16. Tayla

Chapter sixteen

Tayla

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping by the window. I threw the covers off to get myself ready for the day. I felt dizzy and a little off as I walked toward the bathroom and washed and dressed.

Stepping out, I stood in front of the mirror to admire the velvet green gown and knit shawl. Before going downstairs, I looked out the window at the mountains that surrounded the castle. They were so beautiful, and yet that evil house was out there. Downstairs, I met Aurelia in the kitchen, taking out baked bread from the oven.

"Careful," I cautioned as I approached her. She turned around and greeted me with a smile.

"Good morning," she said.

"Morning. How was your night?" I inquired.

"Good," she nodded. “I hope yours was good as well.”

I had been worried earlier that something bad might happen during the night. Yet, for some reason, I had slept strangely well.

As she sliced the bread on the tray, a longing feeling swept over me. But what was this feeling?

Closing my eyes for a moment, I took a deep breath, and a flash of memory surfaced in my mind.

"Papa, you're going to burn your hands," I heard a little girl's voice, no more than six years old, chastising her father, who was holding bread without gloves.

The man laughed sweetly before kneeling down and pinching the tip of her nose. "Who told you Papa is going to burn his hand?" he asked, and they both began to laugh.

I felt my heart hurt as the memory played before me. I remembered this man…he was my father. My father. Was my memory returning?

"Are you alright?" I heard Aurelia's light voice, and when I opened my eyes, I turned to her. “Your face looks pale," she frowned slightly.

"I am fine..." I managed to utter before staggering backward, overwhelmed with dizziness.

Collapsing to the ground, a rush of memories flooded over me, from leaving my childhood home to joining the Celoria pack to the dance where I performed before other Alphas and the moment I drugged Asher's tea and fled. I relived the frantic return to the Silvermoon pack and how Asher tracked me down and captured me.

Vivid recollections flooded my mind: waking up in the carriage cart, confronting Asher, and experiencing my first transformation. An excruciating headache pounded through my skull, and I squeezed my eyes shut as the memories continued to surge forth like a torrent of water.

Feeling two hands on my head, I flinched before slowly opening my eyes. Images of Asher kidnapping me and forcing me to live with him until I lost my memory flashed through my mind. How could he?

I felt my hands trembling as my body was slowly consumed with rage.

"Tayla?" she called out, looking at me with knotted brows. "You don't look alright."

"He lied," I muttered, feeling utterly lost.

"What? Who lied? Who are you referring to?" she asked.

"He lied to me," I repeated. "He told me we've been married for a year now. He made me believe everything he said, and I fell in love with him.”

A small tear escaped from my eyes.

She frowned slightly. "Are you referring to Asher?"

I slowly nodded my head. "We were never married, were we?" Did she know the truth?

"Stand up. We should talk about this in the dining room," she suggested, extending her hand to me. I took her hand, slowly rising from the ground, and followed her to the dining room. Asher hadn't arrived yet.

"Explain to me, Tayla," Aurelia said as she sat down beside me.

"I remember everything now," I said. "I was once a ballerina living in Silvermoon. To pay off my father's debt, I traveled all the way from Silvermoon to the Celoria pack to dance for the show, where all the Alphas would be present."

"And then what happened?" she asked, eager to know more.

"Asher insisted that I dance for him—he had bid on me. Desperate to avoid him, I ran away," I explained, leaving out the part where I drugged his drink.

"I fled, but he caught me and forced me to live in this castle. That's how I lost my memory…he lied to me about everything," I continued, shaking my head in disbelief. "He lied to me, telling me we've been married for a year. He made me believe him…I fell in love with him."

"I thought you both were married. If I knew none of it was real, I would have confronted him," Aurelia said, her voice filled with regret.

"Why did he lie to me, though?" I questioned, feeling a mix of hurt and confusion. "He could at least have told me the truth."

My mind drifted back to the time I woke up in the room, feeling utterly lost and confused about myself. I didn't remember anything—not even my own self. He had walked into the room and flat-out lied to me. I felt so betrayed.

He had manipulated me into thinking I was paranoid. He made me believe I had a condition and that I was always wrong. He convinced me into thinking that I needed to always trust him without questioning his decisions.

And the herbal tea he was always giving me to drink! That tea was drugged, wasn’t it? Asher must have put something in it because the next day, I never felt like myself…I felt lost.

"I will talk to Asher. I will ask him why he lied to you," Aurelia offered.

"No," I shook my head. "I will ask him myself. He owes me the truth." I felt determined to confront him myself.

"If there's anything you want me to do, I'm here to help. You don't deserve what Asher did to you," Aurelia said earnestly.

