12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

L ayla ignored the pain in her chest as she watched Jackson walk away.

He had been like that every morning, the only time she saw him. Since he had taken her for that walk, he had kept his distance as he had said he would.

She'd never been more miserable in her life.

She had never needed or relied on a man since her mother had left and her dad had started neglecting them, so she couldn't understand why she felt so attached to Jackson in the first place. Why would she be miserable just because she hadn't spoken to him in weeks?

But on top of that, a big ball of anger was sitting on her chest, waiting for him to come close enough so she could unleash it.

How could he just walk away after what had happened on that walk? He had seen that red wolf; she knew he had. He'd looked right at it, and when he had talked about taking her back to her cell, he'd angered the wolf and stepped back from it.

He had also probably seen it the first time, which explained his strange behaviour. He'd let her believe she was losing her mind instead of reassuring her that there was indeed a big red wolf in the forest. She had seen that wolf since she was a little girl, and it had talked to her. And now it was real? A werewolf?

But that wolf seemed to have disappeared. It had been there one second and gone the next, as it had done plenty of times in the past. So how could it be real?

Jackson had the answers, but he was keeping away. Bastard.

She sighed and started following the children to the field on the other side of the house. Everyone was still unhappy after the attack, so there hadn't been much training since they had returned to their homes. Hardly anyone came to the packhouse anymore; she knew it was because she was still there. But that meant she could go outside whenever she requested, which was often. Jackson hadn't stuck to his one-hour-a-day outside rule.

When she went around the corner of the house, she stopped when she saw Dylan fast asleep on the grass with his arm covering his eyes from the sun and his ankles crossed. He was lightly snoring, and she wondered if his tiredness had to do with the fact that he'd been finding time to visit her every day, even if it was late at night. Ironically, he had been the only friendly face she had seen for a while.

"Dylan?"

He shot to his feet as if she had shouted his name and then wiped the drool from the side of his mouth. With all his anger and coldness gone, he didn't look much older than she was. Though he was tall and all muscle, he was a little goofy. Not as serious as Jackson was. She couldn't see how they had been best friends to start with.

"I wasn't asleep; I was just resting my eyes," Dylan said.

She laughed as she approached him. It had been a while since she had done that; it felt strange, especially considering there was nothing to even smile about since she had arrived.

"You said you'd be very busy today."

"I am," Dylan said, sweeping his arm over the field. "Very, very busy, as you can see."

She giggled at his irritated expression and then started walking. She knew it wasn't funny. Dylan had been complaining that no one had been coming in to train, even though that was a godsend to her. It had taken her a couple of days to learn to focus her hearing, but it required a lot of effort. It was better for her that only a few people were in this large space.

"Looks like you have me for at least the whole morning. What are we doing today?" Dylan asked.

"For someone who was told to stay away from me, you're taking a huge risk," she teased.

"I'm pretty sure he knows where I am," Dylan shrugged. "And he's seen me carrying all that shit to your room but he hasn't said anything yet."

Dylan had transformed her bare cell into a comfortable space. It was small but still better than the cramped trailer home she had left behind. She had a new bed with a comfortable mattress and a television on her wall. He had even brought rugs and other accessories to brighten up the room and a shelf full of books. The only thing he couldn't change was the lack of windows, but she spent more time outside than in that room anyway.

Still, she hated to think that Jackson would hurt him over that.

"Just be careful. He's still very angry with us."

"I know," Dylan sighed. "Anyway, do you want to train? You might as well since no one has turned up."

Dylan knew the reason she was there. Did that mean he hadn't sensed she was pregnant like Jackson had? How much more superior were Jackson's senses for him to know something like that?

"I don't know if I can."

She was only twenty-one. Figuring out what was safe to do while she was pregnant wasn't something she had ever looked at before. And she was pretty sure Jackson would have something to say about her exerting herself. The baby was the only reason he'd kept her around.

"I won't hurt you. I have a theory I want to test out," Dylan said.

"What theory?"

"Nothing really," Dylan answered, but she could sense the lie. "I just want to see how skilled you are."

"I really don't know if I can," she answered, putting her hand over her stomach. It was still flat, but it felt firmer these days.

Dylan's eyes followed her movements and then widened.

"You're—"

"Shh."

If Jackson hadn't told anyone, she wasn't going to advertise it. Besides, she hoped to stay in her little bubble for a while longer. Thinking about the baby meant thinking about the day she had to abandon him, and she wasn't ready to do that.

"You know," Dylan started with a big smile on his face, "I always thought Jackson would end up with a bitchy, entitled ma... uh, girlfriend. Now that I've gotten to know you a little, I'm glad it's you."

"Miss Layla."

She turned around at the sound of Micah's voice.

"I have to take you back to your room to pack. You're going away for a few days."

If anything was bound to lift her spirits, it was hearing those words. She didn't even ask Micah where she was going as she started to follow him out of the field. Her head was already full of all the possibilities as she waved at Dylan and the children.

Had Jackson finally seen sense and realised he couldn't keep her confined any longer? It didn't matter. She wanted a break from everything. From all the hate and stress and whispered words. She wanted to be somewhere she could be herself.

When Micah put her bag into the back of the car and opened the back door for her, she realised Jackson was in the car, too. They would be in the same space for the first time since the red wolf incident. Though her heart beat hard and her body tingled, she met his icy gaze head-on.

She would finally get the answers she had been looking for.

But before she could open her mouth, two men entered the car, one in the driver's seat and the other in the passenger seat. Since she wasn't supposed to know about werewolves, she knew Jackson had done that intentionally.

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything important," Jackson drawled.

Was he jealous? His tone suggested he was but she didn't question it. It wouldn't make a difference anyway.

"Where are we going?"

"To see your sister," Jackson answered. "I promised I'd take you, and unlike you, I keep my word."

That was even better than she had expected. Brit's calls and texts sounded suspicious of all the lies she had told her, and nothing but a visit in person would appease her. And in the hotel, Jackson couldn't escape from her. He would have to tell her the truth, one way or another.