Chapter 73
November 11th
“What the fuck is this?” Leo asked placing one of the flyers Allison and I had made down in front me
on the table.
“A flyer,” I said.
“No shit,” he remarked before picking it back up again.
I stared at me in disbelief as I smiled innocently.
He then read it one more time, “As the war ends and peace returns to the Stella pack, many of us
celebrate. But as we hug our loved ones and thank the Goddesses for bringing them home to us, we
know not everybody has that privilege. But as Alpha Loren promised on the night of the ball, your
children wrongly snatched by the junior training regime will be returned and you will get to hug
them again. If your family is currently missing your sons, grandsons, nephews and brothers, please
gather outside the junior institute tomorrow morning where the reuniting will be.”
“Mh hm,” I said taking a bite of my carrot.
“And looks like you have once again made a promise on my behalf,” he said.
“Yeh I did.”
“Did you not hear me when I told you this was the bottom of my priority list? Right under leaning
ancient Greek?” he questioned.
“Why would you learn Ancient Greek-” I began before stopping myself. “Oh…you wouldn’t.”
“Precisely.”
“So what? You go against your second promise to the pack?” I asked. “And soon you will be a Dad
Leo. Do you not feel anything for the parents of those babies?”
“Most of them don’t have parents,” Leo replied.
“But some of them do and some of them will be hopefully waiting tomorrow morning to be
reuniting with their son,” I said, “And it’s too late. I’ve already distributed these all over the pack.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Leo come here,” I ordered.
He narrowed his eyes.
“Just come,” I said.
He reluctantly obeyed me.
“Crouch down and give me your hand.”
He followed the instruction and I brought his hand to my stomach.
“Do you feel that?”
“A heartbeat,” Leo said quietly.
His face had softened dramatically as he stared down at his hand.
“And do you feel the bump?” I asked.
“It’s small, but yes,” he replied.
“That’s your child,” I said. “Soon to be a real-life living, breathing, crying baby. Imagine if somebody
took them away from you though. It’s small, but it means a lot right?”
Leo nodded.
“Those children all mean a lot to someone out there too,” I told him. “You can’t sentence them to a
life empty of love when there’s a chance that someone is still alive and would give them a life they
deserve. Please, Leo. I am begging you.”
He nodded again, “As if I have a choice anyway. Well played, Ells.”
I smiled.
“Two-nil,” I said bopping his nose.
For the next fifteen minutes, I watched over intently Leo’s shoulder as he sent various emails to his
men who worked at the junior.
“Done,” he said after pressing send on the final email that detailed how on earth this operation was
to be carried out, “Can we stop arguing about this now?”
I kissed on the cheek and embraced him in a hug from behind.
“Doesn’t doing something good make you all warm and fluffy inside? Do you feel lighter?” I asked.
“The only time I feel lighter is after taking a shit,” he deadpanned. “And no. I feel like I am
destroying my plans for a stronger army. Those kids had potential.”
“You just defeated the only pack in the world even close in strength to yours. What the fuck do you
need a stronger army for?” I asked. “World take over?”
He shrugged and spun his office chair round to face me, “It’s nice to have the option. And until all
my enemies are crushed, I will not be satisfied.”
“I have an alternative and very simple solution,” I said perching my self on his lap. “A replacement
for the kids if you like.”
“And what’s that?” he asked with an eyebrow raised.
“She-wolves,” I chirped.
He tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling.
“I see where this is going,” He groaned.
“The power of women is highly underappreciated by many men,” I said repeating Ancesco, the
coffee man’s, words. “We can learn to fight too.”
“The battlefield is not for women,” he said. “It’s dangerous.”
“It’s no more dangerous for women than it is men,” I replied.
He sighed, “Women are weaker physically. No amount of training is going to change that.”
“I bet none of your men could beat what Maria, Elena and Allison can do with a bow and arrow,” I
pointed out.
“But look where it got Elena,” he snapped. “I will not have women in my army, Ella. We as men are
hardwired by nature to want and need to protect women. The idea of putting them in as much
danger of the front line of a battle, it unthinkable.”
“But-”
“Even if I did allow it, Maria’s mate was not happy when he found out about what they did and I
don’t suppose any other man would be happy about their girl fighting either.”
“You think I’m happy about you fighting?” I asked. “Watching you go off to war knowing you might
never come back?”
He wrapped his arms around me and guided my head to rest on his shoulder.
“Why does it only ever apply one way, Leo?” I questioned. “Men can do anything even if their mate
doesn’t want them to but women can only do what their mate permits?”
“Because that’s the way it is Ells,” he said. “Call it sexism or whatever you like, it’s not gonna
change.”
I sighed. “So what about self-defence? What happens if the oh so powerful all-male army can’t hold
back the attackers and a woman ends up in a position where she is face to face with someone who
wants to kill her?”
“Women are taught basic self-defence once a month at the base,” Leo replied.
“Basic isn’t good enough. You remember that woman that was killed infront of her kids in the war?
She could still be alive if she knew how to fight them off!” I said getting off his knee. “It’s the 21st
century Leo! Where is equality?”
“Ella, calm down,” Leo said standing up and taking my hands.
“No, don’t tell me to calm down,” I hissed. “How many of the civilians killed last week were women,
huh? How many could have been prevented if they were offered the necessary training?!”
I tried to pull my hands out of his but his hold was tight and I couldn’t defeat it.
