Under the Devil's Claws

Chapter 7

LAYLA:

Immediately after Caleb helps me to my bed right inside my chamber, I ask him, “So him being the son of the alpha means he has to be so arrogant?”

Caleb shakes his head. “Don’t you think you are overreacting, Layla? For heaven’s sake, that man you’re calling arrogant actually saved your life and you should be thankful instead of making rude remarks about him,”

“He saved my life, yes. But it doesn’t justify his attitude,”

“Okay, tell me what he said to you or just maybe what he did that makes him arrogant,”

I waste no time in listing the major factor that led to my affirmation of the man’s arrogance. “He was about to ridicule me because of my identity as a human. I’m sure you heard him say that.”

“I only heard him ask what a human is doing on werewolf territory. Any curious wolfling like him would do the same thing he did. It’s not like he’s the first to ever question you about such,”

“You didn’t realize that he was saucy when he threw the question at me?” Seeing that I might not be successful in convincing Caleb about my dislike for the man, I come up with that defense. Even I know that it is not valid enough.

“And you don’t think you are simply jumping to conclusions?” Caleb has his brows raised at me as he asks that.

“I will call it facts and not me jumping to conclusions. I strongly believe that my theory about his arrogance is pure.”

With that, I look away from him to focus on something else because it is obvious now that there is no way we can reach a consensus about the issue.

“I think you are only reacting this way because you like him,”

I snap my head back in Caleb’s direction soon after those words reach my ears. My eyes are wide in surprise as I stare at him because I never expected to hear him say that.

“What the hell, Caleb! Why would you think I would like a total stranger?”

“Because he’s good-looking?” he puts it to me in a sarcastic tone that has me cringing.

“And so what? Not like he’s the first good-looking man on earth,”

“You see. You just admitted to his good looks. I’m sure you do like him. Just admit it to me. No one will ever find out that you said so.”

‘Be calm,’ I tell myself inwardly. ‘Don’t let him get to you. Now take a deep breath and kick his ass out of here.’

I follow the instructions I make in my head and then finalize by saying, “Get out of my room.”

Caleb looks at me with a look of confusion plastered on his expression. “Why? What did I do?”

“You’ve got some nerves asking me what you did. Aren’t you the same man that was teasing me a while ago about liking someone that I seem to hate his guts?”

“Wait, you’re taking the piss already?”

“Nope,” I decline and then shake my head. “But I just want you out of here because you are annoying the hell out of me. Besides I’ve got to rest my body. The pain from the attack is still telling on me. I’m definitely not like your kind that heals super fast,”

Caleb nods once and then turns around to start leaving the room while I watch him. But as soon as he gets to the door, he spins around and asks, “You really want me to go?”

“Do I look like I do not mean it?” my expression remains neutral as I ask.

He bows his head in disappointment and then finally turns around to exit the room completely, leaving me all alone in the room.

Immediately after the door is shut behind him, a smile makes its way to my lips as I stifle a giggle. I had managed to hold the laughter in while he was here because I didn’t want him to think I was unserious about the decision to want him to leave. Glad I managed to keep it serious all through.

I manage to push my body completely on the bed and without turning, use my hands to adjust the pillows that will enable me to rest upwards. Once I felt it was okay, I push my back slowly on the pillows, feeling a bit of pain in the process. I stay in that position for a long time, pondering mostly on how those wolves had managed to penetrate the same Dark Crescent pack that Caleb assured me was secure.

*****

DEREK:

As I sit alone, right in the exact position that I have been since the girl was taken away from here by her supposed best friend, the only thought that goes through my head is about her.

I have been trying to analyze how she was able to get into werewolf territory being the human that she is as well as trying to understand why she had something or someone on her tail.

What could she have done? Did she commit an offense? And most importantly, how did those wolves find their way into our territory?

They were not rogues. I deciphered from their scents that they were normal wolves like the rest of us. But they were not from here. That means they had penetrated our territory with ease. And I wonder how they had been able to do that. I need to dig into how they had successfully done such.

Thinking back about the girl who had such a big attitude for a weak human was amusing. I mean, she looked like she wanted to stand up to me immediately after I made the point about her human identity. Wonder why she would be triggered about something that she is.

It would be interesting to know everything about her. Because she sure does look like someone who’s got a story to tell. One thing I know now is that is not going to be any easy to be friends with her or something because she seems to have a problem with me already.

“Just come in,” I say to the man who is about to knock on the already opened door. I am not looking in that direction but I can see clearly who it is.

The man that makes his way into the room is the supposed best friend of the girl. I say supposed because I have not entirely confirmed their relationship. He could be using the title as a cover-up which is why I will not regard it yet.

“What brings you here?” I have to ask when the man keeps standing there but doesn’t say anything yet.

“I told you I was going to come back to explain what you asked me about,”

“I see,” I say but still choose not to look at the man. Maybe it's because I do not really intend to have company at the moment or it is because I still have the thought of the girl in my head.

“Should I begin?” the man asks.

I sigh a bit. As I stated before, it would be interesting to learn a lot about the human girl who found herself in my territory. But I do not really wish to know anything yet at the same time which might sound complicated.

“What did you call your friend’s name again?” for the first time, I am looking directly at the man. And I can see that he is standing humbly with his hands behind his back. Seems he might have a lot of respect or is he just doing it because he is regarding my identity. I wish he would not be doing it because of the latter.

“Layla,” he says. “Her name’s Layla,”

“Layla,” I call the name in a tone close to a whisper. It was a kind of a unique name because I don’t recall ever hearing it from somewhere else. Perhaps I have never bothered to notice it at all but I would still regard it as unique.

“Yes, sir.”

I give the friend a sort of knowing look after hearing him address me as ‘sir’. If only he knows how much I hate the courtesy title.

“You know what’s going to happen, huhn? Don’t bother telling me anything about it,” I tell him, already preparing to look away from him.

“Do you mind if I ask why?”

My focus is now on the bed. I can still picture the girl lying on it while she slept. It brings a smile to my face. An unconscious smile I must say.

The friend must be looking at me like I am some type of weirdo. But he would not understand that I see the girl as a challenge. A challenge that even though isn’t significant, is something that I would like to get myself into. Call it a sweet challenge.

“Because I’m going to be getting the story from Layla herself. I’m sure it’s going to be fun.”