I didn't want the shower to end, but like they say, every good thing comes to an end.
I stepped out of the bathroom to see Emily standing by, and looking out the window with a sheepish smile on her face.
A contrary expression to my annoyed state.
"You leave an happy person to themselves and only expect weird things" I said, my voice barely above a whisper, as I took off the towel and got ready to dress up
She turned to me seconds later and with that smirk on her face, I could've bet she heard me.
The problem with happy people is that, even when you're pained, they would still be smiling.
Like she was right then.
"You're free with your body, I like that." she said as I was about to start applying lotion on my body and I looked up to see her stupid smile
"You are always happy, I don't like that." I said and to my shock, she started laughing
A stupid hysterical laugh that was so contagious that I smiled despite my annoyance.
"Oh moon" she said between laughs and I wondered what that was supposed to mean
"I make you happy, you can't deny that." she said after she was finally able to calm herself.
With the way she laughed, one would've though I cracked a very funny joke, which I didn't.
As far as I knew, I only gave sarcastic replies to her silly comments.
"You are a nut case, you know that, right?" I said as I combed my hair dry and all she did was smile at me, the stupid smile that complements the glint in her green eyes.
After I was done prepping myself, I looked into the bag she brought and picked the first dress I saw, a short blue gown with embroidered flower patterns adorning it's length.
It looked like it would fit me perfectly and it did. It was tight to the waist and free for the rest of it's length.
"Beautiful" she said, still with her smile "I love how the color complements your eyes."
I smile in return
It was indeed beautiful.
"I had tried guessing your height and I couldn't. I could tell you are taller than I am though, so I brought my longest gowns" she said with a grin and I stopped mid action, my hand in my hair as I was about to tie my hair into a lazy bun.
"This is the longest gown you have," I said, emphasizing on 'this', while pointing to the gown.
A gown that barely made it halfway through my thighs
"No, this is the shortest of the longest." she stated and I shook my head in disbelief. Calling a short gown long was way past my mental capacity
"The black is the longest." she said as she fished out a shining black gown from the bag, and that also didn't look long enough.
Not that I didn't like short gowns, what shocked me was that she considered them long.
And as if she could sense my judgement, she spoke up
"You can't blame me for loving short gowns, they make me look tall." she whined and that cracked me up.
I smiled as she returned the gown to the bag
"Of course they do." I murmured
"Don't worry you'll go shopping soon." she said when I finished dressing up and applying her perfume.
A cinnamon woodsy scent that eased my tension almost immediately.
She took the bag away from the bed, emptied the content inside the closet and then proceeded to lay down on the bed.
She patted the space beside her, motioning to me to take up the space
And as I did, I realized what she had said.
"Or go back home,"
I had thought about my situation in the bathroom and I summed that I wasn't in danger
It was the only reason I could give as to why Damien would send Emily to help me instead of a man.
He wanted me to feel at ease and Emily helped with just that.
But that doesn't mean it helped me not want to go home.
"You know you can't go back, right?" she said and I sat up to face her
"Why can't I? It doesn't make sense. I don't understand why I can't go to my apartment. This is more of a hostage situation than you people realize"
"I'm sorry you feel that way Layla, but you are no hostage, never was and never will be. You are the Alpha's mate and you can't leave the pack perimeters unwatched, untrusted." she started and before I could speak up, she spoke up
"And with the fear I sensed in you when I came inside, any sane person could tell that if you were allowed to leave, you would immediately go back to wherever you came from."
That is the truth. The plan.
"Werewolves or not, mate or not, I swear if I'm allowed to leave, I will leave and never look back. I will never utter a word about this to anyone, ever." I said, hoping she would hear the truth in my voice and allow me to leave, even if it meant she would sneak me out.
I had thought about the fact that they are werewolves and I had somehow come to the terms that two people couldn't be lying about the same thing and acting almost the same way.
But I couldn't bring myself to believe them.
She then sat up, held my hands and looked me in the eye, making me stare at her dark green orbs which had swirls of gold in them.
And for the first time since I saw her, she wasn't smiling and her eyes conveyed so much seriousness.
"Layla, I really understand where you're coming from, your plight and confusion, but you have to accept one truth, our truth. We are werewolves, and we are as real as the Sun. This means, as much as we are wolves, we are human."
"We are a big pack of werewolves, Layla, one of the many packs in the world, and you're the soulmate to one of the greatest Alphas on earth." she said all while looking straight into my eyes
In a way, I was intimidated, but all she had said registered in my brain, and the truth became clear to me.
As absurd as it sounded, they are real.
Werewolves are real.
"You are our Alpha's soulmate, joined by the Moon Goddess and tied by bond. You know that. You've known it since you set your eyes on him, and that, you must accept. It is the starting point to you understanding why you can't leave."
What she said felt like an explanation to the attraction I felt to Damien.
In it's own way, it explained why I felt the way I did. Strangely but continuously, I was affected by the presence of that particular man and it was all a force from a goddess they serve.
A goddess I knew nothing about.
"Accepting all these could be hard for the human mind but you have to accept the fact that you have a part to play in our lives. It is why the goddess joined you together." she said in a way that made me realize it was the hard truth and I had to accept it with all of me.
