Chapter 8 - Rayla
Rayla had no peace. After she saw the video the day before, she struggled to sleep. She’d tossed and turned on her bed all night long but sleep never came. Her mind had churned with questions while dread ate at her soul.
She hated to admit it but the video was real. The images in the video were clear. It couldn’t be denied. It couldn’t get leaked. The video’s existence was a harbinger of woe to the werewolves. If it leaked, not only her son would suffer for it, the whole werewolf society would.
Rayla blamed herself for this. It ailed her with guilt.
It was all her doing. If only she had taken Abel away from the human community earlier. If only she had done the right thing from the get-go. This vile person won’t have this video to use against her.
Xander.
Rayla remembered Xander’s wrath and panicked. His wrath was confidence-shattering. It could destroy a person physically and emotionally. They had bantered and argued but he was never wrathful with her.
She pictured his face if he found out about the video. His brows would be raised. His mouth would be locked in a deadly sneer. He’d blame her. He’d make her pay for it. Just like he should. She had put his people at risk. They could be hunted because of her selfish decision.
Gritty images of hunted werewolves played in her mind all night. Human cruelty ran deep for things that are different and can’t be comprehended. So, she knew what they’d do to the werewolves. They’d hunt, cage, torture, kill, and experiment on them. Shivers of fear ran down her spine at the thought of it.
Rayla knew self-torture. Yet, she repeatedly watched the video. She believed she’d find a clue if she kept at it. She was hanging by a tiny thread. Her sanity went overboard as she watched the video.
After the umpteenth time she’d watched it, she noticed something. The camera was angled to face her bedroom. At the beginning of the video, the view was focused on Rayla’s room but had a slight view of Abel’s room up on the next floor. It then moved to Abel and focused on him when he broke his window and landed on the floor the camera.
If she was right, the camera was meant for her. Not Abel.
This brought more questions to mind.
Who would want to video her room? Who was this vile person? What do they want?
It creeped her out. Someone was watching her. They might still be. They might have hidden in a strategic spot. Her stomach dropped.
The night she saw the video, she had gone around the house with a bat in her hand and shut all the windows and doors.
Her fear intensified when she remembered Abel sleeping in his room. Her mama bear instincts had kicked in. She’d gone to check on him, then made it part of her sleep-deprived night routine. All the times she went to check up on him, he had slept peacefully. His arms and legs were thrown all over his little bed. He snorted and talked in his sleep. He was a healthy teenage boy.
Abel had never fallen sick. He was strong and healthy. Rayla had always been grateful for this. Now, she had jeopardized that. She had carelessly put his well-being at risk.
With the beginning of a new day, Rayla’s terror had hit its peak. It was not safe for them to stay at the house anymore. They had to leave.
She had frantically packed bags for herself and Abel. She had no idea where they’d go to. But they were not going to spend another night in the house.
Fortunately for her, Xander had come to her aid. When he turned up at her doorstep, she sighed with relief. She had been headstrong about going to stay with Xander but the situation she was in changed things. When Abel had decided to go with Xander, she had agreed in a heartbeat.
It had shocked Xander. He couldn’t hide the look on his face. He must have expected her to fight back, but the fire in Rayla was extinguished. She would rather go with Xander than stay in that house. So she did.
On the drive to Xander’s house, she had been absorbed in her thoughts. Xander and Abel spoke, but she didn’t hear a word they said. Xander had called out to her on different occasions pointing to spots in the town as he drove. She had given monotonous replies.
Her eyes were bloodshot red from sleep deprivation. Eye bags hung stylishly under her eyes and her head throbbed. She tried to fake smiles. She didn’t want them to notice how unnerved she was, but she was doing a poor job.
Finally, they arrived at Xander’s house. It was built in a Mediterranean style. It was beautiful and matched his taste. However, Rayla couldn’t appreciate it at the moment because as soon as Xander was unpacking the car, Rayla’s phone rang. It was a strange number. Her heart sank. She suspected that it was the blackmailer. Dread and anger consumed her. However, she contained her emotions.
