Chapter 17: If I die, you will...
I sensed the pack behind me and I turned my head slightly to see most of my pack in wolf form but Jayden and a few who stood behind him were in their human form.
Alpha Neal trotted towards me and said through the link, "You have a beautiful wolf. Your parents would be proud."
"Thank you Alpha Neal."
Jayden walked up to me and I felt his hand on my fur. I nuzzled his hand breathing in his scent. I heard a rustling in the trees and two wolves flew out towards us. James and Vlad halted when they saw us. They growled but did not advance to attack. Romero came right behind them and he growled showing his canines. His wolf had grey fur and stood ready to strike. His eyes fixed on me and without a second glance he leaped towards me. But before he could get close enough to even touch me the wolves who stood behind Jayden moved like the wind and shifted, pinning him down. I saw Jayden nod towards them and they bit down into their necks paralysing their bodies.
I kept my eye fixed on Romero as they carried him inside the pack house. I saw the hunter's knife pocketed in its sheath on his hip and bit down on it ripping off his waist. Alpha Neal shifted and threw on a pair of shorts. He gave me a nod and continued inside. Jayden handed me clothes to change into. I ran around to a tree and shifted putting on the pants and flannel shirt he gave me. I walked back out and Jayden pulled me into a tight hug. I hugged him back and I felt him dip his head into the crook of my neck and take a deep breath.
"Don't ever leave me again." He said. His voice sounded strained and hurt. I weaved my hands into his hair and pressed my body against him. He pulled back slight and captured my lips in his. The kiss was hard and desperate. He sucked my bottom lip and bit down snaking his tongue into my mouth. I felt his hands on my waist and he brought my hips towards him. I had my arms wrapped around his neck as I moved my lips against his meeting his movements with the same desperation he felt. We were breathing hard and I saw his eyes had changed colour.
"Your eyes?" I asked barely above a whisper.
"They have been doing that since I punched Kegan." He said and smirked. I gasped watching the colour change but he pulled back grabbing my hand. "Let's go. I want to personally see the bastard suffer."
We walked inside and I saw Alpha Neal waiting in the kitchen. We had changed into his own clothes and looked ready for a business meeting. He wore grey dress pants and a button up dress shirt. He didn't say anything but opened the door leading to the holding cells under the pack house. We walked down the spiral steps and in the center cell Romero was sitting on a chair with his hands and feet tied to the chair.
"Well if it isn't the great and mighty Alpha Neal." He sneered. His eyes shifted to Jayden and his smile widened. "Oh! You are the lucky boy who snatched my poor Layla away from me. I knew your father, trust me when I say he'd be disappointed."
I felt Jayden stiffen beside me but Alpha Neal cut him off.
"There is no point in prolonging this. You have no way of escaping now. We will make your death quick or if you wish I can give you up to Jayden and trust me when I say it won't be pretty."
Alpha Neal's used his Alpha tone when he said each word and the power radiating off him was felt throughout the room. Romero watched us, weighing each option. The time he took to make a decision was making me anxious and from the new found strength I had from finally shifting all I wanted to do was rip him limb from limb for torturing me and killing my parents.
He looked straight at me and said, "If you think you have won well you have another thing coming."
His laugh filled the room and echoed off the walls. It was a demented laugh and it chilled my bones. I felt Jayden stiffen and pull me closer to his side. Alpha Neal stepped into the cell closing the door behind him.
"I am going to ask you this once and only once." He paused letting his words sink in. "Why did you take my daughter?"
Romero snickered looking at him. "You are not her father. But I do commend you on hiding her for so long. I almost gave up but when I heard of a healer visiting the Black Moon pack I thought I would give it one more shot."
"Stop beating around the bush and tell me straight why you took Layla!" Alpha Neal said and punched him square in the jaw. I felt the pain in my jaw and leaned on Jayden. I clenched my teeth not showing any discomfort, the adrenaline was beginning to wear off and I began to feel how sore my body was.
Romero leaned back in his chair looking at Alpha Neal, "My name is Romero. I hunt shifters. Your daughter's mother placed a curse on me and I need Layla to break that curse. Your precious daughter is a shifter who possesses the ability to heal. I was just about to kill her when she ran off but instead I did something better."
He smiled and looked at me. I stood tall and squared my shoulder showing no fear. I felt Jayden move from my side and walk over to the cell. He opened the door and said through gritted teeth, "What did you do to her?"
Romero didn't answer but continued to smile like he knew a joke no one else did.
Jayden grabbed him by his shirt and punched him repeatedly in the stomach. He pulled back and every time his fist would collide with his stomach I felt the pain in my gut. I stumbled back but my ribs began to burn and pulsate with pain. Romero's laughter invaded my ears and grabbed the bars of the cell. Sweat beaded my forehead and when Jayden punched him in the jaw again where Alpha Neal did I yelled out in pain falling to the ground.
"LAYLA!" Jayden yelled and came around to me. He pulled me up into his arms and I saw Romero smirking at me.
"What did you do to me?" I asked. My teeth were clenched and I could feel my body burn with pain.
"We are bound to one another." Romero said spitting blood on to the ground. "When you drank my blood you became linked to me." I felt my heart sink. My hands became cold with fear and I felt my breath hitch. "You can't kill me! If I die you will die with me!"
"You BASTARD!" Alpha Neal yelled and drew a knife out of his pocket.
"Tsk tsk tsk. You wouldn't want to hurt your daughter."
Alpha Neal growled and dropped his arm. I began to see black spots and my hearing had numbed. My adrenaline high wore off and I found myself losing consciousness.
**********
I woke with the sun shining on my face through the window. I felt someone move behind me and an arm wrap around my waist. A familiar minty forest scent wafted my senses and my room came into sight around me. I tried turning around to face him but a sharp pain went through my side.
"Shh. Don't move. You passed out last night." Jayden's voice was muffled from the pillow. He laid on his stomach and I could see he was shirtless. His bare back was smooth except for a few scars from the time I had healed him.
I got up from the bed and stood in front of my dresser mirror. I pulled my shirt up to see my bruise and it had turned in to a dark red-blue colour. I placed my hand over it and felt warmth from my fingertips as the colour began to change to a light pink. I took a deep breath and felt nothing. I looked at my reflection and I saw my eyes were sunken it and my skin had a yellowish tint to it. My jaw looked swollen but after healing it the swelling went down. Jayden watched me from my bed and later got up coming to stand behind me. He was only wearing a pair of low slung shorts and his chest was on full display his eyes showed sadness. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck.
"I am so sorry. I wish I could go back and fix everything that happened."
I spun around in his arms and placed my hand on his cheek. "I'm not. I learned who my parents were and what I am. I'm a shifter and I got my ability from my father. I finally got to shift and now I don't have to hide having a mate."
I looked into his greyish green eyes. He placed his hand over mind and he brought it in between us. He weaved his finger through mine and leaned forward giving a soft kiss. I closed my eyes allowing myself to get lost in bliss and forget for just a second the problem that weighed down on our shoulders. He pulled away and rested his forehead against mine. Our breathing mixed together.
"I called Iris and my brother Damon. She will be here later today. I trust that once we tell her what the issue is her wolf can help us."
A/N Yeah Iris and Damon! My babies! lol. I hope you liked this chapter. It felt too cliche to just kill Romero and then happily ever after. This book will be done soon so you can probably guess where it is going. But other than that:
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