Leah's POV
I felt the butterfly in my stomach, the lump in my throat, and the burning sensation in every inch of my skin. My heart was pounding so fast that I wouldn't be surprised if it suddenly stopped functioning.
Lucas stroked my hair behind my ear. As his fingers flicked across my ear, my whole body started shivering.
Then, he drew himself closer to me. For a brief moment, I thought he was about to kiss me.
I bit my lips so that I didn't make any awkward moaning sound.
I looked into his eyes. He was so close, yet so far away from me.
Then, I realized that he was just checking out the scar on my forehead.
He looked a bit surprised because the scar was almost healed.
He cleared his voice and said, "Your blood is precious to Josephine. Your blood is the only cure to stabilize her condition. You need to be more careful."
The moment he let go of me, I felt that someone was peeling off my skin.
The excruciating pain made me curl up in a ball of fear.
Josephine wrapped her hands around Lucas' arms and said, "Come on, Luke. Tell me about everything in Skagen City!"
"I'll tell you everything later." Lucas' voice was full of affection and admiration. "Now, I've got a gift for you. It's in the living room. Why don't you go and take a look?"
"Oh, Luke. You're so kind. You don't have to bring me a present every time you see me." Josephine looked flattered.
Then, she took a triumphal look at me and asked Lucas, "Luke, what is the gift?"
"You can go downstairs and take a look at it yourself."
"Is it the thing that I've always wanted?" Josephine's big round doe eyes widened with surprise.
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." Lucas' lips quirked up with a faint smile.
"Oh, Luke! I love you! I love you! I love you!" Josephine quickly tiptoed and pecked Lucas' face before running out of the room.
A moment later, she came back, tittering and giggling like a little girl, with a giant pendant necklace on her long, swan-like neck.
I recognized that pedant immediately.
It was a giant sapphire stone cut into a heart shape. It was the wedding gift that Lucas gave to me on our wedding day.
I only wore it once. As soon as Josephine saw it, he immediately showed a great interest in it.
I couldn't believe Lucas would give that pendant to her.
"How do I look, Lucas? Does it make my eyes brighter?" She circled around Lucas, jumping up and down like a little bunny.
Lucas caught her, held her in his arms, and gave him a long, passionate kiss on her hair.
"Do you like your gift?" He asked Josephine.
"Like it? I love it!" Josephine exclaimed while clapping her hands.
She glimpsed at me like a guilty child. Then, she immediately turned to Lucas, looking sad.
"What happened, Jo?" Lucas asked.
"It's nothing." Josephine lowered her head and said in a sentimental voice, "I'm just thinking, Basil would be so happy to see me wearing this necklace if he was alive."
Hearing Basil's name, Lucas' face immediately became clouded.
Basil used to be his Beta and best friend. He passed in a battle a few years ago and entrusted his younger sister Josephine to Lucas before he passed away. They were supposed to get married until I, Lucas' mate, showed up.
I still kept the photo that someone sent me on our wedding day. It was a picture that shows Lucas holding Josephine in his arms. They were so close and I wasn't sure if they were kissing each other.
On the back of that picture, there was only one sentence -
You are the third person in this marriage.
I knew it was sent by Josephine. But I didn't tell anyone.
My husband and mate was breathtakingly handsome man as well as the leader of the most powerful pack in the North. No woman in their right mind would resist his look and charm.
Being his mate and Luna, I knew I had to put up with a lot of inconveniences to maintain the legitimacy of our marriage and the decency of my husband.
It's for the better of the pack.
"Come downstairs with me, Luke. Today's such a beautiful day and you're back. I'm wearing such a beautiful necklace. Why don't we have a picnic at the lake? Leah will cook for us! Will you, Leah?" Josephine raised her eyebrows while staring at me.
"Yes, Miss." I lowered my head and whispered, trying to pretend that everything was OK with me.
"Go ahead and get ready for our picnic trip. I'll join you later," Lucas said to Josephine in a soft voice.
Josephine nodded and winked at him.
After Josephine was gone, Rosalie leered at me and said, "Why are you lying on the floor like a piece of trash? Are you trying to win anyone's sympathy? Clean up the mess that you've caused and go do the washing now."
"Yes, Ma'am," I whispered, quickly taking up the shattered pieces on the floor.
My head was buzzing. My vision blurred. Some of the shards were embedded into my flesh, but I could no longer feel the pain.
Nothing would rival the excruciating pain of being ignored by my own mate.