Rayla didn’t want Xander or Abel to suspect a thing. She made an excuse. Lied and said it was a work call. She stepped out of the car and walked around the house to the back to pick up the call.
“Hello?” she breathed.
She was answered with heavy breathing. The caller didn’t say a word for some time. Anxious, Rayla could swear it lasted forever.
“Rayla,” came a distorted voice.
They knew her name. How do they know her name?
Then it hit her. If they knew where she lived, they’d know her name. Again, fear stirred. Her hands shook. She willed herself to calm down.
The distorted voice had given them away as the blackmailer. Still, Rayla asked, “Who is this?” She made sure she didn’t sound weak.
“I am your friend and lover, Rayla,” they gleefully replied.
“No, you are not,” she protested.
“You always said no to me. When will you say yes to me, Rayla?” they whined.
A light bulb went off in Rayla’s head. Some puzzle pieces connected in her mind.
She remembered the man who had been trying to date her for years. He was new in town seven years ago. Since then, he had been on her case. Every year, she said ‘no’. He often whined and replied with the last statement the blackmailer said.
Also, he was the only man who would know where her room was. He had once barged his way into it. It was an unpleasant experience. She had sent him out of the house with threats to call the police.
“Ralph?” she whispered into her phone.
She confirmed it when they stopped breathing heavily. Then, the line went dead.
The bastard! He got caught and fled. Fear created space for anger. His intention at first was not to capture the video of Abel. He had come for her.
Motherfucker! He had been stalking her. How long had he been doing this?
Ralph had been persistent in his pursuit of her. She knew he had applied that persistence to his stalking. That explained how he had caught that moment.
Her head throbbed with her insistent thoughts and worry. She was overwhelmed by the rollercoaster of emotions. She wished she could tell someone about this. But she was on her own.
“Are you alright?” Xander’s voice shocked her.
She had not noticed when he came.
“No… Yes,” she replied, unnerved. She protectively pushed her phone into her pocket. Her hand shook.
Xander noticed this. “You seem shaken, Rayla,” he pointed out.
“I’m fine,” she brushed it off.
She was guilt-ridden. She couldn’t even look into his eyes.
A flash of concern graced Xander’s face. He didn’t believe she was fine. But he didn’t push. Instead, he asked, “What did your boss say?”
“Nothing,” she whispered.
He didn’t buy that. “Rayla, you shouldn’t lie to me.”
At that moment, she wished she could open up to him. But she couldn’t trust him with this. Of course, it directly affected him. Yet, if she involved him in it, she would suffer for it. He wouldn’t stand by her.
She’d handle it herself. It was just Ralph. Rayla couldn’t tell him the truth, so she had to get him off her case. She needed something to distract him from her current state.
“Umm… he couldn’t care less if I left. He never really liked me,” she announced
“Hmm,” Xander rubbed his chin. “Okay. Let’s go inside.”
He led her to where Abel stood waiting for them. They went inside. Xander politely showed them around the house. Abel was giddy with excitement. He ran from room to room with the widest smile on his face. When Xander had shown Abel his room, he had squealed happily. Rayla was glad one of them was enjoying the change.
Rayla watched absent-mindedly as Abel and Xander appreciated the room’s interior. She decided to give them time together. She went to get water from the fridge. Her head ached. She massaged her temples with her left hand while she drank from the bottle.
She was getting relaxed when her phone rang again. It was a strange number. The bastard called back.
She immediately picked it up. “What do you want?”
“Hmm. My Rayla,” came the reply. The fool still used the distorted voice.
“I know who you are. You can drop the act, Ralph.” She was irritated. He wasn’t the mystery he thought he was.
“You smart little fox,” he laughed. “I like my voice this way, thank you,” he finished.
Rayla was about to speak, but he beat her to it.
“You ought to be concerned about those cute videos I sent you,” he shot at her. “After all, we both know that they weren’t doctored.” His confidence grew as he spoke.
