Leela's P. O. V
"I enjoyed my time with Asher, last night, he was surprisingly humorous. We shared things but the one that made me laugh my eyes out was one about his ancestors.
According to Asher, his ancestors became Alpha after the first female Alpha bestowed her blessings on his ancestors, named Accalia.
“How did the first female Alpha do that?” I asked, picked with curiosity.
“Okay, it is a corny legend. So you have to promise not to laugh.”
“Yes, I promised” I said, wondering why I have to promise not to laugh.
Okay, so the first female Alpha, was tasked to look for a mate and be marked before the Luna celebration, but since she was the Alpha, no man would be able to do that, so she just picked a random man from the pack and they mated. That random man turned out to be my ancestor, Accalia.
The man has to be strong enough for them to be able to mate, if not, he will not be able to shift into his wolf form, he will lose all his powers. But surprisingly, he's almost stronger like the real female Alpha, so their mate bond became stronger over the years and he becames an Alpha.
After hearing the most corny fairytale of all time, my face expanded and became red. I was trying so hard to suppress my laughter, even after clamping my lips with my fingers, I wasn't able to hold the laugh in.
“Valentina, you promised not to laugh?” He said, with a smirk.
Holding my stomach, I laughed to my heart content.
“Sorry, I broke the promise. Who, in his right mind, won't laugh after hearing this for the first time?” I said, still laughing my heart out.
“This is the corniest story I've ever heard in my whole existence” I said, trying to stop the laughter brewing inside me.
“But it's true, that's how my ancestors became the Alpha of my pack” he said with his charming smile.
“Okay I believe you, but the legend is corny as hell, I won't lie” I said smiling.
“Yes it is.” He said with an Intensity in his gaze.
“Your laugh is beautiful and pleasant, Valentina.”
“Thank you,” I said as I smiled at his compliment.
Asher is a charming young man, and he is humorous too. I'm sure I'll learn to love him back.
I looked around my small but cozy room, clothes were scattered at every corner of the room.
“Eish my room is a mess”
After I finished cleaning and placing my clothes in the wardrobe, I got ready for my morning job.
I hopped into the Uber and made my way to my workplace.
I looked at the restaurant that I've worked at for almost four years The owner was also an old werewolf, who left his pack after an incident he doesn't like to talk about.
“You are early today, Valentina,” he said, smiling as usual.
"Good morning boss, I replied while sliding the apron on my body.
I took my place in front of the coffee maker. The coffee maker is jammed, I gave it a slight push, then it came back to life.
Judith, my co-worker and probably my only human friend, came over to the counter.
“Girl, you look happy today, what's the secret? She asked, smiling sheepishly.
I didn't even notice I was smiling. I guess Asher's ancestor's story is still on my mind.
“Nothing Judith,” I smiled at her
“Okay then,
the washing machine has not been repaired, we will have to wash the plates ourselves again. Although the boss is still paying us extra for that, it's really exhausting,” she said with an obvious frown on her face.
“It really is exhausting, but we need the extra money, so let's just do it” I sighed.
“I guess I'll be leaving late then” I said to myself.
After an hour of serving customers, I became weak and tired which is not normal, and the temperature of my body keeps on rising by the minute.it almost felt like my body is burning from within.
“Are you alright?” Judith asked with a worried look on her face.
“I don't know, I'm confused too, please excuse me”
I excused myself and entered the restroom.
The last time I felt this was five years ago. “This shouldn't be happening, unless Mikhail is close by!”
My eyes widened, and my heart jumped a bit. “No he can't be in London himself, I should stop thinking about Mikhail, I have Asher now.” I tried to convince myself.
But deep down, I know that it's the mate bond that is causing the hotness my body is undergoing.
“Even if he's close by, he's definitely not in this shabby restaurant, so I should just focus on my work.” With that, I took three deep breaths and exited the restroom.
I went back to my counter, and I met Judith at the coffee maker.
“How are you doing now, she asked”
“I'm better, thank you”
“Good to hear. So immediately you left, an aloof beautiful man stepped into our restaurant. Yes, I said beautiful because handsome is an understatement.” She said with a twinkle in her eyes.
My heart started beating fast and immediately I heard what she said.
“Please don't be Mikhail, please don't be Mikhail,” I repeated that sentence in my head, hoping that after saying it, it will turn out to be true.
“I can't be more wrong!”
She continued," the beautiful man is sitting at the far end of the restaurant, she pointed and do you know what? He asked for Valentina Montane." She couldn't hide the excitement in her voice.
My mood became sour at once. The hotness I felt before tripled and i'm sure if Judith paid a little attention to me, she would notice the change in my skin.
