Two: Failed Plans

LAYLA

"Wake up, Layla, wake up," the words sounded far away in my subconscious but the gentle yet urgent shoving was what made my eyes open and all trace of sleep disappeared from my eyes when I saw Aunty Kayla.

"Aunty, what's wrong? Why are you waking me up in the middle of the..."

"Shhh," she interrupted me as she pulled me to a sitting position, "this is not the time to chat, we need to leave now!"

Then she was pulling me to my feet and shoving my clothes from the wardrobe into a bag with an urgency I'd never seen in her before.

Maybe I was still sleeping or I was still drowsy from sleep but nothing she said made any sense. We were leaving? To where? And why in the middle of the night with no prior warning?

"Aunty," I pulled at her hands so she stopped packing my clothes, "what are you talking about? Where are we going? Can you... It's the middle of the night."

"Layla, there's no time to explain now, our priority now is getting out of here and once we leave Wandercoast, we'll explain everything to you."

We were leaving Wandercoast?

None of the things she was saying made sense. Nah, none of the things Aunty Kayla and her husband have been doing made any sense.

Not when they basically imprisoned me in this house, made me dress like a boy every time there was a need for me to step out of this house, cut my hair every week because it wouldn't stop growing wildly, refuse to tell me how my mother died when I still have vague memories of her, refuse to tell me anything about myself.

I literally have no idea who I was and no matter how much I asked them, they would remain tight-lipped under the guise of protecting me.

How would they protect me from what I don't know? I don't understand. And suddenly, I was over them, I was over the way they treat me. I know they love me but I refuse to be a stranger in my own life.

"No," I interrupted her sternly.

"What are you talking about, Layla?"

"I'm not leaving here until you tell me exactly why we're leaving. You know, I'm really tired of living like this. I've lived my whole life being imprisoned in my own house,-

you made me disguise as a boy for reasons I don't even understand and all of a sudden and out of nowhere, you want us to run away from Wandercoast because..."

I trailed off, the reason suddenly hitting me like a bucket of cold water, "is this because of the Prince? Is this because you don't want me to marry him?"

After the Prince left earlier today, I expected them to say something about his visit but they didn't say a thing. We just continued our daily activities as if the strongest Alpha in the city didn't just demand for my hand in marriage and now in the middle of the night, they wanted us to leave just like that.

No way!!

"Layla, we don't have time for this now," she grabbed my two hands and started to cradle them, "I promise I'll tell you everything once we're..."

"Now, I demand answers and I want them now. If you can't tell me why we're leaving and why you've been hiding me away for more than 10 years, then I'm not moving an inch away from this place."

"Layla," she pleaded, a tear escaping from her eyes and I tried so hard not to allow it to affect me. I've always known that they were hiding me because of something huge but the least they can do is to tell me what exactly it was. How was I supposed to learn how to run from something when I have no idea what it was?

"You know we've never hurt you and that we've always had your best interest at heart, this is for you, we're only protecting you, we're just..."

"From what exactly?" my voice was soothing now, "from what? At least I need to know..."

"We don't have all day," Uncle Nate's voice interrupted us from across the house, "keep the conversation to when we're out of here."

"You've heard your uncle, we need to get out of here as soon as possible and I promise that I'll answer all your questions once we're out of here."

I started to say something else but her eyes were so pleading that I couldn't go on. Instead, I exhale deeply.

"Promise you'll answer all my questions once we're out of here?"

"Of course," she assured me, "I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"Alright," I collected my clothes from her and I started to shove them in the opened bag, "we'll talk later then."

"Thank you," she murmured before pulling me up and pulling me closer to herself. I was surprised as she placed a kiss on my forehead and her hand lingered on mine, making me feel an onslaught of emotions I wouldn't have felt on a normal day.

Something was wrong.

Something was terribly wrong.

I could feel it in my gut, taste it on my tongue but I couldn't place it.

Couldn't place what was wrong and why there seemed to be a strong sense of doom hanging over us.

"Change into thick clothing that will keep you warm during our journey, I'll just go and lend your uncle a hand."

"Sure," I replied without feeling like it and as she turned back and walked away, I felt a strong desire to pull her back, to stop her from leaving. I've felt strong intuitions and I wasn't sure where they come from. If they were from me or my wolf. I expected Nena to say something, anything but she has gone strangely quiet in my head.

Now, what's going on?

I paused for a while, clenching the clothe in my hand before I shook off the feeling of doom and I continued to pack my clothes.

And then there was silence, a very loud and intense silence that made the beating of my heart the loudest thing I've ever heard.

Something had happened.

And I was bolting out of my room.

"Aunty Kayla!" I shouted, running into the sitting room, "uncle Nate, where are..."

The words died in my throat when I was suddenly hit by the cold air that was coming in from our opened my door, fuelling the panic that was already brewing in me.

Why was the door opened in this dead of the night?

And where are...

"Aunty Kayla!!!" I yelled this time around, "Uncle Nate, where are..." I pushed open their bathroom door and I fell to my knees at the sight before me.

There were my foster parents, the people that have raised me with so much love for as long as I could remember, the people that have raised me as their own, lying beside each other in the pool of their blood.

I choked, my ears deafening at the animalistic scream that was coming from somewhere in the room and it took me a while to realize that I was the one screaming.

I didn't stop screaming until I couldn't scream again until I lost my voice until the ground gave way beneath me and everything faded into darkness.