Chapter 18
Layla’s p.o.v
I wake up to the sun shining in my eyes.
Didn’t anyone close the curtains?
I open my eyes, and blink a couple of times, looking around.
Asher’s room.
Asher laying down next to me, his eyes closed. His heads, resting on my stomach, and he’s sleeping in a weird way.
His legs are off the bed, dangling down, and his head is on me. The duvet, on the floor, next to his feet.
He kicks, in his sleep?
“Asher.” I whisper and he tightens his arm around me.
“Asher, wake up” I nudge him slowly
“Sweetheart, I’m asleep” he groans, turning around, and closing his eyes.
“No you’re not. You just answered me. Asher I need to go to the bathroom” I say and he nods, smiling up at me.
“Are you okay?” I ask
“Better now. I missed you sweetheart” I blush.
“I missed you too. What happened yesterday?” I ask as he sits up properly, picking up the duvet, with his feet, and throwing it back on the bed.
“Emily said that if you fell asleep, the memory would haunt you, and you would have nightmares. But you didn’t, because I was next to you” I nod as he smiles at me. Does he know?
He’s smiling more often. That’s a good thing.
“Vincent and Hailey are going to go back, for their kids” I nod
It’s a good thing. The twins should look at least a month or 2 now. Werewolf babies grow fast.
“But they’ll be back. Vincent wants to stay with you” he mumbles
“Oh”
Vincent blames himself for what happened to me. And he knows that I will need him.
Holden.
“Where’s Holden?” I ask, jumping off the bed, and standing up
“He’s in the kitchen” I nod running downstairs. He’ll be heartbroken since yesterday.
I walk into the kitchen to see him drinking water.
“Layla..” he whispers the bottle falling on the floor. It was empty.
“Holden, I’m sor-” he shakes his head running towards me.
He pulls me up, hugging me tightly
“I love you. I love you so much” he whispers and I freeze.
He loves me? But I love Asher. I think I do. I missed him more than I missed Holden. But I still missed him.
I wrap my arms around him and sigh. This feels so good. But Asher feels right.
“I love you. A lot. I want to mark you” I freeze for the second time, in a space of 5 minutes.
He sets me down, and cups my face, looking at me.
“Can I mark you, Layla. I need to. My wolf will go crazy. It wants control, and I can’t give it to him. You said you liked me, and we moved into a house together. It must mean something. Unless--- unless you’re leading me o-” I shake my head.
I feel guilty. I’ve fucked up.
I thought that I can have both of them, that they both can make me happy. But no. I have to choose one.
Holden, or Asher.
Holden, loves me. I can see it in his eyes. But there’s hurt. He thinks that I’m leading him on. Am I?
Asher. He doesn’t love me. He likes me. But I see the way he looks at me. Sometimes its changes, but it’s still there. He doesn’t want to accept it. Love.
But Holden already loves me. Asher might never love me. I finally have love in my life. And I know it’s real. I can see it in his eyes.
“Hol-”
“Layla” Emily walks into the kitchen.
I turn around and look at her. She’s staring at Holden.
“Holden, why are you avoiding my eyes?” She asks crossing her arms.
“I--I’m ashamed about yesterday. Sorry about that” he says and I smile.
He’s so cute.
“It’s okay. I just came to talk to Layla, can you give us a minute?” He nods looking at me.
“I’ll be waiting for you Layla.” He kisses my forehead, and walks out of the room.
“I think you suit Asher more. He’s better for you. Holden gives me a bad feeling. When you were kidnapped, he was standing in the corner, but Asher. He was going crazy” she smiles, shaking her head slightly.
Asher going crazy? For me?
“Which one do you choose, Layla? You can only be with one of them. Because once you reject one, they’ll find their other mate” Oh
“But Asher isn’t my mate. Only Holden is” I say and she looks at me confused
“Don’t you feel the sparks with Asher? Hasn’t he told you that you are his mate? Why can’t you feel them? That’s a little stupid” she mumbles
Asher’s my mate?
The sparks, the way he looks at me. Everything. It’s true. But he said I can never be his mate.
“Do you feel the sparks?” Emily asks and I nod
“Then why would you say you don’t?” She asks
“Because Asher, said that I could never be his mate. I felt the sparks, when he accepted me into the pack” she nods
“It’s because he was accepting you as the luna of this pack”
“But he said, it happens when everyone gets accepted into the pack” she nods
“Answer one question for me, layla. Asher or Holden?” I sigh.
“Think about it. Vincent will be coming soon, with Hailey. I need to see Alec. Tyler’s coming back with them.” I nod as she walks out of the room, and Asher walks in.
I stare at him. Why would he lie to me? Unless he didn’t want me.
“What’s wrong sweetheart?” He asks,wrapping his arms around my waist, and pulling me closer.
I feel them. But I thought maybe I was imagining it.
You can’t imagine them always, right? I thought that maybe, they were after effects from Holden.
“Sweetheart, you’re scaring me?” Asher says and I look up at him.
“You’re my mate” I don’t ask the question. I know, and I’m hundred percent sure now, because he freezes.
He moves back and closes his eyes.
“What am I doing?” he whispers to himself.
“Asher, answer me. Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you deny it when I asked you?” I say and he looks up at me glaring.
But I have a feeling it’s forced.
“I don’t want you. I never did. You were so stupid to think that I’ll ever want you. Do you know why I was with you?-” he growls before closing his eyes.
“To have sex with you” he walks out of the kitchen.
What. No.
I follow him. He walks upstairs to his room.
“Asher, you don’t mean that. You said you like me” I say, turning him around so he’s looking at me
“I only said that so I could fuck you. Come on sweetheart” he chuckles, smirking.
“No. Asher, I could see it. In your eyes. You like me, I know you do” I smile at him, slightly.
He wouldn’t do this to me. Not now.
“Sweetheart, listen to yourself. You sound desperate. This isn’t going to work. Go run back to Holden.” He crosses his arms.
“But I choose you” I whisper under my breath.
I notice him shaking his head, closing his eyes, a slight smile on his face. He gulps, his adam apple, bobbing in his throat.
Then he’s back. Back to himself. He glares at me, with hate. Like I did something terrible.
“Get out. Get out of here. Out!” He shouts, grabbing my hand, and pushing me out of the room.
“Asher, I choo-” he doesn’t let me finish, slamming the door on my face.
I see his shadow, under the door. He’s not moving.
“Asher, I love you” I whisper, knowing he can hear me.
But he doesn’t answer.
He doesn’t love me.