~Layla’s POV~
Behind the trees, hidden from the world was a paradise of unknown secrets and free lives that roamed carelessly in their private sanctuary. A five meter tall waterfall came down in the center and children were bathing in the water. Glistening rocks with flowers emerging from in-between were placed around the stream and the grass was greener than I had ever seen it anywhere else. Laughing and squealing they were jumping from the top of the waterfall or going down the slide on the side that had been built by these people.
Rustic benches sat around and patches for picknick blankets and trees for shade on the places where the sun would press through. Walking behind the waterfall was like walking into another world with shops, electricity, booths put up where streetfood was served and wherever I looked I saw nothing but smiles and waves from passerby’s.
”Justin, we’ve missed you!” A few girls waved at him as they walked with their beach bags down to the alley which was covered in concrete and mimicked actual streets.
The giggles of children running around in the park sent a blissful cheer into my ears and the houses were covered in moss and sticks as they walked in through the wooden doors that stood wide open.
”Anyone is welcome anywhere at any time as long as the doors are open.” Justin said and I smiled as I saw a man and a woman walking out with trays of food and placed them on the patio table.
I heard a scream followed by a loud growl as a father scolded his child for hitting another. His eyes glowed and the boys shoulders slumped and he lowered his head.
”Sorry,” he said and winced.
”How is this place real?” I was baffled by the imagination and work that had been put into this secret place that nobody else knew about.
”They needed a place to be safe, so it was built for them and over the years everyone has pitched in and made it a home. It started out with one house and more was added thereafter.”
Justin stopped outside a wicker house with a door made of thick wooden pillars and a handle made of steel. The house was darling with two double hung windows and a bow window in the right corner.
He opened the door and we walked into the cabin looking interior. On the right by the door was a green painted wall table with a mirror hanging over it. A brown leather couch stood next to the fireplace and a tv sat on the shelves by the wall.
A lamp with colored glass hung in the ceiling and a big footed lamp with a bark covered head stood in the corner.
”This is incredible. It feels like those cabins in the mountains I went too with my family whenever we went on skiing trips.”
”We did what we could with what we had and on occasion we would bring materials here that were needed. Some places are more modern than others, everyone gets to redo their homes however they see fit.”
”Whos home is this?” I looked at Justin and he smiled as he stepped out of the small kitchen where the bow window was a seating place with a table in front of it.
”It’s yours. Welcome home, Layla,” I scoffed and looked at the wooden stairs. We grabbed onto railing that was part of a tree trunk and wobbled all the way up. the imperfections just made it all much more magical.
On the second floor was a bed and a reading corner as well as a small desk by the table which was painted white with steel handles.
The white fur carpet on the wooden paneled floor looked like snow and on the wall hung lights that went all around the room.
Justins green eyes glistened when he saw the smile on my face and his chest rose high before it slowly fell as he exhaled a deep breath.
This pack didn’t have a pack house or training facilities but it was clear that they had an Alpha and as soon as we stepped outside I saw where the Alpha lived. A big house with two floors and several windows stood in the middle. The single door had a lamp attached up on the upper right corner but it wasn’t much so to say. It wasn’t lavish or extreme like the Alphas home usually was. There were other houses here as well that were only a few windows smaller than this one. It didn’t seem like they cared much about hierarchy. Not at first anyways.
”Wait here.” Justin said and drew a breath before he walked in.
I was looking around and smiling back at everyones friendly faces who smiled as they past me. Some waved their hands and some children were pointing to their parents, probably asking question about the new girl.
Justin came back out and his cheeks were flushed as he gestured into the house.
”He’s waiting for you.” Those words sent the hairs on the back of my head into spikes as thy rose towards the sky in fear.
”Lovely,” I said and smiled as I stepped in.
We walked through the hallway and into the back of the house where two double doors stood open and inside the big room was a chair on which he sat. His arms laid on the armrests and his hand held a glass that he lifted to his lips as his dark eyes gazed into mine when I stepped in.
Justin stopped by the doors and placed his arms behind his back. He nodded his head and indicated for me to continue. His eyes narrowed and he brought the glass down and held it at the armrest. He leaned forward and held a high position as he sat there on his ’throne’. Here I was, thinking that this was a pack that didn’t care about norms and the regular hierarchy of leader and man but I was severely mistaken. It looked like they took it to a whole other level with him sitting up there like a king, all that was missing was a crown on his head and a woman feeding him grapes. Right on cue the side door opened up and a woman dressed in a hin fabric covering her breast and lower body walked out with a tray of fruit and cheese. She placed it down and looked seductively into his eyes as she stopped in the forward position to allow him a good look of her full breasts.
She leaned up and walked out with her hips swaying and her lips tugged up in a deep smile. He turned his head and released his bottom lip that he held between his lips. His face took on a much more void expression.
”Layla Lecruest, it’s good to see you.”
