Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Liam’s lips barely grazed mine. He was trying to intensify the kiss, and I felt it with how much his hold tightened around my waist.

The moment that it registered in my mind— what I was doing— a sharp pain formed in my chest, and it shot throughout my body.

As fast as I could manage, I put my hands on his chest and shoved him away from me. I tried taking a step back, but Liam wasn’t letting me go.

The pain slowly dissipated as soon as our kiss broke apart, and I took a sharp breath.

Liam was trying to kiss me again. His hand was behind my head, trying to get me to face him. I was about to push him away with my mind, but when I turned to the side, I saw Layton standing there— staring at us.

The look on his face scared me.

He approached us soon enough and roughly yanked me from Liam’s hold. I landed on the ground, full-force.

Layton had the key to Liam’s cell. His hands swiftly moved, as he unlocked the cell and let himself in. I was still on the ground, watching the scene in front of me unfold.

Layton grabbed Liam by the collar of his shirt, and started repeatedly slamming Liam’s head on the ground.

A human would have been dead by how bad Liam was getting hurt. Instead, he was staring at Layton, trying to fight him back.

‘Please, don’t kill him,’ I kept repeated in my mind.  I knew Layton would be able to hear me, but I wasn’t sure if he would care enough to stop.

The moment his head snapped in my direction, I knew he had heard. The way his deadly stare focused on me, it made me fear for not only Liam, but for myself.

Liam took the moment Layton got distracted, to shuffle out from under him. He ran to the other end of the cell, but Layton made no attempt to run after him.

“What? You’re scared now that you don’t have all the control?” Liam said, his voice sounding bitter.

Layton hadn’t said one word since he entered the room. He didn’t reply anything to Liam’s comment either.

“Liam, stop,” I said, getting up from the floor and taking a few steps toward the cell they were both in.

Liam turned to stare at me when I said that, but I could tell he was still guarded. Layton turned his gaze to me after I spoke.

The way his dark eyes looked, scrutinizing me as I stood there, it almost made me falter.

“If I kill him, we can be together,” Liam said. He didn’t sound like himself when he said that. Liam was trying to tease Layton with that comment, and it had worked.

Layton threw himself at Liam and once again started attacking him. His punches were so fast against Liam’s stomach, I had to look away. I flinched when I heard his knuckles make contact with Liam’s body.

It was almost like if Liam wanted Layton to kill him.

When I looked up once again, I saw Liam landing a punch on Layton’s face. Layton wasn’t even affected and he continued to fight Liam.

I didn’t know what to do. It was obvious Liam had problems. But he didn’t really hurt anyone. In any case, I had started their fight by allowing him to kiss me.

The moment that thought entered my mind, the guilt started to eat at me. I shouldn’t have insisted on going to visit him.

Instead of fixing anything, I created more problems.

I finished making my way inside the cell, and I ran to stand between the two. It was the worse decision I had probably made because the moment I did, one of Layton’s punches landed on my hip. The pain I felt was indescribable.

I cried out, feeling as the place where he had hit me throbbed in pain. I was about to crash on the ground when Layton caught me.

“Cassidy!” Liam cried out, trying to get to me.

I was in the floor, in Layton’s arms. The pain threw me off for a while. Wolves, they really were the superior race in anything physical.

“Are you okay?” Liam asked, kneeling down on the floor to be on my height.

I couldn’t speak with how out of breath I felt. Instead, I nodded my head.

Layton didn’t speak either. He just pushed Liam away from me. Layton’s strength amazed me. He was holding me with one arm and resting all my weight on himself. With the other, he managed to make Liam loose his balance and land a few feet away from us.

Layton carried me out of the cell, and made sure to close it behind me. A few seconds later, the guy who had been watching over Liam took over— making sure the cell was properly closed.

With inhuman speed, Layton carried me to a room in that same hall. He broke the lock in the door and walked us inside. There was only a steel table in the middle of the room and two matching chairs.

He laid me down on the table, and quickly raised my shirt up. The movement caused a sharp pain to rise on my hip. When I looked at the place where I had received the blow, I couldn’t help but gasp.

It was a dark shade of red, and already turning purple. I was surprised he hadn’t broken anything. Layton stared at it— his eyes still the same black color. He ran his hand softly over the bruised area, a pained expression on his face.

“You shouldn’t have gotten in between Liam and me,” Layton said in a low voice.

