Page 22

Leo

I knew something was fucking up, but I wasn’t expecting this… and the fact that the bastard somehow managed to get away… I didn’t see him leave the fucking car. I don’t know how, but he seems to have just fucking vanished. Unless… he wasn’t in the car to start with…

Blackmailing her with sex tapes. That fucking triggers me. I don’t care if she is a fucking princess or not, right now, she is someone who needs help. Why the fuck is she dealing with this shit alone? On top of that, somehow, the bastard had even managed to track us down. Does he have some sort of tracer on her?

Her luggage.

I pull up to the side of the road, making her grab the edge of her seat and glare at me with those large, gorgeous eyes of hers.

“What are you doing?”

I don’t reply. Getting out of the car, I walk to the trunk and grab her luggage, flipping her suitcase open just as she comes out of the car.

“What are you doing?”

“I want to know how the fuck he found us,” I reply, trying not to notice her tiny thongs in the suitcase, and toss the entire thing into the hedges.

“What the fuck? How the hell would he have something tracing me?” She growls. I look her over, my gaze falling to her shoes.

“Take your shoes off, too,” I command.

“No. Seriously, when would he have had time to -”

I don’t have fucking time for this. I grab her by the arm, pulling her close, and lift her up onto the edge of the open trunk before I pull her shoes off myself. Fucking stubborn woman.

“You are fucking crazy,” she growls, clearly agitated, but I can also sense her unease and worry.

“Makes two of us then,” I reply icily.

I look at her pants. They don’t have anything metal, they should be fine. She sure has sexy fucking legs… I look her over before I point to her earrings.

“Remove them.”

She glares at me but obeys, tossing them into the bushes. I pull her down and slam the trunk shut before I walk over to the passenger seat, grabbing her bag.

“Leo, he didn’t have a chance to touch my things!”

“You can’t be so fucking sure. There’s some way he’s tracing you.” I frown as I spill the contents onto the seat. I take out my lighter, setting her passport alight.

“Hey!”

“Sorry, little she-wolf, but I’m not fucking risking it. You’ve been in this guy’s company, so you can’t trust any of this shit.”

“You’re being extreme,” she growls, trying to snatch it from me, but I hold it out of reach with ease.

“I know how small chips can be…” I watch until her face and the details on the passport melt away, toss it aside and then destroy her bank cards before emptying her entire bag out. I switch her phone off but keep it with me. I’ll do some tracing later…

The last thought I have is if she has a chip inside of her, extreme but not fucking unheard of. I had all the pups in my pack chipped in case something happened to them. I’ll check when we get back… not that it would work in my pack anyway, but I want to be sure either way.

She now stands there seething. Her heart is pounding loudly as she stares at her things.

“Get in.”

“I have no money, no clothes, no passport!” She shouts suddenly, her eyes flashing. I clamp a hand over her mouth, pushing her up against the car.

“No fucking big deal! You’ll get clothes and cash, now get your little ass into the car,” I growl. She shoves me back, and I step away, letting her get in, my gaze dropping to her ass. Sexy.

I look away and slam the door shut, going around to get into the driver’s seat. I am about to start the car back up when she quickly tries to open the door.

“I’m not letting you out. I already told -”

She waves her hand, retching as she points at her mouth. Fuck, she is going to be sick. I unlock the door, and she stumbles out, running to the bushes and throwing up. I get out, swiftly scanning the surroundings before I walk over to her. Guess she got motion sickness.

I stand by her side as she clutches her stomach with one hand, the other struggling to hold back her silky locks. I reach over, gathering her hair up and holding it back as she empties her stomach.

“Urgh,” she groans once she has finished emptying the contents of her stomach.

“Guess you’re not as strong as one would think,” I remark, letting go of her glossy hair. I grab one of her discarded items of clothes and pass it to her. She wipes her mouth and tosses it onto the floor again, then looks at me. I have half a mind to make another comment, but she looks fucking pale.

“Thanks,” she says with an expression in her eyes that I can’t read.

“We’ll stop at the next service station and grab something to drink,” I suggest.

She doesn’t argue, instead walking to the passenger side and getting in, resting her head back against the headrest. I get in, locking the doors before I start driving. She keeps her eyes closed as we continue. It is already late, and it has gotten dark outside. I turn the volume up a little on the music, enjoying the peace that gives me the space to think things over.

The pull of the bond is still hanging between us. Even though I have weakened it by rejecting her, it doesn’t stop me from thinking about her. Her arguing with me earlier had fucking made me lose my self-control, the way her eyes were flashing, her chest heaving with rage that she wasn’t afraid to express, it was a fucking turn-on and I wanted to fuck her senseless, but I couldn’t. Accepting her meant me swallowing my words when I have stood against the Elite for so fucking long… Why the fuck am I even considering it?

If I take her back, everyone is going to question it… although Marcel and Corrado would be fucking happy. She is fucking crazy, and with her, you never know what she’ll do next, but it is pretty fucking amusing. Like that doll that I sure as fuck know was meant to be me when she said it was a voodoo doll.

And now I have to fucking decide where to put her. Should I place her in my penthouse in the city? Nah, it is too far if shit happens… Maybe I should keep her in my underground bedroom? Yeah, like a fucking prisoner. That would be fucking weird.

What should I do? I know I don’t need to answer to anyone, but things are already fucking rocky between Nikki and me… and with Marcel saying he’ll hand me the title if I settle down and take a Luna? I don’t want him to think I am choosing Azura, and neither do I want her to be the reason I attain that title. A title I fucking deserve anyway.

I glance over at her. She is staring blankly out the window. I can see her expression in the glass, blank and emotionless, but one thing I have learned is when she wears that expression, her mind and emotions are working in overdrive.

