Lila's POV
“Lila!” Judith exclaimed, obviously shocked by rebellion. I shouldn’t have snapped, but I couldn’t help being peevish when nothing was going my way. My mom doesn’t care about me, I’m in a pack where I’ll always be walked over, and the fact that a kid is going through stuff in this pack and no one is aware just made me doubt Dominic’s competency. These thoughts alone make me want to scream out loud and curse the universe for making me so unlucky. Why does life have to be so difficult? Haven't I suffered enough? “Is there something wrong? I believe I haven’t done anything to piss you off.” Dominic said, fixing his cold gaze on me so that they could literally dig a hole through me. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, trying to avoid his gaze as much as I could. “Do you really think you’ve done nothing wrong to me? I know you saved my life and I’m grateful for that, but you see whatever comes after that, I’m not sure I can be grateful for it.” I shot back, all in one breath as my chest rose and fell, I couldn't tell if it was fear or anger. “Watch it, Lila! you shouldn’t talk to him like that. He’s the Alpha!” Jonathan reprimanded with a warning finger, clearly dissatisfied with my manner of approach to his boss. Judith nodded in agreement. I scoffed, “So what? He’s your alpha, not mine.” I eyed him. Not like I was purposely being a brat, at this point my frustration knew no bounds. “You know if you were not his mate, you’d have been punished for treason.” Jonathan’s right hand balled into a fist as he stood up abruptly from his seat, but Judith held him back. He looked down at her and her eyes were pleading, she gave him a disapproving look and he slowly lowered himself back to his seat. “Treason? Is that not a big word for my crime?” I air quoted ‘crime’, “And besides, I was fucking rejected!” I reminded him, my voice trembled as I tried to suppress the rage in it. I turned to Dominic, whose face held a kind of emotion I couldn’t explain. “I’m not afraid of you, and I don’t care about what you feel about me anymore, but can you just stick to a role!?” I rubbed my hair frantically in frustration. “Lila, what is wrong with you?” Judith tried to reason with me. “I’m sorry Alpha, something must have happened. She doesn’t even react like this when she’s in a tight situation at work.” She tried to appeal on my behalf. “Yes, I was always a reasonable nurse.” Of course, the quiet nurse who always avoided drama was now being a drama queen. I huffed. “You know I don’t mean it that way,” Judith tried to rebrand her words, probably realizing the effects her words had on me. “Fine, I was just ranting. It’s not like you’d let me go at will, you’d still do what you want with me anyways.” I felt a sharp ache in my chest as the words left my mouth. Realization hit me hard. After all, I’m just an ordinary human, I thought to myself. I let out a painful smile. “I can let you leave if that’s what you want,” Dominic's cold voice interrupted my thoughts. He had been silent the whole time this drama unfolded, maybe already regretting his decision to save me, I don't know. He stood and walked to the table filled with files and his computer, “but, would you still leave knowing everyone could die because of you?” He asked, probably hoping that he could change my mind. His back was turned to me so I couldn't see his facial expression. What does their death have to do with me though? Am I some kind of sacrificial lamb? Does this even make sense? After what happened earlier today, I have no compassion whatsoever towards the people here. My thoughts flickered to Dave and I felt my internal organs twitch. How could I ever abandon him? Poor Dave! “What the hell is an elemental?” I demanded. I've been dying to ask this question all day. I made sure they understood that my decision on whether to leave or stay would depend entirely on their response to my question. “Elementals are supernatural beings too, but they can be good or bad depending on the person wielding the power,” Dominic explained, his voice was calm and steady. I've never seen such composure before. So majestic. But I don't understand what it has to do with me. He turned to Jonathan. Jonathan got the cue and continued from where his boss stopped. “There’s been a prophecy long before we were born, that there would be an Alpha born with golden eyes.” He paused just when I was starting to get intrigued. His eyes wandered briefly and settled on Dominic who gave him a nod of approval to continue. “He’d be mated to a human, but their relationship will bring disaster to the world of the supernaturals, it's inevitable.” Jonathan finished his words with a sigh. Almost as if he was saddened by it. “I get that our relationship is ill-fated,” was