Page 51 of Alpha Leo and the Heart of Fire (The Rossi Legacies #1)

Azura

I t is so hard having to pretend that he has no effect on me when all I want is to be in his arms. My entire body reacts to just his presence being near. I feel giddy, and even breathing becomes difficult. The way that he looked at me had made my core clench in desire, but Nikki’s presence had been a pretty good slap in the face. I was thankfully able to keep control of myself and give him the cold shoulder.

I walk into the garden, gulping in a desperately needed mouthful of air. I need something to drink…

Jackie excuses herself, so Song and I make our way over to the drinks bar, both of us grabbing a non-alcoholic drink.

“So, was that her?” Song asks softly.

“Yup, that was her,” I reply, downing my drink and sighing.

“I can’t believe she’s in red,” Song murmurs, trying to keep her voice down.

“Hmm, I guess it was purely coincidental,” I reply. Song frowns.

“I don’t like her, and something tells me it really wasn’t coincidental.”

“Yeah, me neither,” I mutter.

Just then, I feel an intense wave of power and turn sharply to see Leo holding Nikki’s wrist. Even a fool can see there is nothing casual or intimate about it. Leo is exuding rage.

“I have been fucking patient with you, so before I have you thrown out of here… get the fuck away from me,” he growls, making everyone go quiet. My heart thunders as Nikki looks near tears. Harsh, but she kind of deserves it…

“You’re hurting me, Leo.” Then get the fucking hint that he doesn’t want you. Seriously, this woman….

“Then don’t fucking touch me,” Leo hisses, letting go of her.

He turns suddenly, his eyes meeting mine. Once again, he is consuming me, those steely magnetic eyes burning into mine. My heart pounds as he looks at me with such power, almost as if he is devouring me from where he stands.

“Leo?” Jax calls him. He looks away, and the intense connection breaks. I turn, too, my heart thumping.

“What was that?” Song asks curiously. “I’ve seen mated couples… but that… damn. You two really have crazy chemistry, and that sexual ten-” She stops when I give her a pointed look. I don’t know what to say. Even my head doesn’t feel right.

“It’s probably the hatred,” I reply, frowning slightly. She rolls her eyes with a knowing smile.

“You are stubborn, and I think so is he… he is, after all, a Rossi,” she muses, glancing around.

I can tell people are more tentative towards her, with her being a witch. Some want to approach me, but because of her, they are not coming closer. This pack is a lot more isolated than the rest. Magic isn’t always accepted, but I am glad no one is giving her hateful looks.

I can feel Leo’s eyes on me, but I don’t turn back, not wanting to be caught up in him again.

“Oh, wow, Azura, I like your lipstick,” Corrado compliments as he runs over. He had spent the last hour watching me get ready and complimenting my dress, but I hadn’t put any lipstick on at that point.

“Thank you! Oh, we’re both wearing red, we should get a picture,” I suggest, smiling down at the gorgeous little cherub.

“Yes, we should,” he agrees just as Marcel comes over, smiling slightly.

“You ladies look beautiful. Welcome to our pack, Song. I hope your stay is going well,” Marcel says, offering her a handshake.

“Thanks for allowing me to stay, Alpha Marcel. Yes, it’s going great, thanks,” Song replies, taking the offered hand.

“Any friend of Azura’s is welcome here,” he says, turning to me. “My, you remind me of your mother right now.” I smile. I don’t need to ask him if he meant Mama or Indigo. We all know who the queen of red is.

“Thank you. Winona really does have an eye for clothes,” I say, brushing my hand along the fabric.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that she was the one who had purchased the clothes that Leo had gotten for me. Despite her wearing neutrals and plain clothes, she has an eye for this stuff. I mean, some of that lingerie was pretty sexy. I would never have guessed she was the one who had purchased it. Even seeing her in that black dress that Marcel had ordered, for a woman of her size and shape, it had complimented her slender frame so beautifully. In return, Song and I had made sure she wore some make-up to go with it, and right now, I wonder how the hell Leo hadn’t chosen her for his girlfriend over Nikki. Winona is gorgeous inside and out, and I can tell she is getting a lot of attention as she walks around, making sure everything is in order. She is even the perfect mother to Corrado…

“She does indeed,” Marcel agrees, smiling down at Corrado as he almost touches his hair, but Corrado ducks.

“Not the hair, Grandad, I styled it,” he says, smoothing his fringe.

“Sorry, son, my mistake. Do forgive me.” Marcel grins as he turns to look over towards Leo. “Well, I think I should make a toast before we get this party on its way.”

“Thank you, Marcel, for tonight. You really didn’t have to do this,” I say.

“It’s nothing at all,” he replies as Corrado observes Song.

“Who are you, miss?” He asks innocently.

“I’m Song, a friend of Azura’s,” she says, crouching down. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Corrado Herrmann Rossi,” he says proudly, puffing out his chest. Song laughs.

“Oh, that’s an impressive name!” She compliments.

“Yes, it is,” Corrado agrees.

“Can I have everyone’s attention?”

