Page 26

Azura

I stay in the apartment, not wanting to run into anyone else, and it is so boring with nothing to do. Winona had come with lunch and then again for dinner. It is obvious from the way she is looking around that no one knows I am here. Guess dickface wants no one to know. I am tempted to ask her if I can see Corrado but after last time… I’m not sure Leo would appreciate it.

So here I am… wondering what I should do. Marcel knows who my mate is, and it has come to a point where I know I can’t keep lying to my family.

I stare at the tablet that sits on the bed, then glance at the time. Just past ten… Katara would be put to bed by now… should I video-call? My fingers itch before I take a deep breath, thinking, Just go ahead with it . Marcel knows, and Leo doesn’t want anyone here knowing, but that doesn’t mean my parents can’t know. If he pushes for the X-ray, then he’ll find out about the baby, too…

Before I end up changing my mind, I quickly set up a video call between Kiara, Raven, and Mama, knowing their mates will be there, too. Goddess…here goes nothing. Kiara is the first to accept the call.

“Hey, Azura! It’s been a while. How are you?” She asks with a smile on her face.

Kia, my sister, is the younger twin, with Liam being older. She has shoulder-length sandy blond hair, with gorgeous eyes that are sage green with a blue ring around them. Plump lips and a gorgeous curvy figure complete her goddess-like looks. She is a blessed wolf with healing abilities, as well as being the queen.

“I’m okay, how are you guys?” I ask as a shirtless Alejandro comes into view. Even though he is now in his fifties, he is still as hot as ever, if not getting hotter with age. Alejandro Rossi, the tattooed Lycan King, is also Leo’s uncle. This is going to be fun.

“Good until you decided to fucking interrupt,” Alejandro remarks, sitting behind Kiara with ease, his legs on each side of her and wrapping his arms around her tightly.

“I swear, Alejandro, with age, you are getting crankier by the second. Poor Kia, stuck with a grumpy old man,” I taunt.

“Ignore him. He may be acting like this, but when he saw the call was from you, he came over rather quickly,” Kiara says, smiling slightly. Just then, Mama and Raven join the call.

“Hmm, of course, everyone loves the Westwood Devil,” I declare with a flick of my hair.

“Or I’m here to see the drama unfold. There’s no fucking chance you ain’t been up to something,” Alejandro replies, smirking. Urgh, if only he knew. Would he be smirking if he realised it was his damn nephew who screwed me over?

“Hey, guys,” Liam says, and I smirk at them. From Raven’s messy hair… I have a feeling she and my brother have just done the dirty.

“Hey, Zu!” Raven says as everyone exchanges greetings.

“You know, I’m glad you video-called. We’ve been worried,” Dad says quietly. I know he is upset with me. I nod, giving him an apologetic smile and one of my best doe-eyed looks.

“Not to mention, we can’t even get through to you. Azura, what are you doing out there?” Mama asks, frowning slightly.

“Okay, so I wanted to talk to you all together. Please hear me out before any of you unleash hell,” I say, sitting forward. My heart is racing as I see Dad’s eyes flash, and Liam and Alejandro are watching me intently. Mama is frowning, and Raven and Kiara look concerned. Come on, Azura, tell them.

“Okay, first of all… I didn’t go to Sweden. I planned to, but I didn’t,” I begin.

“What?” Dad asks, “Where are you?”

“I…” I almost lie, I had car trouble , but no, I can’t lie anymore to them. “I’m at my mate’s pack.” There it is. The hurt in Dad’s eyes, the concern in Mama’s, the anger in Liam’s, and that sharp, calculating look in Alejandro’s.

“The mate who rejected you?” Liam growls. Raven grabs hold of his arm, looking back at him as she shakes her head gently, and I know she is trying to calm him down via the mind link.

“Yes, and he doesn’t know about…” I point at my stomach. “Anyway, moving on. I thought I should tell you; I had every intention of going to Sweden, but then stuff happened, and here I am.”

“Are you two trying to make it work?” Mama asks quietly.

“He doesn’t deserve you,” Dad says coldly.

“Dad,” Kiara says softly, “Look… if Zu wants to do this, we should support her. Tell me, Azura, is there good in him?” I nod slowly. Although he is an ass, there is… even if it’s very little.

“He loves his pack, his family, well, some of his family. He’s a stuck-up arrogant jerk, but he is an okay human. Kinda… a bit of a dick… or a real big dick,” I mumble. Kiara smiles knowingly.

“Then, we all should support her. I remember how hard Alejandro was to deal with… to the point he almost marked someone in front of me,” Kiara says, placing a hand on her man’s jaw and tilting her head up as he leans down and kisses her.

