First

The chanting only gets louder and louder by the second and Leila is disturbed by the distortion of what really happened.

It was her who risked her life to save the other Luna and Carmela didn’t actually save her but if she hadn’t attacked the rogue, maybe something worse could have happened.

The chants and songs of praises of Carmela become deafening and the door to Leila’s hospital room

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Leila cranes her neck past Amanda’s body to see Tatum rolling Carmela in a wheelchair into her hospital room and the first thing Leila notices is the way Carmela is running her fingers up and down the huge scar left by the rogue from earlier.

Leila squints her eyes.

There is no way Carmela does not have a scar from the night she was kidnapped if such a big one is left on her arm from today’s attack.

Tatum raises his hand and the procession goes silent, the crowd outside the door turning away as his Beta, Theo, shuts the door and stands guard.

“Leila, how are you? Carmela wanted to come and see you,” Tatum says, rolling Carmela right up to Leila’s bed.

Amanda stands up and bows to Tatum, putting some distance between them and Leila smiles her signature placid smile at Tatum.

Leila wanted to come and see her but what about him? Does he even care that anything happened to her?

She no longer even feels hurt that even if she suffered an injury to the head and is bedridden, Tatum was with Carmela who is almost completely healed.

No, she is not hurt, not even one bit. The pain she feels in her chest is not from her heart, she must have hit her chest against the ground too hard when she fell,

“I’m alive,” she replies.

“That wasn’t so wise of you Leila, giving yourself to the rogue like that, if I didn’t step up to attack him, who knows what would have happened to you and the other lady?” Carmela says, her tone littered with concern and something that sounds like a reprimand to Leila’s ears.

Leila opens her mouth in shock. The lady was already safe, the rogue had released her, what does. Carmela mean by that?

s over

“We believe the same people today were responsible for kidnapping the phoenix Luna,” Theo steps forward and says, his tattooed arms crossed against his chest with a frown on his face, dark glasses his eyes

1

“You were lucky Carmi saved you in time, the rogue could have done more damage. We think they are -after Carmela because of the mark,” Tatum adds.

Leila’s mouth falls open, staring wide eyed at Carmela who keeps a poker face. It wasn’t the rogue who did damage to her, it was Carmela. Why is the story changed?

“Today’s event is linked to what happened two years ago. Since the phoenix Luna escaped their grasp. they are trying to capture her again. Whoever is behind this obviously does not want the prophecy fulfilled. There are larger forces at play here, but put your mind to rest Carmela, we will get them this time,” Theo continues.

Amanda notices the shock and stress on Leila’s face and she steps closer to them.

“My apologies Alpha but perhaps, we should rest for now, we can fill her in on these details later,” She says cautiously, bowing slightly.

“No,” Leila answers curtly, unable to shake away the suspicious feeling she is beginning to have about Carmela.

She knows Amanda is worried for her baby, she is too but is this the world she wants to bring her child into?

A world where Carmela easily distorts the truth and everyone believes her, singing her praises and Carmela is even sitting before her, lying to her face?

No, her child will be picked on and bullied in this world, it will inherit the status of his mother even if the father is an Alpha, she must stand up for herself.

She grips Carmela’s arm, the same one with the scar.

“I remember clearly the night you were kidnapped by that rogue, when you defended me, he sliced through your arm just like what happened today and I can see this scar, but the one from that night…..you didn’t have a scar from that night.”

“Don’t be silly Leila, you can see it’s the same arm, this new scar has covered the old one,” Carmela replies in a robotic voice, pulling her hand away from Leila’s hold.

“No,” Leila replies in a breathless voice, shaking her head, wincing and groaning as she sits up, her head throbbing in pain. “There hasn’t been any scar on your arm.”

“Leila, stop, Carmela went through a lot for you, even today, stop this madness at once!” Tatum quickly shuts her up coldly, raising his voice.