Chapter 169: Call the ambulance.
Leonard.
I had been so deeply buried in the towering stacks of files on my desk that I hadn’t allowed myself to stop and look at Theresa.
Yet, even without my eyes on her, her sweet, intoxicating scent continuously drifted across the room, filling my nose and giving me the strength to push through the exhausting workload.
It took absolutely every ounce of willpower inside my body to discipline my inner beast, forcing the restless creature to stay down instead of pouncing on her while we were entirely alone in the quiet office.
Earlier, I had even plugged a small earbud into my ear, letting the music block out the soft sounds of her breathing just to keep myself distracted while I focused on my computer screen.
But the exact millisecond I looked up and realized her chair was empty, a sudden wave of restlessness washed over me. I couldn’t sit still.
I had to immediately put every single aside, as I immediately sprang up to my feet to look for her.
She should have informed me when she was leaving the office, but on a second thought, I felt she owned me no explanation whatsoever.
I opened the office door, and stepped into the hallway.
My heart had shattered into a million pieces the moment I walked out into the hallway and caught sight of them.
There she was, holding onto Lugard and kissing him with a wild passion, looking as though her very life depended on the touch of his lips.
It felt like a cruel joke, especially since I had just spent the last few hours torturing myself to maintain some boundary and control.
She could have easily just come to me and asked for a kiss; I had been sitting right there, only a few feet away from her all morning.
A dark, painful thought flashed through my mind: was Lugard actually a better kisser than me?
My brain was spinning so fast that I truly did not know what to think anymore. The jealousy and longing completely took over my senses.
Driven by pure instinct, I could only lean my upper body forward, trapping her against the hard surface of the mahogany desk as I claimed her lips for myself.
"You aren’t being fair to me!" the words burst out of my throat, raw and heavy, right before I pressed my mouth fully against hers to drown out any protest.
While my one hand held her back steady against the desk, my other hand slid down the smooth fabric of her skirt, gripping her thigh firmly.
With a sudden, possessive tug, I lifted her leg and wrapped it securely around my waist, pulling her hips flush against my body.
Every single bit of my professional restraint melted away into nothing. The only thought echoing loudly through my mind was the desperate urge to take her right here and right now on this desk, without a single care for the world outside the door.
She was my true mate, after all, and she belonged to me.
Theresa arched her back against the cool surface of the mahogany table, the curve of her spine bringing her chest flush against mine.
Without a single second of hesitation, she slid her arms upward, wrapping her hands securely around the back of my neck. Her fingers tangled into the short hairs at my nape, pulling me closer.
I slowly pulled my lips away from hers, our breaths mingling in the small space between us.
I stayed right there, my face just inches from hers, as I stared down into her eyes with a raw, pulsing desire that made my hands tremble. She was absolutely flawless—everything I could ever want, need, or ask for in this lifetime.
"Theresa," I murmured, my voice dropping into a soft, breathless whisper that barely carried across the quiet office. I looked at the way her lips parted, and before my brain could even process the thought, the words tumbled out of my mouth completely without reasoning. "Let us get married."
The urge hit me like a physical wave. I wanted her to be legally mine in every single way possible.
I wanted the entire world to see the ring on her finger so that everything about her, from her beautiful smile to her very name, would rightfully and permanently belong to me.
Theresa’s eyes brightened, and a wide, beautiful smile instantly spread across her face. She opened her mouth, her lips moving as she prepared to give me her answer, but the words never made it past her throat.
Instead, her smile shattered. Her features twisted into a mask of pure agony, and her hands flew away from my neck, clutching tightly at her abdomen.
"Leonard... my baby..." she screamed, the sharp sound ripping through the quiet room.
My heart skipped a violent beat, dropping straight into my stomach. A cold wave of pure panic washed over my skin, freezing the blood in my veins.
"What is happening?" I asked, my voice cracking as I stared at her in complete confusion. My eyes darted frantically down to her stomach and then back up to her pale face. "The baby... does it... is something wrong?"
Theresa didn’t answer. She reached out blindly, her fingers wrapping around my hands with a desperate, crushing grip. Her jaw clamped shut as she winced in unbearable pain, her entire body shaking against the desk.
"Leonard, please save my baby!" she gasped out, the plea scraping past her lips.
Slowly, as if the strength was draining completely from her limbs, her eyelids fluttered and closed shut.
"Theresa, stay with me! Open your eyes!" I yelled, the panic exploding out of my chest.
I gathered her into my arms, holding her limp body tightly against me as terror gripped my mind.
I didn’t waste another second. I slammed open the mental pathways, forcing my voice through the pack bond to mind-link my brothers—Lawrence and Lugard.
"Call an ambulance right now!" I roared through the link, the command echoing with absolute desperation.