Chapter 71

Chapter 71
Asher’s POV

Last night had been reckless. I was losing control of myself and it irritated me beyond my imagination. The evening played in my head. I had kissed Luna Melody.

I pranced like a hungry wolf in the room. My obsession with Layla had to end or it would eventually ruin me. But then…

I was very convinced that I was right last night. When I called her Layla and she looked back, it felt just right. Why was she at the temple alone at night too? Why was she bothered about the death of Layla?

The kiss had been short and wild. Just when I thought she had surrendered to me, she pushed me off, her eyes blaring hot with anger. Now, I’d made a fool of myself. And I hated being made a fool of.

I sent for Alpha Nathan.

He looked at me as though he could see right through me, but I knew he had no idea why he was seated in front of me before the break of dawn. I was troubled. Sleep had evaded me and I needed answers.

We spoke of politics first, the concerns about the southern territories and sightings of werewolf hunters. But we didn’t speak about the power dynamics at play. There had been cases of insubordination by his people and whispers of resistance. Even from his family. I didn’t need to speak about those. They required actions, and actions I would take.

‘’Tell me about your daughter,’’ I said suddenly, spinning my chair. ‘’Layla.’’

His gaze darkened and fell. I suppose he wanted me to talk about his daughter who had cried back to her mother’s chamber last night. 

‘’Layla?’’ he repeated.

‘’I don’t like to repeat myself, Alpha Nathan,’’ I responded, leaning back.

‘’I’m sorry, Lycan Asher. WHat do you need to know?’’

‘’Everything,’’ I replied, then leaned forward. ‘’What is one thing that can make you recognise her?’’

His face twisted in anger. ‘’Layla is dead. I was there when she stepped into the fire. I - I buried her ashes.’’

I shook my head, unconvinced. ‘’You haven’t answered my question, Alpha Nathan. And i’ve told you how much i hate repeating myself.’’

He remained silent for a while as though thinking of an answer. ‘’Layla had a scar on her chest,’’ he finally blurted out.

‘’A scar,’’ I continued.

‘’Yes.’’ he looked uncomfortable. ‘’When she was born, she was cursed that she would bring disaster upon the pack. The scar was a testament of that curse.’’

‘’Where’s this scar?’’ I asked.

His hand moved to a spot on his chest. ‘’In the centre of her chest, between her breasts.’’

I nodded slowly. I had not noticed the scar on Layla the night we had been intimate but then, it had been dark. The only way to prove that she was indeed Layla was to find a way to discover if she had that scar.

‘’She is not my daughterr, Lycan Asher. The Luna from Silvermoon pack bears some similrity to Layla but she isn’t her.’’

I waved him off. ‘’That’ll be all for now, Alpha Nathan. Please find your way out.’’

For the next ffew hours, thoughts of how i’d discover the mark occupied my mind until the door opened and Alpha damon stepped in. I could see the  expression of anger in his eyes. He had come searching for his Luna last night. Ihad watched them, and as though he kne i was lurking in the dark, he had charged towards me.

‘’Long night?’’ i asked, watching him. 

He started to say somethhing but decide otherwise. ‘’I barely slept.’’

‘’Ohh.. Why is that?’’ i asked.

He pulled a chair and sank in it. ‘’I saw something strange last night,’’ he replied, rubbing his forehead and his eyes.

‘’Something strange?’’

‘’Yes. At the temple.’’ he placed his hands on the desk and i recognised the brruises from the previous night.  ‘’I thought i saw someone there, but then eveything became foggy at a point.’’

‘’What do you mean by that, Damon?’’

‘’It felt like mind walking, he said, his eyes holding mine. 

I didn’t flinch. ‘’Mind walking?’’ i laughed. ‘’Come on. This isn’t some fairy tale island.’’

He heaved deeply. ‘’I con’t know how to explain it but i started seeing things, imagining things until i found myself back here.’’

I pushed my chair backward and stood up. ‘’There hasn’t been reports of mind walking in centuries, Damon. Are you sure you didn’t have too much wine?’’

‘’I don’t know. I’m so confused, but i was certain i saw someone last night,’’ he insisted.

I turned around to pull out a map and a smirk played on my lips. There were a couple of things my cousin didn’t know about me. I stretched the map in front of me and studied theh teraain. ‘’We are riding to the sothhern border today,’’ i said. ‘’The tales of panther shifters taking our territories are becoming unbearable.’’

I placed hte map on the table and traced myy fifnger over the track. ‘’If we leave this morning, we should arrive there just in time for the full moon.’’

He studied the terrain. ‘’Are you familiar withh the tearrian? It seems a bit rugged.’’

I rolled up the map. ‘’It’s nothing that we cannot handle. Get your men ready. We leave at sunrise.’’

He headed to the door then stopped just as he pulled hte handle. ‘’What do you think about renovating the temple?’’

‘’Why is that?’’

He shrugged. ‘’Luna Melody asked. She feels it would give the people a sense of meaning.’’

My chest tightened at the mention of her name. ‘’She asked for this?’’ i blurted out before i could stop myself. That was such an interesting request.

‘’Yes. Do you think you could do that?’’ he asked.

‘’’I’d give it a thought, Damon,’’ i said, tucking the map in my pocket. ‘’I’m just not sure what that would acheiive. Hope fuels rebellion, and the situation is kind of delicate right now,.’’
He nodded. ‘’’I looked for you last night and i couldn’t find you. Where were you?’’