Rosalie rolled her eyes and me and said to Lucas, "I've talked to Doctor Jafar today. He suggested we should increase the frequency of blood transfer to three times a day."
My heart sank.
I pleaded desperately, "Ma'am, Alpha, please don't do this to me. Twice a day is already too much for me. That's why I keep fainting and being scattered all day round. I really can't afford to do it three times a day..."
"I'm trying to have a private conversation with my son. Who do you think you are to interrupt our conversation?" Rosalie looked crossed.
"And don't look for lousy excuses for yourself! You keep messing up because you're clumsy," she added.
Lucas held his mother's hands and said, "Mother, please go downstairs and I'll talk to her."
Rosalie gave me a dark look and walked off.
The whole room was suddenly empty, with me and Lucas alone.
Lucas looked down at me and broke the silence -
"OK, tell me how much money you want for the blood transfer. Name a price."
"I want nothing from you, Alpha," I answered in a low voice, trying to scrape off the blood stains on the floor with a sponge, but more blood kept dripping on the floor from my head.
Lucas sighed. He took out his mobile and fiddled with it for a while. Then, put down his phone and said, "I've just wired another three million dollars into your account. Increase the volume of blood transfer to three times a day, and you'll get three million for each transfer."
"Alpha, I don't need your money..."
"So what do you want?" He started to look impatient.
"Why do you give my pendant to Josephine?" I asked.
"Are you answering my question with another question?" He frowned.
"You gave that pendant to me on our wedding day. Do you remember?"
My voice wasn't loud, but it managed to surprise him.
"Josephine likes it, so now it belongs to her. Do you have any problems with that?" Dark clouds started gathering on his face. A storm was impending.
"What do you need it for anyway? You never go to parties or balls," he added.
You are the third person in this marriage.
Five years of marriage in exchange for this. I failed on so many levels and I was failed by my mate.
I gave up.
I threw the blood-soaked sponge on the floor and said in a calm, steady voice, "I never go to parties or balls because I have never been invited in the first place. Also, I've been too busy folding napkins and giving another woman my blood."
I had never spoken so many words in a sentence to my mate.
My voice was still quiet, but I managed to make my message clear.
Lucas had an incredible look on his face.
For the first time in his life, he managed to really see me.
"You... " he mumbled.
I could sense the nervousness in his voice.
"Yes, me. I'm standing right in front of you. I used to be your Luna, your mate, the service maid and nurse for your mother and your dearest Josephine. But now, I am only myself. A free, independent woman, who wants to have nothing to do with you anymore."
Lucas looked at me like his world was turned upside down.
"What do you mean?" He asked in an anxious voice.
"You've heard me," I replied and wiped the last drop of blood on my forehead. "I'm rejecting you, Lucas."
"Reje... No, you can't do that." His voice turned high-pitched and dry.
For the first time in my life, I sensed fear in his tone.
"I can do whatever I want, Lucas. So, watch me." I stood up, and stepped forward to close the distance between us.
"I, Leah Eleanor Lewyn of the Defiant Pack, reject you, Lucas Logan Steele of the White Walkers Pack, as my rightful mate."
Lucas' POVDid this woman just... reject me? Is she trying to get my attention by angering me? Apparently sometimes women do that. But Leah doesn't come across as needy as Josephine. She has never ever bothered me up till now. So, what's that all about? I was bewildered. To be honest, I had never really paid attention to this woman in the past five years of our marriage. Our marriage was nothing but a simple piece of contract, on which everything was arranged -As my mate, Leah will basically do whatever I ask her to do, including giving blood donations to Josephine on a regular basis. The thing is, Jo was diagnosed with an unknown blood disease five years ago and she needs a specific type of blood to sustain her life. Fortunately, Leah's blood is the right match.In return for donating her blood to Jo, Leah will get my gratitude and thanks, which is realized by a substantial amount of allowance every month. At the same time, since the Luna position has to be filled by my mate, we
Leah's POVThere was a reason that werewolves didn't want to reject their mates -It was too painful. Every single part of my body was in excruciating pain. I had been branded before, but this was yet the most painful thing that had ever happened to me. As much as I was tortured, there was a teeny tiny bit of me secretly wishing that he wouldn't accept my rejection. I wished he would smirk at me and call me an idiot, telling me that there was no way for him to let go of me. I wished that he would press me on the floor, taking me roughly, forcing me to say his name and beg him to give it to him...I knew it was wrong to still have impossible faith in this train-wrecked relationship between us, but I knew with a simple apology, or a slight nod from him, I would go back to his arms. What can I say? Werewolves are very complicated creatures. We would do everything to stay with our mates.But Lucas didn't show me any signals. He just stood there, frozen in shock. I couldn't tell what wa