“Kia is right, maybe there are other factors,” Raven muses.

I nod. There definitely are…

“What pack?” Alejandro asks, frowning. “I want to know what fucker rejected you.”

“Why is his pack important?” I ask.

“You said he cares for his pack, so he’s someone ranked then?” Dad asks. I sigh. Should I tell them? I examine my nails before Mama calls me.

“Azura.” I look at her, seeing the concern and the pain in her green eyes. “No more secrets.” Oh, there are so many more secrets. I’m sorry, Mama.

“Okay, if I tell you, no one loses their shit. Okay. What we do is our decision to make. Please,” I say, looking at them all.

“He’s fucking dead,” Liam mutters, but I tilt my head.

“Liam.”

“I’m not going to stand by and let people constantly hurt you,” he threatens, his eyes full of hurt and anger. I know how much he hated how the rare few of the pack treated me. He hates that no matter what he did, there were always a few old vaginas and penises that would never change.

“So, let’s have the fucker’s name,” Alejandro says, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. A smile crosses my lips as I watch.

“He reminds me a bit of you, which is gross,” I say, making a gagging face. Alejandro narrows his eyes.

“There’s only one Alejandro Rossi. No one can fucking be me.”

“Yeah, there’s only one Alejandro, but there isn’t only one Rossi, now is there?” Alejandro raises an eyebrow, and I take a deep breath.

“My mate is Leo, Marcel’s son,” I confess, staring at them, waiting for their reactions.

Alejandro freezes as Kiara’s eyes widen in shock. Raven’s mouth drops open as Liam takes a second to comprehend what I said. Whilst Dad looks pale, Mama is staring at me in shock.

“That fucker…” Alejandro is the first to speak as he sits forward, his arm still around Kiara, but he is frowning deeply. “He…”

“Another Alejandro.” Liam doesn’t sound happy; his usual smile is gone. “So now the mark makes sense. He marked you, and then when he found out you’re a Westwood, he rejected you for that very reason, correct?” His voice is cold, and for someone who can be pretty dense, I wish he hadn’t picked up on it so fast, but when it came to serious matters, Liam is not to be messed with.

I don’t say anything, trying to hide the pain I feel at the memory of that night. Liam had seen me, the way he had broken me…

Everyone is quiet, my silence screaming my response. It is too silent, and then anger appears on Dad’s and Alejandro’s faces, matching Liam’s. Kiara looks… guilty. I don’t want them to blame themselves. Goddess!

“Look… whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. Marcel returned yesterday, and he found out, so I’m not alone here. If things don’t work out, I’ll come straight home.” It isn’t exactly a lie. I will go home when all this is over, even if the thought of leaving him makes my heart ache. I hate this.

“Marking you and rejecting you, that ain’t fucking tolerable,” Alejandro growls. “I’m going to -”

“Let Azura handle it,” Kiara cuts in firmly. “Dad, Alejandro, Liam, look… I know that not every mate is worth fighting for, but Leo does have a good heart. Deep down, I feel if he just let it go, he would be the best mate for Azura… if he knew -” I place a finger on my lips, not putting it past him to have maybe bugged the place. “I’m sure he’d take care of her,” Kiara continues.

“Also, Alejandro was horrible until Kiara made him into her big puppy! I’m sure Azura can do the same with Leo! Only a Westwood woman can tame a Rossi!” Raven exclaims.

I don’t know what to say, knowing Nikki is there in his bed. I won’t fight for him when he doesn’t want me… well, aside from physically. I also don’t want to burst her poor bubble. I look at Dad and Mama. Dad looks pissed, his jaw clenched and his eyes hard.

“I don’t get why both my girls are mated to Rossis… isn’t the pain that one of them went through enough?” Alejandro frowns, but he says nothing, a glimmer of guilt in his eyes, clearly knowing what Dad said is true. Kia gives his arm a gentle squeeze, leaning into him. She has forgiven him, and they are one of the best couples around.

“I want to fucking punch him a few times myself. Call me selfish, but is it wrong that I think perhaps it is Azura who can make him let go of the bitterness and hatred from within him? That she’ll be the one to melt his heart of ice that he’s let harden with all the anger that has consumed him? Just the way Amore Mio did to me… I’m not saying you shouldn’t fucking be pissed, Elijah, but the fact that another of your daughters is mated to a Rossi just shows they are fucking strong enough to deal with us,” Alejandro says, smoking his cigarette. “She’s also right. Leo is similar to me, and although she and Kiara are opposites, both are strong women.”