it really? My heart faltered as my mouth spewed such fallacy. If only my heart would stop trying to interfere with my choices. I brushed it off and continued. “but bringing disasters to the world, is that not far-fetched?” I queried, not buying the whole story. It sounds ridiculous how a relationship between two people would have so much effect on the world at large. This is some make-believe bullshit. “Well, prophecies don’t lie,” Jonathan concluded, leaving no room for further debate. “How does this relate to the elemental?” I pressed further. It's not making any sense. “You may be the elemental.” I laughed dryly. A human supernatural? What a joke! “Let me get this straight, you don't want me as a mate but you want me by your side as the elemental?” My question was directed to Dominic. When he didn't say anything i took that as a yes. He wanted to keep a close watch over me, to be the one weilding the power. “He rejected me, so we are not going to have a relationship and he already has an arranged mate. So, I guess we already avoided the inevitable. There, it's fixed” I reminded. The disaster thing shouldn't be a problem anymore, right? The rejection has already taken place and there's a replacement standby, there's no point of exaggerating anymore. “An arranged mate?” Dominic's voice held a glint of surprise. He finally turned to face me. I almost choked on my breath when his eyes met mine. What's wrong with me? “Yeah, Juliana. I met her already, though our meetings weren’t so pleasant.” I smiled dryly. Why's he pretending? He rejected me, he should be proud to show off his desired mate right? What's with him an being unable to stick to his role? His gaze on me intensified, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. He didn't say a word, he took slow strides towards me and stopped right in front of me. He stood so tall and mighty. His figure hovered over me and I didn't dare to meet his gaze. I felt so small, maybe smaller than an ant. The room was as quiet as a graveyard, I could hear my heartbeat echo in the room. What's with this intimidating aura? Wasn't I supposed to find out? Could he be a two faced alpha who couldn't just stick to one role? This’s how he leads the pack? I wanted to scoff so badly but I was to intimidated to do anything silly. “Stop talking nonsense” His sharp voice echoed in the room. It was commanding. He probably wasn’t expecting me to find it out so soon, because why else would he try to scare me out of it. I nervously rubbed my palms together. “I understand” I managed to say. I just wanted him to move atleast a few steps backwards. I couldn't breathe well. I felt like I was going to faint soon. “You understand what?” His deep dominating voice came again. “I understand that you can’t have a human mate, and avoiding a disaster said in a prophecy is a must too.” I said like an obedient puppy. I could feel my scalp sweating already. He didn't say anything else. He turned and made his way to his seat, his neatly polished shoes collided with the floor and made loud click sounds. I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding, I couldn't believe I almost died just now. I brought my left hand to my face and used it as a hand fan. Slowly I started to feel the coldness in the room again, I had almost forgotten about the AC. “Juliana is the daughter of a family friend, not who you think she is,” Jonathan interfered, trying to ease the tension. I gave him a thumbs up, to show I didn’t really care. “I think the prophecy won’t happen as long as we steer clear of each other.” I concluded. This place’s definitely not healthy for me. I needed to get out as soon as possible. “That’s what we thought. But not anymore now, since there’s someone out there that knows about you. It was meant to be within us that the alpha found his mate. And also they mentioned you are an elemental which has made things worse.” Jonathan said, folding his hands together. “You believe so?” I asked, moving my eyes from Jonathan to Judith since they were sitting before me. “We can’t throw away the chances that you might be an elemental,” Dominic said, but I didn't look at him. I wouldn't dare. Not after what just happened. I still haven't steadied my breath. “I’m just an ordinary human, I don’t possess such power.” I laughed halfheartedly. Hoping he'd see things from my point of view. How could I possibly possess such power? It was laughable and sad at the same time. “That’s why there's the need for further confirmation,” Dominic replied, standing up to pick a file from his table and walked towards me. “Not again” I mumbled under my breath. I avoided his gaze completely. I couldn't meet them, maybe another day but not today. “I have your BioData here, but the fact that you were adopted means there’s a chance one of your parents might have been an elemental.” He handed the file over to me. My hands trembled as I held tightly onto the file. I didn’t open it, I was afraid of the things written inside; Huge debt, had seven fathers, was an outcast. The fact that Dominic might have known about everything made me feel like a loser. Even Juliana knew a lot more. I felt a mix of shame and pain. I cleared my throat, and blinked back the tears that threatened to embarass me even further. I'm strong, I won't let them caress my wounds and make me a laughing stock. They won't see me weak. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do, but how long do I have to be here? I don’t want to lose my job and my mom will be worried.” I lied about my mom. I was more interested in getting out of here. Truly my mom didn't care but I had a life I was trying to build before all these, I won't throw it under the bus just like that. “I can’t give the specific date you’ll leave but I promise you that I’ll do my best to make sure it ends soon,” Dominic’s voice held no warmth, it saddened my heart that he wanted to get rid of me as soon as he could. I know it's what I wanted but hearing it from him was just too painful. Of course he had Juliana, what use could I possibly be to him. I'm just a weapon in all of this, a weapon that will become useless soon. “And if you want me to send a message to your mom, I’ll do that for you, about your job…” He paused for a moment as if searching for the right words to use. “Why don’t you apply for a leave now? You’ve been working for years without taking a leave, I’m sure the director will grant it right away.” Judith reasoned, saving Dominic the stress. She was right. It’s not like I didn’t want to take a leave, but I had nowhere to go and I didn’t have the luxury to go on vacations. “So, Judith..” Dominic's voice trailed, now colder than usual, as if hearing from Judith reminded him of something he’d almost forgotten. He strode closer to Judith, both hands in his pocket and face held high. “Why did you leave the pack and why is your name not in any of our registers?” Judith froze. She obviously was not expecting it. I was curious too. Why did she leave the pack? And her name’s not in the register? What was she hiding?Lila’s POV Judith rubbed her left forearm with her right hand, a habit she has developed over the years. She often did this when she’s about to lie to the director or her supervisor for coming late. I knew at that moment that whatever she was about to say would be lies. My concern was; why? “I wasn’t born in the pack and my parents didn’t want me to be involved in the pack's politics and all since they were members of the council. So, I’ve been away from the pack since I was born.” She lied smoothly, with a smile wilder than her lips. You'd never be able to detect her lies. Such a smooth talker.“And who are your parents?” Dominic asked, obviously not seeing through her lies. “They are the Coles.” She replied. “Yeah, I know them. Very devoted members of the council.” Dominic praised her parents. Judith nodded with a smile. I was tempted to rat her out, but I've always been good at minding my own business. She probably has her reasons.“She’s on the first floor, Alpha,” Jonathan i
“What does that mean?” My gaze drifting from Jonathan to Judith. When they didn’t respond I turned to Lauren. It was as though she read my mind, she smiled at me and walked out of the room before I could find my voice.“Why did you hide the fact that you were a Genna??” Dominic demanded. He stared at Judith with displeasure.“There must be a good reason for this. Let's give her a chance to explain.” Jonathan interceded. I knew there was something between them, why else would he be so defensive?“It wasn't my intention to hide it, but it’s a rule the Gennas abide by.” She sighed in defeat.“We are never to reveal the identity of the elemental, regardless of the situation. You found out as anyway.’’ She stood up and walked over to the window, staring straight into the sky. She knew I was allegedly an elemental all along? This keeps getting more interesting. I wonder how many more shocking revelations are yet to surface. “Just like how you were born with golden eyes, making you the ca
Lila's POV It was so stupid of me to think I could tease them.Even Dominic knew they were mates, but I didn’t, and just a few minutes ago I could swear I noticed everything. How did I miss that?I felt so embarrassed after calling them out for flirting with each other openly, only to be told they were not trying to hide it but were being polite since there were single people with them. The elevator stopped on the 10th floor and I hurriedly escaped from it. I could feel their eyes on me but I kept my head down as I walked away briskly.I was back in my room drowning in embarrassment. Good thing there's no one else in the room. If I had planned to eat with them before, after my finding out they're a couple—I wouldn't do it. The fact that I’ll be in my room till the next day, made my stomach rumble in hunger. I clutched tightly on my stomach at the thought of starving for the rest of the day.I layed down on the bed, doing nothing, only staring at the ceiling for a few minutes. The
