Chapter Four: Layla

Willow

“Willie! Oh my, you are so beautiful!” Landon cooed as he enveloped me into his strong arms. His embrace reminded me of what occurred outside between Owen and I just a few minutes ago and I felt my face heat up. “Papa would be so proud! You’ve grown up!”

He released me and I was able to get a good look at his face. Landon aged in the seven years that I was gone. His dark brown hair was specked with grey and there was slight wrinkling around the crow’s feet of his deep green eyes. He was handsome even in his older age and his sharp jawline was still pronounced, even as it was covered in dark stubble. Landon White reminded me too much of his arrogant son that I had to take a step back and remind myself that I was staring into the kind eyes of the older Alpha and not Rune White.

“Thank you.”

Landon White was kind man in his early fifties. He always took a shine to me and often let me get away with kicking his son’s ass when he was being a real prick. I admired him. He was a strong Alpha and a kind man who knew how to lead. Him and Papa were best friends so Landon was always around the house and that meant that Rune tagged along with him. Landon was constantly grooming Rune into the future Alpha. He was always teaching him valuable lessons about being a leader. Most of them included Owen and I and Rune’s often crude interactions with us. Rune has always been cocky. He would pull my hair and make fun of me for not being a wolf and his father would always teach him how to behave. Too bad none of it seemed to stick.

“I’m sorry about Papa. He was one of the best. And he loved you so much, Willie.”

“I miss him.”

He smiled warmly. “So do I.” Landon wrapped his arm around my shoulders and lead me into the lawyer’s office. Papa had created his will and got everything together with his lawyer years ago. Papa wasn’t one to be organized so learning how prepared he was for his passing shocked me. Landon sat down beside me in front of the lawyer’s desk. He grabbed my hand in his own and gave me a reassuring squeeze. The lawyer was an older man in his mid forties with a receding hairline. His features were sharp and he looked nothing but professional in his dark suit and grey tie. He smoothed out his jacket and took a seat in the plush quilted leather chair behind his desk. He folded his hands on the wooden desk in front of him and turned his gaze on to me.

He cleared his throat. “You are here for Roland Howard’s last will and testament, correct?”

All I could do was nod. The lump in my throat didn’t all me to speak.

He opened a drawer to the left of him and pulled out a leather folder without breaking eye contact. “This,” He said as he opened the folder. “Is Mr. Howard’s will.” He grabbed a piece of paper out of the folder and slid it across the table until it was in front of me. “Miss Howard, the contents of Roland Howard’s wishes are outlined in this document.”

I stared down at it and began to read. As I comprehended the meaning of the document, my eyes widened. “I-is this true?”

Landon looked at me with a mix of concern and confusion. I slid the paper in front of him and let him read it.

The lawyer nodded. “Indeed. Mr. Roland Howard has left all his effects to you including his house and his life savings equating $50,000.”

I brought my hand up to my mouth. “Oh my god. I didn’t even know Papa had $50,000.”

“According to this folder, which I will give to you upon your leave, there was an inheritance from your parents. Mr. Howard kept it in a special account which can only be transferred to you when he passed.” He pointed to the paper that was now in front of Landon. “It is all laid out in this folder. Mr. Howard left you pictures and other important documents pertaining to your adoption and early childhood before you came under his care.”

The lawyer’s words echoed in my thoughts as I stood by Owen’s truck holding the folder close to my chest. The meeting with the lawyer only took about forty minutes so I still had time to kill. I wanted to walk around Main Street but I simply needed time to collect my thoughts. The meeting with the lawyer was shocking. Papa not only left me his effects but he left me the house and my inheritance which he never spent. We were well off when I was growing up but there were times that that $50,000 could’ve seriously helped us out and I couldn’t believe he struggled while there was easy money in the bank. He never spent it. He left it for me. I felt my eyes mist over as I held the papers close to my chest.

“Hey, look it’s Willie.” I whipped my head around and laid my eyes on the bombshell blonde beauty that made my adolescent life a struggle. “Still hanging around Owen like a lost puppy I see.” Layla’s words were laced in a hatred that I didn’t entirely understand. She flicked her long hair over her shoulder and her blue eyes burned.

“What do you want, Layla?” I said, completely exasperated. Layla was annoying. She was one of the female wolf shifters that was constantly hanging on Rune’s arm. They dated on and off throughout middle and high school and she was a mean cheerleader through and through. Rune has always been interested in me and Layla hated that. She was jealous of me and Rune even though there was nothing between us and there never would be. She didn’t seem to understand that.

She scowled. “I want you to fucking go back to New York. I want you to stay the fuck away from Rune and Owen. You don’t belong here.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Owen’s my best friend.” I wasn’t even going to address the comment about Rune. She could have him for all I cared.

“Well he’s my boyfriend.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Owen told me that he dated Layla a few years after I left but it wasn’t anything serious and they didn’t date that long. “Ha! Good one Layla.”

She didn’t like my reaction and her face twisted in pure rage. Layla stalked toward me, bearing her teeth, and grabbed me by the collar of my blouse. I stared up into her once blue eyes that were now glowing yellow in her fury. Her red nails grew into longer claws as they grasped my blouse, tearing the collar to ribbons. Her nails left nasty imprints into my collarbone and neck. I cried out in pain as I felt her hot breath on her face. “Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From. Them.” She growled.

“Layla, let go.” I gasped and shut my eyes tight trying to block the look of frightening anger on her face. As she growled I tried to twist away. She could seriously hurt me. She was a shifter and I was not and if she wanted to kill me, there would be nothing stopping her.

“Open your eyes, coward!” My eyes snapped open and my breath caught in my throat. Layla grinned and began to squeeze my throat with her hands. I clawed at her hands and gasped for air as she cut off my oxygen. Her claws dug into my skin painfully as I gasped and writhed in her grasp. My eyes widened as I felt my feet leave the sidewalk. Layla lifted me in the air by my throat as I struggled to breath.

“Layla... please...” I could barely choke out words. I was going to die. Layla was going to strangle me here in the street and leave my lifeless body for Owen to find. A tear slid down my cheek as I thought of Owen. I never got the chance to tell him how I felt. How much I loved him.

“Not so tough now, are you bitch?” Layla spat. I shook my head and tried to apologize, or threaten her, or tell her to stop and tell her to leave me alone, but no such words came out. I was struggling to breath let alone speak. I continued to claw at her hands and struggle in her grasp. “Maybe I’ll get rid of you here and now and do us all a favor, hmm?”

Spots started to appear in my vision as my oxygen deprived brain attempted to get enough air. My lungs began to ache as I sucked in little breaths an my spotty vision faded in and out.

I should have listened to Owen and I was about to pay for my mistake.

I was going to die.

This was it.