The outside of the house looked like a 16th century castle but the inside was anything but. It was modern with every amenity you could need. Though it was modern it had a homey feeling to it with nicely framed pictures and flowers and wall decor.
âOur mom decorated it, she didnât care for the gold plated handles and stone made artwork or the knight armor that stood in every corner.â
âShe ruined it,â Mason, Alpha Kadeâs brother said.
âNo, she turned a house into a home,â they walked us up the first flight of stairs and told us what weâd find here. It was mostly an open space with a couch and a few tables and seating areas as well as a few game consoles.
Other than that it wasnât much other than an open space for people to socialize in which I found weird considering others couldnât get in.
I looked back and saw Alpha Kade stepping up behind me, he placed his hand on the low of my back and guided me up another set of stairs. Down one side of the hallway were rooms and down the other was again an open space but it seemed more like a big office. There were round tables with beautiful victorian chairs stacked neatly in pairs of four. Bookshelves adorned the walls and they were filled with different books.
âThis way,â he said and guided me down the hallway.
âThis is our room,â Alpha Kade opened the door and we walked into his room.
âOur room?â I asked and drew a shaky breath. He looked down on me and nodded his head.
âYeah, our room,â I turned around and saw Anna being guided up the stairs.
âWait where is her room?â I ran out into the hallway and Anna and Cara turned around.
âItâs just up the stairs on the third floor, donât worry,â Cara said.
âWhy canât she be here, on this floor?â I wanted her close.
âThis floor is for ranked members only as well as the warrior leaders,â I nodded my head and Anna smiled.
âIâll just put my bags in and then Iâll come down,â she said.
The sooner the better.
âThere are a few things you need to know now that youâre gonna live here,â I was putting my bags down and looking around the room when Alpha Kade spoke.
âAnd whatâs that?â I asked softly and looked at him. It seemed like whatever he was about to say really pressed at him.
âThe fifth floor and east tower are strictly forbidden for everyone,â weird but okay.
âWhat else?â I asked.
âYou can under no circumstances tell the guards to open the gates once theyâre closed,â
âYeah Iâm been wondering about that. Why have you divided the pack like this?â
âI havenât, many Alphas before me have and it works. The gates arenât closed often but when they are, itâs for a reason.â
âTheyâre closed right now, whatâs the reason?â
âYou,â he said and tilted his head back.
âWhat else?â I sighed.
He took a breath and looked me deep in the eyes.
âYouâre not allowed to leave the border,â what did he just say?
My eyes widen and I have a hard time comprehending what he said because I hoped I heard wrong.
âYouâre not serious,â I breathed but he stood still.
âNo, my family! how am I supposed to see them?â
âYouâre not,â I choked on my breath and Alpha Kadeâs eyes were telling me everything I needed to know. Past the masks I could see the pain he felt over mentioning this but also the suspicions, why was he suspicious?
âYou canât do this,â
âItâs not forever, I promise. Just for the time being,â
âWhy?â His lips parted but no answer came out.
âIâll let you know when I can,â
âAlpha-â
âPlease, itâs just Kade,â he said gently. Kade bit down on his lip and his eyes darted back and forth.
âOne last thing,â he said.
âYou mean one last rule?â My eyes were narrowed to slits.
âYes, youâre not allowed to shift,â and there was the last straw.
I drew a deep breath, filled my lungs and just as I was about to burst and scream bloody murder on him the door swung open.
âAre you ready to explore?â Anna said giddily and nearly fell into the room as her hand held on to the door.
I bit together, my teeth pressing against each other and I looked at Kade. He was biting down on his lip and looking between me and Anna. He looked a child who was just saved from a scolding.
âLetâs go,â I said and walked with Anna.
âHe said that?!â She exclaimed as we walked within the gates around the grounds we had access too.
âYup, no exploring the top floor, no shifting and no leaving,â
âThatâs harsh,â
âHow can I not be allowed to shift?â
âDid you ask him?â
âI was about toâ¦or well I was about to lash out and tell him how stupid he was being but then you came and I stopped myself,â
âThatâs good, thatâs restraint which means progress,â she said and smirked.
âHa ha,â she hooked her arm in mine and laughed.
âHow long do you think the gates will be closed for?â
âUntil youâve acquainted yourselves with the house and the grounds inside the gates and Kade has had the chance to tell his people what the fuss is about,â
Cara came walking up to us and leaned her head back. She looked up the wall and stared at the sharp knife-like blades on the top. The whole wall had been lined with these sharp blades and I couldnât understand why they were taking such measures to make sure no one could get in.
âIâm guessing Kade talked to you about theâ¦restrictions?â She asked and hunched her brows with a wary expression.
âYeah he mentioned it but he wouldnât tell me why I wasnât allowed to shift,â her brows furrowed and a grimace grew on her face.
âYouâre not allowed to shift?â I shook my head. Looking into her confused eyes. I felt it, the confusion but also the fear, why was she afraid? She was uncertain as well, of her brother, he knew something that he hadnât even told his sister. Something was happening in my body, my heart was clenching, my stomach was twisting and thoughts were beginning to form inside my head.
âAre you sure about this? Iâve heard about that pack. Their Alpha is pathetic, he has no control over his pack, heâs basically a childâ
âItâs the meeting of Alphas, it doesnât matter where it is or which Alphaâs hosting, Iâm going. iâll be in and out, a quick meetâ
âFine, weâll hold down the fort. Are you alright? You look a little lost in thoughtâ Cara twisted her head and looked at Kade
âIâm fine, it just feels like someones gonna be there, thatâs allâ
âWho?â He looked back at her, piercing her eyes.
âDanielleâ her eyes fell, her lips parted and she looked sad.
âDanielleâs-â
âDead, I knowâ
âLayla!â I was snapped back. What the hell was that? I was standing in a room with Kade and Cara, they were talking and I saw everything. It looked like his office but I hadnât ever seen it before now.
âYou look pale,â Anna said and cupped my face. I gently grabbed her hands and removed them.
âIâm fine, itâs okay,â
âLayla, itâs happeningâ
What is happening? What was that that I saw?
âYou saw a memoryâ
But Iâve never met these people before
âThe memory wasnât yours, it was Carasâ