âJustin will show you around the grounds and if thereâs anything you need donât hesitate to ask.â He turned around, and I stared at his back.
âI never got your name,â I said. He turned back and placed his hands into his ripped jeans. Not something I though a king would wear.
His white pike shirt was hanging over the waistband, and the diamonds on his golden Rolex watch glistened under the light from three ceiling lamps.
âNathanial, but mostly everyone here calls me Nathan.â I bowed my head and tured to Justin. He was still in that stiff position, much like a warrior standing guard.
âThatâs your Alpha, huh?â I said as we exited the house.
âKing,â Justin corrected, with much more pride in his voice than I had heard thus far.
âRight, king. So who are you? Whatâs your position?â
âi mostly oversee so everything runs smoothly when it comes to builds or external affairs,â
âExternal affairs?â I raised a brow, and he turned and smiled at me.
âOh, you mean me.â He chuckled and bobbed his head up and down.
âCome on,â we walked down the paved pathway that lead all though this forest town. It wasnât big, and whilst walking in the center, you didnât even think about the fact that you were deep in the forest.
Only when you looked up or we got to the edge of the town did i notice the tall trees and the bushes that made it impossible to see further away.
âThe runs here must be epic,â I said and looked between the branches that stretched and entwined. Walking closer to the dividing line between pack and forest, I was suddenly grabbed by the arm and pulled back.
Turning my head, I saw his clenched impression and furrowed my brows. What was he not telling me?
âThere is plenty of space to run within the vicinity of the borders. We never cross the line, or at least you donât.â He let go of my arm I softly pulled it back to my side with hesitation.
âWhy? You have miles and miles of forest to roam through without anyone ever seeing you. Why not take advantage of that?â I smiled and wondered how the wolves didnât itch to go running out there. I know Clara was; she was writhing and whining in the back of my mind at the thought of shifting and taking off among the trees.
âbecause it is dangerous. This whole entire place was built to protect wolves like us, to keep us safe, and walking outside the perimeter isnât safe. If one single person or werewolf would spot us it would be all over. Weâd be hunted downâ¦again.â The horror in his eyes was masked by a fierce belief in his own words.
âYou donât have to try to see what Iâm feeling, Layla. I am scared of the thought of loosing what we have. Iâve seen firsthand what happens to Emberwolves who fall into the wrong hands.â
âBut nobody ever comes here, I didnât even know this place existed and i donât think anyone would even dare walk this far into unknown woods.â
âItâs the âthinkâ part that is dangerous. In a split second every life in here could be put in risk. Just follow the rules and youâll be good.â I stepped back and lifted my head.
âAnd if I donât?â He sighed and pulled his shoulders up to his ears.
âYou will, I know you will. Not letâs go practice.â
We walked to a big green patch by the river where the sun streamed down. It was quiet and empty for a while before people started coming.
âis everyone ready?â I saw children laughing as they ran down and took their places. A woman stood on top of a smaller rock and looked with a wide smile at everyone. Justin threw me a cheeky smile and I groaned in realization. I was taking a kiddy class.
âDeep breath in, feel your chest and stomach expanding.â She said and everyone did it. I flicked my tongue and turned to glare at Justin who seemed too amused for my liking. He mimicked her movement, trying to show me what to do, and I flipped him the finger. Someone gasped beside me and I saw a small boy with wide eyes staring at my hand. I quickly folded it back and turned back around.
Finally giving in to what I was forced through I breathed in and followed the teachers movement.
âVery good, now I want you to close your eyes.â They closed their eyes and started poking each other. It was hard to focus with all this giggling happening.
âChildren please, focus.â She said and cast them a fierce glare. They pinched their lips together and closed their eyes.
âWhat is the most important part of using our powers?â She asked.
âFocus!â They all exclaimed.
I opened one eye and peeked around. My head turned slowly and I saw Justin watching me.
âClose your eyesâ he mimed and i rolled my eyes.
âNow think of a happy memory, maybe youâre playing with your friends or having your favorite food with your mom and dad. Maybe youâve seen their wolves and you canât wait until you get your own. Breath in and hold that memory tightly in your mind. You see it, you feel it, you can touch it and smell it.â
My mind drifted to a memory and it wasnât what i thought itâd be.
Kade was walking into the bedroom, holding a tray with breakfast and coffee. We sat in bed and talked for hours. That was the memory that came up.
âFeel how it fills you with love and joy. Itâs warming you like a hug.â
He placed a strawberry by my lips and placed a kiss on my cheek.
His fingers entwined with my own.
âHow are you?â He asked me and it was like I was there with him, sitting in the bed and talking with my love.
âIâmâ¦I miss youâ I new he couldnât hear me but I heard me. It was my voice that spoke but how was that possible.
âI miss you too, come homeâ what was happening? I tried to open my eyes but each time I closed them and opened them I was still there with him.
âLayla, come back to meâ his smile faltered.
âIâm not here, this isnât happeningâ panic flooded my body and my heart started beating erratically.
âItâs real, itâs your mind, itâs youâ he leaned in and placed his forehead on mine. I felt it, the pressure of his head leaning against mine and the warmth radiating from his skin.
âKade iâm scaredâ he leaned back, his eyes flickering between mine.
âYou should be. Youâre in danger, Layla, get outâ how do I stop this? I needed to come back, this wasnât happening.
His face froze for a second but his eyes held more life in them than I had ever seen and they were growing darker.
âRunâ
I gasped and fell down on the ground, my body spasming.
The teacher was bent over me and her hands grabbed the side of my face.