Alpha Leo and the Heart of Fire

41. You Don’t Know the Pain

LEO.

“Leo…”

She walked over to me, and the moment she touched my back, sending a rush of sparks through me, I felt a wave of calmness washi over me,

The fucking bond.

“I didn‘t mean it in a bad way. You know. Hrowing up, everyone called me a freak because I was born with the help of magic, so they found the word fitting. There were even a few people in the pack who refused to acknowledge me because of it. Heck, some still exist.... as I got older, I stopped telling my family because I didn‘t want to always cause them trouble...” She sighed, and I did my best to remain calm. Flaring anger rushed through me, and I wondered if that was why she was so cheerful because inside she was dealing with a lot.

“I know you always say I‘m the daughter of an Elite. Although my life is nowhere as harrowing as I‘m sure yours has been, I just wanted to let you know that things aren‘t always what they seem.” She moved in front of me, her hand running along my waist, before she placed it on my chest. “It‘s ok to be afraid. I sometimes am... like right now. I don‘t know how this will work... with this baby... us... What will we tell our child? Why aren‘t we together?”

She placed her hand on her stomach, and that intense urge to touch it once more tempted me, but I didn‘t.

“We‘ll figure it out...” I said quietly. We would... I would figure it out for all of you...

I saw the vulnerability in her eyes when she had told me her situation.

Tonight had felt like a snippet of the life that maybe we could have… Her, Corrado... our unborn pup... She‘d be the mother Corrado would love. Even if she wasn‘t what I would have expected, somehow, she had won him over, the perfect balance of wild, cheeky and mature...

I reached up, brushing her silky locks back. Her eyes fluttered shut for a second as my fingers grazed her skin ever so lightly.

These sparks... What were they?

So unexplainable…

She leaned into my touch, her head tilting up slightly, and that intense tension returned.

I wanted her.

“Yeah... maybe we will.” She responded quietly. We fell silent, but I didn‘t remove my hand from her hair, my thumb caressing her jaw. 1 knew what I was afraid of, but I‘d never speak it out loud... I was fucking afraid of us letting our guards down once more, only to be cast aside like always...

nightmares.” She whispered, her heart thundering as she tried to

moment I thought she‘d have forgotten... I sighed, looking down into her eyes that

began to sense that I was stronger than Marcel was as a child and so, she began experimenting on me too. But whatever she was trying to attain wasn‘t happening. Her magic never really worked on me as it did with Marcel and the others. I was just someone she never wanted to lose, yet someone she hated... I was only a pup who wouldn‘t be able to do any damage to her anyway, for now. But I saw it all, the beatings, the torture,

a cigarette right now.

I thought were our heroes... our saviours, were allowed to storm into this pack and caused more suffering. I get the reasons, I fucking do. I know the pain when one‘s mate is hurt, but then I realised

crossed my mind, and I pushed them away. Delsanra Silver... That night when Alejandro and Kiara had broken in, I had seen her struggling to free herself, and so I had secretly unlocked the cell and cleared the escape route for her. She never knew I had helped

snuck her food I‘d get punished if I was caught, but it was ok as long as I did

I didn‘t really know.

were blurred into

tried to protect, although I was weaker at the time. I treated all those in those caverns as my people, including her. I wanted to protect them all... I was seven and I was burying the bodies of our dead with my bare hands. Endora would come for me, or Dad would take me to her. She‘d tie me up, and all I remember is the excruciating pain that she inflicted on me. I would wake up bleeding after blacking out on the floor, and I would just get up and get back to my sorry life.” I was unable to hide the pain and bitterness from my voice. “Do you know how it felt to drag the dead body of my mother to try to bury her? A body that I couldn‘t even recognise after her transformation into a Wendigo?” 4 She reached up cupping my face, her heart pounding and her eyes full of anger and pain. I was unable to stop myself from grabbing hold of her waist. My own emotions were a fucking storm, I had never told

against the Djinn a decade ago. You had a hand in saving

her parents... I did it because it was the right fucking thing to do... not because of the bastard.” I replied icily. “Rafael Rossi... I want to believe that if he knew, he wouldn‘t have let Rayhan do what he did. I did what I did

you have a good heart... just like

it just showed that no matter what I did, it was never enough... Selene saw

deserved so much worse than she got... You suffered too much, and what hurts is no one knows exactly what you suffered at her hands... you told me to speak to my parents, and I think you need to do the same... But regardless of that... Do you

I never knew you were so easy to manipulate.” I replied mockingly. “Oh I‘m not, but jokes aside, you are a good person Leo, and I‘m lucky that you are the father of my child. He or she will be lucky to have you.” I fucking wasn‘t expecting her

would that child

to prove that they mean it. You don‘t need to be chums with them...

way to forgive that.” I

you do it? Forgive Indigo? You even refuse to meet your half–brother, right? When he was just an innocent part of

with

“Are you challenging me?”

just trying to show you reason.”

nails digging into my neck. What the fuck was with this girl and violence? 2 “Fine, I‘ll visit her grave... I will speak my mind and I will tell my parents how I feel about Indigo...and you, you tell Marcel how hard you had it. It‘s not fair on you

from where she had drawn blood, I pulled her hands against my chest glaring down at her. “Don‘t change the subject Leo, are you really a scaredy cat?” She

do but forgiving isn‘t that easy.” I shot back, gripping her hips and yanking

shoulders in reflex. Her heart pounded and my dick throbbed at the

the fact that you‘re only being nice to me because of this pup! I‘m trying, and all I‘m saying to you

I

Try...