"But why me?" was all I could mutter, my voice barely above a whisper.
Realization deadening my spirit
I accepted their truth, my reality.
An old folklore is real, and their goddess chose me to be the soulmate to their leader.
But why did it have to be me? It could have been anyone else, why me?
"If I tell you I understand why the Moon Goddess chose you for our Alpha, I'd be lying" she stated and I looked away, tears fighting for way once again and I hated it, I hated how it made me look and feel weak.
"Nobody does. An Alpha like ours he deserves the strongest female that has ever existed, it's all we've ever prayed for, and anyone with eyes can outrightly tell that person is not you." she said and her word stung me
I wondered if it was because of my tears or my fear
"I'm not talking of a strong human, I'm talking of a strong werewolf and you are not one, not even the slightest bit close to one, to the Luna we've always prayed for." she said as if she read my mind but her word didn't heal the wound that was opened.
"In a way, you're not even a Luna" she said, humor lacing her voice and it sounded like a healing rush to the harsh words she had unknowingly thrown my way, but that was the end of it, some seconds of humor.
"We've always expected a Luna like an Alpha, a fierce and feisty Luna and all that is absent in you, instead you're human, a liability, a weakness to our pack."
At that moment, I wished I could be what they've always wanted, even better, but I wasn't, and I knew it, and despite not wanting the burden that came with being with their Alpha, it still hurts that I seemed weak to them.
"I wouldn't be surprised if the elders persuade the Alpha to break his mate bond with you, I bet he's even thought of that," she said in a faraway voice, one that told me she was thinking out loud
"What is mate bond?" I asked
"If put plainly, it's a force of attraction between people, but it's more than that. It's like a rope that ties and connect two wolves together forever." she replied with a smile, the type of smile one gives when they remember something beautiful
"So it's breakable?" I asked despite all the other questions I had
"Yes it is, but it's risky" she said but the only thing I heard was yes.
Whatever dark magic binding us together can be broken
"If it's breakable then he should do it, now." I said, hope surging in me at the thought of being free from the chaos that came from my drunken mistake
I meant to keep my promise. I wouldn't utter a word to anyone, I would go on with my life as if I never stumbled upon paranormal beings.
"When I said risky, what did you think I meant? Or didn't you hear that part?" she said with a frown
"Freedom is worth any risk, Emily." I said, still not bothered by her shift in mood
"Worth risking your life? In a situation where you have less than ten percent survival rate?"
Her words killed my hope with the same speed they built it
Death. She meant death
"What?" was all I could bring myself to ask
The seriousness and the edge in her voice as she said those words conveyed how deadly the risk was, more than the words themselves.
"For mate bond breaking between wolves, it could cost the life of one of them, and most of the time, it's the weakest wolf that dies, and if none of them die, they will both be filled with so much grief, that they could end up taking their lives."
Every word felt like a splash of cold stony water on my face
"Werewolves lose their wolves together with their bond, Layla, it's why they are categorized as empty shells once the bond is broken. You are human, not even as strong as the weakest wolves, do you think you will survive it?" she said and I knew my truth even though I was not allowed to say it.
I can't survive it.
Their goddess is a powerful woman who gave only two options, you live or you die.
There is no escaping the dark magic.
"Do you even think our Alpha would be able to function like he used? Even if you're human, as long as you're his second half, he can't live without you, so tell me, do you still think bond breaking is an option?" she questioned
"But you said your elders would persuade him to break the mate bond." I said deflecting from her question.
"They would try, surely, but I'm sure the Alpha won't risk your life, not when his wolf is still in him." she said before releasing me from her gaze and laying on her back
"His wolf?" I questioned, not liking that his wolf would be the one fighting for my life and not him.
"I've done enough explanation and enough talking today to last me the week. I'm tired. Wait for your mate and ask him the rest."
She did sound exhausted but I was wondering if her position is healthy for a pregnant woman
"But you started it, you should finish it" I said smiling before laying beside her
"Honestly, I only bothered explaining because if I were in your shoes, I'd want to understand my situation too, and I'm sure the Alpha wouldn't know how to make you understand, he's lacks the patience and word play."
I appreciated that. It warmed my heart to know that she thought of me like that, placed herself in my shoes and acted like she would want anyone to do for her.
"How well do you know him? Damien." I thought out loud
"We've been friends since I came to this pack" she replied
"And when was that?" I asked but she stood up abruptly, touched her stomach and my first thought was that her babies kicked
Even though her belly wasn't big enough for such reactions.
"That's story for another day miss, it's already 5:46 pm, and I'm hungry. Aren't you?" she said looking at her wristwatch
"5:46!" I exclaimed, I didn't know the day was coming to an end.
Not that I could've known. The blinds were drawn and the room was lightened enough to keep me in the dark.
But I wondered how I went without eating a whole day, especially when I drank the night before.
"I would love to eat something," I replied as my hunger came alive at the thought of food.
"Good. Wait here while I go get us something to eat." she said before picking up the bag she brought and walked out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Instead of trying to come to terms or even thinking back to our conversation, my thoughts strayed to Damien and I wished he would be the next person to walk into the room.