My stomach twists. Fuck, why is he so pissed?

“Yeah,” I murmur, now daring to look at Leo, realising I am still holding his arm. I am about to remove it, but the look in his eyes tells me that pissed is an understatement. Doesn’t the touch of a mate calm a person? Well, I don’t want him to fucking blow, and even if I’m not sure how well our broken bond will work, I keep my hand on him, praying it calms him even a little. I shouldn’t have lied to him. Fuck, now he is pissed at me, and I have nowhere to run to.

“And he’s the one you’re running from.”

It is a statement, not a question, so I stay quiet.

“When I asked you to tell me, you fucking should have,” he says dangerously, and I can see he is driving faster, way too fast. The cars around us are a blur, and when he turns, taking a side road, darkness falls over us. I know we are no longer on the right track. He has taken a detour on purpose.

“Leo, he’s dangerous. This has nothing to do with you, I will deal with him. Just drop me at Alejandro’s pack and walk away. He’s not someone to mess with,” I warn, not liking the speed we are driving at. One wrong move, and we’ll crash. He turns those piercing blue eyes on me, and my head is screaming at me to tell him to watch the road ahead.

“Leo, keep your eyes -”

“Here’s a news flash, little she-wolf; if you think that he isn’t someone to be messed with, then you really have no fucking idea who I am. He just fucked with the wrong fucking wolf.”

Fuck, why does that sound so sexy and comforting? Wrong time, Azura.

“Leo, I get that you are the big bad wolf, but there’s something weird about Judah… fuck, it’s complicated. “

“Why haven’t you told anyone? Aren’t you a goddamn Westwood?”

Our eyes meet for a second, and then his gaze flickers to my hand on his arm. I quickly remove it, feeling an odd hollowness inside at the loss of contact. It is weird…

“I don’t need others to fight my battles. Plus… I’ve done stuff, and if they find out, shit’s going to hit the fan. Besides, Judah has some stuff on me,” I explain quietly. It feels oddly good telling someone about it, although I never thought Leo would be that person. Speaking out makes the weight that burdens me lift a little, and my chest feels lighter.

“What kind of stuff?” He asks icily.

I can see that the car behind us is literally tailgating us. It is too fucking close, and Leo’s anger is rising with each passing second. I’m not sure if it is because of me or the car behind us, but it is almost suffocating in this car.

“I killed someone. I didn’t mean to, but I did, and then he forced me to help get rid of the body after I came to...” I reply quietly, remembering after he had - I swallow hard, pushing the painful memories away and focusing on the present. “He also…” It is hard to talk about it. I meant to tell Alejandro and prepare myself for the words, but here I am, spilling it all to Leo when he would just drop me off and leave. So why am I even telling him?

“Continue…”

The videos. I need to tell him about those.

I take a deep breath. Just the memory of fucking Judah makes me sick. How did I ever fall for such a sicko?

“He has explicit videos of me that he’s threatening to release on the net if I don’t do as he wishes.”

Suddenly Leo turns the steering wheel violently to the left, and I am thrown into him, unable to stop the scream that leaves my lips as I hear something being fired outside, hitting the side mirror. His eyes are blazing steel blue as the car spins violently at his move, just as I see an explosion go off through the window, one that I know was meant for us.

I cling to his arm as the spinning motion of the car makes me sick. I feel his arm reach over, pressing against my chest and holding me against my seat as the car careens in circles. The smell of something burning and the intense screeching overwhelm me, and sparks fill the sky outside.

“Bastard,” Leo growls, letting go of me. He reaches for the glove compartment, taking out a gun and switching the steering wheel to his left hand as he lowers the window and shoots a round of bullets at something behind us. The sound of shattering glass, fire and screeching metal echoes in my mind.

The sound triggers me, and memories of long ago flash through my mind. I hear the sound of something crashing. I have no idea what is going on, and when the car finally comes to a stop, he loads his gun once again. My heart thunders as I realise he is about to get out.

“Don’t,” I say, still feeling nauseous, my heart still pounding and my hands shaking. I can’t let him die. He has a son. “This is my battle.”

“He fucking just made it mine, too. Stay in the car.” He gets out of the car, and I am about to follow him, only for the doors to lock.

“Leo! He’s dangerous!” I shout.

I know Leo isn’t weak, but still… I look around, searching for the unlock button. My heart thumps in relief when I spot it and frantically press it, clambering out of the car just in time to see Leo rip the door of the McLaren off its hinges.

“Fuck!” He growls, kicking the flaming wreck, making it fly a few feet into the air before it hits the ground with a loud crash as it explodes into smithereens. I shield my face as flying pieces of debris fill the air, looking at Leo through squinted eyes. With the flames creating a backdrop behind him, he walks towards me, gun in hand. He looks around, scanning the area before his cold eyes meet mine.

“I locked the doors for a reason.” He grabs hold of my elbow and opens the door, pushing me into my seat before swiftly walking around to the other side, getting in. “Phone.”

“Why do you -”

“For fuck’s sake, do what you’re told!”

“News flash! I don’t do -” I am cut off when he leans over and grabs my phone from the floor.

“Password.” I clench my jaw, but I know better than to argue when Judah might be lurking close by.

“Six sixes.”

He raises an eyebrow, unlocking the device and going to the last text. His eyes flash as he reads the message before he texts something back, tossing the phone onto the floor.

“We’re going back to my pack.”

“What?” I ask, my heart skipping a beat.

“You heard me. I’m taking you back to the Sangue Pack.”

“Leo, no.”

I can’t go there. Being around him is fucking me over. I am constantly fighting my emotions, but it hurts seeing him with Nikki… knowing that he isn’t mine. I can’t stay there any longer than I already have.

“You don’t have a fucking choice. Plus, this is why you were going to Alejandro, right? To ask for his help? I can do a better job. I’m far more experienced in hacking than he is. I will retrieve those videos he has, and I’ll kill the fucking bastard. Who cares about consequences?”

“No. Drop me at Alejandro’s pack. I can’t go back with you!” I argue, my heart pounding. I feel so sick, and his words are messing me up. He begins driving back the way we had come, my mind reeling with what had just happened. “Leo, please!”

“No.”

“Leo! I don’t want to go back with you! Let me the fuck out! I will handle this! This isn’t your issue.” He ignores me, only making my anger rise. “Leo!”

The car screeches to a stop on the narrow country road, and he turns his blazing eyes on me. Reaching over, he grabs hold of my neck and leans closer to me. My own eyes burn silver as we stare into each other’s eyes. Our hearts are racing, and I try not to let his scent get to me. Doesn’t he fucking get that it is this exact connection that I am fucking scared of?

“I’m not giving you a fucking choice. End of discussion. We are returning to the Sangue Pack.”

His gaze trails over me for a split second, but then he pulls away, hitting the gas and zooming into the darkness. Consequences… deep down, I am scared for the truth to come out. I know Leo will deal with him without caring for the laws of the king and the court of Selene, but… going back to his pack is so hard. It is getting tougher to be around him without the bond playing up, and I know I won’t be able to reject him. Even fuelled by anger, I hadn’t managed to when I tried. The words seemed to get stuck in my throat.

I run my fingers through my hair before reaching down and picking up my phone. Unlocking it, I stare at the message Leo had texted back.

‘You just made this fucking personal, and Schurke Wolf forgives no one. Let the countdown to your end begin.’