Page 54

Marcel

T he evening that I hoped would go well has gone downhill. Both Leo and Azura had returned soaked from what was obviously a dip in the pool, but, with it, their moods had gone down. Not once did they even talk after that, obviously avoiding one another.

I am now ready to make the announcement to pass Leo the position of Alpha, a title he deserves, and one I wish I had given him years ago.

“Well, I still think I want to just sit back and just spend time with my grandchildren now… and so, tonight, I will pass that title to my son, Leo -”

Stop. What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Leo’s voice is harsh as he speaks through the link, his eyes flashing when our eyes meet.

Giving you something I should have years ago, I replied through the link.

It’s too fucking late to fix that shit. I told you I fucking forgive you, but I don’t want it. Don’t do this.

“Daddy will be Alpha!” Corrado’s voice comes, but Leo’s words have shaken me. “Now I know why there’s a special knife.”

Leo, you deserve this.

I said I fucking don’t want it, he replies venomously, and I am taken aback. Leo stands up, his demeanour cold and hostile.

“Leo…” I don’t know what to say. This isn’t how tonight was meant to end…

“I don’t need the title to be Alpha. I no longer fucking want it. Keep it,” he says coldly, staring me dead in the eyes before he turns and walks away, leaving complete silence behind…

I don’t know what to say, unable to ignore the pain I feel. I can feel all those pairs of eyes on me as I slowly sit down again. The hope I felt that maybe things could be better has just come to an abrupt end. Raj is making conversation, and he soon manages to replace the shocked silence with the hum of chatter.

“Grandad... why did Daddy say no?” Corrado asks.

“I’m not sure, son,” I reply, patting his back as Winona comes over.

“Come on, Corrado, do you want to go to the dessert table?” She asks him. I glance at her, grateful that she has come over, and she gives me a small smile.

He’ll come around, Alpha, she says through the link as she helps Corrado down from his seat.

I hope so, I reply before they both walk away…

The night has ended in disappointment, and the plan that had sounded great this morning, ended up a total failure. Everyone has slowly retreated, and I don’t miss the sympathy in the eyes of many. After all, Leo had rejected the title outright…

I sigh heavily, running my hand through my hair. I have gone wrong… somewhere. The silence feels loud, just like it always does in this huge house. Even though I know Corrado is now fast asleep in Leo’s old room upstairs, he had been upset and confused after Leo walked out. Although Azura, Winona, and Song had tried to cheer him up, it is obvious Azura herself isn’t completely here. In the end, Winona had taken him away to turn in for the night. Song and Azura will be staying the night here, too. Neither refused when I suggested the idea. The sound of someone walking in the hallway comes occasionally as the staff are clearing the garden and house up.

I am now in the kitchen, making myself a cup of coffee. I feel far more tired than I should. It feels like I am losing it all.

Hope. I had let myself hope, and even that has been ripped away from me... I truly feel like I have only ever had a few years with Leo. Under Endora’s reign, it was all a blank, and what I remember is a hazy blur. The snippets I remember are tense, and I just remember a child who always held a fire in his eyes. As he got older, from the age of six, he began pulling his weight and acting far older than he was. When I first created this pack, we had become closer… and I hoped he got the childhood he had been deprived of, but that all changed once Rayhan had come here.

Now when I thought I’d get him back… I lost the chance. Even if he said he has forgiven me, I wonder if it is just because he really just doesn’t care anymore. I tried to reach him several times through the link after he left, but he has his block up.

I frown, realising the coffee machine isn’t working. Great. The sound of footsteps and Winona’s light, citrus scent reaches my nose. She always smells refreshing. I don’t turn as she enters; I had asked her to come to see me when she was finished putting Corrado to bed. Azura’s words before she had retreated to bed aren’t forgotten.

“I know it’s not my place, but a member of your pack was disrespecting Winona today. And although I think I broke her damn nose, I don’t think Leo will be holding her accountable for her actions, so I hope you do. Winona’s shoulder has scratches, too…”

I frown as I push the button a few more times. Why isn’t this stupid thing working? I shake it, cursing internally, before a pale, slender arm reaches out and switches the socket on. Right…

“It was switched off, Alpha,” Winona says, smiling politely. “You asked for me?”