I was surprised when he leaned down, eye level to my hip, and softly kissed the area. It was looking an angry reddish, purple color. I was going to bruise badly, and it was going to be a remainder of what had happened. The bruises in my skin didn’t heal quickly, the never did.

“I would never hurt you,” Layton growled.

He closed his eyes, his breathing picked up, and I saw his hands balling into fists.

“And I did just that.”

“I’m fine, Layton,” I said, placing my hands on his tensed shoulders.

The bruised area hurt, but the pain was bearable. If I didn’t touch it, then I hardly felt it. Small little shocks were still running through my hip, but I assumed that was because it had just happened.

“Why did you let him kiss you?” Layton asked, not looking at me but at the ground. His hand was on my thigh, and I felt comfort in having him near me.

“If I tell you, you won’t believe me,” I said, knowing that would probably anger him more.

“I am going to kill him. Not right now that you are here, but right after I drop you off at your house,” he said, still not looking at me.

“You don’t have to kill him,” I said, trying to put my hand on his neck to get him to look at me.

“Don’t. Right now I am so angry with you. I don’t want to hurt you,” Layton said, removing his hand from my leg and walking away from me.

He was taking deep breaths, and I heard his heart beat pick up. His Wolf must’ve been trying to surface.

I didn’t notice when the tears formed in my eyes, but I saw as they started falling on my lap. Layton noticed I was crying and walked closer to me, wrapping his arm around me when he was close enough. I thought he was going to comfort me.

He didn’t.

Layton carried me bridal style, out of the hall, and up in the main floor of the pack building.

I didn’t say anything, but the tears didn’t stop falling. I didn’t have to read his mind, or be inside his thoughts to know that Layton was angry and hurt by what I had done.

I hadn’t meant to do it, but with Liam, I had crossed a line.

It was easy to tell that Layton was being careful not to put pressure on where he’d hit me.

He walked me out of the pack building. Anyone who was there was staring at us when we passed by. I was sure I looked like a train wreck, and Layton wasn’t fending any better.

Dry blood was on his face from when Liam had landed a punch. His left cheekbone was bruised, but it was already healing.

Layton didn’t take me inside his house. He carried me to his car and started driving. I wasn’t crying anymore, but when emotion got the best of me, some tears would fall.

When we arrived at my house, Layton walked to my side and carried me in. I could walk, but I wanted to have him near me. Although Layton was making it seem like he was touching me because he had to, and not exactly because he wanted to be close to me.

It was still early, so my parents weren’t there when we arrived.

Once I was lying down in my bed, Layton moved away from me. I grabbed his hand, wanting to stop him from leaving.

It felt strange to have him leave. If he crossed the door, it was going to feel like I was losing him. He had a blank expression. Even though he hadn’t yelled at me or told me anything, I could feel his Wolf. Layton had barely even touched me, and that was probably what hurt me the most.

“I’m sorry,” I said, holding more of his arm, pulling him closer to me.

Layton didn’t reply. He continued to stare at me.

“I love you, and I’m sorry. I…”

“Why did you let him kiss you?” He asked once again.

“You’re going to get mad if I tell you,” I said, looking down at his hand that had interlaced with mine. I wasn’t sure if he noticed when he did that, but I just tightened my hold on him.

“I’m already mad. Nothing you say will make it better or worse,” Layton said. He was looking at me this time, and I thought that was an improvement from when he was just looking at the ground.

“Well then, I’d rather not say anything.”

He narrowed his eyes at me and tried getting up. I wasn’t letting go of his hand, but I knew if he really wanted, he could’ve gotten out of my hold.

The fact that he was still sitting down on the bed with me, not fighting me too hard, was making me feel better.

I felt a small jolt of pain on my hip when I moved to get closer to Layton. I ignored it as I kneeled in front of him and wrapped my arms around his neck.

He wasn’t trying to help me. It was wrong for me to do that, I knew it. But I didn’t want him to leave. Talking was only making him angry. So I took the route where I had never heard him complain.

Layton seemed hesitant to have me near, but he didn’t pull away from me.

Once I was close enough, I brushed my lips against his. Kissing him was always an experience I couldn’t describe. After having Liam’s lips on mine, which had literally made me feel sick, kissing Layton was heaven.

At first, he wasn’t moving his lips with mine. I was forcing myself on him. It took me a while to get him to move, but I was finally able to have him lay down with me on the bed.

I continued to kiss him, wanting to respond. My hand was running down his chest, but Layton didn’t wrap his arms around me.