Just then, the maids brought in a full English breakfast and arranged the dishes on the table. I stared at the food but didn't have the appetite to eat.

"We should eat," Aurelia suggested. “You need your strength if you are to confront him.”

Standing up from the table, I frowned. "I don't have an appetite. I'll be in my room," I said, turning around and leaving.

As I walked upstairs to my room, thoughts of everything that had transpired resurfaced in my mind, and my anger simmered hotly.

I walked to Asher’s chambers and knocked on the door, but there was no response. Pushing the door open, I walked inside to see two maids cleaning.

“Where is he? Where is Asher?” I asked.

“He left this morning for the courthouse,” one of the maids answered.

“He will be back by evening, though, Miss.”

I turned and left and headed down to the depths of the castle, where Nora was still locked away in the dungeon. As I approached the cell where Nora was imprisoned, a swarm of emotions washed over me. Memories that had been buried resurfaced in my mind. I remembered everything now – how Asher had tied me up initially on the carriage ride over here, the incident when he shot an arrow above my head, scaring me.

I felt overwhelmed by my emotions. Asher had been manipulative and a narcissist. Did he ever really love me?

"Ms. Tayla," Nora exclaimed, hurrying to the bars of the dark cell and gripping them. “I knew you would come for me,” she smiled.

"Nora," I said, approaching the cell. "I remember everything now. All of my memories have returned to me. Asher isn’t the man I thought he was…”

Relief washed over her face. "I'm glad your memories are back now. You deserve so much better than the cruel things he has done to you and others.”

I nodded. It was time for me to make things right for myself and to break free from Asher. I have had enough of the lying I had suffered from him.

As I opened my mouth to instruct the guard to order her release, a sudden thought drifted into my mind, causing me to pause. Frowning slightly, I turned to Nora.

“Why?” I asked, my voice tinged with frustration. “Why didn't you tell me the truth about Asher? Why didn't you tell me that I wasn't married to him and that he had been lying to me all this time? Why didn't you tell me I was never in love with him and that he kidnapped me? Why didn't you warn me about the herbal tea that night? You knew…didn’t you?”

Nora's expression softened, and she opened her mouth to speak.

“Ms. Tayla I… I never actually told you that you were married to him,” she said in a whisper. “I just made you believe everything was true to protect myself from being killed. I didn't want to die, so I went along with it. He had threatened all of us if we were ever to tell the truth. He didn’t give us, or me, a choice!”

I felt my heart sink into my stomach at her words. I had been deceived and manipulated all along by the people I had trusted. I felt my blood boil with anger, not just for Asher but also for Nora.

“Why?” I asked, my face etched with betrayal. “Why did you lie to me? Why did you let me believe Asher was my husband? I thought we were friends…”

Nora's face fell to the ground. “I…. I'm so sorry, Ms. Tayla. I was scared. Just scared. But now that you remember…”

Before she could finish her sentence, I walked away, leaving her alone in the filthy cell.

“Ms. Tayla!” she screamed, banging on the bars, but I didn't look back. I felt betrayed by everyone. Would I ever be able to trust them again?

I went upstairs to my room and locked the door.

As I sat down on the edge of the bed, a rush of emotions swirled through me. My eyes landed on the jug containing the herbal tea. With hot rage, I grabbed it, slamming it against the wall to see it shatter.

Why? He made me believe that I was crazy. I trailed my fingers to the mark on my neck, and my anger intensified. How would I be able to come out of this?

I was carrying his mark! I wouldn't be able to start afresh because I was bonded to him for life. A part of me still rejoiced in the fact that I couldn't get rid of it.

As my fingers traced across the mark, I remembered the night of the full moon celebration and how we had danced together and left the hall far away from the sight of the people. I had shifted to my human form in front of him and hadn't shied away. I felt comfortable around him.

His touch had ignited a fire that consumed me from the inside out. He had kissed me relentlessly, and I was the one who told him to mark me.

If only I had known the truth. When he knew I was already in love with him, why didn't he tell me everything? Why did he wait for me to find out for myself?

If he had told me the truth, I wouldn't have been this angry. But he kept that from me. What other things was he hiding from me? Would I be able to trust this man? I couldn’t…I wouldn’t!

He had told me that he would never hurt me. But then he did hurt me when he put a collar around my neck to stop my transformation…and kidnapped me against my will…and forced me to live with him.

I took a deep breath. Deciding to cool my head down, I lay down to rest.

Hearing the sound of gates opening, I opened my eyes and hurried to the window to see the carriage moving in. He was here!

I quickly stepped out of my room and went downstairs to confront him at the entrance of the carriage. When he saw the look on my face, he knew everything would never be the same.