Layla's Point of view
My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself enveloped gradually in a soft, ethereal glow. The air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers and the gentle hum of celestial music. I assumed I was dreaming, but the vividness of my surroundings made me question reality.
As I sat up, a figure emerged from the shimmering mist. The Moon Goddess, majestic and serene, stood before me, and my confusion deepened.
"Where am I?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
The Moon Goddess smiled, my luminescent skin radiating warmth.
"You are within my realm, child. Your soul's power and resonance brought you here."
" But... I fainted? I was with King David." My thoughts quickly swirled.
"Yes, your emotions for him overwhelmed you. The goddess nodded.
"Your soul power, though dormant, responded to the intensity of your feelings. It was too much for your mortal form to contain.", the Moon Goddess explained further.
My cheeks flushed. "My emotions? What do you mean?" I asked with my confused eyes.
"Your heart beats for King David, Layla. Your soul recognizes the depth of your connection. The power within you stirred, seeking expression, and your physical form couldn't sustain it." The Moon Goddess's gaze pierced my very essence.
My mind reeled. "But I'm not... I'm not in love with him," I protested, uncertainty creeping into my voice.
"Ah, child, your words belie the truth. Your soul knows. And now, so do you." The goddess's gentle laughter filled the space.
As the Moon Goddess's words faded, I realized the mystifying truth: my emotions had bridged the gap between reality and the mystical realm, awakening a power within me that I never knew existed.
As my eyelids parted gently open, I found myself in a cozy, candlelit chamber. King David's gentle face came into focus, his eyes watching me with concern.
"Layla, thank the gods you're awake; I was so worried about you," he whispered, his voice laced with relief.
I blink twice, memories flooding back with ease. The Moon Goddess's realm, my emotions, the overwhelming sensation.
"Where...?" My voice trailed off, my gaze drifting around the unfamiliar room.
King David's hand enveloped mine. "You're in my chambers, within the palace. You fainted while we were discussing in your room. I brought you here to ensure your safety."
My cheeks warmed. "I... I think I remember."
"You've been asleep for hours. I've been worried sick." David's thumb caressed my hand.
Our eyes met, and I noticed he had been calling me Layla and not Sheila like he used to call me. As I felt the same intense connection I'd experienced in the Moon Goddess's realm, my heart skipped a beat.
"How do you feel?" King David asked, his voice low and soothing.
"Confused... and... different." At first, I hesitated, unsure how to articulate my emotions.
King David's expression softened. "Different?"
I nodded. "As if something within me has shifted."
I can still feel the painful torture I went through with Alpha Karl and Camara in Craftanwood, and I've promised not to fall in love with anyone until I avenge my family.
"Why now?" I muttered to myself.
King David's gaze intensified. "Perhaps it has. Perhaps we've both been changed by our encounter."
Our hands remained entwined, the air thick with unspoken understanding.
"Layla, what happened in the royal house that made you disappear into thin air?" King David finally broke the silence.
I didn't know where to start from, but I guess I have to start somewhere.
My gaze drifted, my mind retracing the fragmented memories of that fateful night. The screams, the flames, the feeling of being torn apart by the only person I've learned to love so much, or the feeling of being betrayed by my own sister's grasp.
"David, I... I don't know how to explain, but I'll try," I whispered, my voice cracking.
King David's grip on my hand tightened. "You don't have to, Layla. Not if it's too painful."
But I needed to try. I needed to unburden the weight that had been suffocating me for a long time now.
"That night... when my family was taken from me, it was supposed to be the best night in my life, but it became bloody when I met Alpha Karl and Camara in bed together in awkward positions. Alpha Karl, who's to be my mate and father of my unborn child, struck me with his blade, which caused the life of my NINA." My voice was barely audible to complete the whole story as tears filled my eyes down to my cheek.
"I felt... something. A presence. A power. It was as if the universe itself was screaming in agony." I continued, then I remembered I shouldn't reveal the secret of my power to him until I'm sure he's my soul mate, so I stopped.
David's eyes locked onto mine, his expression compassionate.
"I saw things, David. I went through hell to be alive this day. I had help from Sheila, one of your maids, who, in exchange, told me you made an agreement with her, which she wasn't ready to comply with because of the love she has for Antonio, her fiancé. "I said to him, then my breath caught.
He quickly rushed to his center table and brought me a bottle of water. He opened the cover and gave it to me; my dry throat consumed the water very fast and left just a drop inside the empty bottle.
"Thank you." I appreciated him before I continued.
"David, it was too much for me to take; they ended my life. Too overwhelming. I couldn't contain it. And then... nothing. Blackness. Silence."
"Layla, whom do you think is responsible for what happened in that house that night?" The king's face reflected his concern.
"Maybe Alpha Karl, my uncle Alpha Malakai, and my sister Camara, but to be sincere, my king, I'm very certain they are not working alone; I don't know who they are, but I'm sure only one person cannot be so powerful as a werewolf to end the lives of the whole royal family in one night; they had help." Unsure how to articulate the inexplicable.
The room fell silent, the only sound being the soft crackling of the candles.
David's voice broke the stillness. "We'll find out every one of them together; you have my full support, Layla; I'll stand by you in every step you decide to take in order to get all these culprits; once you are better, we are moving to Craftanwood together as planned."
After a few seconds, King David's room echoed by the doorbell as it rang aloud. He stood up and walked towards the door.
"Who is it?" He asked in a low voice.
"It's Gavin Forestheart, your majesty; one Antonio is outside causing a lot of trouble in the hall, and we've tried to restrain him in a chair for you to see him."
Gavin Forestheart is a very strong Werewolf and loyal guard to King David; he had been working with his father since he was still a teenager, and he continued to serve King David just like he did for his father.
"Gavin, I'm coming right away." King David said, and hurried back to his cupboard to put on his attire.
While in bed, my brain reminisced about the name Antonio, Antonio the wolfless man from the Nightshade Mountains, the same man Sheila told me about with no
The power of a werewolf but a good heart like a god. .