RAYLA
Something clicked in my mind and without giving it any further thought, I pushed him away. This was wrong! My mind couldn't stop screaming how wrong it was and the fact that Damien doesn't seem to care made everything so much worse. "We can't..." I blinked away the tears pooling in my eyes, while turning my back on him. The intensity of his gaze brought out something I could never be brave enough to admit to myself, talk more of anyone. The fact still remains that, no matter what this things between us was, we were wrong, we didn't make sense and we needed to put a stop to it. His hands came to rest on my shoulder, slowly turning me around to face him. "We already established that we can't but we will anyway." He pointed out, lowering his head to kiss me. I jerked away. "Damien please! Think about our parents, the pack..." I paused sensing that my words were getting through to him so, I decided to try another approach. "I know you don't care about your reputation because this wouldn't affect you as much as it would affect me! My mother already looks at me like I'm trying to destroy her happiness, the pack hate me for being an Omega and never fully accepts me." "Don't you care about that? About me? About what this could mean for me?" That seemed to work because by the time I was done, his mask slips away for a second and I was able to see his emotion, only for a brief moment and then it was gone! Like it never existed in the first place. I wished I could shut my emotions off like that because I'm going to need it to survive the rest of my training school years. "I'm not going to reject you Rayla." Our eyes met and held. "I will never reject you." He made sure that his last sentence sunk in before he departed, leaving me alone with my thoughts. A soft but hesitant knock on the door jerked me away from my thoughts, I knew it wasn't Damien because he doesn't have the decency to knock before usually making his way into my room. "You can come in, Jenna." I told her in a voice that's barely above a whisper. She peered through the door first before coming inside. "Why is everyone shouting?" For the first time, I noticed her eyes were watery and there were traces of dry tears on her face. I immediately wrapped my arms around her. "Please don't cry, you know how troublesome Damien can be right? He's done something to make them mad. But don't worry, he's currently apologizing so everything will be back to normal." I should probably feel bad for lying to her and blaming the whole thing on Damien. But then everything was his fault! He tricked Brandon into rejecting me but how? That was the big question on my mind after he admitted it to me. Brandon wouldn't reject me just like that, especially when he didn't despite all the backlash we got from being together. Did Damien threaten him? I froze, abruptly letting go of Jenna. And speaking of the devil, without a single knock, he return to my bedroom. I glance nervously at Jenna. "Baby, why don't you get one of the servants for me?" I urge her towards the door, afraid of what Damien would do in her presence. "Okay Rayla." She stopped once she met him where he stood. "Don't make everyone sad again." And then she was gone. "Have you come to your senses?" I demanded, folding my arms across my chest. "I know a witch..." He started. "I don't see how that relate to our situation but carry on." He rolled his eyes and without saying anything further, he half dragged me out of my room with me. I badly wanted to shrink into my own skin as each servant or guard we walked past had the same disgust expression on their faces. If Damien noticed, there was no reaction that indicates he cared. We arrived at the stables and I watched him put a saddle on one of the horses before putting me on it and then climbing in after me. "This is madness!" I cried as he jerked the horse into motion. "Whatever you are doing is madness Damien and it needs to stop!" He ignored me, racing into the thick forest. We rode for what seemed like forever but in reality, it was only for an hour or so. We arrived at a clearing and in the middle of it, lays a hunt. "What is this place?" I shivered as he set me down from the horse. I grabbed his arm before he could walk away. "Damien please, talk to me." "I'm doing this to protect you." Now, that scared me more than anything. I took several steps away from him. "What are you planing to do?" Oh goddess! Did he just kidnap me? And now he was going to force me to stay here? Lock me up like a prisoner because I was bent on rejecting him? Tears rolled down my face. "Damien please, you don't have to do this." He gave me a bored expression and started walking towards the hunt, when he noticed I was coming with him. He stopped and turn around but I was already fleeing for my life. I had no idea where I was going but my goal was to get away from him. I sensed him chasing after me, which caused me to run faster, adrenaline coursed through my veins until something— or someone in this case knocked me to the ground. I fell helplessly on the ground with his weight pinning me down, the more I struggled to free myself, the tighter his grip get until I finally stopped fighting. He gently brushed my scattered hair away from my face, staring at me as if he didn't just chase me down like an animal. "That was fun." He hummed. "We should do it against sometimes." He further added and through the layers of our cloths, I could feel his hard on against my stomach. "Get off me!" I shouted, regaining my struggles. "Not until you tell me why the hell you ran like that! This place is crawling with rogues and wild animals, you cannot just take off like that. You scared me!" As if to prove his point, he buried his nose in my neck, inhaling my scent. I was ashamed of the arousal that shot through my body at the gesture. What the hell is wrong with me! I screamed inside my own head. "I'd rather be