AZURA
We ring the doorbell, and it’s opened by Mishiko. The smell of home-cooked pizza wafts past my nose. Oh, damn, this smells so good!
“Damn, who’s cooking?” I say, rubbing my tummy. Mishiko smiles.
“Sera,” she replies, stepping aside and letting us enter.
“Are Ace and Jin here?” I ask as Leo brushes my wet locks off my face. My hair still isn’t dry from my shower.
“Yes, we are,” Ace says, popping his head through the door.
“Self-invited,” Kareena says, cocking a brow pointedly at Ace.
“You practically keep my woman half the time, so I’m welcome,” he says dismissively, and Sera frowns at him as Kareena’s brows furrow, and she disappears back into the kitchen. She looks awful. Her shoulders stick out like blades, and she’s lost a lot of weight. Before I can worry about anyone else, I have a bone to pick with my mate. I place my hands on my non-existent waist and glare at Leo.
“Where are Jax and Li Sheng at?” Jin asks.
“We never knew this was a party,” Dan remarks.
“Whatever… so, there was an entire party going on here, and if I didn’t ask to come along, you would have eaten pizza without me?” I ask Leo accusingly.
“No, seriously, I didn’t fucking know all these bastards were going to be here,” Leo says, and I give him a dirty look.
“I don’t care if you did or not, you should have invited me,” I grumble, making Ace smirk.
“Answer to the missus now, Leo,” he says, but I get distracted as I spot Kareena through the archway to the kitchen.
She’s alive… but empty. Suddenly I see someone else in her as she slowly runs her finger along the counter, her eyes cast downwards, and her dark brown locks fall in front of her face. My gaze dips to her stomach. She’s not as big as me but she’s showing a lot now. My heart thumps, and Leo looks at me sharply as I’m suddenly enveloped with emotions I can’t control. My eyes sting with tears, and I quickly glance towards the stairs.
“I need to wee,” I say, grabbing the banister. I’m barely two steps up when Leo grabs my wrist.
“Let the woman at least go to the bathroom. She’s already ready to pop,” Sera scolds Leo, but he doesn’t let go of me.
Azura.
I know I can’t hide anything, and I slowly look down at him. Our eyes meet and I know he knows what I’m thinking.
That baby… is just like me, Leo… only Indigo didn’t want to live for me. She’s trying… and I really hope that Kareena continues to fight, I say through the link.
She will, Leo says, tugging me into his arms. I turn to my side, wanting to feel him completely against me, something that isn’t completely possible with my belly right now. No one says anything, and when I finally look around, I realise the hallway is deserted. I’m grateful for their consideration. I close my eyes, resting my head against Leo’s chest. We will get Kareena into a better state of mind…
The doorbell rings, and I slowly move back when Mishiko comes out of the lounge and goes to open the door for Jax and Li Sheng.
“I brought beer,” Jax says, holding up a few cases.
“Great.” Mishiko smiles, letting them come in, and Li Sheng closes the door behind them as we all head to the living room.
-----
It’s about an hour later, and I think we all enjoyed our pizza. Whilst the men now drink the beer, they also criticise the taste, Jax included.
Kareena has been silent, although she did talk when she was asked a question, but for the most part she didn’t contribute much. I observed her as we ate, seeing the way she was forcing herself to eat. She is trying… she’s trying for her pup… I saw the way she caressed her stomach, the pain that glimmered in her eyes before she’d lower her head. She now stands up and begins collecting the plates. I stand up, following suit.
“I feel bad that the pregnant ladies are the ones working,” Ace says, looking at Sera who is still eating. She gives him a scathing glare.
“Then get your ass up and take the dishes. I cooked,” she scolds, making me snicker.
“Yeah, stop being a sexist pig and pull your weight,” I add. Leo smirks.
“And that’s why you should keep your mouth shut,” Jax says as Dan stands up to help.
“Yeah, do my share, Dan,” Ace tells Dan, making Jin shake his head.
“How old are you guys?” Mishiko shakes her head.
“Clearly not mature enough,” Sera says as I leave the room. My smile fades as I watch Kareena scrape the plates into the bin.
“Hey…”
“Hey...” she replies, giving me a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes.
“How are you holding up with the pregnancy? Is the little one being good?” I ask. She smiles slightly, placing a hand on her stomach.
