Page 9 of Alpha Leo and the Heart of Fire
Four weeks have passed since his rejection. That night has shaken me far more than anything Judah has ever done to me. I still remember grabbing my clothes before I stumbled out of the penthouse. I had nothing, not my phone, not my bike. I had managed to beg someone for a phone, and I rang Liam as the rain began falling, washing away the scent of my so-called mate, but it couldn’t wash away what he did to me. My mark burned with agony, the healing slowing due to the rejection.
When Liam showed up, I had been silent. When he saw the state I was in, the anger in his eyes made me succumb to tears. I had never seen him so enraged, and if I didn’t grab onto him and reassure him that it was consensual, he was ready to kill. I had managed to tell him that my mate had marked and rejected me. If it was anyone else but Leo, I wouldn’t have cared, but I couldn’t tell anyone because it would ruin things. Alejandro would lose it, and Marcel, Leo’s dad, would feel guilty over it. This involved my entire family, not just me. I just couldn’t. I now clutch at my neck, where his mark stains it. It had taken a full week for it to heal.
Frustration and anger fill me as I stare at the message on my phone. Judah. He is a problem that still won’t go away, and he,like the rest of my pack, had found out I had been marked and rejected. His anger had been clear in his messages, and he had begun to ring me, too, calls I refuse to answer, which only makes his threats worsen.
The Blood Moon and its sister pack, the Blue Moon, combined are over four thousand members. We literally share the same territory, although the residency homes are separate. Years ago, we were like this pack of people living in the woods. Weird, right? Yeah, tell me about it, but now, we have a mini town here; shops, a restaurant, cafés, even a school, and, of course, a huge hospital. Somehow, word of me being marked had still travelled like wildfire, even though I had tried to keep it a secret.
My mark… a crescent, shimmering, midnight blue moon, with stars and a lotus, set against a background of blue flames. A beautiful mark with an opposing ugly story. A reminder of the painful memories I want to remove.
I still remember the look on Dad’s face when Liam had brought me home, the way he had hugged me, the way his heart was thumping… Mama’s pain and the worry and anger in her blazing eyes. I had to stay quiet for everyone’s benefit, but they only got angry at me for refusing to share his name. I still haven’t said the words to accept his rejection… I know we don’t need to be face-to-face to do so, but still, it is daunting.
Two nights after what had happened, Liam had reinitiated me back into the pack. Only Mama and Raven had been there for it. When Leo had marked me, being of Alpha blood, his mark had the power to break my pack link to the Blood Moon, by default tying me to a prospective new pack, yet I was pretty much pack less now and rejected, and so had re-joined the Blood Moon.
Everything has made me sick; I have lost my appetite, and I am unable to focus on anything. I need a break from it all. I want to run away… and although Liam told me it wasn’t the answer, I still want to.
A light knock on my bedroom door makes my head jerk up.
“Hey, Zu,” Liam’s voice calls, concern clear in his magnetic blue eyes.
“Hey,” I reply, picking up my jacket and slipping it on.
“Are you going out?” He asks.
I nod as he steps into the room, wrapping his arms around me tightly. I close my eyes, hugging him back, his familiar scent reminding me of home. I want to cry and throw a tantrum for him to fix, but I’m not a child anymore, and this isn’t his problem to deal with. He has enough to handle with six kids and a pack to take care of.
“Talk to me, Zu,” he whispers, kissing the top of my head. I don’t reply, simply hugging him tighter.
“Am I your favourite sister, Liam?” I ask, looking up at him and using my best doe eyes on him, trying to sound cute. He smirks, amused, and cups my face, kissing my forehead.
“Without a doubt.” He gives me a wink, and I smile.
“You’re my favourite, too,” I say quietly, taking a deep breath as I step back. “Do you know where my old collection of voodoo dolls is that I didn’t want to throw away?” He looks at me worriedly.
“Umm, are you really going down that path?”
“I am tempted to learn some dark magic… I think I wouldn’t mind causing a few people some pain.” I’m sure I have a Leo Voodoo doll somewhere.
Leo Rossi. A man who is known to be ruthless, cutthroat, and dangerous. A man whose heart is frozen in ice. A man who cares for no one… I have heard the stories, but what he did just makes them all seem very real.
“I’m going to head out for a bit,” I tell Liam before I grab my bike keys and leave the house.
I ride through the streets of our small town. Maybe some pastries from Granny June’s will cheer me up. Luckily for me,today is her day off. She hates me, and I dislike going there if she is around. I park my bike, ignoring the looks that a group of girls who are sitting at the outside table give me, and enter the bakery. All five of those Barbie dolls had gone to school with me, and, well, I can’t deny that I did prank them once. Okay, maybe twice? Let’s just say we no longer get on. It was a harmless prank, I swear.
“We’re closed,” a grumpy voice comes.
Just my luck. Granny June is here.
I look around the bakery. It is definitely not closed. Three of the old crones who hate me are here, too. Perfect. I wish I had checked with Justin before coming here.
“Leave. You’re dirtying my floors,” she growls.
“Aw, come on, Granny June, my shoes are clean. I’m only here for a few pecan pies, and then I’m out.”
“Leave.”
“You know… the faster you give me those pastries, the faster I’m out of here?” I slip my hand into my jacket pocket and pull out my wallet.
“No, I’ve run out. I don’t serve fr…” She purses her lips, looking me over with barely disguised contempt, knowing if she says those words, it would be direct disobedience of her Alpha.
