[Layla’s POV]My eyes opened to an unfamiliar environment. I felt numb all over, and blinking my eyes rapidly, I twitched my eyes from side-to-side wondering where I was and what was going on. The chirping of birds could be heard, and the bedroom was illuminated with bright lights. I didn’t understand why I was in such a beautiful room which must have cost a fortune to decorate, or what exactly I was doing there.Moistening my dry chapped lips, I managed to sit up on the soft bed, feeling even more weaker as I sat up. My head was spinning, and I was feeling fuzzy and somewhat nauseous.Now having a clearer look at the bedroom, I noticed that there was someone else in the room. Her head was placed on the bed while she sat on the chair, and snored softly. Wait a minute, wasn’t she Elsa?“Elsa,” I called gently.She stirred in her sleep, but didn’t wake up just yet. I tapped her lightly on the arm, and after a few minutes, she opened her eyes still acting like she wanted to sleep more.“
[Xavier’s POV]The door suddenly opened and I quickly let go of Layla whose eyes were still closed, and upon looking behind me, I heaved a deep sigh of relief when I found out that it was Jeffrey’s dad who was at the door. He was certainly not going to spread rumours about what he had just seen, and I stood up from the bed immediately to receive him.“Good morning, sir. You’re here early,” I said.“Good morning, Alpha Xavier. I am sorry if I interrupted anything,” he said.I shook my head immediately. “No, you didn’t. In fact, it’s a good thing you’re here,” I said, feeling quite nervous.“I heard that the maiden is awake, and I came to run some tests on her as well as redress her wounds,” he explained.“Sure, carry on,” I said, gesturing at the bed with my hands.“Good morning, sir,” Layla said, straightening her shoulders and fiddling with her fingers which only showed how nervous she was.“Good morning, dear. How are you feeling?” he asked.“I’m okay, but I feel weak and hungry,” s
[Layla’s POV]It had been two days since I had woken up in Xavier’s bed after saving his life. I was informed that the assassin had been caught, but he had ended up dying, so there was no clue as to who had sent him to hurt Xavier in the first place.I was basically living with Xavier, seeing as I shared his room with him. According to him, he was in the process of decorating an empty room in the Palace to suit my taste, and during the time, he never slept next to me. He always left the room when it was getting dark and he was hardly ever around because he was always busy with one thing or another.Heaving a sigh, I picked at my food lacking the appetite to eat something. I was bored, and there was nothing I could do here.The sound of footsteps approaching made me sit up and lit a smile on my face. I already knew the sound of how he walked, and I couldn’t wait for him to get here.He tapped lightly on the door. “May I come in?” he inquired.“Yes, sure,” I said, grinning from ear to e
[Xavier’s POV]I had started unbuttoning my robe when I caught Veronica’s scent, and I knew instantly that she was around and was heading towards my room. I buttoned the robe back up and opened the door just as she had began to speak with the guards at the door.“Alpha Xavier,” she said, as soon as she saw me step out of the room.“Veronica, what are you doing here?” I asked.The last time I had seen her was on the day of the banquet, and I had figured that she was going to hate me for a while, but she was definitely going to come around. We had been friends for almost two decades, and I didn’t think anything could tear us apart.“Can’t I come and say hi to my friend again?” she retorted.“I’m just surprised,” I said.“Why would you be surprised? Anyway, I came to speak to you privately. May I come in?” she asked.“Uh...” I hesitated, remembering she and Layla weren’t best of friends. However, before I could give her a response, she strolled into the room leisurely.Now that she was i
[Layla’s POV]I drummed my fingers on the table as I skimmed through the books containing the criminal cases Xavier had asked me to work on. I wasn’t able to concentrate as I kept checking the clock, wondering why he wasn’t back yet.Hadn’t he said he was going to be back soon? Or had he forgotten the meaning of “soon"? He had left immediately after he parted ways with Veronica. Did it mean that the urgent thing he needed to do had to do with her? Why was she here in the first place?I really didn’t want to read any meaning into what I had seen. I mean, he knew her first and it wasn’t a big deal if someone hugged a friend. Besides, he knew I was right next door. He wouldn’t have done anything to hurt me on purpose.I knew all these, so why was I being unnecessarily jealous? It was a normal feeling, but if he found out that I was doubting him after everything, it would definitely hurt his feelings. No, I couldn’t... I shouldn’t be thinking about this right now.A knock sounded on the d
[Xavier’s POV]“Are you okay?” I asked her.It was a very simple question that should be answered easily, but she hesitated in speaking. Instead, she seemed really nervous and was fiddling with her fingers; an act which made her appear deep in thoughts.I stared at her intently, and she looked away unable to meet my eyes.“Yes, I’m okay. I’m good,” she hastily said.“You don’t seem okay though,” I told her.“I don’t get what you mean,” she said, sweating profusely even though the air conditioner was on, and the weather was cold.“I meant that...” I paused right there, as a strong irritable smell hit my nose. I could perceive it strongly, and I sensed where exactly it was coming from.“Blood,” I muttered.“What?” she asked, having not heard me.I gently pushed her sideways so that she left where she was standing, and of course, my senses had been right. A small pool of blood had been formed, and she was bleeding from her foot.“Xavier, I can explain,” she said, with quivering lips.I i
[Layla’s POV]As soon as he placed his fingers on the zip of my dress, I held his hand to stop him from moving forward.“What’s wrong?” he asked in a drowsy tone that sounded like music to my ears.“Nothing. I’m just shy, I guess,” I said, unable to meet his eyes.I heard him chuckle lightly, then he slowly brushed his index finger across my cheek, nuzzling his nose against mine.“You don’t have to be shy around me. I won’t hurt you,” he said.“You won’t?” I asked, slowly looking up to meet his eyes.“I won’t. I promise. Besides, it’s not like it’s the first time we’ll be making love. I’m sure you’ve not forgotten our time in the woods,” he said, bringing back passionate memories I tried to always keep behind me.I chuckled, then slowly reached out to him, running my fingers along his carved beards, wondering how a man could be so beautifully created. He lifted his finger from my cheeks and trailed it along my heart-shaped lips.I knew he wanted to kiss me again, but he was hesitant.
[Xavier’s POV] The elders were gathered in the throne room and I sat on the throne, overseeing the meeting. It was like everyday since I had become the Alpha of the Pack about two months ago, we usually held meetings and I had no idea why because there was nothing for us to even discuss at times. Was it that they just liked seeing my face or what? I knew they were having a conversation, but it was unimportant and mostly dad jokes which no one except their generation found funny. I let my mind wander away from their conversation, and let it settle on the one thing that was troubling me. Why had Layla just requested to move out of my chambers just like that? I knew when something was wrong with her, and I could tell that something was definitely going on. How was it possible for us to spend such a passionate night together only for her to wake up in the morning and say she didn’t want to be around me anymore? I know that wasn’t what she said, but it felt like what she had meant. Had