43
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Leo’s POV
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“Yes, we will be coming back as soon as we are done with this.” I said to Blake over the phone. I breathed out heavily.
“This paper work needs your attention too.” He groaned.
“I will come back.” I said with a sigh and disconnected the call. Rose held my hands as we pushed the door open and walked in. Before us, sat my dad and my stepbrother with his mate and also the Beta’s family.
I strode inside softly and held Rose’s hand for control over my building rage. The way he looked at me almost made me pity him. But no, I am not here for some pity.
I am here for clearance.
“Good morning.” I greeted with my breath heavy. We woke up as early as we could to clear this thing. I could feel the tension in the room.
“Gosh, it is hot in here.” Hudson said, blowing his face with his hands. I noticed he also behaves like Blake. Do they attend meetings where they agreed to be cocky?
We ignored him and I looked at nowhere but him- My father. Our breathing could be heard.
When it could no longer be endured. Damien broke the silence.
“Are we resolving this or not?” He asked and looked between Derrick and I.
I looked at my dad for the answer.
“Son…” He started out but my hands moved on their own and raised up, thereby shunning him.
“I am not your son for now. Call me Leonard. As you did the last time.” I said, placing more stress on my full name. He has lost the privilege to call me ‘Leo’.
I remember that it was Leonard he also called me the last time we had met before we parted.
He breathed out deeply and stood up. He still had that strong aura and stature that made me wonder if he was still that man that was my dad or not. But there was no lie that his facial structure is the one giving out that he getting old.
“Leonard… I know that…” Another deep breath. I held Rose’s hands tightly to the extent that she tried wriggling her hands away from me with a whimper.
My jaw clenched at the inner turmoil I was fighting in.
“I am sorry for abandoning you.” He said and at the instant I looked at him sharply.
“You are sorry?!” I let out a deep, humorless laugh.
“No, you are not. You kicked our mother out and chose your mate over her, right? You kicked your first offsprings out and chose her over us? You kicked us out of your life like we did not matter. Heck, we never did.” I yelled at him, this time losing all the strings I had on the balance. Everyone stood up, standing in defense.
“Leo.” Ciara called out but I shunned her with an harsh look. Damien growled at me but I paid little or no attention to them. This time. This fight, it was between my dad and I. No one should interfere.
“What do you have to say?” I said.
When I got no reply, “nothing. You got nothing to say since you know that you are fvcking at fault for the death of my mother. For we, becoming orphans even though you were alive. For letting me shift without prior knowledge. You really don’t wanna know how much I despised you. Swears, you don’t wanna know.” I said with spite. All he did was look down in shame. My eyes brows creased in skepticism.
Why was he not talking back?
He is hiding something…
“Tell me the fvcking truth!!” I yelled at him as I lunged at him.
Damien as if he knew that I was going to do it, reached in front me and we fell on the floor with him subduing me. We crashed on the table which ended up breaking. We thrashed around and I could hear Rose’s voice pleading with Damien to leave me.
“Get off me, scoundrel. Let me deal with this coward of a man. This coward that called himself my father. This coward that is a shame to manhood. Let me…” I snarled as I squirmed beneath him. Then, something surprisingly occurred to me. Jeff was not helping me.
Stupid wolf!
“Listen to him first,” Jeff begged. Then slowly, with my chest moving up and down heavily, I calmed down and released my grip on Damien’s shirt.
“He is okay. You can leave him.” I heard Ciara say. Damien slowly and gently released me and stood up. Rose walked towards me on the floor and helped me up.
“I will tell you the truth…” Derrick finally spoke up.
“Guess I cannot keep it to myself again.”
**Flashback**
**Some Years Ago**Content © copyrighted by NôvelDrama.Org.
~Third Person Point Of View~
Leo and his younger sister, Leticia, were busy playing with their toys when they suddenly heard the door open. They stood up in anticipation and looked at the door eagerly. Their dad came into view with no happy facial expression as he always does whenever he comes home.
“Daddy.” They both called out cheerfully and ran towards him with the toys still in the a hands and wide grin on their faces. “Oh, my baby. Leticia.” He cooed as he carried her. She grinned even more. He dropped her and looked at his seven-year-old son, Leo.
“Leonard.” His father crouched down to his knee and said to his little boy with a startling smile. The boy was surprised because ordinarily, his father won’t call him by his full name. He would always call him Leo. What happened this night? The old man did not come home for the past two weeks, it got them missing him.
