Chapter 13
âGood evening Alpha,â The three chorus, smiling from ear to ear when Tatum breaks the hug
â didnât hear you greet the Luna.
Tatumâs voice is cold and with a command, his eyes flashing red, a sign his wolf is also agitated.
âGood evening Luna.â
The three quickly bare their necks to Leila, feeling terrified by their Alphaâs dominating aura.
âEvening ladies,â Leila replies passively, grabbing her glass of juice and looking mindlessly away, knowing Tatumâs full attention will be turned to Carmela. She may just as well pretend to be a ghost at the table.
âCan we sit with you Alpha?â Tracy eagerly says, smiling down at Tatum.
A deep growl from inside Tatumâs throat is the response she gets and Carmela quickly pulls her back, smiling at Tatum.
âForgive her Alpha, weâll take another table,â she says, leading her group to the table behind Leila and Tatum.
âThe Alpha was going to allow us to sit with him, you shouldnât have pulled us away,â Philomena says the moment they sit down, frowning at Carmela.
âItâs inappropriate. Heâs obviously having a date with the Luna, we should show some respect,â Carmela answers in a curt voice, the corner of her eyes glancing at Leila who is ordering from a waitress.
Tracy scoffs. âYou amaze me Carmi, I could never have your patience. If it were me, I would have taken what is rightfully mine the moment I got back.â
âPerhaps Carmi is trying to be the patient dog or in this case, a wolf but the patient dog no longer gets the fattest bone, it starves to death and we are not going to let that happen,â Philomena adds curtly.
âStop it,â Carmelaâs voice instantly turns cold, seeing how Leilaâs eyes are
unable to peel away from them. âI already told you all, I have no intentions to do
that.â
âSay what you want but the choice really isnât yours to make, the Alpha loves you and now we are counting the days till he declares his intention. My father is an elder on the council, he tells me what they talk about. Iâm telling you Carmi, her days are numbered.â
Edna looks straight at Leila and catches her eyes. She sneers and looks away but Leila smiles bitterly at them, hearing all that they have said.
She looks at Tatum and stares down blankly at the meal she ordered. If the council are already talking about replacing her with Carmela, then there is nothing even he can do, not like he will do anything. Carmela is the true luna, the one born with the mark of the phoena as prophesied by the oracle decades before even Tatum was born and sheâs just a wolfless friend that Tatum had pity on Edna is right her days are numbered
âYou donât like the food?â Tatum asks, noticing her stare
â11 pack it for take out, I want to go home Leila replies, making a wry face
Tatum drops his cutlery and leans back into his seat, heaving a sigh
âWhat is it?â
âNothingâ
âAlrightâ
Tatum snaps his finger and a waiter appears immediately
âSend the meals to my home. Lets go,â he says to the guy and Leila simultaneously
Suddenly, Carmela screams, jumping from the chair and pointing to the
rance, crawling back on her butt and hitting her friends as they try to touch
Before Leila can even turn to look, Tatumis already beside Carmela, helping her to her feet and hugging her tight.
Leila feels a pang in her heart at how quickly Tatum reacts to the whims of
Cart but to point replaces by qush at how selfish she is being Carmela te traumatized bacuse she saved her, she pushes her pain away and
allows the quilt to move her feet towards them
% saw a man in a hoodle outside, he was pointing to me. Iâm scaredâ¦..â Carmela says, holding Tatum real tight to she would die if she let go.
A manâ Tatom says and his eyes glow, showing he is mindlinking someone
to look into it
âThis is all her fault,â Edna glares at Leila,
âNow Carmi will be traumatised for life, all because she saved someone worthless,â Tracy adds.
âYou shouldnât pretend like you care and stand here. We all know you donât wish her well, after all you stole her life,â Philomena says with a mean scowl.
Leila bites back her words, feeling a sharp stab to her heart but it is not the bitter words of these women that causes her pain, no, she has become immune to it after so long, it is the way Tatum doesnât seem to care, it is the worried look of affection in his eyes as he soothes Carmela.
It is like she can see them in painfully slow motion and every movement of care and word of comfort that Tatum gives to Carmela burns her heart deep. with an incurable pain and sense of loss
The scolding of the other women gets louder and more abusive and Leila can hear them speak but their words are drowned out, like white noise in her ear as she watches Tatum pick Carmela up bridal style and Carmela gently cradles into his chest, throwing her hands around his neck.
Tatum brushes past her, not even sparing her a look or at the very least, a word. to acknowledge her.
Does she even exist to Tatum when Carmela is around?
Leila slowly walks back to their table and grabs her bag. She makes a beeline to the restroom, opens the tap and blocks the drain, staring at her.dejected self
in the mirror.
âYouâll never matter to him Leila,â she mutters to herself, talking out the
+25 BONUS
Chapter 13
pregnancy test result and soaking it in the water, shuising it to nothing as it soaks, before she opens the drain and lets it all wash down.
If only her pain was this easy to get rid off.