Page 24

Azura

I don’t want to be back here. It is hard being here and feeling this pain. I still don’t know how to feel about him wanting to help. Sure, it feels great having someone as smart, powerful, and ruthless as Leo on my side, but I also know that Judah is twisted, dark, and manipulative. Will Leo be able to fix this? It is a game of risk.

I stay in the shower for a while before I wrap a towel around myself, then dry my hair with a second towel. I walk into the bedroom, spotting the tray of food on the bed. My stomach rumbles, and I can’t wait to dig in. Goddess, I am starved.

I pull on my panties and walk over to the wardrobe, taking out a white shirt. I look at it before putting it on. I sigh heavily as I plop onto the bed, reminiscing on the moment he had held my hair back when I vomited. And he should, this is his kid, too! But he doesn’t know I am pregnant…

Well, it seems he has some humanity in him.

This baby… I am beginning to realise I may not be able to keep it from him. If he wants to see his child, can I really be a bitch and refuse him? I pick up the tray, place it on the bed, and begin eating.

Since I am going to be staying here, I need to get Dante’s necklace somehow without Leo realising why, and I think it is time I told Mama and them who my mate is. And the fact that I am here at the Sangue Pack.

I play with the pasta. Despite how hungry I am, I’m suddenly not really in the mood to eat. I notice the bag on the bed and pull it closer, emptying its contents. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a body sponge, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a pack of tampons, a hairbrush, and moisturiser. Wow, seems like he can be a little considerate. Shame for him I used his toothbrush and products already. I shrug as I pick up the box of tampons and toss them in the air. I smack it, letting it fly across the room. It hits the wall and drops to the floor. Now that is something I don’t need, thanks to the dumb Rossi and his sperm.

I begin eating again, my gaze flitting to the tablet, musing over my options. I could contact Dante via email. Yeah, I know, old-school, but at least he’ll get it and hopefully check it soon... Kat even gave me his number, but oh well. I pick up the tablet and switch it on. The screen goes blank for a second before it turns on. Logging into my email, I find Dante’s address and begin typing a message.

Hey, nephew!

Hope you are enjoying your time in Italy. Eat my share of pizza and pasta, and send me pictures.

So, the reason I am messaging you, and I really hope you see this message… I need to borrow a certain amulet of yours. You can probably guess what I’m talking about and why… I know you wear it… but is there a chance I can borrow it for a bit? Please? I’ll stop nagging you about calling me Aunty? And don’t ignore me. I am very sorry for putting the scorpion down your swimming trunks a few years ago and for adding super glue to your hair last year, I swear I was just jealous. You know I have to hold the title of the best hair, right? I mean, aside from Rayhan.

Anyway, since I apologised, can I borrow it?’

Lots and lots of love, your simple, poor, innocent, misguided Aunty – sorry, I mean Azura, not Aunty.

I love you lots, remember that, okay? Even your annoying face. Okay, bye.

I look at my messages, thinking I have pranked him a lot over the years, with the help of Sky, of course. The guy needed to lighten up a little. Broody Rossis…

I place the tablet aside and eat some more pasta. Through the frosty wall of the bedroom, I notice the outside room light up a little. Is Leo back down here?

Today has been strange. I sigh as I finish eating, placing the tray to the side, and lay down on the bed, pondering over everything that has happened. I sigh heavily once again as I place my hand on my belly.

I’m sorry, little one. I hope I’m not stressing you out.

I feel exhausted, and I hope tomorrow is a better day…

The following day , I’m awoken by Leo knocking on the door, leaving breakfast and a few bags of clothes outside before I see him disappear through another door.

His weird behaviour has surprised me, but I don’t ponder over it much before helping myself to breakfast and getting ready for the day, although I’m not sure I’m going to see anything outside of this room.

I have checked the tablet several times, but there is no message from Dante yet.

It is now past one in the afternoon when a knock on the door makes me look up. Leo opens it before I even say enter.

“You should knock and wait,” I remark.

Our eyes meet, but he is as emotionless as ever. Something has changed, though. I can’t be sure, but since the last time we talked, there is something off about him. He doesn’t reply to my comment and instead frowns seriously.

“I need you to give me all the information you can on your ex; full name, age, height, anything, including any images you may have of him. I also need certain dates and locations that might help me. So, when you have a moment, come outside.”

“Okay,” I reply, equally as emotionless.

Neither of us looks away, staring at one another for a moment longer before Leo looks away, his eyes falling to the discarded tampon box I had thrown last night. I feel my cheeks heat up slightly, and I frown.

“I’m a devil, and devils don’t bleed,” I state, although he didn’t ask me anything.

I want to smack myself. That sure was dumb, I admit, but yeah, right now, I don’t bleed from down there…

He simply raises an eyebrow before closing the door after him with a small snap. Weird. He is behaving fucking weird… and I had just said the weirdest shit to him. Oh, well, what is there to lose? He already rejected me, so I’ll be as strange as I want to be.

I get up and place all the dishes in a pile. I’ll take them outside with me. I pick up the tampon box and shove it into the bag before making the bed and checking my email once more. Nothing. I wonder if Leo can access everything. The way he talked unnerved me a little, like he could hack into anything…

Once the room looks presentable, I look in the mirror. I am wearing a black satin cami that is tucked into torn skinny jeans. I pull on some heeled boots, ready to leave my room. There are a few sports bras and briefs in the bags, too. Whoever had gotten them had definitely had an idea of my size, but what annoys me the most is this stuff is all branded. I don’t want to owe him anything.