“Why were you at my house?” she fired. It was an irrelevant question compared to the gravity of the situation. But she needed to know.
“To see you, of course,” he quickly replied. His breath got heavy. “I love seeing you. I love you,” he proclaimed. “But you don’t love me,” he whined.
“You are crazy,” she spat at him. The man gave her the chills. He had always made her uncomfortable.
“Yes, Bitch. I’m crazy for you. That’s why I come out every night to watch you,” he sighed.
He had confirmed it. He watched her every day. She had lived her life without suspecting this. Fear had become Rayla’s close friend. She inhaled but remained quiet. Her mind was running again.
When he noticed that he had edged her into a corner, he continued, “To say I was shocked to see something else the last time I came to see you is an understatement,” he chuckled.
That jerked her out of her silence. “You didn’t see anything,” she shouted.
“But I did… didn’t I?” he teased. “And I recorded it. So, can we talk about that now?” he asked sweetly.
“There is nothing to talk about. The video is fake. You made it up,” she insisted.
“Rayla, Rayla, Rayla,” he called. “Let’s not play games… okay?”
“Your son is a beast, and I caught it on camera,” he pushed.
“It is fake, it is fake.” Rayla was frustrated and annoyed. She couldn’t help when she raised her voice. She quickly said a silent prayer that the guys didn’t hear her shout.
“If it’s fake, why are you worked up, Rayla?” he asked calmly.
She could hear the smirk in his voice. He had caught her. He had succeeded in riling her up.
“If people should see the video, do you think they’d think it’s doctored? Do you want to take the chance? Think about it,” he advised.
She panicked. People could not see that video. She didn’t want to risk this. Blackmailers aimed to manipulate and get things from people. She wondered if she could make him delete the videos.
Rayla had to change her approach. She bit her lips. “Please, can you delete the video?” she begged.
He laughed. “This is blackmail. I hope you remember. I won’t just let you off the hook ‘cause you asked me to.”
“Please,” she begged again. Her voice broke. She was desperate at this point.
“No. It feels good saying that. I see why you threw it in my face all these years.” he cackled.
“What do you want?” she asked. She had gotten tired of the game.
“Hmm. A lot of things, Rayla. But what can you give me?” he asked.
Rayla’s mind ran around. She couldn’t figure out what he wanted.
What type of blackmailer doesn’t state his terms? How would she know what he wanted?”
She was beyond frustrated. She wanted to beg him some more, but he beat her to it again. He had a knack for interrupting her before she spoke.
“When you know what I want, you call me. You have my number now,” he said. The line went dead immediately.
The bastard! She was so mad. Who did he think he was? He won’t get away with this. She didn’t know how, but she vowed to make him pay.
She remembered what was at stake. She became pensive. There had to be a way around it. She vowed to find it.
Rayla needed sleep. She didn’t know where her room was so she went up to Abel’s new room. Xander and Abel seemed deep in conversation. When she stepped into the room, they went quiet.
She had been so preoccupied with her issue she had paid little attention to her son. Abel was mad about that. Xander seemed to notice the tension. He excused them and told her to call out to him when she was done with Abel. He would show her to her room then.
When he walked out, she turned to Abel. “How are you doing, Son?” she asked sweetly.
Abel looked her over and turned his face away. “What’s going on, Mom?” he asked. “You have been unsettled and cold all morning.”
“Nothing is happening,” she bristled.
“You are lying,” he voiced. “Well, if you don’t want to share, I’d rather focus on my phone.” He picked up his phone.
Rayla was dismissed. She wanted to scream at him, but it would do no good. She walked out of his room with a heavy heart.
By evening, her nerves were calm. She had managed to sleep for a few hours in her new room. When she woke up, she stood on the balcony contemplating her life.
Her life has become a rollercoaster of awful events. She wished she could just end it all. She had fallen into depressing thoughts. She was in too deep.
She didn’t notice when Xander came to stand next to her. He touched her lightly on her shoulder.