~Kade~
Layla’s eyes flickered behind her closed lids. Whatever she was dreaming, it was vivid. Was she holding our daughter? Was she fighting the Emberclaws? Was she seeing that doll in the box with a knife through its chest?
I stood up and walked around the bed to the crib. It usually stood by the window, but Layla refused to have her that far away after last night.
“What are you doing up?” I asked and looked at her big eyes staring up at me. She smiled and reached out her hands. Her hands were clenched in tight fists, and she punched the air.
I reached down and lifted her into my arms. It still felt surreal to hold her and feel this overwhelming rush of love and possession.
“You never have to fear a single thing. I won’t let anything happen to you. Nobody will dare touch a single hair on that beautiful head.” Her head fell on my chest.
Her beautiful blonde hair was growing by the day, and her eyes grew more intense.
I did wonder what color her wolf’s eyes would be. Yellow or blue.
We walked over to the window. She always loved looking at the moon and seeing the tree branches dancing as the wind swept in. It didn’t scare her. Something about it seemed to bring her peace. Her eyes rounded as she slammed her tiny fist against the glass. Her lips rounded, and then suddenly, all the noise stopped. She gazed in awe up at the moon. She felt what we all feel when watching the moon, the power that surged through us from the mere sight. It spoke to us, prepared us, and our minds and bodies automatically responded.
“What are we gonna do about the threat?” Ynox growled.
He hadn’t left my side since the unraveling of our new threat. Even pushing him back had been a challenge, so I didn’t. It had been long since Ynox and I were on the same page and got along as we did now.
First, it must show itself.
“Every precaution has been taken, but I feel Clara. She’s not getting any rest.”
And she won’t until we know our baby’s safe.
“It’s been a month since Nathaniel was killed. Who has been hiding in the shadows for so long, and why are they choosing to step out now?”
I had asked myself that same question, but unfortunately, I hadn’t gotten much wiser.
I couldn’t think of any enemies we had that would threaten our daughter. Alphas went after Alphas. That was the way it worked. This wasn’t the MO. We didn’t attack family members to get a point across. Even if we did occasionally pull others in, children were never involved.
“Many have been left orphaned,” Ynox reminded me.
Yes, but they live. I have never heard of an Alpha who targets a newborn.
I saw the guards patrolling downstairs. Ynox was quietly watching as the moon spoke to my daughter.
She was mesmerized. Her little lids fell heavy and eventually covered her tired eyes. I walked over to the crib, slowly put her down, and gave her a kiss.
Her hands fell on each side of her head, and I stood there watching her for another minute.
Something started rustling behind me, and it sounded like Layla was kicking the sheets.
I turned around and stood eye to eye with a pair of yellow eyes that glowed strong in the room’s darkness.
Her canines extended, sweat covered her forehead, and circles were embedded around her eyes.
“Layla, baby, what’s wrong?” I cupped her cheek and stepped closer. Her body was burning up. My white t-shirt clung to her soaking-wet body.
“Layla,” I said and grabbed her chin. I tilted her head back to better look into her eyes, but Layla swatted my hand away.
She growled. Clara was right there with her, and she started pushing me to the side.
What was wrong with her? I looked over my shoulder. Layla was trying to get past me. She bit in the air, and her head leaned in. I pressed at her shoulder. Now that she wasn’t an Emberclaw, I felt the decrease in her strength.
Spit flew from her mouth as she bit down, aiming for my neck. Her claws ripped through my shirt and slashed at my chest.
What is wrong with her?
“I don’t know.”
I didn’t want to hurt her, and I was trying to be as gentle as possible. Layla kept throwing punches and trying to get past me. She wanted to get to the crib or me away from it. Whatever it was, she wasn’t herself, and I worried what she’d do to the baby. I threw a glance at our sleeping girl. Swiftly, I moved Layla across the room and had her pinned against the wall.
“Layla, it’s me!” She didn’t react. The red circles around her eyes turned darker. Where was her head? I couldn’t bring her back, and Clara was turning angrier by the minute. Maybe it wasn’t Layla at all…
“Clara, step down!”
She stopped. For a split second, I thought I’d gotten through to her, but her eyes darkened, and she dug her claws into my arm.
“Fuck,” I growled and watched her claws disappear into my flesh. “I’m trying real hard not to hurt you,” I groaned and threw her down on the floor. It wasn’t Layla; Clara had taken over her mind.
My fingers were wrapped around her wrists, pinning her hands down on the floor. I leaned over her, pressing my knees against her legs to keep her from kicking. A thick sigh escaped my lips, and I honestly wished I’d never had to do this to her.
“Clara, enough!”
She froze with her shoulders raised to her ears. Her eyes slowly began to soften, and her mouth hung open. It took a full minute before her claws retracted and her canines pulled back.
Her yellow eyes returned to their normal brown, and she looked tiredly up at the ceiling.
“I’m so sorry,” she sighed.
“What happened? Why did Clara take over your mind?”
Her brows pressed down, and she took her lip between her teeth. Her face wrinkled in pain. When she opened her eyes, I saw tears forming pools on the edges.
“Layla?” I pulled her up, and we sat on the floor.
The tears fell. I lifted her on top of me and cradled her head. Her arms stretched around me, and she pressed herself as close to me as she could.
“I’m fearful, Kade,” she whimpered.
“I’m here. We’ll get through this.”
Layla shook her head. She looked around the room before locking her eyes with mine.
“I saw Analise in my dream. She said that our baby was in danger.”
I cupped her cheek. “We already knew that, and measures are being taken to ensure her safety. This whole house is full of people that would kill for her.”
Layla shook her head again. This time, it was softer. More defeated, and the fear was starting to show in her eyes.
“The threat is in here, out there and everywhere. She described it like smoke, colorless and scentless, impossible to see and even harder to catch.”
How the fuck was that a helpful visit? Couldn’t she say something useful, like how to catch this fucker?
“Did she give anything useful?” I asked, trying not to sound too harsh.
“She wished us happiness, saying that it could all just end and we would live out our lives.” Her eyes stared into the abyss.
“But?” I asked.
“She said that my greatest loss may have yet to come. A loss from which I will never recover.”
She said our daughter would die. My jaw clenched, and my eyes scanned the crib where our single most-priced possession lay asleep.
“We’ll see about that.” Ynox pressed against my mind.
He was front and center with me. Clara had stepped forth when Analise told Layla about the threat. Clara took the vision as a threat. When she woke up, Layla had been pushed back into the nook of her mind where our wolves usually sleep.
Clara saw me. She didn’t think, and all she had in mind was that someone wanted to hurt her pup. She needed to be ordered down, and Layla needed to regain control. I couldn’t let this happen again. I had to train her to keep the reigns on Clara.
