Page 43

Leo

I t shook me when she had unknowingly let her barrier down. The sheer level of desperation, fear, pain, and agony when I had rejected her and then walked away from her hit me hard… so fucking hard.

I have not felt such an intense level of pain since I was a child, but knowing these are her feelings makes it a thousand fucking times harder.

She had been unable to breathe as she clutched at her neck, trying to survive the violent pain that had torn through her. It fucking killed me to see things from her eyes, making me hate the fact that I did that to her. Seeing her crumble to the floor as she watched me walk away was fucking ruthless.

I had broken her and weakened her wolf right after taking everything from her… I had done the very same thing Rayhan had. I promised her something, only to rip it away from her the very next. The heartbreak, the fear, and the sadness as she realised what happened consumes me with guilt. The vulnerability as she realised that she wasn’t wanted, wondering what she had done wrong… nothing. She had fucking done nothing wrong.

I had blamed her for something that was not even linked to her, and nothing I do can turn back time.

She is so fucking strong, but inside that tough shell, and behind that ‘devil don’t care’ attitude, is a vulnerability that has been hammered into her all her life and I… I fucking hurt her.

Fuck. How do I process that? How do I forgive myself when I refuse to believe Rayhan deserves forgiveness? Everyone says, if you make a mistake and acknowledge it, you deserve forgiveness and a second chance… but if I can’t forgive Rayhan, then I can’t suddenly just change my tune to make myself feel better. I promised her I’d talk to Rayhan, and I will, but it doesn’t mean that I’ll forgive myself for that brutal rejection. There are some things that are just not forgivable, and what I did is one of those.

I’ve had my walls up since then, not knowing how to process it all. Once we get off the call, I first have her take an x-ray to make sure he has no tracer on her; luckily, it is all clear. I give her a small pair of stud earrings with a tracker in one and a camera with a microphone in the other. Calling Winona to keep an eye on Corrado, I grab a jacket with a hood and change into some black sweatpants before heading down to my cave with Azura.

“Here.” I hold out a bulletproof body suit, something that I have worked on myself. The material feels similar to a diving outfit, more flexible and easier to wear than bullet-proof vests. She looks at the full black suit and raises an eyebrow.

“What is this?”

“Wear it underneath your clothes. It’s bulletproof. I don’t want to take any chances.”

“First, you tell me to get some baggy clothes, now this?” She asks, taking it and raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, because the baggier your clothes, the more you can hide,” I reply with a pointed look as I look down at her. I love her in that skirt…

She crosses her legs, making my eyes flash, and I look up only to realise she is trying not to smirk.

“You were saying?” She teases.

“You already fucking heard me. Go change.” She smirks, turning and strutting off.

I want to see that ass naked, and as much as I want to bury my cock in her, I know it is a fucking dream that won’t come true. She looks over her shoulder at me, almost as if she knows where I am looking, but she is no longer smirking. A glimmer of confusion flashes in her eyes before she enters the room and shuts the door.

Walking over to the far wall, I access a built-in touch screen. After my thumbprint and a spoken password in voice recognition, it opens to reveal a room full of weapons that I have created and improved. Judah is fucking dead.

I cross the room and unlock one of the lockers on the far wall to take out a box of bullets. They are lethal… although I am still working on perfecting the formula of the poison that I have created, it will still do the job perfectly. These bullets are meant to kill instantly, and although I have never tried them, I am certain they’ll work. The only thing left to perfect is to make sure that the substance does not remain in the body once it has shut down. I am about to grab a few items for Azura when I freeze and look down sharply. Killed instantly…

My heart races as I mind-link Dan, the body we had found with Azura Westwood, despite the distress it was in, did the post-mortem say anything else? You said he seemed to have died instantly, correct?

Yes.

And there was no trace of any poisons?

I’m afraid not, Alpha.

I’m going to send you some files. See if you can trace the three substances listed from his body using the correct methods to bring them out.

Sure thing.

I had gotten him to run some tests on what had been used to kill him. I am not planning on taking any risks - not when it comes to her, but there has been nothing to help. Even the database doesn’t seem to recognise him. I don’t know how right I am, but if my hunch is anything to go by, then this shit might just be more fucked up than I ever thought. I’ll ask how and who later… for now, I have a bastard to find and kill.

