Chapter 18: : Chapter 101

~Layla~

We walked around the pack’s border, so close to the edge that if I were to trip, I’d be on the other side. I watched where the pack territory ended and where the forest began. Behind us was the field Justin and I had crossed, an open area where the sun was free to shine down on the grass and where nothing could be hidden.

Nathaniel walked next to me with his hand brushing against the bushes and his mind occupied with thoughts he wouldn’t share.

I scanned the line; it would be so easy to shift and run, but I wondered how far I’d get before I was caught. And then what? The thought of the repercussions put more fear in my body than the idea of staying here. I had so much to lose now: friends, family, Kade, and on top of that, Nathaniel had his mark of torture on me that he could use anytime.

“You’re thinking about running, aren’t you?” My head jerked to the side when he spoke.

I smiled timidly as I shook my head. “No, I’m happy where I am,” I lied.

He turned around and stepped closer to the borderline and me. His hands reached out and grabbed my waist, and he pulled me closer to his body.

“I’m glad. Give it time, Layla. You’ll see this as your home soon and this pack as your people, and one day—” he said and brushed my hair away from my face. “You’ll see me as your own.”

His eyes flickered down to my lips. He gazed at my skin, and his fingers moved in the direction his eyes were wandering.

I parted my lips, and my breathing grew heavier. My palms began to sweat, and my body tensed as he moved closer.

The branches of the trees were slowly shifting from side to side. The leaves hummed a tune as the breeze blew past.

I saw his lips before I saw anything else. His eyes then darkened, and his thumb pressed against my chin as his face drew closer to my own.

My brows furrowed, my hands relaxed, and my stomach started churning.

“Oh no,” I said and watched as confusion grew on his tempted face.

He leaned back. I turned around, pushed him away, and fell on my knees in the grass as my stomach emptied the coffee and cakes we had eaten earlier.

“Layla?” he asked and walked over to me.

I felt him standing behind me, a safe distance away. I kept hurling until everything was gone. I wiped my mouth and turned my head, slowly watching his face contort in anger. He gritted his teeth, his shoulders went rigid, and his eyes turned obsidian as fury filled his face.

“Nate,” I said as I got up on shaky legs.

I hated how weak I felt. The fact that it came and went only made it worse because I never knew when it’d strike. Right now, I needed to show a strong front to make him trust me, but Nathaniel just for himself what I’d been going through for a while now. He didn’t care about my well-being. However, he sure as hell cared about his plans.

“Let’s go,” he seethed and gripped my hand. He pulled me after him back to the house.

As we passed people, they stared and wondered what had happened. Their king was walking with me like I was a dog on a leash that he pulled behind him. The embarrassment I felt from all of the gawking eyes was pathetic and gruesome, and eventually, I’d had enough.

“Let go,” I said and yanked my hand free.

We were standing in the middle of the makeshift town with houses surrounding us and people who stopped to watch.

Nathaniel wasn’t bothered by the stares. His eyes were fixated on me, and he watched like a predator as I defied him.

“I can walk on my own,” I said with a clenched jaw.

Nathaniel took slow, agonizing steps toward me. Although I tried my hardest to stand firmly, I could feel the shakes that started down in my legs. I drew a double breath and held my head high.

“What did I say about defying me?” he asked with a voice so soft that it sent shivers down my shaking body.

“I can walk on my own, Nate,” I said and clenched my fists.

“I’m sure you can, but it’s not your decision to make.” He was standing before me, and my body reacted to him like the threat he was. My wolf was front and center.

“Nate,” I gasped and stepped back.

His hand shot out and grabbed my arm. He twisted it across and through over his shoulder.

“Nate, what the hell!” I screeched and couldn’t help but hang there as he walked past the laughing pack members and over to a house.

He knocked on the door, and I was shamefully praying that it would all end soon. The door opened, and he was greeted before stepping in. Wherever we were, it was dark and smelled weird. I was tossed down on my feet and glared at Nathaniel as he stepped around me. The incense was burning. Candles were lit and provided light to the dark house with no windows, and withering flowers stood in a vase on the kitchen table.

It was quaint and mystifying, but above all, it was creepy. If I were to guess, I’d say we were in a holistic doctor’s house—one who didn’t use machines or technology but rather herbs, teas, and books to heal someone.

The floorboards cracked as the guys came back. A short, round little man stepped out into the hallway where I waited and reached out his hand.

“You must be Layla,” he said and smiled as he grabbed my hand.

His brows were bushy and large, and his eyes round and big. Whoever this man was, he definitely didn’t look like a werewolf with his small and round form and his head with spots of hair. Still, his smile greatly comforted me. He seemed genuinely kind.

I was about to speak, but apparently, that was another choice that was no longer mine.

“She is,” Nathaniel said and stepped out from the dark corner.

“Well, I’m Alkin, and I will be checking on you to make sure that you’re healthy and fit. Just jump up and take a seat and relax,” he said and walked with my hand in his to a table where he asked me to sit. I jumped up on the black leather and adjusted myself, but there was no way I could ever relax in here.

Various animal skulls hung on the walls. One was used as a bowl to keep syringes. I was getting queasy and worried about his technique, but at least I knew Nathaniel would never let him harm me, not lethally anyhow.

His big frame came over to the table, and he leaned down, his hands beside me, caging me in.

His eyes were in line with my own, and his face was just a few inches away.

“You do what the good doctor tells you, and you’ll be fine,” he warned and leaned closer. His lips brushed against the side of my face, and his right hand came up to graze my thigh. “But try anything, and I’ll show you a night of pain you won’t forget.” Nathaniel stood straight and cupped my cheek.

“You can’t let him examine you” Clara said.

I immediately went rigid.

Why not?

“I can’t tell you, but don’t let him examine you”

Clara, I can’t go against Nathaniel without cause

“There is a cause you just can’t know about it! Trust me, Layla, please. I’ve never asked you for anything, but I’m asking now to blindly trust that I’m doing what’s best for everyone”

I gulped and felt as she backed away.

I stared into Nathaniel’s heated eyes, brimming with anger, and swallowed any pride and hope I had left. His thumb ran over my lip, and he pulled it down, the tip of his finger gracing my flesh.

“I don’t want to force your obedience, Layla, but I will.”