“Let go of me.”
I pushed against his chest but he refused to let go, trying to keep me still.
“Calm. Down,” he repeated more sternly this time.
“I should be able to fight you off,” I hissed only getting less and less calm. “I should be able to!”
At that point, I felt Leo’s arms wrap around my waist and my feet leave the floor.
“No!” I sobbed hitting his chest with my fists before he spun me around so that I was facing
forwards, but he still had his arms around my waist.
All the way up the stairs he didn’t say a word as I continued to kick, scream and cry hysterically. He
carried me through to the ensuite bathroom and began to run some hot water and bubbles into the
bath.
The soothing scent of vanilla and coconut filled the air as he sat on the closed toilet- me still in his
arms. I stopping trying to get out of his grasp and instead lay quietly in his embrace breathing in his
beautiful scent.
“I can’t fight you off,” I said quietly after a few moments of listening to the bath run.
“That isn’t surprising,” He replied calmly.
“I can’t fight anyone off,” I added.
“What about all those humans? You could crush them like butterflies,” he said.
“I’m weak Leo. I feel so defenceless and helpless all the time. With Max, Connor, Haden, rogues,
Logan, you. You’ve all done things that I didn’t want, but couldn’t stop,” I said. “I can’t protect
myself.”
He kissed my cheek and hugged me tighter.
“That’s why I am here,” he replied.
“But I want to be able to take our baby out for walks while you’re walking or meet my friends on my
own or just do normal stuff. But there’s this constant threat that comes with being your mate and I
can’t protect myself from it.”
There was a moment of silence.
“And I feel so powerless,” I added. “Especially with you.”
After that, Leo slowly stood me up and gently removed my clothing before lowering me into the
deep, warm bath and turning off the faucets
Once I was in, the bubbles protected my modesty and I felt much more relaxed with the warm water
surrounding my muscles.
“Haden and Logan were Alphas. I am an Alpha. It’s not surprising you feel weak next to Alphas
because everybody does,” Leo reassured. “But you are not weak Ella Jones.”
“How so Leonardo Loren?” I asked. “I’m small and little.”
He laughed. “That you are. But you’re also strong-willed and savvy and fierce. I admire your
confidence.”
“I thought you said it was annoying?” I asked with a grin.
“At times, unimaginably so,” he replied rolling his eyes. “But you don’t conform to anyone else and
you’re more self-assured than anyone I’ve ever known.”
“Unfortunately, you can’t talk yourself out of all situations,” I said looking down at the bubbles in
the water.
I then moved my hair off my shoulder to reveal my mark, “This being a prime example.”
“I did that for your own safety,” he replied. “It was against your will and I’m sorry but I couldn’t wait
for your consent.”
I nodded, “I know but… don’t like you using your strength to against me.”
He put his hand behind my neck and kissed my forehead and ran a thumb along my cheek.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I try not to but sometimes you leave me no choice.”
“Or sometimes you get angry and don’t care anymore,” I mumbled.
He sighed again, “I will admit that I can be rough if you piss me off. But I try to keep my wolf at
bay…sometimes I just can’t.”
“You’re an animal,” I said with a grin.
He narrowed his eyes, “Watch it, missy,” he said before splashing a bit of water up into my face.
Since I was laughing, the water came straight into my mouth. I spat it out before splashing him
back.
“Don’t forget which one of us is fully clothed here,” I said as his t-shirt darkened with the bath
water.
Of course, he wasn’t going to let that slide and sent a tsunami of water cascading over me and
spilling over the edges of the tub.
“Bitch!” I exclaimed wiping my eyes.
I then sat up, the foamy bubbles running off my chest leaving it bare. His eyes flickered down
before I sent him a slight smile and looked him dead in the eye. I wrapped my arms around his
neck, and slowly began to lean into his lips. I could tell by the warmth and quickness of his breath
that I was driving him crazy and his hand reached to the small of my back.
But just before our lips reached each other, I drew away and pulled him straight into the soapy
water.
His head went under as his arms clasped for the edge of the bath to pull him back up.
When he eventually did, his hair was flattened over his eyes and he was spitting up water as I
laughed hysterically. His t-shirt clung to his body and although his whole legs didn’t fit in the bath,
his jeans were also somehow completely soaked.
“Why didn’t I see that one coming?” he asked brushing the hair back off his face.
“I gave you a pretty sufficient distraction?” I said biting my lip.
In the frenzy, I had ended up straddling him in the bath with very little covered by the water and
what was left of the bubbles which in the splash of Leo falling in had mostly been sent up the walls
and onto the floor.
“Come here,” he said beckoning me down to him.
I leant down and finally kissed his lips as we lay in the warm water.
He eventually pulled away and closed his eyes breathing heavily.
“Thank you, Leo,” I suddenly said, “I know I practically forced you but..you’re doing the right thing.”
He smiled and pulled me down to kiss me again, “And thank you…I guess. For making my people
happier than I ever have. I saw the hysterics and joy in the base today. That was your doing.”
“And Allison,” I said
He rolled his eyes, “Of course Allison was involved.”
I smiled before he put his hands on my hips.
“Now, you’re driving me insane, Ella,” he said. “Are you going to let me have you or are you just
going to straddle me naked?”
I placed my hands on his chest, “Promise you’ll teach me how to defend myself?”
“I’d promise you anything right now,” he said his eyes feasting on my body.
I grinned, “Then you can have me.”