eaten by wild animals than let myself be locked up as a prisoner! Damien you've gone too far." "Prisoner?" He chuckled, resting his upper body on his elbow so, only his lower body was still pining me to the ground. "I was simply taking you to a witch." "And why would you do that?" I asked curiously, wishing my mind would stop swinging back and forth from his lips to his lower region, where I can still feel him. "To mask our mating scent for the meantime, it's the only way I can protect you for now." Catching me off guard, he wiggled a bit causing me to let out a breathy moan before I could stop myself. And that got his attention, a mischievous gilt shone in his eyes. Oh. My. Goddess! I cried inwardly wishing the ground would open up and swallow me! But the minute he lowered his head, my protest died down in my throat. TBCRAYLA His tongue swept lazily across my bottom lip, causing me to let out a breathless moan in response. He kissed me like he had all the time in the world to do so, no hint of the fierce possessiveness he had shown in front of everyoneClosing my eyes, I let myself slip into the moment. In that moment, nothing else mattered but the gentle and playful way he nibbled on my lips. The way his tongue swept across my upper lip, sending waves of pleasure down my body until he bit me! "Ouch!" I wretched my mouth from his, shoving at his chest to get him off me but he didn't budge. "That was for thinking you could run away from me. You are mine Rayla, therefore you need to understand there is no running from me." He finally pushes himself off, looking down at me with an amused expression. I shot him a glare as I got up from the ground, wondering what the hell is wrong with me! I just made out with my step-brother on a dirt filled ground, how shameless can one be? "I'm not yours." I hisse
RAYLA After pacing around in my room for another five minutes, deciding whether or not to join everyone for breakfast. I knew I couldn't avoid them forever but each time I saw my Mom, it felt like the greatest betrayal to look into her eyes and act like nothing happened. Avoiding her was only going to make her suspicious, so getting my shits together, I glance at the mirror one more time and hurried down to the dining hall. Deep down, facing everyone at school is where the real courage comes in. "Good morning." I acknowledged everyone, announcing my presence. At my voice, Mom and Jordan looked in my direction with a welcoming smile. "I was starting to think you wouldn't join us." She remarked, gesturing for me to sit next to her. Even without looking in Damien's direction, I could feel his eyes on me and it took every self-control I possessed at that moment not to look at him. Also, I was afraid that if I do, Jordan and Mom might see right through our bullshits. "I agree t
RAYLA My friends stood protectively by my side and I felt myself tense up, I didn't have the mental capacity to deal with Brandon on a Monday morning. I took a deep breath, glancing back and forth between my friends, I nodded for us not to give in regardless. Just as I was about to walk past Brandon, he shoved me back, causing me to stagger. Fiona immediately darted forward but I stopped her, not wanting her to engage with him, this was between Brandon and I. "Is there something I can help you with?" I asked, finally breaking the silence. "The nerve of you to show your face after the trick you pulled with your step-brother. I should have listened to everyone and shouldn't have accepted an Omega as my mate. You have truly proven to be as pathetic as your ranks are!" He snarled, his fist clenching in anger. The crowd laughed at what he said and I felt my face flushed with embarrassment. "Look Brandon, I don't want to fight with you. You rejected me in front of everyone so? What mor
RAYLA "Come here..." I said after taking a deep breath, he let me lead him towards one of the desks and obediently sat down without questions, the action made me smile inwardly. I dropped my backpack beside him, fishing out for the first aid kit I always carried with me. I set everything down on a different desk and got to work, cleaning his wounds so they could heal quickly. "Don't tell me you carry that around, what are you... A nurse?" He teased breaking the heavy silence between us. I glanced at the wall clock to find out how much time I have left before the next class starts. "Not really." I muttered, not wanting to go into details about the reason.Sensing my hesitation, he lifted my face upward, forcing me to look at him. "You're hiding something and before you deny it, you should know I can feel every one of your emotions through our mate-bond so, don't lie to me." I made a frustrated sound at the back of my throat, letting go of his hand. "Please don't make me talk." Put
RAYLA I came out of my hiding spot after both Jordan and Damien had left the family room. However, Mom was still seated in the same position when I made my entrance noticeable. Pretending like I just arrived, I looked around as if searching for something. "What's that all about? Are they fighting again?" "What do you think? See? This is one of the reasons why I urged you to reject him. That boy is nothing but trouble." She responded, standing up. "He had someone beat up some poor girls." My eyes snapped up to hers in disbelief but then I had to remind myself she didn't know the full context of the situation but still, I hated the way she was quick to paint Damien the villain. I know he wasn't an easy guy but to outright just make him the villain in a story she doesn't know the full context made me a bit disappointed in her. Not wanting to say or do anything that might make the situation worse, I nodded sorrowfully before making an exit. I quickly freshened up and after making su
