“Sure,” she replies with a nod. Her gaze rakes over me, and I feel something inside when her eyes linger on the front of my pants before she bites her lip and turns her back on me smoothly. Fuck. We shouldn’t be in a room together.
I cross the room to Corrado, who is already waiting with his fork and knife in hand, and ruffle his hair.
“I’ll see you soon kid.”
“Take your time, Daddy. I’m okay with Azura,” he says, giving me another bright smile. I look into his hazel eyes. Someone he can live with, without me…
I push the thought away and turn. My eyes meet hers as I walk past her, brushing my arm against hers. The tingles of pleasure spread through my arm at the slight contact.
I leave her apartment, mind-linking Emmet to come out. The door to his place opens, and I see him, Jackie, and Nikki. Our eyes meet, and hers fill with hurt before I look away. Jackie gives her a gentle smile. I guess she knows, which means so does Emmet.
“Morning, bro,” Emmet says, fist-bumping me. I entertain him, but the urge to crush his fist is tempting. I glance over at the women, smoothly observing Jackie’s face. She is wearinga shirt with her collar buttoned, so I can’t see her neck, but if it happened last night, those bruises would be gone just like Azura’s had.
“Hey, Leo,” Nikki says softly. Is it bad that not once has she crossed my mind since we broke up? Sure, she’s messaged a few times, but I haven’t bothered with them. We are done.
“Hey,” I reply before glancing at Emmet. “Shall we get going?” He nods, and we both leave, leaving the women behind.
It is twentyminutes later, and we are now sparring after warming up and an intense twenty minutes of cardio. Both of us are exchanging blows, and I know Emmet will bring it up any minute now…
“So, that chick Azura, when is she going back, man? She’s fucking trouble,” he says shaking his head.
“Yeah?” I ask, blocking and aiming a punch at his shoulder. He steps back before aiming another punch.
“Yeah. Last night we had a bit of a run-in, and she was acting like she was this thing above the rest of us.” He shakes his head as he throws a punch, and I block, throwing an uppercut at him. Weird. Emmet is acting completely normal…
Acting. It is almost as if I have already made up my mind that Azura is telling the truth, and Emmet is probably hiding a lot of shit from me.
“Is she? She doesn’t really seem the type to get into other’s business,” I reply.
Emmet is a friend, one I trust with almost everything. The only thing I have kept from him is Azura being my mate and what was between Jackie and me… I know the reason I didn’t tell him about Azura being my mate is because, just like me, he hates the Elite. Emmet and Eric’s father was killed by Rayhan
Rossi for the crimes committed against Delsanra under Endora’s reign. In turn, their mother passed away less than six months later, leaving two more orphans in a pack that was created from broken families.
Rogues. Although we are all just rogues gathered together, there are many different reasons we had become rogues. Some of our ancestors were thrown from their packs for different reasons. Some were for disrespect or betraying their Alphas, and there were many who didn’t deserve to be thrown out. Then, there were some who left for their own safety from abusive leaders. I remember there was one old man back in the cavern who was kicked out of his pack because his mate was the woman the Alpha wanted and saw him as a threat. He was killed when I was around eight.
Emmet’s hatred runs as deep as mine, and what we often hoped would become a better place… never did. We were the happiest duo when we learnt we were going to be a real pack… until that was all taken away, and the fear that we would never truly be safe if we opened up became embedded deep within us. Deep down, I wish there was a misunderstanding about all of this… but I can’t see how.
“Nah, she was getting a bit iffy. It’s obvious her mate doesn’t want her, bro. Send her packing.”
“You seem in a rush to get her out of the picture. I heard what went down from Eric. Really curious why would she fucking accuse you of hurting Jackie though,” I remark, knocking his fist aside and catching his jaw. He swears and frowns, stepping back.
“You played dirty.”
“Hm, did I?” I ask, running my fingers through my sweat-soaked hair. Our eyes meet, and he shakes his head.
“You know I don’t hide anything from you, man… I lost my cool over some shit, and she was trying to calm me down. In my anger, I grabbed her neck. I left the apartment to calm down,” hesays, looking disappointed in himself.
I am good at reading people, but right now, I don’t know if he is telling the truth or lying. Although I’m not officially Alpha, I could still use my Alpha command, but I hate using it, pushing people to do something by force. If I end up being wrong, I’m the one who will have fucked up and would only create that hostility within my people. However, I also know Emmet knows me well, and he knows how my brain works. He will have been ready for this questioning…
I’ll ask Jackie, she is far easier to read.
“So you hurt her,” I say instead. He looks disgusted with himself as he nods.
“Yeah… I messed up, but you know how it can get sometimes, right? When you lose control?”
I frown, feeling a sliver of guilt wash through me. I had hurt Azura when I lost it over Corrado. Shit, now I feel like a fucking hypocrite.
“Make sure it never fucking happens again,” I warn him seriously. My eyes flash. “And never hurt her again. You’re meant to be her protector, not her fucking abuser.” He looks surprised at the aura that is raging around me, but that anger is half directed towards myself. I had hurt Azura, too.
“Got it,” he says curtly. I nod, and we continue sparring in silence until Emmet speaks up, “You dumped Nikki.”
“Yeah.” He lets out a whistle.
“That’s some crazy shit. She’s hot. Come on, she got you. Plus, she’s smart, mature, and a good match. Why, man?”
“She just doesn’t do it for me anymore. Did she tell you herself, or Jackie?” I ask, wondering what Nikki had said. I was certain she wouldn’t mention Azura, but still… if she had, I’m sure Emmet would have mentioned it.
“Nah, Jackie told me. She said she was really upset. Jackie felt super bad for her, too. She gave you her all, you know?”
“It was over weeks before I ended it,” I reply with finality, and he doesn’t push it.
I couldn’t get into it after meeting Azura, no matter how much I had fucking tried. Sure, we fucked, but it was to get it out of my system, and it began to leave a bitter taste in my mouth after it was over with.
We end our training session. Usually, we head back to shower and stuff, but I planned to stop to see Jackie at the hospital. I told him I’d be going for a jog.
I have just knocked on Jackie’s office door when she calls me in. I step inside, shutting the door behind me. That distinct hospital smell lingers, despite the lavender air freshener.
“Leo.” She sounds surprised as she stands up, looking nervous. That’s new. Jackie never gets nervous if I show up. “You just finished your training session… with Emmet.”
“I do hope you aren’t mind-linking him right now, Jackie,” I reply, walking over to the desk. She shakes her head, her heart racing as I look her square in the eyes.
“No, of course not. Why would I?”
“Good. I have a question or two, and I do hope you answer them correctly. “She nods.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply