Page 136 of Alpha Leo and the Heart of Fire
“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 canstill 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?
Hitting a Nerve
Azura
“Yeah, I get what you mean. Before Emmet, I had a boyfriend… in fact, I never liked Emmet back then. He just… we just clashed. Our mentalities were different, although both of us were friends with Leo. That was until the bond… and it’s so strong… it consumes you. And I know a bond with an Alpha is even more intense. Anyway, when the bond snapped into place, everything changed. My boyfriend and I broke up. Although I knew it really affected him, it was the obvious thing to do when you find your mate, and he didn’t make it harder for me… soon I found myself falling for Emmet. Then, when I was completely smitten, deeply in love, that’s when it all began… I’m sorry I lied to you and in front of Eric, too. I just, I just didn’t know what else to do.” She hugs herself, staring at the water in the pool. “I’m going to reject him. I know it’s going to be hard, but I’m going to do it. I should have done it ages ago when he first began hurting me to vent his anger.”
I look at her, my heart pounding. I never wanted another Indigo to suffer, and seeing the strength in Jackie makes me proud.
“You know… my biological mother was a victim of abuse, too, at the hands of her mate. When I realised what Emmet did that night, I lost it. I felt like I was seeing her in you. Her mateultimately led to her death. She was said to be a feisty, confident young woman, yet years of living with an abuser wore her down until she was just a shell of the woman she once was,” I say quietly.
“And seeing that situation between Emmet and me triggered you… I don’t blame you, and I’m grateful that you at least stood up for me. You did the right thing… even when I asked you not to…” she murmurs. She stiffens and turns to me sharply before taking a furtive glance around.
“Are you okay?” I ask, concerned. She nods, taking hold of my wrist.
“I just… I think it’s time I did the same. Break a promise for the better. After all, you are the sister of Kiara Rossi, the queen.” Her voice is barely above a whisper. I frown, looking at her, wondering what she is about to say when we hear the sound of a thud.
“… care!”
Nikki?
We both stand up and look towards the back of the garden. What is she doing here?
“That was an order, which you should have followed,” Winona’s gentle yet firm voice follows.
“I don’t follow your rules. You are just an Omega who works for Leo! Remember that, scumbag!” Nikki yells, her voice filled with irritation and disdain. Jackie gasps, and I feel my own anger rising. Alejandro had abolished the rank system years back, and it is obvious from Jackie’s gasp that it is something that isn’t meant to be happening here either.
Where are they? I scan the garden and spot a flash of red from beside the small cabin. Nikki…
“I know I’m an Omega, but Alpha Marcel gave me a job to do, and I made it clear that the dress code was anything but red, and you knew why. Is this why you called me here?” Winona asks.
