Leela's P. O. V.
I peeled my eyes from his hand resting on mine to get a good look at his face. His eyes portrayed the emotions that had probably been bottled up for a long time.
His gaze was soft and I found myself looking into his eyes for an extended period.
I measured the pros and cons in my mind as I struggled with my answers in response to his proposal. I already know the answer to his proposal but a little stall won't hurt.
"I'll be paid to be his wife," this sentence alone triggered the "go ahead" mentally in my mind.
I've waited long enough for Mikhail even if he was never even mine to begin with.
With a smile plastered on my face and a firm resolution, I looked up at him.
"Yes I'll marry you, but before that I should tell you fragments of my past." I said with a grim look.
He nodded, giving me a go ahead.
"I was banished from my pack, the blood moon pack after being accused of treason." I said, trying to get a reaction from him.
To my relief, he wasn't surprised, which means he might have done a thorough background check on me.
He responded with a smile, "yes I'm well aware of what has happened in your life, and I don't care , I want you in my life and nothing more." He said in his deep husky voice laced with authority and determination.
I was overjoyed after hearing his reply. He's the descendant of the three most powerful lycan in history, getting married and marked by him will definitely trigger my ability to shift to my wolf.
I looked straight into his eyes and our eyes locked.
"I accept your proposal, Asher Stephens."
Immediately the sentence left my mouth, Asher squeezed my hands and his eyes glistened.
"Thank you Leela, Thank you for agreeing to this."
I felt somewhat bad instantly, I'm just doing it for the money in order to foot my bills and I've become tired waiting for Mikhail to come for me but it seems like my boss must be in love with me. I felt I had deceived him, pushing the thought to one side, I listened with keen interest as he continued .
"In two months' time, we will be getting married and I'll throw an engagement party next week to show you how serious I am about you." He said with that same previous glint in his eyes.
I nodded in agreement, there's no way I'll reject the engagement party. He's a beautiful man In and out, any woman would be previlaged to get married to him but he still doesn't hold a candle to Mikhail's beauty.
My mood changed, the thought of Mikhail always sours my mood, I'm well aware that I'm still In love with him, even after the horrible things he did to me.
I looked at the handsome man in front of me and tried to push the image if Mikhail face from my mind
After the surprise confession of his love and intention of getting married to me, I booked an Uber and headed straight home even after pleading to take me home himself.
I got out of the Uber, I just had to walk a little distance before reaching my small but comfortable room.
The hair on my back, shoot up, I'm being followed, I can sense it , they are not just normal humans, they are definitely werewolfs as their scent filled my nostrils, terror ran true my body. They are from the blood moon pack, the pack that humiliated me and accused me of treason.
I left the blood moon pack after I was exiled. I've kept a low profile ever since then, even going to the extent of dyeing my hair color from its original silky black to blonde, and cutting it short but I guess I still can't run from them. I sighed from exhaustion.
I pulled my black blazers closer, and my face cap downwards to cover the upper half of my face . I walked briskly, almost running.
" I can't let them capture me!,Not this time," when it became clear that I had lost them, I took another route and entered my house through the back entrance.
My body is trembling all over due to fear, I managed to walk to my bed, with my shaky legs.
I got into my room and collapsed on it.
"Did Mikhail really send those thugs from the blood moon pack to follow me?"
"What did he wish to gain from this, to humiliate me more, the one he did eight years ago is not enough."
I tried to control the tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes, but I could'nt, so I let them fall freely soaking my blazers. After crying for almost an hour, I got tired and sleep took over me.
***
I found myself walking in the woods, without a specific direction in mind. I looked around and I realized what was going on.
"No!, not again," I lamented .
"This can't be happening again, I thought I've stopped having this dream or is it a dream?"
Because everytime I wake up from this supposed dream, there will be scratches and bruises on my legs and arms due to the sharp edges of the grass cutting into my skin in the dream. it was definitely not a dream, that I'm sure of.
Then suddenly I heard a sound and I felt eyes on me.
"Just like the old times," I said ruefully, expecting the burnt woman to appear again.
The woman appeared almost immediately, she has thesame color of hair as mine, silky black long hair that cascades down covering her entire face. Her entire skin and clothes were burnt to black and her white turned black skin almost falling off the bones. She was running towards me, with her outstretched hands.
"No I don't want this, this has been the recuring nightmares I always have since the day I left the blood moon pack.
Like every single night, but it always scares the hell out of me whenever I'm back to reality.
I ran in the opposite direction, to get away from her, but she was fast, almost like a phantom.
Within minutes, she's standing in front of me, her outstretched hands an inch from my face. I can't move, like an external force is holding down.
I shouted continually , trying to get someone to hear me, my lungs almost yielding in the process.
***
I woke up with sweat all over my body and the familiar bruises on my arms and legs. I looked at the bed and unmistakingly, the bed had faint blood stains coupled with the dampness of the sweat.
"Can this ever stop? It's so annoying and frustrating, and the worst thing is that I don't even know what to do. It"s definitely the curse of the moon goddess." I said soliloquizing.
I walked to my refrigerator to get something to calm my ragged emotions, gulping the whole content of water.
"I should confide in someone, else these nightmares will eat me up."
"Should I talk to Asher Stephens, the owner of the club?"
No, that is a bad Idea, I can't just walk up to him and start spilling my secrets after he has just proposed.
"I'm going to find another way, stop these nightmares."
