[Xavier’s POV]I hadn’t been sure at first, but now, I knew for a fact that it had been a blessing in disguise for me to stay close to Layla. The feelings were still there, just that she lacked trust in me which was the most essential ingredient in a relationship, and she hadn’t forgiven me yet.It was a gradual process though, and I wasn’t going to pressure her into forgiving me when she wasn’t ready. I hadn’t even forgiven myself, so it was safe to say that I hadn’t earned any forgiveness yet.As long as I could see her everyday and have little conversations with her like the one we had just had, I was going to be okay. For a moment, I forgot I was in the lion's den and couldn’t stop myself from smiling sheepishly, especially after she had told me that she had nothing to do with Alpha Raven. I just needed to work on not jumping into conclusions as that was only going to get in my way.My stomach rumbled from hunger. I couldn’t even remember when last I had had anything to eat, and I
[Layla’s POV]Dressed in a tank top, black leather trousers and boots, I headed outside to the stable where the Alpha had said he would be waiting for me. It was afternoon and we were going to have a picnic, and for the first time in weeks, I was actually excited about something and couldn’t stop beaming.“You look beautiful,” Samantha said, accompanying me.“This is like the billionth time you’ve said that. Again, thank you. Sure you don’t want to come?” I inquired.She shook her head in the negative. “No, not at all. I can’t go anywhere unless the Alpha orders me to,” she replied.“Okay, then. I’ll save you some snacks,” I said.She gave me a toothy grin. “I’ll be expecting it. Thank you, Layla,” she said.I looked from side to side, and heaved a sigh as I stepped outside and headed towards the stable where I saw the Alpha standing and speaking to one of his servants, with a magnificent white horse standing next to him.“Greetings, Alpha Raven,” I said.He stopped speaking for a whi
[Xavier’s POV]She was shivering terribly, but I didn’t let go of her. The surface of the water was terribly frozen, but since I could feel my legs swinging below the water, it was clear that although the water was cold, if we stayed under, we would be able to swim back to the shore.I swam below as well, still holding her in my arms and as we both held our breaths, I was able to swim back to the shore and I lifted her out of the water and onto the sandy soil. I helped her sit up, and she began to cough out all the water that had gotten into her system as I patted her back.The horses which we had heard stampeding turned out to be ridden by some guards I recognised were from the Dark Moon Pack, and they looked like they had a message for the Alpha as their leader approached him while the rest stood at a notable distance.“You scared me,” I said, when she was done with coughing out the water.Instead of meeting my eyes, she turned away and glared at the Alpha who just stood there watch
[Layla’s POV]“Ouch!” I yelped, as the razor blade I was using to carve my brows slightly brushed against my skin, and very little blood popped out.“Are you okay?” Xavier asked, opening the door immediately.“Yes, I’m fine. It’s just a scratch. You don’t have to always barge in at every sound you hear,” I chided.“Maybe you should stop reacting too seriously to every little thing, so you don’t get me worried,” he said.“Why should you be unnecessarily worried? We’re just friends,” I retorted, partly because I knew he hated it when I said that.“Thanks for reminding me, but friends actually do worry about each other. It’s not a big deal,” he said, and with a shake of his head, proceeded to walk out of my bedroom.“Aren’t you going to put on your shirt?” I inquired as he turned his back to leave.“Samantha offered to add it to your laundry, so I have to be shirtless for a while,” he explained.“Just say that you love the attention you get from the maids whenever you’re not wearing a sh
[Xavier’s POV]“Who’s there?” the leader of the night patrol asked. His voice was loud and clear.I pulled Layla whose heart was thumping loudly to my chest. “Don’t look up,” I whispered to her, then turned to face the group of guards who had gotten to where we were standing.“Xavier?” he called, realising it was me.For some reason, it irked me when someone who wasn’t Layla referred to me without adding honorifics.“Greetings, Leader Aaron.”“Do you know what time it is? Instead of standing here and frolicking with a maiden, you should be busy guarding the Alpha King's concubine. I will make sure this is reported in the counsel meeting tomorrow. This act will definitely not go unpunished,” he threatened.“Layla is currently having a swell time with the Alpha right now. I was just fooling around. There’s no need for you to report this matter,” I said.“No matter what your reason is, it still doesn’t change the fact that you left your duty post. Maiden, show your face. I must report bo
[Layla’s POV]I was tired of being the reason Xavier couldn’t do things that was for the good of his Pack. I just wanted him to get his people out of here by any means possible.“Save your people, Xavier,” I said.The look in his eyes showed that he was sorry, but I didn’t know why... at least, not yet.“Don't mind me, just protect your people,” I said.He nodded his head to show that he understood exactly what I was saying, and I put on a brave smile even though I was scared of dying.His grip which had softened tightened once again around the neck of the bell-ringer, and the apologetic look in his eyes was replaced by a look of determination.“Do what you will with her,” he said, and in a blink of an eye, pushed the man to the floor making him crash heavily with a thud and with his fangs, cut off the rope.“You thought I was joking, didn’t you? Now, Layla will suffer the consequences of your disobedience,” my captor said and swiped the knife in his hands at my neck, as I trembled in
[Xavier’s POV]For as long as I lived, I was never going to forget the smile Layla had on her face immediately she saw that I had returned, maybe not in one piece, but at least, I was alive.“Xavier,” she said, as she ran to meet me before I got to where she was and embraced me tightly.I had been raging with fury just some minutes ago, but my heart melted as she engulfed me with her warmth.“You’re alive. I’m so glad you’re alive,” she said, heaving a sigh of relief.I smiled, softly stroking her hair. “Well, I’m glad you’re glad,” I said.Suddenly, she pulled away from my embrace and surprisingly began to hit me on the chest with a deep frown plastered on her face. It didn’t hurt, not even in the slightest bit, but I held her clenched fist wondering why she was doing that to me.“Let me go, you asshole,” she said.“Did she just call the Alpha an asshole?” someone wondered aloud.“Did I do something wrong?” I inquired, still holding her hand.She hit me once with her other hand, agai
[Xavier’s POV]“What is going on there?” Roman asked in a loud voice as he stepped out.We had gotten to the Palace, but the guards were refusing to let us in, and that had caused a serious argument amongst us all. As we walked, other members of the Pack who were curious to know what was going on had followed us to the Palace.Everything had completely changed, and Roman had turned the Shadow Pack upside down. The elders were just a bunch of thieves ruling the people now, and I heard the stories from the members of the Pack as we stormed over to the Palace.The Pack which was once rosy had turned into a den of suffering and poverty; the Beta, Roman and most of the other elders were exploiting the people and had increased their taxes by over thirty percent, rogues had been employed to wreck havoc upon those who couldn’t afford to meet up with the payment of their taxes, and the high class ones were basically living off the hard work of the Omegas.It was just like in the olden days, an