I hit him so hard that I felt bad for him afterwards.Everyone gasped in shock. They obviously didn't see that coming. I was also surprised at my outburst.“You crazy bitch!” the man I hit moaned in pain. I stepped back hurriedly, he glared at me with so much hatred and anger.Out of fear that they might attack me altogether, I ran as fast as my leg could carry me. I kept glancing over my shoulders as I ran until I arrived outside the manger.Luckily I wasn’t followed by any of them, but I thought it would be in my best interest not to meet the guy I hit till I left the pack house. He was big enough to squeeze life out of me. I pray God doesn't let them gang up against me.I entered the manger and Dave was already there, he curled up in a corner, hugging his knees, like he was cold or something. Did something happen?I approached him and knelt beside him.“Hey, are you okay?” I was genuinely concerned.He raised his head sharply, his eyes sparkling with excitement at the recognitio
Dominic's POV I chose not to publicly reject Lila in front of the pack because I didn’t want to humiliate her.Despite my efforts, word somehow got out, and she became the target of mockery.Who gave them the right to treat her this way? It had to end—it was an affront to me as the Alpha.I quickly mindlinked Jonathan, asking him to address the issue. I wouldn’t put up with such disrespect.He confirmed my request, and I felt confident that he would handle it appropriately. Lila had already faced so much in her life, and now she was dealing with an even more perilous situation due to the unexpected turn of events. She was now living among strangers against her will; that was a huge sacrifice in itself.There wasn’t much I could do to help her feel comfortable, but her safety was my greatest concern.As I left my parents’ cabin, I intended to head straight back to the pack house when I spotted him just a few feet from my car.Instantly, my demeanor hardened.“Dominic, I see you’ve c
Lila's POV The moment she asked me not to move an inch, I knew I was dead. My heart started beating fast and all kinds of thoughts spiraled in my mind. I ignored her warning and bolted out the front yard. I could swear I was almost out before I felt her hand on my hair, fear ran through me as a shiver ran down my spine. I yelped in pain because of how tight her grip was on my hair. “Lady, we can settle things without you grabbing my hair; that’s what cultured people do,” I said nervously, fear written on my face the moment I turned to see her bloodshot eyes. Was she that angry because of me, or was there more to it? I was still lost in thought before she forcefully yanked my hair backward all of a sudden, making me feel pain like my head was about to be removed from my head. I let out a deafening scream again, “What do you think you are doing? Do you even know who I am?” Maybe I shouldn’t have said that because it only made her drag my head down further. And before I could even rea
Lila's POV I noticed the way he placed his hands on his hips, releasing a deep sigh as if he hadn’t truly meant what he just said. The silence that hung in the air after his words allowed us to hear the sound of a needle hitting the ground. My chest continued to rise and fall forcefully, but it wasn’t synchronized with my heartbeat—it was racing so fast that I couldn’t gauge its pace. They had always told me this, how they regretted ever crossing paths with me—my foster mom, my dad, my friends, my first boyfriend, and now my mate. I feared I would experience a panic attack when memories of each of them expressing their regret about meeting me began to flood in, yet I followed the advice one of my therapists had given—I counted silently from one to ten in my mind, inhaling and exhaling until my breath became steady. “I apologize for causing trouble, but I still maintain that I did nothing wrong,” I said calmly, concealing the fact that I had just managed to suppress a rising p
