~Kade~
Analise swayed back and forth in her chair, her hands tightly wrapped around her cup.
She smiled nervously when she saw me watching, and her trembling hand, that she hid away under the other, shook like a leaf when she lifted it to put her hair back.
“Analise, something is clearly wrong. Why won’t you tell me what it is?” She stopped. Her head snapped to the side, and her dull eyes pierced mine.
“Not everything can be explained at once, but I’m trying—I’m trying to explain. It’s…it’s odd, you won’t understand—”
“Well no, not if you don’t give me a chance.” I snapped and leaned forward. Did I want to leave? Hell yeah, but she had answers that I needed, and seeing her falling apart like this after how much she’d helped me and Layla was difficult. If there was something I could do to help her, then I had to at least try.
“Layla’s choices affect us all, and the ones she’s made, the road she’s on, it doesn’t bode well for any of us.” Her voice cracked, and her eyes flickered back and forth as she lifted the cup to her lips.
“It’s not too late, we can fix it. I can help her.” There had to be a way; this couldn’t be it. Analise smiled a somber smile that hid many other emotions.
“Not everyone can be saved, Kade.” I shook my head.
“It’s not for her, I’m saving myself by getting her back. There are parts of me that she suppressed and others that she saw clearly and brought to the surface. Years of merciless fighting, leaders pushing up abasing each other, and all of them looking to me for saving. I was fine with it when I thought that there was nothing else out there, but then I met her. It was different, Layla awoke parts
of me that not even Danielle had. Even now, when Danielle came back and I have two mates, my heart is tugging for the one that left me.”
“Layla…”
“Yes, I need her back. Not for her but for me.”
“You were the reason she left.” I nodded my head to her statement. “I was, and I’m willing to make up for that.”
“But you haven’t even started,” my brows furrowed in confusion. “Excuse me?”
Analise leaned back in her chair, one leg crossed over the other, and the cup rested in her lap.
“You say your heart is beckoning Layla, that she is the mate you choose. However, the reason for her heartache has still not been taken care of. If she were to come back, what would be different than before?” I looked down at my hands.
“Is the mate bond stronger? Did you reject her physically or is it still only emotional?” She asked in a soft tone.
I heard the condescending tone slightly hidden by her softness.
“No.” I said as my back hit the chair.
“Your actions speak louder than your words, Alpha. You’re playing the game of god, thinking you can have it all without ever choosing. But the truth is that everything you do, you do for yourself. You want her back for you, not to keep her safe but to settle your sanity.”
“That’s not true. I want her by my side just as much as she wants to be there.” My teeth were clenching tighter together, my nostrils flared as I heaved a heavy breath and calmed my wolf.
“If that’s true, then why is she still with the Emberclaws?” Her words pierced my heart in a way I didn’t count on. It felt like a dagger was stabbing holes into my chest.
The wind outside was starting to whip through the trees. The windows slammed against the house and debris circled the steps before being picked up in miniature tornados.
“What’s happening?” Analise lifted the cup to her lips without breaking eye contact. She was calm in her movements, unbothered by the storm that was brewing outside.
The manufactured light was gone, and left was the darkness that lived in the forest.
I pushed off from the chair and looked out through the windows in the kitchen. No matter how hard I tried to focus, I couldn’t see past the debris; it blinded my vision and hid everything that was kept on the other side.
“See it as a mirror into your mind.” My head jerked to the side where she stood only an inch away from me, her eyes peering through the window without seeing anything other than destruction. The sound of a tree breaking from its roots bounced against the walls of the little cottage.
“We create our own destinies—“ she put away the cup in the sink and flung open the window further. “—but we are also the makers of our own destruction.” The wind blew in against the window, and I slammed shut without opening again.
The sound of the storm was contained to the outside, and we were sheltered by the walls.
“It’s too late for her, Alpha Kade. I think you know that too,” I shook my head, refusing to believe what she said. It wasn’t too late for Layla; it couldn’t be. If ever it was too late for her, it would be because I didn’t get there in time, and I wasn’t done trying to get her back. I wouldn’t fail Layla again.
“But you need to go home. Your destiny still awaits,”
“I’m not giving up on her,” I said and faced Analise.
“She’s helping him now. He has her tapping into powers that will help him fulfill his plans and achieve what he has always wanted. Nathaniel will soon be ready to bring the Emberclaws into the light, and the werewolf species will stand no chance.” Her voice grew strong and determined as she lifted her head and stepped closer.
“Run, Alpha Kade, run home—“ her voice lowered to a whisper. She leaned in, her head lined up with mine.
“—you need to go home.”
My body cast up on the bed, and I stared at the painting hanging on the wall in Layla’s bedroom. “Alpha?” Mason asked when I stepped into the kitchen where everyone was sitting.
“We’re leaving.” I told Mason and shoved his bag against his chest.
“Until either me or my brother is back, Tracey, you’re in charge.” She stood up so fast that her chair flew back against the wall.
“Yes, Alpha.” She said with a grin.
“Why the hurry? Is it Layla?” Samira asked.
“There is business back home that I need to sort out. I’ll see you all soon,” Layla’s father walked out of the house with us, and Mason jumped in behind the wheel.
“You let me know if there is anything I can do.” He said and locked his gaze on me.
“Yes, sir. Don’t worry, I’ll bring her home soon.” He bowed his head and stepped out of the way.
The car screeched to a stop outside the house. The doors stood open, and our parents stepped out onto the staircase and waited for us. I could see on their faces that something had happened, and so could Mason. He shot me a worried glance and we ran up to get briefed.
“Welcome home.” My father said and nervously tapped his fingers on the stone wall.
My mother smiled and cupped her hands together in front of her body.
“We need to talk.” She said.
We walked in and I immediately felt what was off; somebody was here. My first thought when Analise told me to run home was that it had to do with Sebastian and his father, but no, this was something else. I smelled someone else, someone who wasn’t from this pack…someone who wasn’t from any regular pack.
We walked up to my office. Anna and Cara faced the windows and in front of them stood a man with his back towards me.
I fully opened the door and he turned around.
“Alpha Kade,” he said and held his hands by his side.
His posture was tense, but his face was relaxed; he was worried but not scared.
“Kade,” Anna said quietly.
He stepped closer and reached out his hand.
“I’m Justin, from the Emberclaw pack, we have to talk.”
And still he didn’t reject Danielle.