First

Carmela glances around and she can see the eyes starting to peer at them and as Kelvin comes to take Amara away, he smirks slyly at her.

Everyone saw Leila slap her but she is so scared she cannot even dare to throw a tantrum and manipulate the event to her favour but Leila is making her look weak in front of her subjects, she cannot just back down so easily.”

She adjusts herself, massaging her cheek as she gives Leila a cold look.

“Getting your wolf back doesn’t mean anything, he already thinks I’m his mate and we’re engaged,” she says, flashing her ringed finger in front of Leila.

Leila scoffs and shakes her head in disappointment, completely unaffected by Carmela’s show off.

“You know, it baffles me how it was so easy for you to fool him when you are so dumb. It took him five years to give you that ring and he can’t actually marry you, unless I divorce him. Confess your sins and I may grant you that wish, or maybe not,” Leila shrugs, a sly smirk curling her lips. “You don’t deserve anything from me.”

Carmela opens her mouth to challenge Leila and it just hangs open, unable to say anything, realising the truth in Leila’s words.

Leila scoffs, enjoying the look of misery on Carmela’s face and she decides to compound it.

“You know, when I saw him just now, he called me his Luna, maybe he’ll grovel and beg me to take him back, maybe I might.”

The words roll off Leila’s tongue with such finesse that she herself is shocked by it.

Carmela’s frown deepens, her voice breaking, almost to the point of tears. This new Leila seems to be out for her. With her wolf present, Tatum might begin to struggle with the fake bond.

“I’m warning you Leila…stay away from Tatum, he’s mine. Remember how desperate I can get when someone stands between me and my desire,” Carmela replies coldly.

Her subtle threat hits Leila hard, memories of her painful ordeal at Carmela’s hands barrage her mind and heart with bitterness and anger and it almost dismisses the cocky amused look on her face but she doesn’t give Carmela the satisfaction of seeing the effect of her words.

“Relax Carmela, nobody wants your pathetic alpha,” Leila replies in the same tone. “You can have him all you want. He won’t be the first used item of mine that I’m letting you keep.”

“I didn’t realise that I am yours to give away,” Tatum’s voice comes from behind them and immediately Leila hears it, she tenses up without wanting to, her heart skipping a beat on its own accord.

She grits her teeth, closes her eyes and takes a quick deep breath to calm herself, hating how his voice does that to her so easily.

“Tatum, she-”

“Alpha….Carmela. And what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be helping with the preparations for the blood moon festival?” Tatum’s voice is curt as his cold eyes set on Carmela, his tone finite, leaving no room for a rebuff.

“Alpha,” Carmela bows, giving Leila one last dirty look before she

storms away.

Leila is quite taken back by the interaction between them but she doesn’t show it.

“So….I didn’t know I was your used item or that I am pathetic,” Tatum shifts his attention back to Leila, his words holding no hostility in them.

“Your words, not mine,” Leila replies with a sneer, “what do you want now?”

“I don’t know Leila,” Tatum replies in a whispery voice, crossing his hands behind his back and he circles her slowly, “maybe I find this new you….irresistible.”

Leila turns with him, matching his gaze at every point, his leering eyes feeling like they are peeling the clothes away from her body and it makes her very….hot?

Is he flirting with her? Why would he be flirting with her? Is he out of his mind? He is engaged to another woman but why does she feel so hot under his gaze?

“But that is not the case,” Tatum quickly adds as he halts. “I didn’t know you would return with a child, the accommodation I had prepared for you would not be quite suitable for her, so I got you a new one.”

He stretches a key towards her.

Leila shifts her gaze from his face to the key and back to his face.” Thanks, but I don’t need your help getting an accommodation.”

$/4

“You’ve been away for a while and a lot has changed in that time. The safety of my pack members is very important to me, especially the little children who cannot protect themselves yet,” Tatum replies in a calm tone.

Leila snaps. “I didn’t realise you cared so much about children, considering what you did to ours.”