12. Tayla

Chapter twelve

Tayla

My memories filled my head blocking out all the pleasure I was experiencing. Panic surged within me, and I grabbed the pillow and slammed it against him. I pushed him hard and scrambled out of the bed.

“Stop Asher!” I yelled, my eyes burning with tears. “This doesn't feel right. I…I can't do this anymore.”

His expression turned confused and angry. He took one step closer, but I quickly backed away.

“I don’t understand why you are doing this to me,” he said with authority in his voice.

I shook my head, feeling the tears roll down my cheek.

“I can't continue with this,” I quickly turned around, grabbing a robe and wrapping it around myself before leaving the room.

As I sat down on the edge of my bed back in my room, soaking myself with my tears, my hands trembled as I tried to make sense of everything that had just happened.

I could still feel his rough hands on my skin, leaving red marks on my arms. His touch was demanding and pleasurable, but something was off.

The memory that I saw in his room…what was I running from? And why did the thought of it fill me with dread? In the memory, I looked extremely scared as I ran into the castle. I was running from something that brought fear to me. What was it?

With a heavy sigh, I pushed my knees to my chest and buried my face in my knees. I knew that I needed answers. I could not just continue to live in my own shadows.

I loved the connection Asher and I shared…the intensity. But his temper left me feeling confused, and the strange dreams or visions made everything seem dark and strange somehow. How could I maintain my relationship with Asher while figuring out what my mind was trying to tell me?

I needed a day away from him. Perhaps we would both view things differently with a little time apart, that is. I fell asleep in my own bed and dreamt restless dreams.

The next morning, when I woke up, I found Nora in my room putting out the candles.

“You are awake,” she said with a small smile.

“Prepare my bath for me, would you?” I asked. “And a good gown I can wear for an outing.”

“So early? Where are you going?” she asked.

“To be with the people.” I turned my head to the side. “I need a day away from Asher.”

“Okay,” she nodded and left the room.

After I took my bath and ate breakfast in my room, I went downstairs to the carriage and the coachman drove me down to the gathering at the site of the lost children.

I met a lot of people that morning, and unlike yesterday, their expressions were very bright, and my heart warmed.

Just then, I caught sight of a young girl wandering too far from the people. Who was that child? And why wasn't anyone holding her? I quickly walked toward the child, calling out for her to stop, but she continued walking without looking back. Why?

I frowned slightly as I continued to follow her until I was just a few inches behind the child, and I grabbed her little shoulder.

“Where are you wondering to?” I asked the little girl, who looked like she was about six or seven years old.

“I'm looking for my Mama,” the girl replied.

“Your mama?” I asked. “Where did she go?”

“She left this morning to fetch water from the river and hasn't returned yet,” she replied.

"Come here. We're going to make an announcement to search for your Mama, alright?" I asked.

She nodded her head in agreement.

I gently took her wrist and began to turn around so we could head back. It was then that I realized we had strayed too far from the gathering and were now standing in a dense forest. I looked around and couldn’t recall which way we had come from.

Fear gripped me at the thought of the missing children, and I pulled the young girl closer to me. A sense of uneasiness settled within me like fog. My heart ached with the possibility that she could be kidnapped at any moment, so I held her tightly as we continued to walk in what I hoped was the right direction.

Hearing the sound of leaves rustling and footsteps, I felt my pulse quicken with dread. Someone or something was out here with us. I turned backward and glanced around for any signs of danger, but the place was eerily quiet.

I quickened my pace, urging the little girl to keep up as we hurried away. When I heard the footsteps becoming loud behind me, I felt panic blast my heart.

I turned around once more, feeling my breath caught short in my throat as I searched the forest for the source of the sound. But to my surprise, there was no one there.

Maybe it was the wind that was tricking my mind. But then, I felt that something was not right. When I turned around, I saw that the child was gone. Oh my God. I felt my heart skip a beat as I looked around, searching for the girl.

Where did she go? How did she manage to vanish from my hold just like that?

“Hey!” I screamed, hoping I would hear her response back.

Tears filled my eyes as I looked for her. She couldn’t have gone far, could she? I began walking straight, following the path inside the forest while calling out for her. But there was no response except the echo of my voice. It was then I realized that the child had been kidnapped just like other kids….

I felt my heart sink down to my stomach, and I looked around in horror. I was lost in the middle of the forest! How was I supposed to find my way back? I started walking down a straight path, hoping it would take me back to the gathering.

I looked up at the sky to see it slowly becoming dark. It would rain soon, and I was still lost in the forest. Worse, the child that had made me wander far was nowhere in sight right now. I couldn’t believe I had lost her.

My heart pounded with fear, not knowing what to do. I heard the sound of thunder strike, and the rain began to pour down, turning the ground to mud.

I felt a shiver run down my back. The white gown I was wearing clung to my body.

I called out for help, my voice lost in the howling wind that blew against me. Just when I thought I could not go further, I caught sight of a faint burning lamp light.

I felt relief seeing that I had found help, and I hurried toward the burning lamp. And then, I saw Asher standing tall and commanding with a group of guards by his side.

Relief flooded me, and I stumbled towards him, my strength failing as I collapsed into his arms.

Asher was quick to catch me, his arms enveloping me in a tight hug. As I remained still in his arms while sniffing his warm and comforting scent, I felt myself slip into an exhausted sleep.

When I opened my eyes slowly, I blinked a few times before looking around to see that I was in Asher's room. I began to cough and heard the door open as Asher walked in. I pushed myself up and looked longingly at him.

“You’re awake, thank goodness, ” he said, sitting down next to me on the bed.

Remembering what happened, I opened my mouth to speak.

“Thank you for saving me,” I said, and then a thought struck in my head.

“What about the child? Did you save the little girl?” I asked.

“What child?” He frowned deeply. “But how could you be so careless? Do you have any idea of how worried I was when I found out you were missing?” he asked.

My anger flared up—he was blaming me for it! “I went into the forest because I found a child wandering off. I couldn't just leave her there. I had to help, Asher.”

His expression became cold, and I could feel the angry aura from him biting into my skin.

“You should have let the child go,” he snapped. “We don't have time to waste on careless children who wander into danger.”

My hands turned into tight fists as I fought to remain calm. “How can you speak like that?” I cried out, my voice filled with anger. “Children are going missing and dying, yet you do nothing to stop it. You don't care about the people! What’s wrong with you?”

“Why should I care about foolish children who bring dangers upon themselves? They deserve whatever befalls them!” he spat.

I felt my heart sink down to my stomach as I stared at him. How could I have allowed myself to have fallen in love with this man? A man who showed disregard for his own people in their time of need.

With a heavy heart, I stood up from the bed, went back to my chambers, and locked the door. I knew that I couldn't just stand by idly and wait for Asher to change before I did something about the situation of the pack. I had to help the families. I had to find those missing children.