I turn to see Marcel standing next to Leo, who now has an alcoholic drink in his right hand and a cigarette between two fingers of the same hand. He turns towards Marcel, as always oozing sex appeal, power, and arrogance. Damn, he looks so good tonight… hell, when does he ever not? Why was he created so perfectly? I force my eyes away as everyone becomes quieter, giving their Alpha their full attention.

“As everyone knows, I called this party on short notice, and I appreciate everyone who dropped everything to attend. The guest of honour for this evening is Azura Westwood. It’s an immense pleasure to have her here, amongst us. As you all may already know, she is... holding a very important part of this pack.” Marcel speaks clearly. At his last sentence, I see Leo look at him sharply, his gaze snapping to Corrado as Marcel continues smoothly. It is clear he isn’t about to just drop the bomb on Corrado. Leo needs to just calm down. Idiot.

“Tonight, we drink and celebrate in their name. I do have another announcement; however, as it is not part of this celebration, I will save it for the end of the evening. Thank you, and enjoy the evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Marcel finishes, raising his glass.

Everyone claps, and I can feel many eyes on me. I can hear the whispers as well. But surprisingly, there aren’t any negative ones, aside from a few emphasising me being a Westwood. Most are just compliments on my looks and how amazing I look. See, Leo? Your pack thinks I’m pretty decent.

“Can I offer you, ladies, a drink?” Jax asks, coming over with a smirk on his lips. Instantly, I feel Leo’s attention on me, and I smile slightly.

“Thank you,” I say with a toss of my hair, taking a glass as Song thanks him and takes the other.

“The décor looks good,” Jax remarks.

“It does, doesn’t it?” I agree.

“It goes perfectly with the colour of Azura’s dress,” Song says.

“Only nowhere near as beautiful,” Jax says with a wink. Oh, he is doing it on purpose, and I am certainly not complaining. “Want to dance?” He asks as I sip the wine.

“Jax,” Leo’s menacing voice comes. Jax smirks.

“Maybe later, my lady in red,” he says lightly before turning and walking over to Leo. So, what is he going to do? Growl at any man who comes near me? I am about to say something to Song when Eric and Jackie come over.

“Congratulations on that news,” Eric says, smiling as he glances at my stomach and gives me an exaggerated wink. I smile back and, reaching over, pat his face.

“You look extremely handsome, Eric, but my fingers are itching to work on that beard of yours…” I say with a smirk. I’m sure behind that beard of his, he has a handsome face. Bless his soul; some men suit beards, but in Eric’s case, I am sure a trim would do him much good.

“Thanks, Lun- Azura,” he says sheepishly, smoothly moving away from my touch. I give him a dangerously sweet smile. Maybe I’ll focus on Jax instead. He seems to not be as scared of Leo as Eric…

“Oh, Brody!” Corrado calls, running after another child and leaving the four of us alone. Jackie stifles a yawn, massaging her temples.

“If you want, I know a spell or two for getting good sleep,” Song offers.

“I’m okay, thanks though,” Jackie replies, smiling gently, although it doesn’t reach her eyes, which are full of pain. Earlier inside, I had just wanted to get away from Nikki, but now I want to speak to her.

“Mind if Jackie and I leave you for a bit?” I ask the other two.

“Not at all, I’ll keep your friend occupied,” Eric replies with a grin.

“Yeah, take your time,” Song says before turning to Eric. “Want to dance?”

“Me? Sure,” Eric says with a shrug. “Not that I’ve danced much…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll lead,” Song replies with a laugh. I smile slightly and look at Jackie, who looks concerned.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, come on,” I say, feeling Leo’s eyes searing into my back.

We walk together through the crowds, although I have to stop a few times as people introduce themselves and compliment me. A few even ask about the baby.

I see Song begin dancing, her grey dress with silver sequined flowers sparkling under the fairy lights above. Although Eric said he couldn’t dance, he is doing pretty well.

When we are finally on the other side of the garden near the pool, which looks pretty with red petals and floating LED candles, we take a seat on one of the benches as an upbeat song begins playing. Even though we are in a secluded area, we can still hear it clearly. The rustle of the leaves in the trees and the whisper of the wind can be heard too.

“Don’t be scared. The only person who should be worried around me is Leo,” I say with a small smirk. “I didn’t say it inside, but, you know, if you ever want to talk about anything, I’m here…”

“Thanks, and I’m not scared! Just more… just disappointed. I feel like I really did fail you. You know, I didn’t even tell Nikki about the baby, but with Emmet… sometimes we just tell our mate things we usually wouldn’t. I never thought he’d tell anyone, but yeah, he didn’t. He just did way worse.” Her voice is pained and bitter. “I can’t believe he’d ever hurt a child, but he did. He did.” She runs her hands down her face. I place my hand on her knee.

“I get that. It’s just the way the bond is. Sometimes I wonder why the Goddess makes some pairings, like, did she make a mistake?” I murmur, looking up at the faint moon that is beginning to get brighter. Like mine. Why did she pair us?