I grab a few items before exiting the weapon room, letting the door slide shut and once again blend with the rest of the wall. I have just sent the files over to Dan when Azura comes out, dressed in black pants, a polo neck top that covers the suit, and a leather jacket, her hair in a ponytail. As always, she looks sexy as hell.

“One of my men, Li Sheng, will be in a taxi. He’ll appear human thanks to a scent disguiser. He will take you to the first location. Do not converse in any way that will feel suspicious. I don’t trust this guy or if he has a way to listen in on stuff,” I say, quietly stepping closer. She nods. I don’t want to involve her like this or even use her as a decoy, but it is the only way to get closer to him. “I’m not going to be far behind… rest assured, we will find her. I do think we should tell Alejandro the basics, just so he can keep an eye on his daughters. I will be the one dealing with Judah, but just in case,” I say quietly. She looks up at me defiantly, back to her usual self, but that intense snippet of her memory still doesn’t leave me.

“Then you can tell him. Why should I?” She states. I frown.

“You’re fucking annoying,” I say coldly, “but fine, I’ll do that.”

“Just…” She frowns, and I raise an eyebrow.

“I won’t give away anything else. I’m not fucking stupid.”

“Perfect then. I wish I could hear this conversation,” she replies airily with a toss of her hair. I’m sure you fucking would. I pass her the few items I had gotten for her, quickly telling her how to use them if she needs to.

“I’ll be right behind you, and we have the mind link, so don’t worry, alright?”

“I’m not worrying,” she replies, rolling her eyes.

You are… you’re just hiding it as you always do…

“Good then,” I reply arrogantly, stepping closer to her. She looks defiantly into my eyes, that frown still on her gorgeous face. I grip the side of her face and neck, becoming serious. “I will not let anything happen to you and our pup.” Her eyes soften, confusion settling in them, but I don’t give her a chance to say anything more. Leaning down, I press my lips against her forehead. It feels intimate… but the urge to reassure her is real. I move back slowly, looking down at her. “As for those videos… don’t worry about them. Now that I have a copy, I’ll have them blocked from the net. When the same content goes up, it will be flagged, and I will make sure they are pulled down. We got this.”

“Thanks,” she replies.

Our eyes meet, and when her gaze dips to my lips, I smoothly step back, motioning her to leave.

She’s leaving the pack. Keep tracking, I will be leaving in a few.

Operation Lunar on the move, Ace’s voice comes.

Ace, I warn.

Hey, I didn’t say Luna, he replies.

Operation Selene? Shane suggests.

Operation Fated, Ace adds.

Quit it. Get moving and focus. Jin is following her, and Li Sheng is already waiting for her.

Okay, we’re on it, Ace’s reply comes.

I get into one of the cars that I use when I want to keep a low profile and hook up my phone to my headpiece before driving out. Here goes nothing.

“Call Alejandro,” I say clearly.

“Calling Alejandro,” the computer’s voice follows. I wait, half of me wishing he doesn’t pick up at all.

“Alejandro,” he answers.

“Yeah, I fucking know. I’m the one who called you,” I reply icily. Silence.

“Leo?” He does his best, but he is unable to hide the shock in his voice.

“No, it’s the King of England,” I reply sarcastically. Well, depends on what aspect. I hold far more power than Alejandro knows…

“Fucker.” So, he isn’t going to ask why I called, but I don’t like the emotion in his voice. I need to get this over with.

“I called for a reason.”

“I would fucking assume so.”

“Don’t ask me any questions, but I would suggest you have someone watching your daughters at the academy.”

“Why?” He asks sharply, but even the coldness in it can’t disguise his worry.

“Just trust me. There’s someone who has made Azura and her friends a target. I will make sure Azura is safe but watch your girls.”

“So, you called in concern for your sisters?” He asks tauntingly. Why the fuck does he have to be so fucking antagonising?

“I don’t consider them my sisters,” I reply coldly. My mind flits to Kataleya, remembering the shit she had suffered when she was a kid. I felt bad for her. No child deserved that. “Just keep an eye on them.”

“Understood. Thanks, and before you hang up, I just wanna say it’s good to hear your fucking voice.” I don’t reply, hanging up as I stare ahead.

Alejandro… it is weird how years of hatred and anger are beginning to ease up. Almost as if I am looking at things from their point of view…

I put my foot down on the accelerator, my mind on Azura. I click on her camera, seeing her hailing a taxi. Perfect… that is Li Sheng.

I got her, his voice comes through the mind link.

Great.