He had a reason not to respond to the kiss, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Layton not kissing me back felt like a rejection. Even though he didn’t push me away, he seemed to be bored with having me trying to kiss him.

A few moments went by, and I finally gave up. I pushed on his chest and got him off me. He didn’t sit up, like I had imagined he would. He lied down on the bed, not looking at me as I sat up.

“It was a mistake to go and see him,” I admitted.

I was sitting down next to him. Layton had laid down flat on his back. He looked tired, disappointed, and angry. I just couldn’t decide which of those feelings was the strongest.

I expected him to say something, to tell me ‘I told you so’. But like always, he just remained quiet.

“I shouldn’t have let him do that. I could’ve stopped him.”

“I know,” Layton said, continuing to stare up at the ceiling.

“How do you know?”

“I felt the pain that shot through you when he kissed you. But you let him,” Layton said, now turning to look at me.

“He has no one,” I replied, knowing that was a weak defense.

“It is a weak defense,” Layton agreed.

“You’re in my mind again?” I asked.

“Yes I am, and saying he has no one is a weak defense.”

“If you’re in my mind then you should know how I feel, Layton,” I told him, getting half over his chest, and placing my hands on either side of his face.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I really am.”

He didn’t have to forgive me. I wanted him to forgive me, but I was aware that I didn’t deserve it.

“Don’t be sorry. You letting him kiss you, touch you. It removes any guilt I felt about killing him,” Layton said, sitting up from my bed.

“What do you mean?”

“I always intended to kill Liam, and now I have a reason to do it.” He got up from the bed and started making his way to the door.

I walked after him, not knowing what to do to stop him. I tried to grab his arms, but he only shrugged me off. When I tried using telekinesis, he growled at me loudly.

“You can’t do that. It’s not fair,” I said, grabbing his arm. Layton didn’t even slow down his pace. I kept going with him, my hand holding onto his arm tightly.

“I can do anything I want,” he said. When we reached downstairs, I ran to stand in between the front door and him.

“I won’t let you leave,” I told him, pressing my back against the door.

“I don’t have to leave your house to get him killed. Of course, that will make me lose the honor of being the one to get rid of him. But I can easily have someone else do it with just one word,” he said, crossing his arms.

His tall figure in front of my small frame was so intimidating. It didn’t really worry me though. Layton wasn’t out to hurt me, not physically at least.

A knock on the door distracted both Layton and me from our argument.

“Zeverus is here,” Layton said, looking at the closed door.

“Cassidy?” I heard Zev’s voice from the other side of the door.

“You should open it,” Layton said, casually.

I didn’t trust him not to try and get away while I got distracted with Zev. “Zev, I’m opening the door really fast. Come right in when I do,” I told him.

Layton chuckled, looking amused either by my comment or my behavior. I wasn’t sure by which.

“Uh, okay,” Zev simply said.

I got Zev to come inside, and Layton didn’t attempt to get out. “Cassidy, if I wanted to leave, I could just use the back door,” Layton said, the amusement clear in his voice.

Zev looked between Layton and me, raising his eyebrow. “Why didn’t you go to school? And why are you guys standing here?” Zev asked, looking only at me for answers.

“Please don’t let Layton leave. He wants to go and kill Liam,” I said, desperately. My comment seemed to have reminded Layton of what he was about to do.

“Hold her,” Layton told Zev, almost in an order.

Zev growled at Layton, which was strange because he hardly ever got so aggressive. It mainly happened when he was around Layton.

“I’m going to kill Liam. Let her tell you why and see if you agree with keeping him alive after what they did,” Layton spat. He pushed me away of the door and into Zev’s arm.

Layton always complained about how close I was with Zev, but it seemed like he would rather have me with Zev than with Liam.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Zev yelled at Layton, as he held me in his arms.

“Cassidy is my mate, and she belongs to me. I worry about her, what she does, who she’s friends with,” Layton told Zev.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Zev asked Layton, his eyes darkening.

“Nothing, just stay here and watch my mate for about an hour, while I go take care of vermin. Isn’t that what you live for? Any little time my mate gives you,” Layton told Zev, his voice coated with anger.

“You know Cassidy doesn’t want you to kill him. He didn’t hurt her. I think Liam should be held captive, or maybe sent out to another pack and for them to hold him. But killing him is the wrong way to go.”

“He kissed Cassidy,” Layton growled at Zev, angrily.

“What?” Zev asked loudly, looking at me completely surprised.