I look down at her. She is still in that black dress, and it is easy to forget that she is the same Winona I know. I look away smoothly, watching the coffee machine for a second before turning back to her and nodding. Crossing my arms, I lean against the worktop.

“Yes, I did. Azura mentioned something that happened earlier, regarding someone disrespecting you,” I begin. Instantly, she rubs her arm, looking away for a second.

“It’s sorted, Alpha. Azura defended me, and it really wasn’t much.”

“I will be the judge of that. Tell me exactly what happened,” I command lightly. My gaze falls to her bare shoulder, and, reaching over, I brush her hair back, feeling her tense at my touch. My eyes take in the faint marks of nails left behind. She heals slowly, after all.

Winona is one of Leo’s additions to the pack. He had found her when he was twenty. He had come home, visiting England due to setting up some business or other, and he had found her being bullied at a human orphanage. She had come of age and was being forced to leave, although she had nowhere to go. Along with having nowhere to go, she couldn’t shift. She wasn’t a rogue, but she also had no idea what pack she was from. With nowhere to go and living in fear, Leo had dropped her here with the pack before leaving once again. Although one would think she is an Omega, I’m not so sure. Due to the fact that she can’t shift, I think people simply assume that. Besides that, the rank system is long abolished.

“It was my fault. I asked Nikki why she wore red when I made it clear the Lu- Azura was going to wear red,” she says, tugging on the sleeve of her dress, avoiding looking me square in the eye.

“Nikki.” I frown. I was surprised to see her show up, and it was obvious she had been there to cause problems. I felt disappointed in her.

“Will you explain exactly what happened earlier?” I ask, taking the coffee mug and passing it to her. “Take a seat.”

She looks down at the mug, her eyes full of worry, but when she sees me making myself a second mug, I am sure she understands that I am not going to take no for an answer…

“…and then Alpha Leo told us to clear the area…” she finishes after spending the last fifteen minutes telling me exactly what had happened. I sit back, frowning as I look at her. She looks almost disappointed in herself. I shake my head, exhaling.

“That is… I wasn’t expecting that from Nikki. I will make sure she is confronted about this myself.” She nods and sips her coffee. Watching her, I realise she is forcing herself to drink it.

“You don’t like coffee,” I state. She freezes, looking up at me sharply.

“I, uh…”

“You could have refused, Winona,” I say. Reaching over, I take the cup from her, placing it aside. Her heart is racing.

“I’m sorry, I just, I’m a tea person…” I raise an eyebrow.

“Well, I’ll remember for next time.”

“Next time?” She asks, startled.

I smirk, “Am I that bad company?”

“Not at all, Alpha! I just… I’m sure you have many others you can have coffee with,” she says quickly.

“Yeah, I guess… but then, not even my son wishes to be around me, it seems,” I say quietly, looking down at my hands. The faint scars that run up my hands and arms catch my attention for a second. They are mere lines now, scars that left no memory… yet the internal scars are the ones that Leo is suffering from.

“I’m sorry, Alpha… I’m sure one day he will come around. Please don’t blame yourself,” she says quietly, giving me a small smile that lights up her pretty face.

It is weird… tonight, it is almost as if I am seeing her for the first time. Those large brown eyes, her angelic features. It is strange how I have looked at her countless times but never really seen her…

She blushes under my gaze, and I hide a smirk, rather amused.

“It’s late. Stay the night.”

She freezes, her eyes widening, her face flushing, and if that isn’t enough, her heart starts thundering loudly, and I almost chuckle. As much as I want to tease her, it isn’t really appropriate.

“I’m sure Corrado will be happy to have you here when he wakes up, especially since his father just left. He is clearly upset over it all.”

“Yes… did we make a mistake tonight?” She asks, the flash of guilt in her eyes making me feel disappointed for her, too.

“I honestly don’t think we did anything wrong, but both are far too stubborn. Leo isn’t helping matters either… we did what we could, even if it didn’t work out the way we wanted. We did it with good intentions, and that’s the important thing. Thank you, Winona, for all your help,” I say with a small smile. Yeah, I do think I have messed up, but I am not going to allow her to blame herself. I just hope that Leo really does realise what he is doing before it is too late…