With mixed feelings, I craned my neck to the place she pointed and to my greatest dismay, Mikhail was definitely sitting at the corner of the restaurant with an aloof and icy facial expression anyone can ever conjure, sipping his coffee with one leg crossed over the other.
And my God is he beautiful!
He let his jet black hair fall over his face, almost covering his right eye.
Damn, black is truly beautiful! His black suit perfected his already perfect structure like a runway model.
He's wearing all black, from head to toe, even his wristwatch was black.
He is effortlessly beautiful!
He raised his head from the coffee he had been sipping like he knew I was gawking at him and our eyes locked. My legs turned jelly immediately.
No! I shouldn't let him have that effect on me even if he has that effect on me, I will never let him see it.
I peeled my eyes from his gaze, which was a very hard thing to do and landed it in Judes.
Judes was looking at me, with a sly smile. Her smile can be translated as' I know what's going on '
But she doesn't and it is dangerous if she does. I cleared my throat and braced myself to face the only man I have ever loved and hated at the same time.
I left the counter and walked in the direction of Mikhail Arthur, “the bane of my existence.”
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 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 24Asher’s POVI robbed my eyes with the back of my hand, a quiet groan escaping my lips as I stretched.The sunlight poured into the room slowly. Shit! If it was sunrise already then I was late for my trip.I turned to my side and I reached for her out of instinct, hand grazing over nothing but cool sheets.I sat up fast, the blanket falling off my chest, eyes scanning the room.No note. No footsteps. No sound."Oh, Leela." I mumbled, falling back to the bed.She was gone. Again. No matter what I did I could never just understand that girl. Yet she understood me so much. Knew me. Every part of me.A bitter laugh clawed its way up my throat, but I swallowed it down.I should’ve known.She saw me as a fool. Last night, the way she touched me, urgent, trembling, I knew she was either trying to escape from something or she needed me to forget about her story. Clearly she knew I was suspicious.She had lied right to my face. Why was she hiding her encounter with her ex mate from
Chapter 23Leela’s P O VI dragged myself towards the mansion, holding my stilettoes in my hand.I hadn’t even made it past the gate before I felt it -the shift. The house was still the same, grand and familiar, but something in the air had changed. Colder. Quieter.I could see that I had missed the rest of the party. Maybe the best of it. My time with Mikhail I couldn't consider the best anymore. It wasn't. The disco lights had been turned off and litters of beer mugs and papers were all over the floor.A few people were still sitting around in the dark drinking and laughing drunk in the absence of the music.I rubbed the cold off my arm and headed through the inner chamber. I had made sure to wipe my tears dry while in the cab. I didn't only wipe the tears, I pushed back Mikhail's words. I knew the implication of what I did alright. I have chosen Asher over him... I have chosen Asher....But when he said he loved me.. my heart had torn.I couldn't be so stupid enough to accept him
Chapter 22LEELA'S P O V The door creaked open behind me.I didn’t have to turn to know it was him. His presence moved through the room like a storm in slow motion. It was heavy, charged, and impossible to ignore. Somehow I felt relieved that he was back. But on the surface I hated the fact that he had kept his words... Today he had been sincere. Proving to be a changed person. He wasn't lying to me.He stood there for a moment before stepping closer. I stayed where I was, sitting by the window, my arms crossed over my chest like armor. He said nothing at first, and for a moment, the only sound was the wind scratching at the glass.Then finally....“I need you to know,” he began, his voice rough like gravel, “I didn’t bring you here to hurt you. I brought you here to protect you.”I laughed bitterly. “You drugged me with wolfsbane, Mikhail.” perhaps I would still have to say it again before he let me go.He winced. “I had no other choice!” He paused, struggling for the words. “I thou
LEELA's P. O V.No!!I shouted, getting my consciousness back and opening my eyes. I looked at my room ceiling, grateful that I'm back in my room.I'm scared to look at my body, I already expect small bruises on my body, but this dream doesn't look like I'm just going to end up with just small bruises.I was drenched in my sweats, my bed is not only wet, it is soaking wet. Likewise, I hesitantly looked over my body, and I was right, I don't only have bruises, but I also have big cuts, but the cuts are very visible to other people. I have to apply a band-aid before the bleeding could stop.“If this nightmare continues, I'm going to surely bleed to death in my sleep.” I muttered, making my way to the bathroom to take my bath.I got back, and an idea hit me. “Maybe I can see someone online that has psychic powers.”Lilian, was the most popular psychic ability user In London. I booked an appointment, and I was scheduled to come to her place tonight. After finishing my work at the restau