“Liam kissed Cassidy, and she let him,” Layton finished.

Zev was stunned. He stood staring at me incredulously. He was no longer holding me, and it made me feel so small. By then both he and Layton were practically glaring at me.

“Keep her here until I kill him. I’ll come when it’s done,” Layton told Zev.

Zev didn’t reply. He only nodded his head, and captured my arm in a strong hold.

“Please don’t do it. It was my fault. Please, Layton,” I told him.

His eyes looked slightly apologetic as he left my house. I kept telling him in my mind not to do it, but he never came back.

I tried to chase after him, but Zev stopped me. He was surprised when I pushed him away with my mind. I wanted to stop Layton the same way, but I was afraid of making things worse for Liam.

If I created a scene, there was no way Layton wouldn’t make the call to have someone else kill him. There was still a chance that Layton would change his mind, and I was praying that would happen.

Zev was quiet after Layton left. He walked with me to the living room. I had no energy left because I had been crying non-stop.

Every time I tried to leave the house, Zev would stop me. He wasn’t saying anything, only holding me while I cried.

His phone kept ringing, but he ignored it. After receiving about ten calls, he shut it off and threw it on couch next to us.

Almost two hours had passed since Layton left. Zev hadn’t tried to ask me what happened, but I knew he wanted to know.

“I want to go to my room,” I told him, my voice sounding hoarse when I spoke. He nodded, and carried me upstairs. I didn’t fight him to let me walk.

We were in my room. I was lying down on the bed, and Zev was sitting down next to me. He was gently running his hand through my hair.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Zev asked, with a small smile on his face.

Tears formed in my eyes on their own accord. As soon as Zev noticed the waterworks coming, he sat with his back on the headboard of the bed and pulled me into his arms.

“It’s true, what Layton said. I kissed Liam and Layton saw and now he’s going to kill him because of me,” I said, hiding my face in Zev’s neck.

“It’s not your fault.”

“Don’t be so nice to me, Zev,” I whimpered.

“Can I tell you something?” Zev asked, sounding calm. One of his arms was safely wrapped around my waist and the other was cupping my cheek.

“If you are going to tell me that I deserve much worse— then I already know,” I said to him.

“Kissing Liam isn’t all that bad. But as a Wolf, I can see why Layton is angry.”

“So you wouldn’t mind if your mate kissed another boy?” I asked, flatly.

“I mind that you kissed Liam, but there isn’t anything I can do about it. You only kissed him because you were probably on a guilt trip about him being locked up.”

“Layton beat him up and threw him in that cell. If it weren’t for Liam, I would’ve been dead.”

“He kidnapped you, Cass. He’s lucky he isn’t dead already. Liam owes that to you, because Layton only controlled himself this long because you asked him to.”

“Layton hates me. He didn’t want to touch me, and when I tried to kiss him, he didn’t respond. He was just there, staring at me blankly. He didn’t even yell at me. That would’ve been better.”

“Why did you kiss Liam? I don’t get that,” Zev said, frowning down at me.

“I felt bad for him. And he kissed me, and I just froze. I didn’t pull away. I don’t… know,” I said, honestly.

Zev sighed, and he just held me tighter. Having Zev comfort me helped a lot. I missed Layton, or maybe I wasn’t taking too well the way he had treated me before leaving.

“When I kissed him, it hurt,” I whispered, remembering what had happened earlier.

“You have your mate, and you’re claimed. It was because of that. The bond works differently for everybody. It’s not uncommon for things like that to happen,” Zev shrugged, but he had grown serious.

“Liam doesn’t deserve to die. I could’ve pushed him away and I didn’t. Well, I did when I reacted to what was happening, but it was too late.”

“Do you like Liam?” Zev asked me. I noticed the edge in his voice, and his hand on my waist tightened. It was strange, but I barely had time to question his behavior.

“No! I mean, I do, but not like that. Not at all. I only want Layton. I told Liam that I only wanted Layton. And then he kissed me. I felt so bad for him. He doesn’t have anybody. His parents gave up on him and your dad isn’t even trying to fight to save him. He’s alone and it’s not fair,” I said, taking a deep breath when I finished speaking.

I didn’t think it was right to mention Charlotte. I didn’t want Zev or Layton to hear about her, and then try to track her down. I knew how they both were when it came to Rogue Wolves. They hated them.

Zev started laughing, and I felt his chest vibrate when he did. I looked up at him and frowned.