Lila's POV “Lila?” I heard Jonathan's voice calling out to me, sensing I was drifting away from the conversation with Dominic. Panic hit me hard the moment I read the doctor’s text.Blame flooded my mind—I replayed every harsh word I had said to my mom, warning her that her drinking and smoking might someday lead to liver damage, and all the times I should have reached out to help her with her struggles but chose to look the other way.My heart raced, and the space around me felt like it was freezing over. I staggered back, my vision turning hazy.“I think something’s wrong with her,” Brian’s voice broke through as he held onto my arm, steadying me from falling. I couldn’t make out his features, but I heard the concern in his tone. I clutched my chest, overwhelmed by the suffocating knot in my heart. Groaning in pain, I felt like I was losing everything—my mind and my grip on reality.“Breathe into this,” Judith instructed, handing me a paper bag. I looked down and realized I was alr
Lila's POV Fuck! I turned to face Judith.“Judith,” I called with a nervous laugh, hiding the uniform behind me.“You're back already?” I asked her.“I never left this place,” She responded as she moved slowly towards me. I suddenly shifted as I found her unusually intimidating.“You never did? Then why didn't I see you when I came out?” I bent my head to the side, feigning confusion.“Cut the crap, Lila,” She said as she stopped in front of me.“I honestly don't understand what you mean by crap, I just went out for a moment to get stuff. I told you to stop knocking; I would come out when I was ready; it's not my fault that you decided to ignore my warning and camp here.” I said, pretending to be upset.“I never knocked on your door.” She said, her gaze piercing through my skin.But over the phone, she said she did. Did I just fall into her trap?“You did, I clearly heard it.” I deadpanned.She made click sounds with her tongue and shook her head in pity.“I did not.” She denied ada
Lila's POV The person stood about two tables from us. I couldn't recognize the person due to the gauze bandage that was wrapped all over his face and head. One eye had a plaster over it. He literally glared at me from one eye.He looked like Lazarus from the Bible story which was a bit laughable.“What are you looking at?” Brian asked, sensing my distraction.I gestured with my head and he followed the direction of my gaze and saw the person.“Who the hell is that?” He asked.“I have no idea,” I responded.Why would someone hold a grudge against someone they've never met before? Something seemed off.I stared at him trying to figure out how I had met him. To be honest, his figure looked quite familiar, but I couldn't just think of a name.Then it clicked, “Luis?” I called, not really sure if that's him. But considering the state I saw him the other day, it only made sense now.“That's Luis?” Brian asked, surprised. “Damn! They did him dirty.” I only hummed in response.He suddenly
Lila's POV We froze on the spot. I felt sweat begin to trickle down my face and my stomach. The overall now felt incredibly hot, the heat was unbearable.“I don't think that's us,” Brian said. I nodded obediently, I really hope it's not us.We took a few steps and heard, “I said stop!” “Fuck!” Brian cursed upon realizing that it was really us.I closed my eyes tight. I was about to have a panic attack.“What do we do?” I whispered, my voice breaking.“Don't do anything, I'll handle it.” With that we turned, it was Greg.“Is there a problem?” Brian asked, his hands sealed away in the pockets of his trousers.“Not really, I just need confirmation,” Greg said, his gaze on me the whole time; I put my head down, avoiding looking directly at him.“What confirmation?” Brian asked, his head held up, trying to match up Greg's energy.“Where are you headed?” Greg asked Brian, his voice stern and unfriendly.“To the hospital, do I need to report to you?” Brian shot back.Greg stood unfazed, “W
Lila's POV It's been ten days since Dominic traveled, and I've been doing my best to train.I've been able to master three elements: earth, fire, and air. My ability to manipulate water is still fluctuating.I went back to Morinda three days after our first try and I was able to do something.I never imagined that accepting my witch side would be more difficult than cultivating my powers as the elemental.I've been able to master a few spells, but sometimes they come on too strong, and I lose control.It's just frustrating how stressful it is.Eve never stopped to check on me, it's as if Dominic put her to it.I really enjoyed her company. We've been doing things together lately: cooking, washing, and so on.We went shopping at the Pack supermarket.Sometimes she would come watch me train just to cheer me up.I'm probably the luckiest girl in the world right now.I got dressed, ready to meet Judith for our session today.My phone buzzed and I looked to see Dominic’s number. My heart