RAYLA My heart dropped when I came down for dinner only to see it was just Mom and Damien by the dining area. I haven't fully walked in yet, but I could feel the tension in the air. I looked around for Jordan, half expecting him to walk through the door any second from now but sadly, he didn’t. I pulled out a chair, glancing in Mom's direction as I sat down. "Where's Jenna and Alpha Jordan?" I asked her. "She retired early and Jordan is occupied with Alpha duties, he won't be joining us." She answered, smiling at me. Despite how tense the situation is, I was a bit surprised to find her in a good mood. Not wanting to do anything that would ruin that, I ignored Damien as well. "While we are still on the subject, we will be joining him at Moonshadow pack tomorrow night for some charity event, please be ready." She announced, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "I'll pass." Damien responded without heat and my eyes immediately snapped to Mom's. Her face set on a grimace immediately
RAYLA The following morning, Damien didn't show up in the dining hall and when asking one of the servants about his whereabouts, she looked at me weirdly before answering that he left for school. Which made me a tad sad because I have gotten used to him waiting for me. Could he still be mad about last night? I wondered, stepping into the dining hall, I lost my appetite as I glanced at the empty space usually occupied by him. "Are you excited for the party, Rayla?" Jenna's little excited voice dragged my attention away from my sad thoughts. "Baby, it's not a party." I informed her. "It's a charity event, meaning it for a good cause, I don't think we can refer to it as a party. Where's Mom?" I inquired looking around for any sign of her. "I don't know." She shrugs, her eyes sparkling again once more. At that moment, she looked very much like my Mom. It still hurt to think that ever since we became a family with Damien and his dad, Mom hardly ever has time for me except it includes
RAYLA I made it to the training court before the first bell rang with my weapons in hand. Each student was given the grace to at least train with two weapons and by the end of the first semester, students should have decided on one weapon to be their permanent fighting weapon. Unless you change your mind then you can change your weapon once you pass into another school year. Currently, I'm still torn between the crossbow and knife throwing. I stopped beside Kath as our new trainer finally decided to grace us with his presence. Despite the fact that I was still pretty much mad at him, my gaze wandered around the court for any sign of Damien. Usually anywhere you find Hunter, you are bound to see Damien right there and vice-versa but today was different, Hunter was present in class and Damien was nowhere to be found. Still looking around, I find Brandon watching me from where he stood. I quickly looked away, focusing my attention on what the new trainer was saying. "Today, we will
RAYLA I snatched my wrist from his grasp without struggle because he let me go. I looked down at my bleeding tutor hoping he’s not dead. People were out of class and staring at us with wide eyes, him most especially, I guess there goes the idea of me trying to protect him! I tried to rush to the tutor but Damien dragged me back then proceeded to take me outside of the building. “Stop!” I screamed once we were out of the parking lot. “You can’t threatened my Mom and think that’s okay! What if that man loses his life? He was just trying to protect me!” I hissed as anger stir up inside me. “Whatever beef you have is between us, you don’t have to drag other people in it.”“Are you fucking with me Rayla?” His expression turned murderous. “Well I guess this should be a consolation that your mother is still breathing right now because of you! When my Dad got married to her, I didn’t like her but did I try to get in the way of their shitty relationship? No… if she tries to get in between mi
RAYLA After Mom left, I turned to Ma, my gaze fixed on her accusingly. “You knew she was trying to get me back here, she went as far as blackmailing me and you let her?” I was disappointed, I thought she was on my side! Now the only family support I thought I had was slowly slipping away, I guess I deserve it for being such a shitty person. “You make it hard to defend you, both of you! The idea was for you to wait, I was going to talk to them but when I came later it was to find you gone. What were you thinking running off like that? Damien is the leader of a gang of rogues, do you have any idea the kind of danger you were putting yourself in?” She snapped at me, her tone filled with both anger and disappointment. “How was I supposed to defend you when you pulled a stunt like that?” “When has talking ever settled anything with them? You don’t get it do you? Ma, her blackmailing me here is proof enough that no amount of talking will achieve anything with them, it was why I chose to
RAYLA I stared at the alarm clock on the nightstand, wordlessly watching each second tickle by, my thoughts far away from me. The more minutes tickled by, the more aware of how many hours I had with Damien, who happens to be asleep. I swallowed the lump in my throat, blinking away from the alarm to look at the ceiling instead. I still felt a bit sore between my thighs, a constant reminder of what we did a few hours ago. My face heated at the memory, making me silently clear my throat as I stared out of the window, it was getting dark meaning it will be dawn soon. Slipping out of bed, I grabbed Damien’s shirt and slipped in on, looking down at the length to decide if it was okay for me to walk around in. Since I was heading downstairs where I’m bound to run into anyone, I decided to wear a skirt for added length before making my way downstairs. The place was almost empty except for a few servants going about their duties, I paused by the stairs landing. “Excuse me, do you have any