Leah's POV"Leah, what do you think you're doing?" Lucas stared at me as if he was gripped by anger and shock. I wasn't surprised that he took Leah's side. But it didn't mean that my heart wasn't hurt. "I'm just taking back what belongs to me," I replied.Josephine's face was distorted in pain. She looked up at Lucas and said, "Luke, I really didn't send her any pictures. I don't know what she's talking about. I don't know why you rejected her, but if it had something to do with me and the blood transfer, I could apologize to both you and her. Anyway, you've been taking good care of me since Basil passed away. It's all my fault. I'm too soft and hopeless. I really can't cope without an elder brother figure in my life." "You don't have to apologize for anything, Jo. I know you haven't done anything." Lucas leaned in close to Josephine. His eyes fixed on hers with a deep, unwavering gaze. His voice was a gentle murmur, low and soothing, yet charged with emotion. Every word he spoke wa
Lucas' POV"Does Josephine need blood transfer?" I stared at Josephine's private physician and asked. Doctor Eliant Jafar was in his mid-50s. He used to be my father's physician, and I trusted his expertise wholeheartedly. Doctor Jafar replied patiently, "Alpha, you have to understand. The diagnosis of a certain disease is a long, hard process. In Miss Solis' case, it's like a relationship.""What are you insinuating, doctor?" I frowned. I don't like it when someone refuses to give me a straightforward answer. Especially when this person is a doctor. Doctor Jafar adjusted himself in the chair, but he still looked very uncomfortable. "A relationship isn't a contract, Alpha. It's more like a negotiation. You need to make a lot of compromises. So is Miss Solis' diagnosis." I started to get more puzzled. "Are you trying to teach me something, doctor? Can I have a simple answer? Is Josephine sick or not?" "The simple answer is no. She isn't sick.""She doesn't need any blood transf
Leah's POV"Miss Leah, welcome back." A silver-haired butler, dressed up in a sleek black suit, bowed toward me. "Mr. Carson. I'm so glad to see you again!" I stretched out my arms toward my father's butler. Growing up, he was like a kind, caring uncle to me.Mr. Carson took my hands and held me up in the air, giving me a twirl. I almost cried out in happy tears, because it made me feel that I was still that little girl, flapping my arms up and down with excitement and thrill. "Alpha is waiting for you. Do you need some refreshment, Miss Lewyn? You've lost so much weight. What have they done to you in the White Walkers Pack? Where's the other half of you?" Mr. Carson wiped the tears from his eyes. "I've already notified the kitchen to prepare your favorite meal. Do you still like cheese macaroni?" "She's no longer five, Carson. Tell the kitchen to cook her some real food. I'm thinking of lots of steaks, maybe a whole turkey." Lucian said. "Yes, Young Master Lucian. Steaks and tur
Leah's POV"Hey, look who's back! My best friend Leah!" An elf-like red-headed girl popped up at my door as soon as my father left."Laura!" I ran toward her and hugged her in my arms. She wrapped her long, slender arms around my neck in a graceful posture that gave her an air of elegance and refinement.Louisa was my cousin. She was three years younger than me. Growing up, I have always considered her my best friend. She had got long, fiery hair that cascaded down her back in soft waves, giving her a wild and untamed appearance. Her big brown eyes were bright and expressive, full of intelligence and curiosity. They seemed to sparkle with mischief and playfulness, hinting at her fun-loving nature."They've told me that you're back, so I dropped everything and came as soon as I could. Oh, my gush! Look at you!" She patted my protruding shoulder blades. "You've lost a lot of weight! You're practically a skeleton! Let's go downstairs and grab something to eat. You look like you're going t
Lucas' POV"Mother, please speak slowly and clearly. I'm going through a tunnel now." I talked to my mother through the in-car speaker. Even though her voice was shattered, I could still tell that she was furious. "Did you reject that bitch?!" "Mother, what are you talking about?" "Leah! That bitch! Did you reject her?" "Yes, Mother. How did you know about it?" I frowned."She's here with someone! She's such a bitch! She..." My mother's hurling became weak because the signal was poor. Leah came back?! And she was with someone?! Was it the man in the limo who had physical contact with her?! "Stop the car," I told the driver, my Beta Jorah."Alpha, we're in the middle of the highway...""Stop the car, right now." I reiterated. Jorah sighed silently and steered the wheel. As soon as my limo parked on the side of the road, I pushed the door open and got out of the car. "Mother, can you hear me now?" I raised my voice at the speaker. "Yes, Luke. Loud and clear now." "Who was w
