Chapter 46 Who’s Layla
I took in a deep breath and looked away when I realized I had been staring too much. By the time I lifted my head again, Aiden had already disappeared into the woods.
I sighed and continued down the street, forcing myself not to think about him. Besides, he wasn’t my mate. And even if he was, I didn’t think I was ready to hear the reason he had a one night stand with me and abandoned me for months without even trying to look for me.
But he wasn’t.
I pushed open the door to Cora’s house and walked in, dropping my bag on the table before sinking into the couch. I rested my head on the armrest, my thoughts drifting back to Layla. I wished things hadn’t turned out the way they did. I wished everything didn’t feel so broken.
The thought refused to leave my mind, and I reached for my phone to call Cora. It rang several times with no answer. That wasn’t like her. Cora always picked up on the first ring. A tight feeling settled in my chest as worry crept in.
I stared at the time on my phone. It was almost eight in the evening. Alpha Warren’s company closed by six.
“So what’s keeping her?” I muttered.
“Maybe she’s with her mate,” I said quietly, trying to calm myself when I realized I was starting to worry too much.
I was about to dial Collen’s number when I heard the front door creak open. A second later, Cora walked in.
“Cora, what happened?” I called out as I stood up. “I was worried sick about you. Did something happen at work?”
She didn’t answer. She walked straight into the living room and sat on the couch, burying her face in her palms. My heart skipped. This wasn’t Cora. Even on her worst days, she tried to smile.
“Cora,” I said softly as I moved closer. “Did Layla say something to you?”
Her body was shaking, like she had seen something terrible. My curiosity turned into fear.
She lifted her head when I placed a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes were red, her face pale. “Diana… your stepsister is terrible. I thought it was just about her liking Alpha Warren, but she…” Her voice broke, as if the words were choking her.
“What did she do this time?” I asked, my heart pounding hard in my chest.
She shook her head slowly, tears spilling from her eyes. That was when I knew it was worse than I imagined.
“Diana,” she whispered, “Layla killed her mate.”
The words hit me like a blow to the chest. A sharp pain spread through me as I jumped to my feet. “You mean… she killed Mark?”
Cora shook her head again, her lips trembling.
“I didn’t even know he was Mark, but I heard him calling her his mate,” she said between sobs.
I froze. “What?” My voice came out thin. “Cora, what are you saying?”
“I swear, Diana,” she cried. “I didn’t know she could do that, Layla is heartless.”
My legs gave out, and I dropped back onto the couch. My eyes burned as tears filled them. My ears rang as if the world had gone silent. I felt shocked to the bone.
Cora wiped her face and continued, her voice shaking. “I was about to deliver the report for the day to Jane. I wasn’t trying to listen, but I heard voices near the stairs.”
She sniffled hard. “Mark was there with Layla. He was asking her what she had done to hurt him. He said she had broken their mate bond, said she was cruel. He threatened to tell Alpha Warren everything.”
My chest tightened.
“She didn’t deny it,” Cora said. “She laughed. She was mean, Diana. Mark kept begging her to explain, and they were standing too close to the edge of the stairs.”
Cora covered her mouth as she cried harder. “Before I could even react… she pushed him.”
My breath caught.
“He fell,” she whispered. “He hit the ground and didn’t move. I thought he was just unconscious. I wanted to scream, but my body wouldn’t move.”
My hands shook as I gripped the couch.
“She went down the stairs slowly,” Cora continued. “She looked around, then knelt beside him. I thought she was going to help him.” Cora shook her head violently. “But she snapped his neck, Diana. Just like that.”
A sob tore out of my throat.
“She dragged his body to the back of the building,” Cora said. “Then she put him in the boot of her car and drove away like nothing happened.”
I broke down.
“No…” I cried, covering my face. “Mark is dead? This can’t be true.”
Images of Mark filled my mind. His gentle smile. The way he always checked on us. How he promised to protect Layla and me. How he said we were family now. He was always worried about us, always kind.
“He was a good person,” I cried. “He didn’t deserve this.”
Cora kept crying beside me while I sat there, completely dumbfounded. Everything that had been happening suddenly felt too much. Anger burned in my chest, mixing with pain and sadness.
“This is the height of everything,” I whispered. “This has gone too far.”
Cora sniffled and wiped her nose. “Diana… I’m going to tell Alpha Warren.”
My head snapped up. “No—”
A knock on the door cut me off.
Both of us froze.
I turned to Cora. “Were you expecting anyone?”
She shook her head slowly, still sniffling.
My heart began to race. A part of me thought it was Layla. Maybe she followed Cora home. Maybe she knew Cora saw her.
“I’ll check,” I said quietly.
I walked toward the door, my wolf stirring uneasily under my skin. I took a deep breath and pulled it open.
Alpha Warren stood there.
My eyes widened in shock, my breath catching in my throat as our gazes met.
“Diana,” he said, his voice low and heavy. “We need to talk.”