~Layla~
I sat in my bedroom. The door was locked, and my dress from yesterday hung on the door. Yesterday, when I took it off, something sticky and wet clung to my fingers. I was sitting on the foot of my bed, the memories of my bloodstained hands still fresh in my head. It was there in front of me, the blood drying onto my skin as I stared at it. Once I went to wash it off, the water turned red, the smell of metal rising, and the vision of those people being killed playing over and over. Now, when I looked at my hands, they weren’t clean. I would forever have blood on my hands from that night. Nathaniel made it so that I was a participant not only in the ritual but in the killings, the murders.
Those four people were then discarded like dirt, their bodies burnt, and everyone went home in silence. Today, as I looked out the window, I saw that the doors were open to the houses, and the food was on the tables. The children ran around playing, and the adults talked and laughed. To them, it was just another day, and yesterday was just another execution.
Never in my life had I been so scared to live. It was obvious now who Nathaniel was, how he ruled and how brainwashed all of them were. They truly believed in his leadership so blindly that they were justifying people being killed for speaking up.
The door opened, and my head jerked to the side.
Nathaniel walked in, his white t-shirt clinging to his body. His grey jeans looked stiff like they had just been washed, and his wrist was ordained with a gold Rolex. His eyes were gleaming with nothing but joy as he looked around the room. He strolled around the small space before stopping in front of me. He reached out his hand. His family ring had been polished, and he watched me quietly as I contemplated what to do.
“Remember the plan” Clara said
I looked up at his tall stature through hooded eyes and grabbed his hand. He helped me up and stepped closer, closing the space between us.
“Take a walk with me,” he said and drew circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.
I nodded and plastered on a soft smile before letting him lead me out of the room. I looked back at the bed and the dresser and wondered if I was prepared to do what was needed of me to stay out of there or if that room was exactly where I should be.
We walked out into the wooded part of the town, where the trees were tightly gathered and the houses quickly disappeared out of sight.
“You did well yesterday,” he said as we maneuvered the trees and the rocks.
“Oh,” I spoke, unsure of what the right thing to say was.
“I know it couldn’t have been easy. Those nights rarely ever are for newcomers,” he said.
“What about for you?” I asked.
“Sorry?” he said and looked at me quizzically.
“Are they easy for you?” I asked.
He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. “They are a necessity. A means to an end.”
“Says who?” I asked.
“Layla, stop it” Clara warned.
“Says me and every other king who has ruled this pack before me. We can’t afford to have people who are disloyal.”
“Is disloyalty the same as speaking your opinion?” I asked.
“You’re ruining it. He’s supposed to think you trust him” Clara growled.
“It is when it can damage the pack. What I do here can’t be done if people aren’t aware of the rules and the laws that we have. I can’t protect them if they start thinking that there are other ways of doing things. That’s how chaos unfolds, and soon, the pack would be scattered, and the hunt would begin. That’s all I want to do, Layla, protect my people. Protect you,” he said and stopped as he turned to face me.
Nathaniel grabbed my hand. His thumb came up and graced my cheek, and his eyes bore into mine tenderly.
“I saw you yesterday. I saw what you are capable of, and I saw how you didn’t try to stop it. All of this indicates that you understand the cause for which we fight, what this pack needs to thrive.” He spoke so delicately, and the words rolled off his tongue with ease.
“I do.” They twisted in my mouth and left a bad aftertaste as they slipped from my lips.
“I’m glad. This is the beginning of the future, a future I hope you’ll share with me.” His fingers lid down to my lips as he spoke and down my neck to my shoulder.
Fear filled my body when he closed in on the scar from yesterday’s candle torture.
He stopped right by the edge where it began, and my body reacted as though he was already touching it. My legs stiffened, and my body contracted in response to his touch.
Nathaniel’s lips parted, and his eyes looked at where his fingers were playing.
“Nate,” I whispered in a hoarse voice that betrayed my attempt for confidence.
“Don’t worry, love, I won’t hurt you,” he said and smiled. His hand quickly pulled to my arm, and he smiled as he looked into my eyes. I saw the lie in his deep eyes. He wouldn’t hurt me as he didn’t need to, but at the first sign of defiance, my scar was his insurance policy, and he wouldn’t hesitate to use it.
We walked back to the town, and everyone looked in glee as we passed through the woods and walked into their civilization. They waved and smiled at Nathaniel, and their smiles even reached as far as to me again. As long as I played by their rules, I would be a part of their pack, but how far could I play without losing myself in the game? The thought of not speaking my mind scared me.
Nathaniel reached over and grabbed my hand. Everyone’s eyes glimmered in delight as they watched us walk through the town.
“Nate!” Jackson came running over. His eye was black and purple. His arm had a bandage around it, and his hair was tousled.
Nathaniel stretched his back and pointed his chin in the air. His hand stiffened around mine, pulling me closer to his body. I had to fight not to resist.
“Have you found?” Nathaniel asked coldly.
Jackson halted and looked down at our interlocked hands.
“No, we haven’t, but they’re still out there looking for him. We don’t know how he got out, but I promise we’ll bring him back,” he said, his voice trembling in fear. His body was hunched submissively.
Nathaniel stepped up with a hard gaze, and Jackson bit down but stood his ground.
“Find Justin and bring him back, or you will take his place on the next full moon.” Nathaniel dragged me behind him into the house and led me to the throne room. He walked over and sat down, leaving me on the floor beneath him.
The same woman from yesterday stood beside the throne with a smile. The door opened, and a young brunette walked out. Her lace only covered her lower body, and some pieces were tied around her upper arms. She strutted over and sat on Nathaniel’s lap, his hand circling her head. His thumb played with her lips before entering her mouth.
“Help Layla to her new room,” he said without breaking eye contact with the girl on his lap. The woman standing next to the throne bowed her head and walked down from the podium. She passed me and disappeared past the corner.
“Unless, of course, you would rather join us in here,” he said and slowly turned his head with a devilish grin.
I turned around, my cheeks flushed, and my feet carried me out as fast as possible. I walked after the woman and saw she had stopped in front of one of the doors.
She opened it and smiled. “This is where you’ll be staying.”
My jaw dropped to the floor, and I spun on my heels.
“This is Nate’s room,” I said in disbelief.
She bowed her head and turned around, walking back to the throne room and closing the doors. I stood alone in the room of the man I loathed, suddenly having to live with him.
