~Layla~
I was sitting on the bathroom floor, heaving over the toilet seat. Everything I had eaten yesterday had been coming up for the past few hours, and by now, it was just stomach acid left.
Something’s wrong
“You’ll feel better” Clara said and lowered her head.
I grabbed the toilet roll that had fallen on the floor next to me and ripped a long piece. My hand was shaking as I brought it up to wipe my mouth, and my stomach was finally starting to calm down. I rolled over on the cold floor tiles and leaned back against the ceramic seat.
No, something’s wrong. I need to see a doctor
“No, you’re fine; you just need some rest” There was something in her voice; it wasn’t worry or fear, but something was causing her tone to change.
Clara’s insistence on my health was throwing me off. Although I might be many things, fine was not one of them right now.
I grabbed the sink and used it to pull myself up. Never in my life had I felt this kind of weakness. If I were sick, I should’ve been healed. I had no other explanation as to why I was expressing these symptoms.
I stumbled over to the bed and lay down. Nathaniel was thankfully out somewhere handling his business or screwing one of his girls, so I had a few moments of privacy.
My eyes watered. I used the back of my hand to wipe away the sweat that wouldn’t stop running.
I stared up at the ceiling, and my lips tugged up in a red smile when the symptoms were settling into my tired body and allowed me to rest.
“Holy shit,” I said and closed my eyes.
“Rest” Clara said and purred before sitting down.
It felt like she was protecting me by the way she sat there in the back of my mind. Her powers exuded around her even though there was no threat, not now anyway.
My mind was so tired that it only took mere seconds before I fell asleep.
I was standing on the leaning rock above the river. Nathaniel was next to me. The sound of blood dripping from the knife echoed in the silence of the night. A woman stood before us; it was her, the woman he killed that night. Her name was Stella. Her eyes were big and fixed on me, her fingers clenched by her sides, and her skin was pale.
“Any last words?”
“Yes.” She moved closer. He hadn’t done that before. She moved in so close that I could see all the details of her youthful face.
“Yes,” she repeated and stared at me. Her voice raised so much that it felt like she was screaming into my ears.
“Yes!” I backed away, or at least I tried, but he was holding my hand. I looked down only to see that it wasn’t Nathaniel holding me but her. She held onto it hard, and I heaved a breath as her lips parted and blood started trickling down the side of her mouth.
“Sometimes, in order to win, we must take ourselves out of the equation.”
“Layla,” I gasped and spun around on my feet. There she stood, but not as a pale shrunken werewolf but a strong warrior with glimmering eyes and her head held high. I looked over my shoulder and saw her dead body lying on the blood-covered rock.
I turned back, my eyes locked with hers, and a bright light formed behind her.
Her lips pulled and hinted at a smile, her arms hung by her sides, and her shoulders pulled back.
“You have to win,” she said softly.
“Layla?”
I opened my eyes and rolled to the side. The door was open, and Nathaniel stood by the edge of the bed. He sat down, the mattress dipped under his weight and softly caressed my cheek.
“What’s wrong?” he asked with worry.
“Tell him it’s nothing” Clara said.
I sighed and smiled. I was feeling much better now than before and didn’t see a point in alarming anyone. If Nathaniel thought something was wrong with his precious weapon, he’d go up and beyond to fix it.
“It’s nothing. I was just exhausted,” I said and sat up in the bed. He smiled and got up.
“Come on, we’re going out,” Nathaniel said and waited for me by the edge of the bed.
My clothes were wet from sweating. I could only imagine what I smelled like.
“Let me just take a shower, and I’ll meet you outside,” I said.
Nathaniel bowed his head and smirked.
Clara, why don’t you want him to know?
“It’s nothing”
It obviously was something. However, she wouldn’t tell me, and I was too tired to pry it out of her.
I undressed and jumped in the shower. The water washed away all dirt and sweat. If I hadn’t had plans to meet up with Nathaniel, I would’ve stayed here for the rest of the day.
The walls here weren’t soundproof, so you could hear everything outside. Nathaniel was impatiently pacing in the hallway. I rolled my eyes and dried myself off.
