Page 98 of Alpha Leo and the Heart of Fire
“The number you have called is unavailable…” I hang up only to see her typing.
‘Sorry Hun, just got into bed, so tired. I’ll text you tomorrow. Love you.’
I let out a sigh of relief and shake my head. Fuck, I am getting too paranoid.
I place the phone down, feeling exhausted after that super long night, and let sleep overcome me once more.
The Choice to Make
Leo
It’s the following day, and after crushing Corrado’s heart last night, I feel fucking awful. He had been asleep on the sofa when I returned, the uneaten food still on the table. He had gone to sleep hungry…
So, the first thing I do this morning is promise him that tonight we are going to cook together because Azura is going to come over. That cheered him up, and I am going to fucking make sure nothing fucks it up this time around. I leave him with Winona; they will go buy the list of groceries I had sent to her.
I am currently in my office at headquarters, waiting for Jackie. Last night I told Eric to make sure she stayed in her apartment until she was called for. Emmet is in a cell which stops him from linking anyone, and before I talk to him, it is Jackie I need to deal with first. The knock on the door makes me look up before it opens to reveal Eric, Nikki, and Jackie. Jackie’s eyes are bloodshot, and it is obvious she has cried a lot. Eric looks sympathetic, but I already had a word with him regarding Emmet. He had been there when shit went down anyway, and he knew what Emmet’s temper was like. The two had never seen eye to eye often enough.
“Did I ask for an entourage to accompany her?” I ask.
“She’s in a state, Leo,” Nikki says, her eyes shadowing whenthey fall to the mark on my neck.
Even with the tattoos on my neck, her mark isn’t hidden away. I won’t deny that I examined it closely. It is a heart of fire in two shades; half is silvers and blues whilst the other is navy and blacks. It may look like a heart created from flames, but if you look closer, you can see that it is, in fact, two wolf heads nuzzling together with fur made of fire.
Hurt flashes in Nikki’s eyes before she looks away, placing her arm around her sister.
“I’ll wait outside,” Eric says, giving a small nod. I wait for the door to shut as both sisters take the seats opposite me.
Is it true that Azura is pregnant with your child?Nikki’s voice comes through the link. My eyes flash as I look at her.
You know the answer to that already.
Wow.Her voice is bitter and irritated. If Jackie wasn’t here, I would have fucking snapped, but I don’t want to stress her out even more.
We did nothing wrong. She is my mate. My fucking mistake was not ending it with you that day I got back. For that, I’m sorry, alright? So let’s end this shit now. We are over,I reply icily.I don’t want to have this conversation with you again, so move the fuck on.Her eyes glisten, and what fucking irks me is that her sister is in a state, and she is far more concerned about me.
Leo, you have ignored every message that-
“Leave,” I command. My eyes are enough of a warning, and she simply shakes her head before standing up and storming out. Once the door snaps shut behind her, I stand up and walk around the desk, leaning against it next to Jackie. “I know this is all hard, and although you are probably fucking confused about the entire situation, I need you to be honest,” I say, leaning closer. My hands thread together in front of me as I rest myelbows on my thighs. She looks up at me, her eyes filled with glittering tears.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know he’d try to hurt her. If I knew you were her mate, I would have told you about the baby,” she sobs, her face filled with guilt before she breaks into tears. I frown, not expecting that.
“You knew about the baby?” I ask. She nods.
“She asked me to keep it quiet because you knew who her mate was and that you might tell him, and he wasn’t a good person… and when I found out she was mated in this pack, I understood it. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise, you kept her word…” Wait… did Emmet know? My heart thumps, remembering Emmet’s words.“I know your secret.”“Jackie. Did you tell Emmet?” Her guilt-filled eyes meet mine, and she nods.
“I never thought he’d hurt her, especially since he knew…” she whispers.
My eyes blaze as white-hot pain lashes through me.
He kicked her in the stomach.
He intentionally targeted our pup.
“Do you know where he hurt her?” I ask her, my voice shaking slightly as I do my best to contain the searing rage that is rushing through me. “He kicked her in the fucking stomach.” My voice is dangerous and menacing, and her face pales. She shakes her head, clamping her hands over her mouth.
“No… he, no… it’s my fault, I shouldn’t have -”