Years ago, when I had told Alejandro how I felt, he had gotten Rayhan and me into a room together to talk shit out. They both got my point, but it had felt too late. I felt like I had been trying to be heard for years, but no one fucking cared…

I remember them asking if they could come to the pack and apologise, but I was the one who said no to them. They still did after I had left. Kiara had healed those who had suffered, and Rayhan had apologized - to those who were willing to see him anyway. But I always held that hatred within me, always trying to control it as it continued to fester inside of me. My priorities are changing, and I don’t have control over them…

Because of her. Or is it because of what I did to her? Azura…

Marcel and many others said I’d get it when I have a mate… imagine your mate being tortured and abused how Delsanra was. The anger I feel towards Judah… but what will I do? Will I find all his friends and allies in blind rage who had a hand?

Yes.

But if it was someone forced to do something just like Azura had been forced to kill someone, would I punish her? Just like I’m sure Alejandro and the others won’t blame her for being blackmailed into doing something because they knew who she was. But me? I won’t blame Azura. Even when I refused to accept her or want her, I still saw her as a victim. Even putting Azura in the same context as Delsanra, I know my answer.

No, I wouldn’t. It just doesn’t feel humanely right… especially punishing those who have been forced to commit those crimes. No, what he did was wrong. So fucking wrong. But I have given her my word that I’ll talk to Rayhan, and I know I’ll have to deal with that shit at some point or another.

An hour has passed, and I have kept far back but within linking range when Azura sends another message.

He wants me to meet him at a motel on the outskirts of the city, Motel Slumber. It’s off Silver Crescent Lane, down by the fuel station. He said to travel on foot.

Okay, just head there. I’m not that far behind, and neither are my men.

Got it. Thanks.

Stop thanking me.

Hmm, well, I’m such a sweet, good girl with manners, I can’t help but thank you. Her voice is mocking, and I smirk slightly, pulling my hood up as I drive slower. I’ll get out soon, too.

You? A good girl? From what angle?

You haven’t seen The Face.

The Face?

My innocent puppy dog look.

I don’t think, with a face like that, you can ever look innocent… It is far too fucking sexy. Especially since all I can think of are your lips around my cock as you look up at me with eyes full of lust…

I’ll show it to you later. Later… I can’t help but smirk. She is confident we’ll deal with this shit, and we definitely will.

Looking forward to it, I reply. That same silence falls between us. We both want to say something, but just like me, I don’t think she knows where to start.

I give a few orders to the others, thinking a motel is a pretty ideal place for the plan that I have in mind. My phone flashes on, and I click on it to see that it is Dan.

“Hey, Alpha. Was rechecking and comparing the data a little deeper, but I can’t make sense of it or what exactly you want me to look for. I think there is a connection between what you sent me earlier. It’s fucking weird, but there’s something.” I frown.

“Send me the file over, I’ll take a look.”

“Got it.”

I hang up, frowning deeply. I know whatever had been used killed him pretty much instantly, and what irks me is that I have created something pretty much similar, but that is not something I have released into the world, and the plan is to keep them for emergencies within the pack, only to be used as a final solution. I don’t know why, but I feel fucking uneasy.

Seeing the incoming email, I glance at the road for a second before picking up my phone and opening the email. My eyes scan the report. My heart thunders as traces of three substances stand out, their names glaring at me, making me simply stare at the email. This…

I put the phone down, running my fingers through my hair before I pull my gun out of my jacket pocket. Is it a coincidence that it is the exact fucking same as I use in the poisoned bullets I have been working on? And, if so, how is it fucking possible?

I scan the sheet carefully; it is almost the exact same build-up that I had put together, but I hadn’t tol- wait…

I suddenly feel cold, my gut twisting as I realise when I first began working on these bullets, I had mentioned the concept to one other person. A person who is pretty smart, too. Someone I had trusted enough… but someone I didn’t really know as well as I thought I did. Fuck .

My hands tighten on the steering wheel, my eyes blazing as one name screams alarm bells in my head. Emmet .

He’s here, Azura’s strained voice comes.

Stay calm, I’m right there with you, I reply, pushing the thoughts away. I’ll deal with that shit later, but for now, my girl needs me. I park up and get out of the car, breaking into a jog.

There must have been a reason he has chosen this place… but whatever the reason, I won’t let him get away… not this time.

Is everything in place? I ask my men through the link.

Oh yeah, Jax’s growl answers. I smirk slightly.

Perfect.