Page 33

Leo

W e are sitting in the cinema, watching a kid’s movie, but I can tell Corrado isn’t enjoying it as much as he is enjoying watching me with a huge smile on his face. I feel fucking bad that I am gone so often that he is regularly left without even seeing me on some days.

“Not enjoying the movie?” I ask, looking down at him. He shakes his head.

“No, I love it! I’m loving the movie because Daddy came with me.” He smiles, and I lean down, cupping the back of his head and placing a kiss on his forehead.

“Me, too. It may be boring, but I like that we get this time, you know?” I remark, adjusting his mini popcorn tray in his lap.

“Thank you, Daddy.”

I give him a wink before glancing at my phone. Azura hasn’t left her room, which I am relieved about, but I can’t get what happened earlier out of my fucking mind. She is still hurting from all the shit I did to her… but she didn’t get what I had meant. I regretted marking her because of my limited time... I know Jackie has told me that Kiara could probably heal me, but I am unable to put aside my ego and ask them for anything. I don’t need their help just for Marcel and all of them to remind me that I fucking owe them…

A couple of young women slide into the seats next to me, whispering and giggling irritatingly. They had been seated elsewhere before they left not long ago. The entire room is pretty empty, and I am certain they didn’t pay for the seats they have now fucking taken. Corrado’s eyes turn toward them before he looks at me, frowning slightly.

“He’s so fit.”

“Damn, and who’s the kid with him?”

“Let me sit next to him,” they are whispering quietly, but obviously, it is fucking loud in my ears. Irritating as fuck. I don’t spare them even a glance while watching the screen, despite half my attention being on Corrado.

“Hey, cutie,” one of the women waves at him, leaning closer. Corrado raises his eyebrows, looking at me and then at the women again.

“My Daddy has a girlfriend,” he declares, and I almost smirk. He has realised pretty young that women try to talk to him to get to me, and he never stands for it.

“Um, sure. What’s your name?” I am tempted to speak up, but watching my kid deal with them is far more entertaining.

“I don’t tell strangers my name. Sorry. Daddy, let’s go home. Azura is waiting for you.” My eyebrow shoots up. Azura? Doesn’t he mean Nikki?

“The movie?”

“It’s boring, and I don’t like those girls,” he whispers loudly. I sure as fuck hope the women feel fucking humiliated, and I stand up.

“Let’s go, kid.” I lift him up, walking out the other way. “So, why did you say Azura and not Nikki?” I ask, taking my phone out.

“You and Nikki broke up, so now we get to keep Azura as your new girlfriend.” My eyebrow shoots up, and I wonder if this kid is going to be a playboy growing up.

“Isn’t that moving too fast? Nikki just left.”

“No, Daddy, because you and Nikki argue about more than football for many days now. So, now we keep Azura forever,” he declares as we leave the viewing room. Wow… and I thought I did a good job in keeping that shit hidden.

“She isn’t an item that we can just keep.”

“Why?”

I place him on the ground as we both walk side by side. I look at him to tell him that you can’t just own people, but the adorable look on his face stops me. This kid is the damn cutest kid on the fucking planet, and he is mine.

“Because she’s a little scary.”

“Azura isn’t scary, Daddy! You aren’t scared of anything!” He giggles. I am. Of losing you. Leaving you.

I take my phone out and look at it again. I fucking feel uneasy again, and after last time, I’m not feeling good about her being there alone. Although I can see Jax is there on the steps, clearly alert as his head is turned downwards towards the lower floor. He is using a scent disguiser, and I know even Emmet won’t notice him there unless he uses the stairs, so all should be okay…

“Kiddo, shall we get a takeaway and get home? Maybe we can eat it with Azura?”

“Oh, yes! Let’s all eat together. Then, you make Azura happy, and we bring her home,” he replies as we leave the place.

“Perfect,” I reply distractedly as I walk over to one of the takeout shops near the cinema.

I place our order distractedly as I mull over Emmet’s reaction when I told him that he’s been suspended until further notice…

“It was her, wasn’t it?” He asked, barely able to keep his hatred at bay. I raised an eyebrow.

“Whether it was her or someone else, I will follow protocol because we stand for what’s right. As future Alpha and Delta, it’s our fucking duty to be an example for our people. These are just the rules that we all need to follow.”

