CLAIMED

39

Immediately after leaving the hospital, Leah met up with Kazan at his place. There she informed him about Dorian's critical condition. And of course, Kazan didn't hesitate to rush off to the hospital to go see his father figure.

And just the pitiful sight of Dorian—his severely injured body strung up on magical equipment while undergoing magic surgery from the pack's best healer. This made Kazan's blood run cold and boil his heart with anger.

Ezekiel, who received the news from his sources shortly after, arrived at the scene, inquiring about what happened. And Leah took the two young men aside in a private room to explain in detail what took place. She told them about the kid she met from the Emerald Ace pack. How he attacked Dorian and about their fight. And how he escaped with sovereign Sabre Red.

"What are we going to do about this?" Ezekiel was in a panic. All the information from Leah just now was overwhelming. As if he didn't have much to worry about already. His grandfather is in a life-or-death situation. He might die, and that will be a tragedy. But what frightened him the most is that Leah's identity is out in the open now. And this means powerful people might show up here who know when to destroy his pack. His family.

"We have to fight, of course." Kazan responded after a few seconds of thought. Like Ezekiel, he's terrified about Leah's report. But he's the sovereign of the Azure pack. A symbol of strength. Therefore, he doesn't have the luxury of being afraid. He will use every means at his disposal to protect Leah and his unborn child—to protect his pack. In fact, he already made preparations with the elders and higher up earlier to mobilize hundreds of thousands of warriors for war.

"You do know it's pointless for us to fight against a powerhouse pack, right?" Ezekiel voiced his doubts. "It's one thing to go to war with the Sabre Red Pack, which, by the way, we would lose since their army is twice the size of ours and stronger. But now we have to also fight with one of the top five packs—or worst-case scenario, all the top five packs. Our destruction is inevitable."

"I know, Ziki!" Kazan voiced harshly than intended. "If we fight, we die. And if we don't fight, we still die. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you what the better option is."

"You know we wouldn't be in this mess if this woman hadn't come into our lives. If she hadn't claimed you." Ezekiel voiced his frustration—the feeling that occupies his heart right now. He then addressed Leah, "If you weren't here, then there would be no war. And grandfather—"

"Ziki!" Kazan roared at his best friend. Why can't he be considerate of Leah's feelings? Her condition. However, no lies were told just now.

"It's OK." Leah felt somewhat guilty due to Ezekiel's outburst. But the truth is an offense, not a sin. "He's right. This is all my fault."

"No, it's not." Kazan, who felt her discomfort, tried to console her. "It's not your fault."

"Then you are a hypocrite and a liar." Leah, who was also aware of Kazan's mixed feelings about this situation, scolded him. "Put your feelings for me aside. You and I know very well that this is all happening because of me. If I weren't here, you'd be happily married to that rotten princess. There would never be any bad blood between your pack and the Sabre Red pack. And that old dog wouldn't be wounded. It's all my fault. A part of you is thinking that, so don't try to hide it."

"You're right. A part of me does blame you for this." Kazan admitted, though it wasn't easy to say that out loud. Plus, doing this hurts not only him but also her. He sensed it through their bond. "But you are not God. None of us are. We are powerless and pathetic. We strongly believe that we are greater than we are due to our supernatural capabilities. But the truth is, we're not. We have no control over the events of life." He then looked to Ezekiel. "Regardless of how this all happens, it is happening. And it's sad and hurtful. It's unbearable. But we can't resolve it if we are at odds with each other. We have to face our problems together if there is any hope for the future. Trust in God's plan."

"I think I need some air." Ezekiel left the room.

"Leave him be." Leah stopped Kazan from going after Ezekiel. "The little pup is just overwhelmed right now. And you will make it worse if you try to fix it in your state. Once he cools down, he will start to see more clearly. Don't tell him I said this, but he's really a smart kid. He's also loyal to a bad-tempered pup like you."

"You're right," Kazan smirked.

"I'm always right, pup."

"I'll spank you if you call me pup one more time," Kazan warned playfully as he pulled her close to him.

"OK, Pup." Leah teased. Immediately after, Kazan kissed her, and she kissed back. But before they could go any further, she stopped him.

"Oh, what now?" Kazan growled.

"I refused to be a distraction to get your mind off things."

"I promise you're not—" He partially lied. Of course, he wants to be with her. He always wants to be with her. But she is partly right about him using her as a distraction. You see, with everything that's going on, Kazan wanted to be caught up in the bliss of their bond and not deal with the pressure that comes with being a leader. Even if it's for a few minutes.

"You do know I can sense your emotions, right?" She retorted. "Besides, you still haven't proposed to me yet. Plus, I don't want you to hurt the baby." Of course, Leah knows this isn't possible, but this was a poor excuse to get him to back down. But this h*rny guy was persistent.

"Ok, let's get married then. And I'm sure the baby won't mind." Kazan kissed her neck, and she loved it. "And beside, he wouldn't be in this world if this didn't happen."

"He?"

"Yes. You're going to have a son." He whispered raspily in her ear.

"And what if it's a girl?"

"That would be nice. But every father dreams of a son to pass on his legacy."

"Now, enough playing around." Leah pulled his mouth from her neck to look him in the eyes. "Tell me, how are you truly feeling, pup?"

"I'm scared. Alright," Kazan admitted to her. Now he feels pathetic and embarrassed. "But you already knew that through our bond." Tears formed in his eyes. "I don't want to lose Grandmaster Dorian. He's practically my dad. I don't want to lose anyone in my pack, either. And I especially don't want to lose you or our baby. But I'm powerless compared to these powerful enemies. I need a miracle, or all is hopeless."

"Like you said earlier, trust in God's plan." Leah consoled him.

"Yes."

"You know, I never take you for a religious person? I mean, you're not only a sex addict but also an arrogant prick."

"I'm not. It's just something my dad always says and believes in in times of trouble. And it always proves to be true, by the way." Kazan was feeling all sorts of emotions, reminiscing on all the good and bad times with his dad. Damn, he missed the strict, religious, and stubborn bastard so much. And he could sure use his guidance right now in this situation. He then wiped his tears away before putting on his tough guy persona and saying, "Anyway, if a word about this gets out—"

"Yeah, I know. I know." Leah rolled her eyes. "I won't tell anyone that you were crying like a girl."

"You naughty girl, now you are asking to get spanked."

"You and I know that I don't mind," she teased. "But only on one condition."

"I already proposed, so what else can I do that tops that?" Kazan was willing to do anything just to lay with her. Even gifting her the moon.

"Catch me if you can." Leah ran off.

Ugh! This girl is so mean. There is no way he will catch her. Nonetheless, it's worth a try.