“So, you’re saying she should stay there when Goddess knows how he’s treating her?” Liam asks with concern and irritation in his eyes.

“You made mistakes too, Liam,” Elijah reminds him, rubbing his temples. “If he hurts her… I won’t care who he is...” His threat remains open, the anger in his eyes as they burn bright, cobalt blue. Indigo… I know he will still never forgive himself for what she went through...

Liam doesn’t reply, obviously remembering what he had done in his past. Their story was complicated, and although it was a long time ago, it just shows that no one is perfect. These men before me love their mates with their entire souls and beings, yet they have made mistakes.

“I won’t let anyone hurt me, I’m not weak. I will come home if I realise it’s not worth staying here…” I promise. Mama nods slowly.

“Okay, and I expect at least a call or message every day,” she says firmly. I nod.

“Okay, promise,” I reply.

“I know you’ll be able to get through to him,” Alejandro says quietly. “No fucking pressure. It’s something I never managed to do, but I hope you can.” Kiara looks at him gently, sympathy in her eyes as she leans into him.

“And it’s not your duty to. If he doesn’t treat you right, come home, angel,” Dad says firmly. Mama simply gives me a faint smile.

“Whatever you do, we are here for you. You are a woman who can make her own choices. Just do what you feel is right and think before you act.” Yeah, I never did think…

I nod. I feel awful… both Marcel and Alejandro have faith in me…

I bid farewell to them before ending the call and slumping back against the sofa, staring at the ceiling. Even if he doesn’t show it, it is obvious he has hope that I can get through to Leo. I don’t know how they expected me to do that. The guy is so damn stubborn! Telling them has made it all the more real… so goddamn real…

I don’t see Leo and I having a serious conversation at all. Ever. But wait, wasn’t that a serious conversation earlier?

I run my fingers through my hair, sighing heavily as I stare at the ceiling. How could I try when he has Nikki?

I sigh, standing up and walking over to the window. I open it, relishing the fresh air. I prefer it over air conditioning. I rest my arms on the windowsill with my chin on top of my arms, gazing down at the glittering lights of the mini-city. Leo’s pack — It sure is beautiful...

I hear a faint bang, and I freeze, looking at the wall next to me. Isn’t that Jackie’s apartment? I walk closer to the wall, but I don’t hear anything.

Hmm. I’m so bored! What shall I do? Maybe I -

Another thud makes me freeze, and I stare at the wall. It doesn’t sound normal… the first thing that comes to my mind is that they are having sex, but the random bangs don’t add up. Should I just go and ask if everything is okay? I’m sure it isn’t someone breaking in…

Being as bored as I am and wanting to get out of here, I decide to just check up for my own piece of mind. Leo never really said I can’t leave… did he? I can’t remember. Oh, well, who cares? He wants me here.

I leave my apartment silently, and I haven’t even shut my door when across the hall Jackie’s door opens and Emmet storms out. He is angry. Scratch that, he is fucking fuming. He doesn’t even see me as he storms to the lift swearing under his breath. I guess he was throwing things in anger. Men…

Once the lift starts descending, I walk over to Jackie’s door and ring the bell. She is nice, and I bet she is feeling down. Maybe I can cheer her up and I won’t feel so bored either. The door opens to reveal a distraught Jackie.

“Emmet, ple-” She stops in her tracks as she stares up at me in fear as she realises I am not Emmet.

I’m seeing red. She has a bruise on her jaw, and I can see the finger marks and blood around her neck where it is obvious she has been grabbed by a clawed hand. Oh, hell no.

Both our hearts are thumping for very different reasons.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” she whispers, but the way she is shaking, trying to cover her neck and the way her heart is thumping…

Lies.

He hurt her. He fucking hurt her.

“What the hell happened?” I ask quietly, trying to control the rage within me.

“Azura, this is nothing. Please just don’t tell anyone. I haven’t told anyone your secret.” She is blackmailing me, but the thing is, I would sacrifice my own secrets and so much more than let something like this go. “Go back to your apartment,” she says softly, fear and confusion clear on her face at my silence. I nod slowly, and she looks at me. “Promise me you won’t tell the Alpha.”

“Promise,” I say quietly. She searches my face which is expressionless, before nodding in relief.

“Thanks, he was just a little angry,” she whispers.

Yeah, and he’s fucking dead.

I nod, and she closes the door. I count to ten, my eyes flashing silver before I turn and run to the lift. I may not tell Leo, but I am going to deal with him myself. How dare he… he is supposed to be the Delta… and he fucking hurt his mate? Not on my fucking watch.

I hit the lift to the ground floor ready to unleash hell on the fucking bastard.