I should be preparing for my shipment tomorrow, but instead, I’m here with her, my mind consumed with other things…

We have stopped at a service station and, having no fucking clue what she likes, I have just grabbed some snacks and drinks before we finish heading back home. She has barely said a word for the entire journey, and even though the car is fucking big, I am very aware of her every move. Her scent is still as appealing as it was the when I had found out she was my mate, a temptation that doesn’t just go away.

I have kept an eye out, but after that, we haven’t been followed, making the rest of the journey pass without a hitch. We finally reach home, and I have just parked up in my underground car park again. Only I have access to this place.

A chill has fallen, and when we step out of the car, I see her curl her toes as they touch the cold ground. I’m still not sure what to do with her, so I decide to take her to the bedroom that leads off my cave.

Yeah, keep her like a fucking creep in the basement.

“Where are we going?” She asks as I lead her away from the lift.

“You’re staying down here until I get some stuff sorted.”

“Oh, so you force me to come back and then want to keep me hidden? Geez, I wonder why?” She remarks icily. I don’t know what her fucking issue is, but being back here reminds me of the kiss we shared earlier…

“Think whatever the fuck you want, you’re staying here until I say.”

“I am not your prisoner,” she growls.

Alpha? Leo? I frown when Jackie’s voice comes into my head.

What is it? I ask coldly as I unlock the entrance and lead the way in, not missing the way she looks around. Despite her irritation, she still follows as I lead her to the bedroom. The room is pretty private, even though the main wall is frosted and looks out into the main room.

Sorry… but we had a time set. I made sure Emmet wouldn’t know…

I frown. Yeah, I forgot with all this shit going on.

I’ll meet you later, around midnight, just tell Emmet the hospital needs you.

Of course, got it. Same place?

Yeah. I cut the link. I don’t need anyone fucking seeing us together.

I look over at Azura, who is scanning the room. It is a modern room with a dark interior, a huge tv, and surround sound. A king-sized bed is on the far wall with a panelled backdrop. There is a black fitted wardrobe and chest of drawers containing my clothes to one side. She won’t get bored with plenty to watch, or at least not entirely fucking bored.

“There’s a bathroom right through there. Grab something of mine to wear for now. I’ll get Winona to get some stuff for you. Or there’s a tablet, just choose whatever the fuck you want. Here’s my card.” I place the card on the bedside table. “There’s a fridge there next to the bed in that cabinet, and there’s a collection of alcoholic drinks out in the main room. Help yourself, just don’t touch anything else.”

“And my phone?” She asks, completely ignoring everything I said.

“This is a new number, right? He still got a hold of it somehow. I need to check a few things out before I can give it back to you.” She lets out an irritated exhale.

“Look, I feel like you’ve taken me prisoner. I get that you have taken this personally, but why? I am nothing to you, remember? I don’t want to be here, Leo!” She snaps, running her fingers through her hair. Yeah, obviously.

“Do you want him fucking caught or not?”

“I don’t have the time to stay here! Yes, I want him caught. Goddess! He has pictures of Kat, Sky, and my other friend, Song! What if he releases them on the net? Fuck, I don’t know if this is a good idea. Leo, this could fucking break Kataleya. She’s so damn innocent and sweet. I know you hate the Elite, but this will really affect her. She has done nothing to you, think of her.”

I clench my jaw. Yeah, I fucking do hate the elite… doesn’t mean I hate the kids…

Then why not accept Azura? Being okay with someone and making them my Luna are two fucking different things.

I take out a cigarette and light it, taking a drag on it.

“I have a better chance at doing something about this shit than Alejandro does. Unless it comes down to not trusting me -”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, can you stop stressing me the fuck out? This isn’t about me not trusting you! Goddess! I know you’re fucking smart! Everyone has mentioned how you’re fucking tech savvy! But me being here is messed up. I need to get away from you! Don’t you get it, Leo? Being around you is hard!” She shouts, her eyes glittering with tears of frustration. “I don’t want to see your fucking face!”

My eyes flash as anger flares through me. I close the gap between us and grab hold of her elbow, pulling her close.

“If I’m so fucking repulsive, reject me. Get rid of the fucking bond that is keeping us both trapped in fucking limbo,” I hiss menacingly. I am fucking trying to help, and here she is acting like I am the fucking issue.

A flash of hurt flickers in her eyes before she shoves me violently. She is strong, but not fucking strong enough.

“Fine. You want it, I’ll give it to you.”

My heart races as I stare at her. She is going to do it. I can see it in her eyes; the pain, the fear, and, above all, that fire of determination. Will she really be able to do it?

It had been fucking hard to say those words… I’d had to give it my fucking all. I had reminded myself of everything I hated, and only then had I been able to do it. Is she strong enough to do the same? But her next words hit hard.

“I, Azura Rayne Westwood,” She is doing it, fuck, this is it. A few stray tears splash down her cheeks, and my heart is thundering. Why now that she is ready to accept it, is it fucking messing me up? “Accept your -”

“Not yet,” I cut her off, my voice hoarse as I clamp my hand over her mouth and stare into her beautiful blue eyes. Our hearts are thudding as we both stare into each other’s eyes. Two shades of blue… yet so fucking different from one another… “You can accept it when you leave.” It is a fucking poor excuse. I turn away, feeling shaken. “I have a lot going on right now and need to be at the top of my game…”

Why had that fucking unnerved me? Isn’t her rejection what I wanted, so these emotions could fucking go away?

I leave the room swiftly, knowing if she wanted, she could reject me at any time... and I knew her enough to know that she’d do it, too.