I run my fingers through my hair and leave the room with the dishes.

“Where shall I put these?” I ask when my eyes fall on Leo, sitting back in his seat, his long legs sprawled in front of him with a hand resting under his chin. In black jeans and a black tee, he looks beyond handsome. The entire room smells of him, a scent that I can’t help but find very appealing.

“Put them near the door.” He jerks his head towards the door we had entered through last night. I do as he said, feeling his eyes on me. I turn and walk over to him. There is no other chair in here, so he motions to me to sit on the edge of the desk.

“I’m okay standing,” I reply, trying not to look at the belt he is wearing with a statement buckle. He doesn’t reply, instead turning to the screen next to me.

“From your call records, the unknown numbers you received calls from have all been different, most likely from burner phones. But from what I’ve observed, he has been rerouting messages sent to and from your phone to himself. Meaning from Scarlett’s, Liam’s, Elijah’s, all of their numbers. The only ones that seem to be safe from this are Alejandro’s and his family’s numbers,” he explains seriously, looking at the screen.

I want to ask how on earth he got into my old phone data, but I decide not to ask him irrelevant questions. There is an odd tension radiating off him, and after my ridiculous breakdown last night with him stopping me from rejecting him, things are already odd. I clear my head, paying attention to him.

“So does that mean he’s wary of Alejandro finding out?”

“Most likely. I don’t think he will release any images of Kataleya or Skyla. I think that’s definitely something he said to scare you with. He probably knew it would fuck you up. They are Alejandro’s daughters, that is not an enemy he wants to make,” Leo’s deep seductive voice murmurs.

“Judah is sick. He would do anything. I wouldn’t put it past him,” I reply, a cold shiver running down my spine.

“I don’t know. We’ll see.”

He is like an entirely different man right now; mature, serious, and calm. He takes a cigarette out of his pocket, and I watch him light it, my stomach fluttering. His eyebrow shoots up questioningly as he catches me staring.

“Want one?”

“No, thanks,” I say, turning and staring at the screen.

“You said his name is Judah, Judah, what?”

“Gallahan.”

“Gallahan… why does that name sound so fucking familiar?” Leo sits forward, pulls up another window and begins typing something. A string of numbers appears before several windows pop up. Goddess, this is gibberish to me…

“Gallahan… there was a Gallahan family in the Shadow Wolves Pack, but didn’t they die?” He frowns as I look at him sharply.

“Meaning?” I really have no idea, nor have I heard of it. “I just know although he didn’t reside in his pack, he wasn’t a rogue. Just a lone wolf.”

“Hmm, well, let’s see if they’re linked, or if I can identify him. There’s a chance he may have used a fake identity.” My heart skips a beat at just the thought that I may not even know Judah’s real identity. “Relax, it’s just an assumption.”

“You’re being pretty nice today. Why?” I ask, unable to stop myself as I watch him suspiciously. He raises an eyebrow, his eyes cold as he looks me over.

“I plan to make you lower your guard, and then, when you least suspect it, I intend to devour you,” he shoots back sarcastically.

We both freeze, and I realise although he hadn’t meant it to come out like that, that sentence could be taken two ways. The image that flashes through my mind makes my pussy clench in anticipation.

“Yeah, and I mean like Red Riding Hood and the Wolf,” he mutters, and I smirk. He had thought the very same thing.

“Oh? Sure didn’t sound like that,” I taunt, glad he is looking at the screen. His eyes snap to me, and I wish I hadn’t jinxed it.

“The fact that you thought it meant that’s where your mind went, too. What’s wrong? Thinking about a certain night?” He taunts slowly, his eyes flickering a steely blue.

“I can say the same about you then, and no, I was not thinking about anything because if I had a chance to redo that night, I’d have bitten your dick off when I had the chance,” I reply, smirking confidently at the flash of surprise that flickers in his eyes at my words.

“Don’t poke a wolf if you aren’t ready for the consequences.” His voice is low and dangerous, making my core clench. The temptation to push him further entices me, but, remembering Nikki, I force myself to focus on the topic at hand.

His computer beeps before I can reply, and there on the screen are several profiles, most of which contain images alongside the information. I shift from where I am now perched against the edge of the desk and move closer to see better just as Leo leans closer, too.

Jeremiah Gallahan, Lydia Gallahan… I skim through. Most of these are from a century ago. My heart skips a beat just as Leo clicks on one profile that contains no image. Judah Gallahan. An eerie, ominous chill surrounds me as memories of his torment return.

“Judah Gallahan… as I thought,” Leo murmured. “I was right. This family died out years ago.”

“No, that says Judah -”

“Look at the date,” Leo cuts in, grabbing hold of my chin and turning my face back to the computer. I frown, about to snap at him, when my eyes fall on the date beneath Judah’s name. My heart thumps as I grab hold of Leo’s wrist.

“How is that…”

There written right under Judah’s name is a date of death. A date that is over fifty years ago…

My heart thuds as fear encases me, a fear like none before. What on earth is happening? Who is Judah? And why has he taken the name of someone who is long dead?