“You spoke to Jackie, I’m sure she’ll clearly tell you we are totally fucking fine,” he spat.

“Calm the fuck down, Emmet. Friend or not, I’m not going to break the rules for you,” I warned, my eyes flashing.

“You are going to believe a fucking Elite? One who has fucking reaped discord since she’s got here? Tell me, who is her fucking mate that ain’t accepting her?”

“Jax,” I lied, knowing this meant I would have to tell Jax the truth, but he’d keep the secret.

“Jax Adams? And you really want one of your strongest men mated to an Elite?” He looked disgusted.

“I’ve never stopped anyone from going to an Elite pack or vice versa before if they find their mate. She’s been marked, what do you want me to do? Just send her back? The one who marked her needs to fix this shit… somehow.”

“Who cares what happens to a fucking Elite?” He spat. I frowned.

“She wasn’t one of the ones who caused us any harm. She was a child when all that shit went down. There’s no difference between us if we hurt those who are fucking innocent, Emmet. This has nothing to do with her but the fact that you hurt Jackie. Whether it was a one-off or not… it is a fucking crime. Marcel will be the final judge.”

“We both know that Marcel is simply Alpha by title, Leo, you are the real one in charge. This is all in your hands.” Our eyes met, and I stepped closer.

“Yeah, maybe it is, and if so, then my decision still stands. Until I’m satisfied, you will not step into the Delta title again.”

“I’m your best friend, Leo.”

“And like I’ve said a thousand times, I will never let the rules slide – even for someone I consider my brother,” I growled menacingly, my aura rolling off me. He was forced to submit and looked down.

“You need me close to Marcel to make sure that he doesn’t get wind of what else you do, Leo.” Is that a threat?

“I fear no one. What I do is for my pack, and if anyone double-crosses me… then they will fucking pay. Remember that.” I ended the conversation, storming out.

“Here’s your order. Can I get you anything else?” The woman behind the counter asks.

“No,” I reply, taking out my card and paying.

Thank you,” Corrado says, picking up the bags with ease.

“You are most welcome.” She flashes him a smile before I pick up the drinks, and we head out to the car park. I help Corrado in and strap him in.

“Seatbelts on,” he says, making sure it is strapped in. “Daddy, I’ll hold the drinks so they don’t spill.”

“You sure?” I am sure we may just have more spillage…

He nods confidently, and I pass them to him, placing the bags on the seat next to him, and get into the car. Putting my own seatbelt on, something that I do when Corrado is with me, I start the car. I can feel him watching and see the happy smile on his face.

“We will watch another movie with Azura,” he declares. “I think we should ask her to come to our apartment.”

“Inviting girls home already?”

“Yes, girls we like.” He nods. I smirk as I put some clean music on before we drive out.

I text Jax, frowning, as I switch the view on the cameras again. We aren’t that far from the pack grounds, but it is fucking crazy how on edge I feel. Emmet has a temper, and I fucking wish I had moved her upstairs to my apartment or to Marcel’s. The screen lights up with Jax’s reply, and click on it.

‘Nothing to worry about here, Alpha.’

I leave the camera on my LCD screen before calling Eric.

“Hello, Alpha.”

“Keep an eye on Emmet. He was pretty pissed when I suspended him as Delta.”

“You suspended him?” He sounds shocked.

“No, the fucking tooth fairy did. I just told you I fucking did,” I mutter, making sure to keep my voice down.

“Ah, sorry, yes, of course.”

“Keep an eye on him.” I end the call, finally within mind-linking range of the pack.

No one has gone to Azura’s room, and my eyes are fixed on the cameras on the screen. So I really need to chill out. That unease is fucking growing like the last time she had gotten hurt…

I tilt my head, frowning as I watch Jax on the stairs away from the floor, but he is standing on alert in exactly the same position he was moments ago. Is the camera frozen? Or is he really not moving?

Jax.

No reply. I park, grabbing Corrado from the back. He passes me the drinks and grabs the food.

“Come on,” I murmur, carrying him through to my underground cave.

No one has entered or left Azura’s room. She’ll be fine. Chill the fuck out, Leo.

But I fucking can’t.

“I can walk, Daddy.” He smiles, clearly happy with being carried again.

“I know, kiddo.” I give him a faint smile, heading straight for the lift up to my office.

Winona, come to my apartment immediately and watch Corrado.