Leah's POV As soon as I came back home from Lucas' house, I heard Laura's voice - "Leah, you need to see this!""What's going on?" I asked. "That wicked witch has just tweeted! She claimed that you stole her jewelry! That filthy old bitch! I should have broken her legs and stuffed my socks in her mouth yesterday!" "What?" I jumped off the bed. Laura's words came as a shock, jolting me fully awake. "Look!" Laura pushed her phone to my face. "Hash tag DesertRose! The original post of that old bitch has been retweeted a million times and become the trendiest topic of this morning! Everyone is talking about it!"I scrolled down a bit and clicked the original post. There it was. Rosalie's original post -"Daughter-in-law took away my 20-million-dollar jewelry #DesertRose after she was divorced by my son yesterday. Anyone who sees her please tell her to return it ASAP." Followed by a string of peace & love emojis and a picture of the missing necklace.People who retweeted it were al
Leah's POVA pang ripped through my chest, sharp and unwelcome. I didn't want to know what Lycidas had done - didn't want to picture the claws, the needles, the hunger in that bastard's gaze. Darren wasn't the man I'd known anymore; he was a husk, cracked open and spilling fear. My fingers found the lock, bending the steel like it was clay, the cage door groaning as it gave way. He lunged at me, wild and blind, and I struck fast - knocked him cold with a blow that felt like betrayal. His body slumped, limp and heavy, and I hauled him into the cart, draping a cloth over him like a shroud.I shoved the cart toward the door, every nerve screaming, when a shadow blocked my path. The hotel manager, all puffed-up indignation, glared down at me. "What the fuck? Who are you?! Why are you here? Don't you know this whole floor is reserved...?"His words choked off as my fist met his jaw. He crumpled, a sack of meat, and I dragged him back inside, stuffing him into the cag
Lycidas' POVA pause, heavy with his worry. "Lycidas, don't let anyone hurt her. Protect her. The ritual has to be done."Finn's pace quickened, his throat tightening around me, and I gripped his hair harder, forcing him to take more. "Don't worry, brother. I miss you. I'll be back soon. Put Jalin on, will you?"The line shifted, and Jalin's cold "What?" slithered through.My voice turned razor-sharp. "If you dare touch my brother again, I'll pump you full of suppressant, make you a fuck toy, and toss you to the slave market. Every hole in your body will be stuffed with cocks for the every minute in the rest of your fucking life. Do you understand?"Silence. Finn gagged, his throat spasming, and the pleasure spiked through me. "I'm talking to you," I snarled into the phone."I understand, Your Highness," Jalin muttered, subdued at last. I hung up, tossing the phone aside, and turned my full attention to Finn. He sucked harder, desperate to p
Lycidas' POVThe lazy afternoon sunlight in Miami pressed against me like a lover's claw, the moon long gone but its bloody echo still staining the sky. I stepped out of the limousine, and the red carpet unfurled before me like a tongue, wet with the flash of cameras and the screams of the crowd. The hotel loomed, a glittering beast of glass and steel, its jaws wide with fans clawing at the barriers, their voices a feral hymn to my name. I was Lycidas, the Lycan Prince, a Hollywood god carved from hunger and shadow, and they worshipped me with every ragged breath.I strode forward, my boots sinking into the plush scarlet, and the air thickened with their adoration. The paparazzi swarmed, lenses glinting like predatory eyes, but I owned them all. My lips curled into a smile, sharp and deliberate, as I waved - a king acknowledging his court. The noise swelled, a tidal wave of sound, and then a voice cut through it, high and desperate."Lycidas! Lycidas!" A female
Leah's POVThe clock on my wrist ticked like a smug little bastard, each second a jab at my nerves as I stood there, plotting culinary carnage. Six hours until the Miami Mayor's Annual Seafood Charity Dinner, and I was about to turn a fancy gala into a symphony of gurgles and groans. The TV blared in the background, some chipper anchor rattling on about celebrity cars rolling up to the hotel—shiny Bentleys and Teslas, all ferrying the rich and famous to their doom. I smirked, imagining them clutching their pearls and their stomachs by night's end.I glanced over at Seth, who was practically hypnotized by Sharbo's lazy laps in the shark tank. The kid's mop of hair flopped over his eyes, and he looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here, plotting with me. I gave his shoulder a solid pat, jolting him back to reality. "It's time, Seth."He blinked at me, all wide-eyed and twitchy, then fumbled for his laptop like it was his security blanket. His fingers danc
Leah's POVThe moonlight was pouring down from the sky like cascade.I stood there, rooted, facing Darren, his eyes blazing with a storm of rage and grief that pinned me where I stood. The air hung heavy, thick with unspoken venom, prickling my scarred skin—the brands of the slave market I'd never outrun."Why are you asking this question?" Darren's voice cut through the stillness, sharp as a blade, edged with accusation.I didn't answer. Couldn't. My throat clenched tight, strangling the words beneath the weight of all we'd left unsaid.He stepped closer, his emotions bursting free like blood from a fresh wound. "Are you asking this to hurt me, Leah? Haven't I done enough for you all these years to earn your trust?"Tears spilled down my cheeks, hot and relentless, carving trails through the grime on my face. I felt nothing - no sting, no release - just the hollow rush of them falling, a betrayal of the numbness gnawing my bones.