RAYLA Looking at him hurts, as we lay down side by side on the bed, so I turned my face the other way, Mom’s words echoing in my mind. Killian would be so furious when he finds out but what was I supposed to do? Finding out he killed someone at the age of seventeen had not only left me stunned but speechless because then it also proved he has been living this double life for as young as the age of seventeen. There was a pause in my thought when I felt him pull me against his chest, cuddling me softly as our limbs tangled with one another. My eyes shut on their own accord as he buried his face into the hollow of my neck, sniffing me in a way that made me tickled. One of his hands splayed across my stomach, running his fingers on my flesh lazily. I didn’t want to lie here with my own thoughts while guilt ate me alive so, I said the first thing that came to mind when I opened my mouth. “So…your first time huh?” I teased, turning to face him now, my breath hitching against my throat wh
RAYLA I stood outside the door, debating whether I should go inside or not. At the las minute, I decided it would be better to just leave him alone for the time being, I made my way back downstairs and still found Nyx in the same position I left her, except that she was sitting this time and munching on a cookie. “That was quick.” She remarked, not bothering to hide her amusement. I grit my teeth in anger,telling myself not to react because as much as I can’t stand her, I still needed her help to be able to get out of the pack due to the invisible force field she had around it. “You said the barrier will weaken tomorrow, is that correct?” I asked to be sure whether I’ll need her help with that or not. “Why? Going somewhere? Anyways the barrier won’t weaken until twelve in the morning.” She leaned closer. “You need my help.” She was quick to figure it out, possibly putting the piece together after my outburst earlier. “Isn’t that the reason you were employed? Although I don’t
RAYLA Despite our teasing remarks when we were out on a walk that indicates we couldn’t wait to get back to the house and ravished each other. Instead we decided to play monopoly once we arrived back at the house which took a dark turn pretty quickly, bringing out both Damien and Hunter's competitive side. When they voted for a second round of the game, I sweetly declined and took a step back, telling them I prefer to watch instead. Nyx had taken it upon herself to call me every synonym of the word coward, my usual response was to ignore her but Damien had merely cast her a dark look, that made her shut up immediately. While they argue and yell at each other about the game, I was texting my friends in the group chat as they brought me up to date on what has been happening at school. Apparently Brandon was still being as bitter as the day I left, he goes around telling anyone who cares to listen that I ran away with my step-brother because our parents found out about us. The fa
RAYLA I was surprised when I woke up the following morning and found Damien still sleeping, mainly because I wasn’t used to waking up in the morning and finding him there. The healer really knows her stuff because placing him on bed rest definitely forced him to relax. I slowly climbed out of bed so I didn't wake him up. Several minutes later when I emerged from the bathroom after brushing my teeth and doing my other business, he was still asleep. I went downstairs to have breakfast, Hunter was the only one present at the breakfast table when I walked in, I slumped down dejectedly on one of the empty seats. Words couldn’t describe how much I missed going to school, I missed hanging out with my friends and doing random stuff even though I never voiced it out to anyone, I mean what’s the point? Just because I made the decision to run away from home doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to miss it. I looked up upon hearing my name. “Did you say something?” I asked to be sure. “Yeah, I was as
RAYLA It was night time before Damien finally woke up and was immediately moved to his bedroom. His wound had completely healed up by then but the healer still insisted he need to be on bed rest for another three days to which Hunter had made a joke about. It was half true though because we all knew he was going to hate the idea. Guilt was already eating me alive after I finished talking to Mom and she gave me three days max, the same number of days it will take for Damien to be out of bed rest and for Nyx magic barrier to weaken.“You can’t tell Damien that I asked our parents for help.” I begged, pulling him aside so Damien wouldn’t hear us. “At least wait until I’m out of here before you do, if he knows then he will never let me leave and I can’t go back on my word.” Hunter stared at me with his arms across his chest. “What did you do? And besides, I can’t keep something like that from him, if I don’t tell him, someone else will.” He pointed out. I brushed my hair away from my
RAYLA It has been more than two hours of not hearing any news about Damien’s condition after the healer slammed the door on our face. We stood outside her room, pacing around and waiting for news when one of the border guards hurried inside toward Hunter, a panicked look across his face. “Beta! There are more troops approaching the pack from the north!” He declared and I watched as Hunter’s face darkened. “More army? That can’t be good, Damien is in no condition to fight!” I rubbed my face, hoping it would smooth away the frustration crawling at my guts and yet again I was made to wonder why Damien chose this time to announce his pack knowing how many enemies they had but then I recalled he had mentioned not too long ago that the pack was running out of supplies. “There’s no need to worry Rayla, stay here in case the healer has some news, I’ll lead our army.” He informed me before taking his leave. “Wait!” Nyx called after him and then hurried to meet him halfway across the room.