24. Tayla

Chapter twenty-four

Tayla

I stumbled out of the grand hall, my mind reeling.

Asher had killed a witch. Just because she loved him.

The revelation churned my stomach. Esther's visions flashed before my eyes, refusing to fade.

Her words echoed in my head. Maybe she wasn't the villain I'd thought. Maybe her anger was justified.

Guilt clawed at my chest. Had I misjudged everything?

My heart raced. I grabbed a pillar for support, world spinning.

What kind of man was Asher, really?

And what did that make me for loving him?

I could feel my heart thumping so fast that I held onto the nearby pillar for support.

I slowly turned my head back to the hall, my eyes burning with tears. I shook my head angrily as I tried to calm myself down, but my emotions were getting the better of me. I took a long, deep breath and continued to walk.

How could Asher do such a thing and hide it away from me? How could I have fallen in love with a man like him?

As I walked through the main gates of the hall, the memories of the time we spent together flooded in. But it was not the happy moments when we made love with each other that I remembered; it was the threats he made to me and the ones he warned me about.

He had threatened to lock me in the tower and trap me in a life I didn't want with him after hearing this story. I remember the coldness in his eyes when he had threatened to find me anywhere I may go if I had fled. What is that love or something else?

I now know that this man was capable of killing anyone just to be with me. I remembered the lonely feeling when I was trapped in the tower. What if he planned on locking me up there forever?

Aurelia was dead now, and I had no one to help me escape. The thought of being subjected to Asher for the rest of my life made me so sad that I could feel my heart-shattering. I thought that he had changed and that I could finally love him again. But now I realized those words he said to me back there in the hall were just to fool me and trap me again. Being with him on his side would never make me feel free.

As I walked, I could feel the tears pouring down from my eyes. I tried to hold it back and overcome the tears, but I couldn't stop them. The pain I was feeling was just too raw, and it felt like I was being stabbed in the back repeatedly.

My mind drifted back to Esther and the look of hatred she gave to me when I rejected her offer. It was then I realized that she was right. I was too blind to acknowledge the truth about Asher. I was caught up in my feelings and hopes that he was saving his people and slowly changing.

The world around me began to turn upside down and blur before my eyes. But then, a glimpse of hope slowly shone within me. I realized that even without Aurelia, I would be able to escape from this pack and unite with my father.

I took a deep breath and suppressed the tears.

“Tayla!” I heard my name being called, and when I turned around, I saw Asher staring at me with anger etched on his face. His brows furrowed, and his lips twisted into a deep frown.

“Where do you think you are going?” He growled, his eyes blazing with anger.

“I am getting away from you!” I wiped the tears from my eyes.

But he began walking towards me, and I shivered, trying to get away from here, but my feet felt stuck to the ground.

“You can never escape from me, Tayla, because I would not rest until I found you,” he said. “With time, you will forgive me…and perhaps the people will forgive me too.”

I took a step backward away from him, but he grabbed my wrist. I tried to take my hand back but he pulled me closer to him so that we were inches apart. I could feel his warm breath falling on my face as he glared down at me.

“We are bonded, Tayla,” he said. “You cannot leave me. You will forgive me for this.”

I was too angry to even listen to his words. I closed my eyes, focusing on my energy from my wolf form. I could feel the familiar sensation of my body slowly transforming, but I did not transform myself fully.

As I grew more powerful, my nails turned into long, sharp claws, and I broke free from Asher's grip.

He stumbled backward, taken aback by my sudden transformation—he didn't think I would stand up to challenge him. I took the opportunity and turned around and ran away from him. I moved as fast as my wolf legs could carry me, not daring to look back.

Asher followed me; I could hear his loud feet thumping on the ground as he ran behind me.

But despite all my efforts, Asher was just too strong and fast. He caught up to me, his hands wrapping around my wolf body. I snarled, struggling to break free from his hold, but he tightened his grip. He forced my wolf to retreat back inside, and I was left standing before him in my human body…exhausted again.

Abruptly, I tried to yank back, but I was surprised by the strength he had. Without my wolf form, I was no match for Asher. I could feel his muscular chest from behind. I frowned, biting my bottom lip in frustration as I tried to pull myself from him again, but all my attempts were futile.

“Stop struggling,” he said.

“Let go of me now,” I demanded, the frown on my face deepening. “You are hurting me.”

“You are being dramatic, Tayla,” he countered. “You know you cannot leave.”

“Dramatic?” I scoffed. “You control every one of my moves and won’t let me leave your sight. I'm not even your real wife, yet you are treating me as such!”

“You may not be my wife yet, but we are mates,” he growled. “I have been nothing but kind to you since you started living in the tower. I treat you like a princess, washing you from head to toe. I had my gentle moments before then, too…”

“Gentle?” I laughed bitterly. “You call locking me in a tower and depriving me of going out gentle? And you call this gentle also? Holding me captive like a prisoner...”

“I washed you from head to toe and made sure you never lacked for anything…” he trailed off. “I’m trying, Tayla.”

“And that gives you the right to control me?” I spat, feeling my blood boil with anger. “I do not belong to you, Asher!”

With a fierce cry, I kicked him in his member, and he released me. I didn't bother to look back as I began to run deep into the forest.

The deserted forest was filled with the sound of crickets and twigs snapping under my feet. The ground was wet and muddy from the heavy rain the previous day. Unfamiliar with this place, I sniffed the air, trying to get my bearings. I could hear the loud sound of Asher's footsteps behind me, and my heart raced with anger.

Instead of worrying about Asher himself, I put all my focus on escaping from him. The farther I ran away from him, the closer my freedom from him would be.

As I ran, the sound of my footsteps echoed through the forest, and I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins. But then, I stepped on a smaller rock and fell onto the ground, hurting my foot. Damn.

I gasped for air, feeling intense pain, and tried to catch my breath as the sound of Asher's footsteps grew closer. I knew this would be the end for me if I didn't get up and keep running. I would be stuck here forever. I tried to push myself up from the ground, but the pain in my foot was excruciating. The rock had been sharp.

Just as all hope seemed lost, someone started dragging me. When I opened my eyes, I saw Nora. She brought her finger to her lips, silencing me.

"I came to help you escape from here," she whispered. "But first, we need to hide your scent."

She dipped her hand into the bag she was carrying on her shoulder and brought out a thread lace. She chanted something under her breath before bringing it around my neck and tying it.

"Now your scent is hidden from him," she said. Part of me felt relieved at that…and part of me felt sad about it.

"What's the plan?" I asked, still trying to catch my breath and wincing in pain.

"You can't escape just yet," Nora replied.

"Asher is going to find you…but not here. He will find you back safely in your chambers in the tower,” Nora said. “What you need to do is pretend everything is fine for now," she continued. "I will tell you what to do next when we arrive. I have a plan."