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...

her heart thundering

I thought she‘d have forgotten... I

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, the dark magic... Her sacrificing our own kind... her feeding the scraps of our people

a cigarette right now. “There is good in this world.”

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 violence is dealt with, with violence. Was there a difference between good and evil when those views and beliefs became distorted and

and so I had secretly unlocked the cell

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

I didn‘t really know.

were blurred

was that it was her mate who did this. She was someone who, as a fucking child, I 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

a decade ago. You had a

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

you have a good heart... just like

matter what I did, it was never enough... Selene saw everything

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 know what I see? I see an incredible human before me, a true leader, one with compassion, strength, and justice. Hell,

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

that child be

them one more chance to prove that they mean it. You don‘t need to be chums with them... but maybe putting it behind you will help you move on,

that deeply, there‘s no way to forgive that.” I replied, coldly glancing down into her dazzling silver eyes. 2 “There is, if

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

with surprise, before looking

“Are you challenging me?”

to show you

about this? Let‘s make a deal. I‘ll talk to him… and you, you talk to Rayhan.” I frowned deeply at the spark of challenge in her eyes. “Not enough. Talking to your half–brother who didn‘t do shit isn‘t enough.” She raised her eyebrow, her 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 to keep this inside.

You‘re fucking violent.” I growled, gripping her wrists and yanking her hands away 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

trying to do but forgiving isn‘t that easy.” I shot back, gripping her

as her chest slammed against me and she grabbed my shoulders in reflex. Her

only being nice

as I stared down at

Try...