Nathaniel stopped and stared as I opened the door. His lips pulled up in a half smile, and he reached out his hand for me to grab.
I hoped that we’d go beyond the border, but that was probably asking for too much. I needed to let Clara out; she hadn’t been free in a long time and was getting antsy. I assumed it was because she hadn’t gotten a good run in a while. I wanted to shift and feel her paws clashing against the ground, her claws ripping up the dirt as she darted through the woods. The thought alone had my body tingling in anticipation.
Nathaniel walked me out of the house, and I breathed in the fresh air. One of the pups came running up to me. He stumbled on his feet and had difficulty stopping, so his little hands shot out and grabbed my leg.
“Hi there,” I said and grabbed his shoulders to steady him.
He reached up his hand and tucked it between his little fingers, holding on to it so hard was a flower. The petals were purple and vibrant; the stem had folded in his tight grip. However, with the brightest smile in the world, he waited for me to take it.
I grabbed the flower softly and sniffed in the wonderful scent.
“Is this for me?” I asked.
The little boy nodded as his smile widened.
“Thank you so much, I love it.”
He wrapped his hands around my leg and pressed his head against me.
“You’re welcome,” he said before he took off to his friends.
The other pups waved and giggled as they ran about their day carelessly, laughing and playing in the woods.
We walked past the small coffee shop, and Nathaniel bought us a coffee and two cupcakes. He grabbed my hand and walked me over to the bench by the river, where people were having picnics. They smiled and bowed their heads. Many invited us over, but Nathaniel declined.
As we sat on the bench, I continuously looked at the flower I held safely. It was such a pure and innocent gesture, but that child had no idea how much it meant to me.
“Here you go,” Nathaniel said and handed me one of the cupcakes.
“Thank you,” I said and took a bite.
I wanted to ask him about going for a run, but I was scared of both his response and him thinking I was up to something. Things had been going smoothly between us, and I felt like I was earning his trust, which was key in the plan Clara and I had.
“I have something for you,” he said and put his coffee down.
I turned, placed the flower beside me, and looked at him. Nathaniel reached down into his pocket and took out a box.
“I know it’s not a flower and that it can’t possibly measure up, but I’m hoping you’ll still like it,” he said and opened the box.
I stared down at the golden chain. In the center hung a red heart surrounded by diamonds.
“Nate,” I gasped and shook my head.
“Here, allow me,” he said and took it out. He held up the chain.
I moved my hair aside as he put it on. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was, but still, I wondered why he would give it to me. Holding the pendant between my fingers, I dropped my hair over my shoulder and looked up at Nathaniel.
“Why are you giving me this?” I asked him.
His hand came and rested on mine, our fingers entwined. My stomach twisted into knots as I watched them embracing between us.
“It belonged to your ancestor, Sabrina. She got it from a powerful Alpha who fell head over heels in love with her and swore he would give his life to protect her from anyone who ever tried to harm her. She was powerful, so was he, and together, they rose as a force to be reckoned with. Layla, they stood together in the face of threat and danger, but together, they were no match for anyone else,” he said, tightening his grip around my hand. “I’m hoping that one day you’ll see this for what it is and that maybe you’ll let me in.”
“I have let you in,” I said and looked at him quizzically.
“Into your heart, I mean.”
I smiled. It was the only thing I could think of doing that wouldn’t be too weird.
“Maybe someday,” I said and turned my head. My eyes drifted over the river, the grass and the stones and over the heads of everyone who sat peacefully enjoying themselves. Behind the waterfall, in the corner where the water didn’t meet the stone, I saw her; I saw Stella smiling and playing with her hand in the water.
Her head turned, and her eyes locked with mine. They slowly lowered, and she saw what hung around my neck. Her words from my dream came back to me. I had heard her warning.
I have to win. The more I looked around, the more my heart sank. It became clearer by the second that everyone I saw was under his thumb. Their minds were no longer their own, and they lived to please their king. Anyone who could’ve helped me, who would’ve been on my side, was killed, and left were those he knew he could control; they would all turn against me in a second if he told them to. I hadn’t gained my freedom; I was just locked in the prison of his choosing.