Chapter 25LEENAThe rhythmic clink of glass against glass echoed faintly in the quiet saloon. I stood behind the bar, hands automatically moving as I rinsed and dried each tumbler, placing them in neat rows. The scent of citrus cleaner mixed with the aged perfume of whiskey barrels and bitters. Something I had gotten used to.But my mind wasn’t here. The distraction wasn't working out.I was trapped between two men, two nights, and the ache of confusion pulsing deep in my chest.I could still feel the pressure of Mikhail’s hand on my skin. The heat in his eyes, the fire that burned between us like a fuse we both knew would explode. I hated how my body remembered him. How easy it was to fall back into that chaos, how quickly the walls I had built came crashing down the second he touched me. And even after ending it in Asher's arms, Mikhail still wasn't erased yet.I sighed sharply and deeply.But Asher...The love, the softness, the attention, the value . Eyes that saw me—truly saw me
Chapter 26Leela’s P O V.The kiss still lingered on my lips as I lay down, my head sinking into the pillow. My pulse was still steadying from it, my skin still carrying the heat of Asher’s fingers where they had curled beneath my jaw, drawing me toward him. Our conversation on the car still glued to my chest, his doubt.He was beside me now, his breathing slow and even, one arm lying protectively across my waist as if it had always belonged there. I could feel the warmth of his chest against my back, the slow rhythm of his heartbeat echoing faintly through me. The familiar scent of him- clean, faintly spiced.I should have felt safe. I should have closed my eyes and surrendered to the comfort.But safety, I was learning, was a fickle thing. I begin to hear a continuous rattling sound.The darkness behind my eyes swelled too quickly into something heavy, swallowing me whole before I could push it away. I shifted on the end as I felt the atmosphere change. It was too clear. The bed, it
Chapter 28Leena's p o v My feet remained rooted in the spot as my situation downed on me. I shifted my weight, inching backward, trying to melt into the shadows. That was when I heard the scrape of boots on pavement. Very close they were at this point.“Where you goin’, sweetheart?” The tallest one’s voice cut through the dark like a hook. “We were just gettin’ friendly.”Another voice, closer now, chimed in, “Don’t be rude. Stay a while.”The sound of them tightening their circle was unmistakable. Their presence pressed in, a wall of heat and bad intentions.I swallowed down my instinct to bolt and forced my voice steady. “Like I said before... You're trying to mess with the wrong person here. So Step aside.”They laughed, short, sharp bursts that made my skin prickle.“Oh, she’s got some bite,” one of them drawled. “Bet you taste sweet though.” He said before the tip of his tongue pressed passed the edges of his teeth, his eyes undoubtedly baring me up.I took a slow, deliberate s
Chapter 29Leela’s P O V My pulse had gone faster, even louder. Enough that Ivar could feel it. I knew. The cold around bit at my skin, urging me for what's to come. Ivar."Why aren't you gonna say thank you?" With a tone that reeked of mischief, he asked, what looked like a smirk drawing at the corner of his lips."What do you want Ivar?" I asked.Seeing him here made my stomach knot in ways I couldn’t easily name. The last time I had been this close to him, nothing good came out of it. And now here he was, appearing out of nowhere, cutting through the chaos like a blade, all to rescue me. I should have been relieved. A normal person would be. But relief wasn’t the word for what I felt. I felt Uneasy. But I had told myself that I had nothing to be scared if anymore. As long as s it had to do with Mikhail or any other thing in his pack.Instead of answering my question, he balances a hand on his hip, his brows arching finely and his lips stretching into a downward smile. "Well, it's
Chapter 29Leela’s P O V My pulse had gone faster, even louder. Enough that Ivar could feel it. I knew. The cold around bit at my skin, urging me for what's to come. Ivar."Why aren't you gonna say thank you?" With a tone that reeked of mischief, he asked, what looked like a smirk drawing at the corner of his lips."What do you want Ivar?" I asked.Seeing him here made my stomach knot in ways I couldn’t easily name. The last time I had been this close to him, nothing good came out of it. And now here he was, appearing out of nowhere, cutting through the chaos like a blade, all to rescue me. I should have been relieved. A normal person would be. But relief wasn’t the word for what I felt. I felt Uneasy. But I had told myself that I had nothing to be scared if anymore. As long as s it had to do with Mikhail or any other thing in his pack.Instead of answering my question, he balances a hand on his hip, his brows arching finely and his lips stretching into a downward smile. "Well, it's
Chapter 28Leena's p o v My feet remained rooted in the spot as my situation downed on me. I shifted my weight, inching backward, trying to melt into the shadows. That was when I heard the scrape of boots on pavement. Very close they were at this point.“Where you goin’, sweetheart?” The tallest one’s voice cut through the dark like a hook. “We were just gettin’ friendly.”Another voice, closer now, chimed in, “Don’t be rude. Stay a while.”The sound of them tightening their circle was unmistakable. Their presence pressed in, a wall of heat and bad intentions.I swallowed down my instinct to bolt and forced my voice steady. “Like I said before... You're trying to mess with the wrong person here. So Step aside.”They laughed, short, sharp bursts that made my skin prickle.“Oh, she’s got some bite,” one of them drawled. “Bet you taste sweet though.” He said before the tip of his tongue pressed passed the edges of his teeth, his eyes undoubtedly baring me up.I took a slow, deliberate s