Page 125 of Alpha Leo and the Heart of Fire
“I need to talk to him anyway… I’ll see what happens. I’m still going to deal with this myself.” I turn and leave the office.
Mind-linking Jackie, I ask her to come to the large oak tree that isn’t far from Marcel’s mansion and isn’t too far from the hospital either. I have already been given a change of clothes after Emmet’s attack, and so I am going to head straight to Marcel’s after meeting Jackie. It is already late in the afternoon; work has taken fucking longer than I expected it to.
Eric, have you been keeping an eye on Azura?
Yes, I have. She went to Alpha Marcel’s around lunch, and since then, she hasn’t left the mansion.She has been on my mind, and although I know I fucking hurt her last night, there is nothing I plan to do about it. I don’t want her getting attached.
Okay, thanks. I’m headed over there myself, I’ll take over watching her.
Anytime, Alpha.
Marcel probably invited her over for dinner, too… why am I not fucking surprised.
“Leo.” I turn to see Jackie hurrying over.
“Hey,” I greet. Her eyes search mine before she looks me over, and I know she is assessing me.
“You need to take it easy,” she says quietly, glancing around.
“I’m fine. I called you because of something I learned about Emmet.” Her face falls, and I switch to mind-linking.
He stole a formula of mine and has sold a pretty large number to someone dangerous… I need to have a search of your apartment take place just to see if we can find out any more details. I’m really sorry it’s come to this, but it’s got to be done. You could move out for a night or two, just until we’ve covered the entire place.She looks down brokenly and shakes her head.
“You can go ahead and search…”
“Thanks… is there anything you can think of that could help? Any property he may have had that you know of, or anywhere he could have possibly had the facility to mass produce something?”
“No, there’s…” She frowns, and her heart thuds faster as she looks up at me sharply. “There isn’t anywhere I know, but he would often be gone for hours at a time…. And most often, it was when you weren’t around. Maybe I’m just being paranoid -”
“No, I don’t think you’re being paranoid. Thanks for sharing that. If you do remember anything else, let me know, alright?” She nods, and I give her shoulder a squeeze. “You aren’t alone,” I say quietly. She brushes her tears away as she tries not to cry.
“Yeah. I know… I… I heard from one of the boys at the hospital that Emmet attacked you today…” I don’t reply. I can’t deny it,but at the same time, I don’t want her to feel guilty for it. “I’ve… made my decision,” she says, twisting her shirt sleeve in her hand. I look at her sharply as she struggles to keep her tears at bay. I hook my thumbs into the pockets of my pants, waiting for her to speak. Deep down, I want her to reject him, but I know it isn’t an easy option… “I’ll… I’m ready to reject him,” she says quietly. “Will you accompany me when I do it?” Her words fill me with relief. With their bond broken, it will be far easier for her to move on and for me to deal with him.
“Sure, I will. I know it’s not easy, but you got this. Things will be rough, but after a while, it will become easier. This isn’t the end, and who knows what the future might hold?” She looks up at me and nods slowly.
“Thanks…”
“Let me know when you want to do it, and we’ll go to see him.” She nods before we go our separate ways
I really hope she can move on from Emmet and rebuild her life. Mates… they are said to be a blessing, but at the same time, I feel like they are also a curse. You can’t live without them… and if something happens to one, the other will suffer, too…
I enter themansion, hearing laughter, and silently make my way to the back lounge. The door is slightly ajar, and I stay silent, seeing Marcel sitting on the sofa whilst Corrado and Azura are painting. Corrado is a mess with paint on his face and clothes, whilst Azura is in a slightly better state with a huge piece of paper on the table as they both finger-paint on the shared paper.
She is wearing skinny jeans with a baggy top as she shows Corrado something. Her eyes sparkle, and the smile on her face is genuine as she speaks, but I am far too lost in how fucking good she looks to care about what she is saying.
“Oh, I get it!” Corrado adds, imitating what she is showing him.
“That looks like fun,” Marcel chuckles. I step back, unable to face her after how I hurt her last night…
Let’s talk,I say to Marcel through the link, walking away towards the front of the mansion. Noticing the boxes that are in the hallway, and the extra staff around, I raise an eyebrow, but I’m not really bothered with what is going on and take a seat, taking out a cigarette. I don’t fucking know how I am going to do this… but I need to get this shit over with.
Good luck.I freeze, frowning slightly as Azura’s voice comes into my head.
I don’t need luck,I reply coldly.
You sure do, now shut up. You got this,her curt reply comes.
Always so fucking charming, aren’t you?