Yes, Alpha. She only lives a few floors down.

“Wait here. I’ll bring Azura,” I tell him, placing him down in the open living space.

“Okay!” He says happily as he begins taking the food out of the bag. “I’ll set the table.”

Jax.

Nothing.

I leave the room, and instantly the faint smell that lingers makes me cover my nose with my sleeve. A sleeping drug…

I break into a run just as my phone buzzes. I look at it; Azura’s door has been opened. I can’t hear anything. The door shuts just as I reach the top of the stairs, spotting Jax slumped on the ground. A fire of rage rushes through me, and my eyes blaze as I run down the stairs, my feet barely touching the steps. I skipped most of them, rushing to her door. No matter how calm I am trying to be, the storm raging inside of me refuses to calm down. I am fucking going crazy at just the thought of something happening to her.

Emmet’s scent lingers outside, and I open her door quietly just in case I am fucking overreacting, only to be met with the sound of Emmet’s voice.

“…gone with his kid. He won’t be home for a while. Who are you going to run to now?”

“I don’t need to fucking run because I can deal with you myself,” Azura replies icily.

I turn the bend only to see he has her pinned against the wall near the bedroom door, his hand around her neck, whilst she has her arms in front of her stomach defensively. Neither has seen me yet…

How dare he touch her…

“I know your secret,” he whispers menacingly. Her eyes flash with fear, something I’m not used to seeing in them.

I am trying to contain the white-hot anger that is festering within me. I have never felt so angry in my fucking life. The urge to shift and rip him apart is taking over. My heart is beating violently, my claws out, and it is then that Azura’s eyes snap up, finally noticing me. A wave of relief fills her eyes. I’m here.

“Let her go,” I hiss, advancing towards him. He freezes, letting go of her as if touching her suddenly burnt him. His heart thuds as she lets out a shaky breath.

I need someone to come to Emmet’s floor and apprehend him before I kill him, I growl through the link. I am fucking shaking, ready to kill him. He turns to me, his face pale, his eyes blazing with rage and fear.

“Leo…”

“How dare you…” I growl. “You have fucking doomed yourself.”

Jackie… try to think of her...

It is futile; I have lost my grasp on reality, and my self-control is slipping. All I can see is the blood dripping down her neck. The sound of the lift opening and footsteps approaching reaches my ears, but my only focus is on the bastard in front of me. Emmet swears, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m your friend, Leo.”

“I don’t care. You crossed a line that you never should have,” I growl, advancing towards him.

“Fuck it… if I’m going down…” In a flash, he spins around, aiming a clean-cut roundhouse kick straight at her stomach.

My eyes blaze in pure anger. I am behind him in a flash, just as Azura screams as she is thrown to the ground, clutching her stomach. My growl of rage rings in the air. I grab Emmet, punching him in the face, feeling something break. I don’t fucking care. I slam him into the wall behind him, damaging the wall with the impact.

“What the fuck, Leo?” He groans in pain.

“You touched what’s mine,” I growl viciously, digging my claws into his neck as I bring my knee up, connecting with his stomach. I feel something break as he howls in pain. His eyes widen, and pure fear flits through him as he looks at Azura on the floor with realisation dawning on him.

“She’s...”

“Emmet! Leo!” Eric shouts.

I want to kill him, but at the same time, worry is seeping through me. Why isn’t she getting up?

“We’ve got him,” Ace’s calm voice comes, pulling me away.

“Lock him up in an isolated cell with no one allowed to see him,” I thunder, striding over to where Azura is on the floor, whimpering in pain. Her gown is slipping off her shoulder, but she doesn’t seem to care as she sits there clutching her stomach. “Are you okay?” I ask quietly.

I never should have left her.

I grip her elbows, ready to help her to her feet when she whimpers in pain.

“It hurts… no… no…”

I look down at her, frowning. Did she break a rib?

“Let’s get you checked out,” I whisper, about to lift her when I see blood seeping down her thighs. Where is she hurt? Did I fucking get here too late? She looks up at me, her silver eyes filled with tears.

“My baby can’t die.”

My eyes widen in shock, and I stare into her eyes, my head spinning as her words echo in my mind. Baby…

I look at her clutching her stomach, and suddenly my entire fucking world comes crashing down around me.

She is carrying our child.

Goddess, what have I done?