“He kicks a lot at night, but he’s being good…” Her eyes sparkle with tears, and she turns as she places the plates on the worktop. Dan and Li Sheng place the rest of the stuff on the counters, bringing in everything from the lounge.
“Hot drinks?” I ask.
“Jax said he’s ordered some in from the café. Should be here soon,” Li Sheng says. I nod as Dan glances at me.
Want me to stay? He asks through the link.
Let me try to talk to her first, I suggest. He gives me a small nod as he leaves the room.
You going to be okay talking to her? Leo asks.
Did Dan snitch? I ask, putting the sauce bottles back in the fridge.
Barrier, baby girl? You really do suck at keeping those walls up, Leo’s sexy cocky voice comes back.
Oh, well, stop prying in my head, I pout as I turn to Kareena, who is loading the dishwasher.
“You know, not many people here know, but in the battle that took place with Endora, my mother died,” I start. This topic hurts… She looks up at me, frowning slightly.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t realise you were alive back then,” she says, tilting her head as if she’s doing the calculations.
“I wasn’t. She was pregnant with me, but she was adamant to fight in the battle… and die.” She pauses from loading the dishwasher, confusion on her face, but she doesn’t speak, waiting for me to continue. “My sperm donor, her mate? He was abusive and a cheat. When Alejandro found out… it was his pack my parents were in… well, he sent him to his death as a punishment for abusing Indigo – my biological mother.” I know people here generally know that I’m not Mama and Dad’s biological daughter, but not many know the full truth. “Well, she didn’t want to lose him. She somehow stuck by him because he was her mate, and with his death… she became a shell of her former self… wanting to die, even when she had me inside of her.” I take a breath as she looks at me. The pain and understanding in her eyes make me continue,
“Today, when I saw you, I realised that that baby inside of you is like me. He needs his mama, he always will. Not everyone is lucky to find people like Mama and Dad. You’re not like Indigo, though. Her mate was abusive. Shane was a hero… she didn’t even last long. You’re here months on trying to survive for your prince. I know you don’t want to accept Jax’s offer, but you know… he loved Shane. He wants to see you live, Kareena, and you don’t even need to be in a relationship -”
“And if his mate shows up?” She cuts in. “Then what? How will things go? Sure, he can reject me and move on since I am not looking for love, but… what if the bond makes me start seeing him as security?” She presses her lips together, and I realise that this is her hesitation.
“He’s old. I doubt he’ll find his mate now,” I say, although I know Alejandro is, like, thirty-four, and Jax is only in his late twenties.
“I’m trying my best, Azura. I won’t abandon my child,” she says quietly. “I don’t need a man.”
The front doorbell rings, and Kareena walks past me to get it. At the same time, Jax comes out of the living room. Their eyes meet before Kareena power walks to the door and pulls it open before Jax can.
“Delivery,” the guy from the café says. “Hello, Luna.” He smiles at me as he passes Jax the trays holding the hot drinks.
“Thanks, man. You got the desserts?”
“Just on the bike. I’ll go grab them,” he says as Jax nods.
“I got here first,” Kareena says pointedly, trying to take the drinks from him, but he holds them out of her reach.
“Don’t be petty. Get the desserts,” he says cockily, making her frown.
Maybe they’re a bad match, Mishiko says through the link as she steps out of the living room, too.
I don’t know, they might work… I reply.
Damn, our conversation was going so well before the doorbell went off. I almost got to the hard bit! Jax carries the drinks through to the lounge, and he’s back out by the time the guy brings the bags to the door.
“Thanks,” Jax says, taking them, but Kareena manages to grab one.
“You are annoying,” she says, leading the way back to the living room.
Scratch that… I think they are the perfect match… I say to Mishiko through the link.
We enter the lounge where Sera is already passing everyone their drinks, and I take a seat next to Kareena. I know Leo wants to talk to her, and today, hopefully as a group, we can make her understand.
“The chocolate cake is Jin’s and Kar’s,” Jax says. “The cookie doughs are mine, Mish’s and Li Sheng’s…”
I sit back enjoying the cosy atmosphere, and my eyes fall on Leo, who is sitting opposite me. He sits back, picking up his coffee, his smouldering eyes on me. He doesn’t need to say anything for me to know he’s checking me out. I smile slightly, remembering our sex session from earlier.