Lila's POV “Wait here!” Judith said and stepped forward to join Brian.I didn't understand what was happening and the feeling was killing me. There's a package for me and I have no idea what it contains.“Fuck it!” I said under my breath and went to join them.My eyes widened in shock as I saw the bloody dagger in the box. A wave of fear watched over me. How could I not recognize it after what it did to me?“Isn't that the–” I tried to say, but my voice failed me. I felt traumatized just by looking at it.Brian turned swiftly and came to me, saying, “I told you to stay back.” His expression was serious and his tone commanding.“What is it doing here?” I pointed to it, my finger slightly trembling.“I don't know but you can't go near it.” He patted me on the back slowly, but his palm was not gentle.“Don't touch it!” He suddenly yelled at Judith who flinched in realization.He ran to her and grabbed her, then pulled her to where I stood.“What were you thinking?” He yelled angrily. I
Lila's POV The next morning I found myself in the library. It was so early so I was the only one there. First, I went to look for the book that Judith had shown us the previous day.I looked for a while but I couldn't find it. I kept looking and was about to give up when the librarian approached.“Good morning, do you need my assistance?” She asked with a smile on her face.“Yes, please. There's a book I'm looking for, It's huge…” My words trailed at the realization that I had forgotten the name of the book.Damn! If they had just written the damn thing in English it would've been easier to recall.“Do you remember the title?” She asked politely.“Not really,” I responded.She said, “Well, do you remember anything that might help us find the book?”“I think so.” I said, “It has symbols and pictures; it's not written in the English language.” I described it as best as I could.She nodded and continued, “Your description matches a hieroglyphic book. Shouldn't be hard to find.” She move
Lila's POV I sat on the floor with my legs folded in Morinda's room staring at her as she stared right back at me. It seemed like we were having some kind of staring competition.“Are we going to start already or is this part of the training?” I asked, my voice had a hint of frustration.If I had my way I would totally bail out and avoid being with Morinda alone in her, she's too creepy.She stopped Brian from entering saying it wasn't safe for him. Now she won't even say a word, just standing there and staring at me like there's poop on my face.I squeezed my face in disgust at the unpleasant smell of her incense.“Can you read my thoughts?” She suddenly asked out of the blue.“I'm not interested,” I replied bluntly.I kept wondering what a weak witch like her could teach me but I didn't have a better option. I would have to manage her.She sighed, “I was contemplating where to start, but your mind-reading ability is already advanced. We might just have to skip that for now and focu
Lila's POV “You've seen it before?” Judith asked, surprised.“Let me think,” I said, holding out my hand as an indication for her to stop interrupting my thoughts.Bingo!It was a dream I had repeatedly as a kid. I could coerce the earth and command it to obey me. It was the same scene in the drawing. Just replace Alpha Lumus’ picture with mine.“In my dream, I could do this effortlessly. I remember every trick I used, I think I can do it.” I told them. They stared at me like I had lost my mind.“You don't believe me?” I asked them, a little sad at their reaction.“It's not that. Among the four elements, the earth is the second hardest to manipulate. Saying you can pull it off effortlessly is a little far-fetched.” Judith explained.I stood to my feet with my hands on my waist.“Why don't you try me?” I challenged her, ready to prove myself.Judith stood abruptly to her feet, examining my face to determine if I meant it or if I was just bluffing. I met her eyes, my gaze unwavering.“
Lila's POV Stepping into the room with a tray of food in my hands. My eyes scanned the room, but I couldn't see Dominic anywhere; then I heard the shower running, and I knew he was in there.I sat on the couch, placed the tray on the stool, and waited for him.The shower ran for a while, then it stopped; he came out in just his towel. I swallowed hard. I couldn't stop myself from looking at his abs and the way the water dripped freely from his hair to his broad chest, I couldn't think straight.Why does he have to do this all the time? Was he really showing off in front of me?He caught me staring and I quickly looked away. I heard him chuckle.He came to the couch and sat close to me in just his towel. I stared at him in disbelief.“Go put something on,” I told him.He leaned forward and whispered “I don't want to,” I felt a funny sensation in my stomach as his hot breath hit my ear.He placed his hand on my thigh and slowly moved it under my dress, I instinctively spread my legs