“Derrick, I will love to see you in the room.” He heard his wife’s voice say from behind with an underline tone of venom. Her quivering voice went unnoticed by the kids. His dad looked back at her disdainfully and stood up with a sigh. “Sure.” He answered with a tight smile- a façade for the kids- and they both walked into their room. “What did you mean by that text message?” She asked him immediately they entered the room with her lips twitching in anger and eyes glaring daggers at him. Her phone was in her right hand and her left hand on her waist.
“I think it is high time we stopped this marriage of a thing. I met my mate already. Just give me the kids and go back to your coven. I forgive you for what you did. You did it out of obsession and I clearly understand but I think it is better if we separate, I have a pack and a mate.” He explained, hoping she could understand.
“No.” She snapped. “I… I met you first. I loved you first. I had you first. Why will you choose her over me? Over us? Over our kids? Over…”
“Over nothing.” He yelled angrily with his eyes changing from his normal black eye to gold. He was trying his best to keep the anger his wolf was feeling at bay but this lady over here doesn’t seem to care. She flinched and moved back a bit. “All this… All this has always been your plan. You… You made me attracted to you. You used your stupid witch skill on me to make me think you are my mate. You ruined each and everything in my life with your obsession.” He spat with obvious hostility. She swallowed lightly.
“Leo and Leticia are my pups and kids. I will take them to myself and also fend for them.” He said with a bit of cessation. Her eyes became teary. “No, I won’t let you take my kids. They are mine. They are the symbols of our love. Derrick–” she walked towards him with tears rolling down her face and her hands stretched out, calling him to come close to her “–You can’t do this to me. To us. I love you so much.” She cried with a broken voice and held his hand. He snatched his hands away from her and turned around, backing her.
“I have been away from my Alpha’s duty for so long. I have to get back. Since you insist to take the kids, take care of them.” He asserted insouciantly and before she could talk, he barged into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. The words were caught up in her throat and she swallowed it hard down. She slipped down on the bed and facepalmed. She started weeping. She did not know what to do. She loved him. He loved her. That was what she thought. She had him wrapped between her fingers. She had him. What went wrong?
“What?!” She shouted and a huge wind blew making the things in the room fall and break. The rain that was barely drizzling started falling heavily.
“What went wrong?!” She screamed out in anguish. Derrick made sure to tune her out so as not to spoil his eardrum.
She looked back at the door and ran towards it that she almost slipped. She banged on it heavily but he did not answer. She could hear the shower running. She sobbed loudly, still banging on the door.
“Derrick, please. Don’t do this to me. I truly love you.” She wept aloud. When she heard no response, she slowly staggered away from the door and went towards her wardrobe. She sniffed in the mucus in her nose and dabbed off a few tears that came running down her cheeks. She picked a few clothes and yanked her bags with a new set of tears rolling down her cheeks. She knew a lot of things.
She knew that a relationship of over seven years is nothing compared to a mate’s attraction. She knew that she lost him already. She knew that she was just drinking in her obsession. She should have given up when she had the chance. When she was advised to. She walked out of the room.
These past seven years, she tried to get him to mark her but he did not. Even when he did, the mark does not stay long on her neck. She had to keep using the potions on it. But now, even her two hundred years old witch’s powers failed her. They failed her.
The only way for the spell she used on him to have enervated must be because he met his mate. “Stupid mates.” She spat angrily and walked towards her kids.
Leo and Leticia looked sad and scared. They stared at her red and puffy eyes, they trailed their gaze down to her ears that had reddened. “Did… Did dad beat you?” Leo spoke up, his lips slowly curving to a sob and his eyes became teary, breaking her heart even more. She squatted in front of both of them. “No, daddy did not hit me. You guys should stop crying now.” She said with a forced, tight smile. She dabbed off. the tears that were beginning to form in their eyes.
“Mama and you guys are leaving dad’s house for the meantime.” She said with a sniff. “Why is daddy not coming with us?” Leticia asked in her childish, broken voice as she was also trying not to cry. “Yes, he has been away for some weeks now. Even on fathers’ day, he was not around to celebrate with us. And he just came back now, and… We are leaving?” Leo asked with tears already rolling down on his cheeks and his lips twitching.
“Yes, baby boy. Now, let’s go.” She said and took her bags with her. Leo suddenly stopped and turned back, he looked up and saw his dad staring down at them. “Dad, see you later.” He yelled. He never knew that that day would be the last day he will see his dad. He never knew that that day will the last day he lost the chance to know what and who he was. “Leo.” His mother called out. Leo had his eyes glued to his dad and waved at him with a smile that did not reach his face. Leticia did not forget to wave at him with a sad smile. He did not wave back… He stared at them with an emotionless face. But deep down he was longing for his kids.
*End of Flashback*