I push the thought away before I get distracted from the goal. We just need to wait for the right time to speak to Kareena. She sits back with her chocolate cake, lost in thought once again. We all begin eating, but she doesn’t move, as if she’s reliving something. Her eyes begin to well with tears and her heart begins thumping.
“Kareena,” Mishiko says sharply, placing a hand on her arm. She doesn’t move.
“Kareena!” I say, snapping my fingers in front of her face.
She blinks and looks up with a start. Her heart is still pounding as she looks at the room of people as if just remembering we are here.
“I’m just a little tired. I’m going to head to bed.” She places her cake down, not even having eaten much of it.
“Kareena, a word?” Leo says, making her stop in her tracks. She closes her eyes for a second, and I know she’s near breaking point. I get what Mishiko is concerned about…
“What is it?” She asks, trying to remain calm and collected. Everyone falls silent, and I take her hand, slowly tugging her down beside me again. She glances at Leo, who now sits forward.
“I care about you. We all do. We’re worried about you, Kareena, about this pup. Let us help you,” he says quietly, his voice is firm and emotionless, but we all know beyond that, Leo has a heart of gold, and he means it. She clutches her neck, her eyes stinging as she tries to control herself. Blood trickles down her neck where she’s digging her fingers in, and Li Sheng looks away first.
“I won’t let anyone remove his mark from me,” she says quietly, her eyes blazing black.
“You know, back at my old pack… there’s a woman who took a chosen mate after her mate died… and you know what she did? She had her mate’s mark tattooed just beneath where her mate mark sat, and when her chosen mate marked her, she still got to keep her mate’s mark close. If you agree… maybe you could do the same,” I say quietly, slowly tugging her hand from where she had clawed into her skin.
“That’s a neat idea,” Ace says seriously, his arm around Sera.
“But it’s all I have left of him,” she whispers.
“You have his pup,” Leo reminds her, and she nods slowly.
“True…”
“Well, if you don’t want Jax to mark you, what about me?” Li Sheng asks quietly. I can’t help but smile when Dan nods and also looks up.
“Or me?”
“Check it out. It’s like that TV show, only you got three hotties to choose from,” I tease, trying to lighten the mood.
“It isn’t Jax that is the issue,” Kareena says, running her fingers through her hair. “I just, it isn’t fair to your mate who is out there, either.”
“Is that why you’re not agreeing?” Jax asks incredulously, cocking a brow. “Over something that you can’t even guarantee?”
“Not only that. I don’t want to tie myself to anyone,” Kareena refutes.
“The main thing here is to break the bond between you and Shane. After that, if you want to reject Jax and break the bond, you can,” Leo says, watching her sharply. The room falls silent, and I take her hand.
“Do it for the baby… for little Shane… because you know that Shane would want you to be there fully for your baby. Children pick up on emotions far better than adults. If you aren’t happy, he’ll realise. You need to be the best version of yourself for him.”
She closes her eyes and turns towards me. I hug her tightly, trying to control my emotions. I can’t even imagine being pregnant without Leo. Being alone in this world…
She buries her head into my shoulder, and I stroke her back as Mishiko turns her face away, trying to hide her own tears that she wipes away. Jin gives her hand a squeeze, and she rests her head on his shoulder as we wait patiently for Kareena’s decision. Her baby kicks, and I chuckle when my minion kicks back. Kareena moves back, startled, and she smiles as she looks down.
“I think these two are going to have a lot of play fights.” She smiles.
“Yeah, but I’m sure they’ll also be the best of friends, just like their parents,” I say. She nods.
“Well, they have a legacy to continue,” Ace says, and Kareena sighs.
“Okay. I agree. But once I’ve had the baby, I’ll reject you and break the bond,” she says, looking at Jax. He nods, and Dan smiles as Leo looks at me with relief in his eyes.
Thanks… he says as the mood in the room lightens.
“So, you choose Jax, huh?” Ace asks.
“He offered first,” Kareena replies pointedly.
“Quit it.” Leo frowns.
“So, are we, like, doing this now?” Mishiko asks, looking at them. Kareena shakes her head.
“No… I want to get the tattoo done first.” Luckily, we’re werewolves.
“Then how about we get that done tomorrow,” I suggest. She nods, and although I’m sure she’ll be okay, I think tonight I’ll stay with her.
The ambience of the room is lighter after that, and I notice Jax watching her a few times with concern. She made the perfect choice by picking him. Somehow I feel that this will become so much more.