Leah's POVI remained silent. Father killed his son. Justice was almost done.Al Cosa continued, "And my son Tommy... He was burned alive in an elevator. Forensic team said his charred, deformed body burned so badly that... they needed tweezers to collect him."Two fat tears carved paths through his ashen stubble. I mirrored his grief - shoulders curling inward, breath catching - as the incinerator roared to life behind him. Its hunger vibrated in my molars."They found nail marks," he whispered. "Inside the elevator door. My boy...my Tommy clawed iron hot metal until his fingers..." A wet choke. "You know what fire does to lungs before death comes?"I let my own eyes glisten. "Mr. Cosa, I...""You're about to find out."I pretended to be horrified. "Mr. Cosa, I'm...""Sorry?" The wheelchair lurched forward. "You shoved my Tony off a balcony! Trapped Tommy in that metal coffin!" Spittle hit my cheek. "And now you're standing he
Leah's POVThe neon sign above the night club buzzed like a dying wasp, its crimson glow pooling on the asphalt as I shoved through the club's sticky doors. Smoke clung to the air—cheap cigars and cheaper desperation - and there he was, slumped at the bar like a discarded marionette. Liam's fingers curled around a whiskey glass, his knuckles whitening with each swallow as if he could drown the words we'd never said.I slid onto the stool beside him, the leather sighing under my weight. "You look like someone pissed in your bourbon," I said, nodding at the bartender for my usual gin.Liam didn't turn. "Would've improved the taste." His voice was sandpaper rough, but the corner of his mouth twitched. Classic Liam - even half-drunk and brooding, he couldn't resist the bait.We drank in silence for three songs, the bass thumping like a defective heartbeat. When he finally spoke, it was to the smudged mirror behind the bar. "You shouldn't be here. You do
Leah's POVI turned my head, meeting Darren's gaze, those eyes still hungry, still pleading. "I know," I said, quiet, a sad twist to my lips.But knowing wasn't enough. Love wasn't enough - not when the howls kept calling, not when my scars ran deeper than my skin. I rolled onto my side, facing the window, the moon's bloody glow spilling over us both.The full moon hung there, swollen and silver, its light bleeding through the broken window and washing over the bed. I stared at it, unblinking, the pale glow clawing at something inside me - something feral, something I couldn't bury no matter how hard I tried. The air thickened, heavy with the salt of the sea and the weight of the night, and then I heard it - a low, guttural sound drifting through the dark. A howl. Distant, but unmistakable. Then another, and another, until the night was alive with their calls, a chorus of primal hunger that sent a shiver down my spine.My heart kicked against my ribs, the
Leah's POVThe sun bled out over the coastal city as Darren gunned the motorcycle through the weaving crowds, the traffic shuttling around us like a frantic pulse. I clung to him, my helmet pressing into his back, my arms locked tight around his waist, feeling the heat of his body sear through me. The sky was a mess of red and orange, spilling over the buildings like a wound, and the sea's salty stink mixed with the exhaust choking the air. Last night clawed at my mind—his hands, his mouth, his desperation sinking into me after years of waiting. We'd fucked all night, a brutal, beautiful collision that tore past every fantasy I'd nursed in the dark. It played over and over in my head, a sad, desperate reel I couldn't stop watching—every thrust, every whispered curse, every moment I'd surrendered to him. Thinking of it, I tightened my grip, my fingers digging into his leather jacket like I could claw the memory into permanence.He pulled the bike to a stop by the sea, t