“It’s not funny,” I said, wanting to slap Zev for laughing.

“It’s a little funny,” Zev said, trying to get me to rest myself on him.

“No, it’s not. Liam is dead. Do you think that’s funny?” I said, trying to get out of his hold.

“That isn’t funny. But Liam was digging his own grave by pulling that off. Especially on Layton’s territory. He knew Layton was right there, yet he still did it. I admit, Liam is strong. He’s the strongest Rogue I have ever met. But Layton is an Alpha, and he has a pack.”

“Can you stop Layton?” I asked Zev, wondering why I hadn’t thought of that before

“I’m sorry, princess. Layton left a while ago. If he wanted to kill Liam, it’s probably already done. Besides, you don’t want to hear my thoughts on this,” Zev said, looking apologetic.

“Don’t you feel even a little sorry for what Layton wants to do?” I asked, knowing I shouldn’t be taking my anger out on Zev.

“Not really. Liam was a bad person, you were just blinded by his behavior toward you,” Zev said.

I looked at him, not believing his words. Even though he tried to keep me next to him, I got up and walked away.

I walked into the restroom. It was embarrassing to see how horrible I looked. My hair was messy and all over the place. My face was red and blotchy, from when I had been crying. My eyes were swollen and red. A light shade of purple and red was rimming around my eyes from how much I had been rubbing them.

I tried fixing myself up. I washed my face with warm water a few times. It helped, but it was still obvious that I had been crying all day.

My hair had no fix, so I did a braid, which decently fixed the bird’s nest that it was.

The shirt I was wearing was a bit soaked in some parts, from when I’d been crying and cleaning my face with it. I was sure Zev’s shirt must’ve been the same or worse, since I had been crying over him all the time.

I walked out of the restroom to find Zev standing right in outside of the door.

“I don’t want you to be mad at me because of the way I think,” Zev said, following me as I went to my closet.

“You fought Layton and me so much to keep Liam alive. Not just yesterday, or today, but the day when he took you and we fought against him. Do you think it was all worth it?” Zev asked.

I turned to frown at him, and crossed my arms over my chest.

“You have your opinion and I have mine. He doesn’t deserve to die. I think Layton is just doing it because he’s still mad at Liam for what happened so long ago,” I said.

I took off my shirt and grabbed a clean one from the hanger. I had been turning away, but I expected Zev to be gone. When I turned around, Zev was standing there, staring at me.

“Umm… I said, nodding him to get out while I pulled my shirt down over my stomach.

Zev just continued to stare at me while I changed. His eyes didn’t look up at my face until I had slipped the clean shirt on. When I cocked an eyebrow at him, a light shade of pink started covering his face. He made no comment, but the blush on his face was impossible to hide.

“Sorry,” Zev mumbled, and he finally walked out of the closet and back into my room.

“Liam is my friend, and you two need to get over things,” I said, following after him.

“Any chance that Layton could have forgiven him flew out the window when Liam took you. I accepted Liam back. I fought with my dad to have him back in the pack. He’s a Rogue— they aren’t Wolves we can exactly trust. Then he goes and takes you. How do you think that makes him look?”

“I don’t care. He took me. He didn’t hurt your pack. He didn’t hurt any Wolf!”

“So you wanted to stay with him?” Zev asked, his voice rising in anger.

“No, I didn’t,” I said, looking at the ground. I leaned my back on the wall and slid down.

“I don’t want to hurt you with my words, princess. I just want you to see where I’m coming from. Hell, I usually don’t side with Layton, but he’s right. I don’t think killing him is the way to go, but Liam isn’t going to stop unless we do something drastic,” Zev said, kneeling down in front of me and trying to help me up.

“I don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t know what to think. How can you and Layton and everyone be so casual about killing Liam?” Zev helped me over to my bed, and sat down right next to me.

“I think that-” Zev started to say, but suddenly stopped. He looked at the closed door in my room, seeming to be waiting for something.

“What is it? Is it my parents?” I asked, trying to hear out and see if I caught their voices.

Zev shook his head and looked at me intently.

“Layton’s back.”

I didn’t wait for Layton to fully make it to my room. Zev was walking right behind me, and it pushed me to go faster. In the exact moment I reached downstairs, Layton was closing the front door to my house.

He looked relaxed, and his clothes were clean. Even his hair was fixed nicely, just as it was before he’d left.

Seeing him in perfect condition made me sigh in relief. I smiled at him, and closed the distance between us.

“It’s done,” Layton said.

It took me a second to even register that he had spoken. He didn’t reach out for me, but I assumed that was because he was still mad at me. He had barely touched me after what had happened with Liam.

“Liam is gone,” Layton repeated, rephrasing his words. He was looking at me intently, but I couldn’t really hold his gaze.

I stopped breathing for a moment, trying to process what Layton had said. Liam was gone— that couldn’t have meant what I thought it did.

“Cass, are you okay?” Zev asked, coming to my side. He held on to me just as my legs gave out.

I couldn’t believe it. The more I stared at Layton, waiting for him to tell me that Liam was still alive, the more miserable I felt.

“I’ll get her,” I faintly heard Layton say.

When he touched my arm, I pulled away from him.

“Don’t touch me!” I snapped, not knowing where I got the strength to push him away.

“I told you I would do it. He kidnapped you. He was planning to force you to mate. You have to understand that,” Layton said, defensively.

I narrowed my eyes at him, getting angry that he was justifying his actions— trying to remove his guilt from the situation.

“But you had him. There were other things you could have done!” My voice trembled when I spoke. It was finally starting to sink in.

Liam was dead.

“Is this your way of saying that you felt something for him? That maybe the reason you didn’t want him gone was because you had feelings for that Rogue?” Layton asked in a growl.

“No, I didn’t have feelings for him— at least not in that way. If I hadn’t allowed him to kiss me, you wouldn’t have killed him. This is my fault,” I said, shifting my gaze to the ground.

Zev held on to me tighter, but he didn’t add a word to the argument going on between Layton and me.

“You don’t have to feel guilty,” Layton told me.

I was having an inward battle with myself. Both Layton and I were suffering because of this. I hated what Layton had done, but I wanted to understand him. Werewolves, they had a different set of rules. Over and over again Layton, Zev, and the guys reminded me that soon, I would be the Luna of Blue Bloods.

Killing someone went against everything I believed in, but I didn’t want to be angry with Layton. I could make it all stop by agreeing with him, mourning Liam, and moving on.

I was one short step from doing that, and running into his arms. Wanting, no needing him to comfort me— to tell me it would all be alright. I was about to fall apart, and I needed someone to be there to catch me.

I was about to do it, until Layton finished his statement.

“It was always my plan to kill Liam.” His words ignited the fire in me. I went from angrily standing in front of Layton with Zev holding me— to standing covered in flames.

Zev had to let go of me because I was burning his skin. “Cassidy, what’s happening? Turn it off,” Zev said to me.

He was speaking carefully, but I heard the desperation behind his voice.

I was trying to calm myself down. It was obvious that getting so angry was making me react that way. Slowly the fire started extinguishing, until it was completely gone.

Zev took off his shirt, which was an action that confused me. He approached my still warm figure, and starting helping me put it on.

It was then when I noticed my clothes had burnt away. The pieces of clothing that clung to me were charred and already falling off.

While Zev’s shirt fit him smugly, it reached me down to my thighs.

Layton walked towards us, trying to remove me from Zev’s arms. I was sure he didn’t like Zev looking at me so exposed, his growl saying that much.

“I can take it from here,” Layton told Zev, somewhat harshly.

Zev seemed hesitant to let me go, but he finally agreed. I took both of them by surprise when I pulled away from Layton, and moved to stand behind Zev.

“Get out of my house,” I said, my voice barely audible.

Zev looked at me confused, but Layton seemed to know I was talking to him.

“I know that you’re mad right now-” Layton started to say.

“I am more than mad, Layton,” I said to him in a growl. “I don’t want to see you. I want you away from me.” I looked at him, not backing down from his hard stare.

“Layton, I think you should go,” Zev said to him, embracing me in his arms.

Layton tried to pull me away from Zev, but I escaped from his grasp.

“Fine, stay here. I’ll be the one to go then,” I said, storming upstairs to my room.

I slammed the door shut, and locked it right after.

Both of them chased after me when they reacted to me running upstairs.

By the time they made inside my room, I was already in a fresh pair of shorts, with a shirt that had two slits in the back to accommodate my wings.

The first step they took into my room was my cue to run to the window and jump out.

I knew I wouldn’t make a good landing. With my wings, I figured it wasn’t needed.

Instead of landing on the ground, I sprouted my wings and took off in the air.

I could hear both Layton and Zev yelling at me to come back, but I didn’t listen. My parents were going to be home soon, but not even that stopped me from flying off.