Chapter 10 - Rayla
Her eyelids fluttered, and Rayla woke up with a sense of satisfaction flooding her body. She was tired and exhausted from the activity of the night before, yet fulfilled. It had been so long since she had such good sex.
He was still as good as she remembered with his lips and his cock.
Rayla felt a tingle in her folds and a sensation in her nipples just from thinking about the things he did to her last night. She shut her eyes momentarily, allowing herself to relive the moment.
A smile brightened up her face like the rays from the rising sun that draped the room, filtering through the windows.
Last night was unbelievable. Rayla didn't realize how much she had been starving until he touched her, until she felt his lips on hers, his finger between her legs. She had wanted to resist him, but every organ in her body was yearning for him.
She had tried to avoid the intimacy, to prevent it from happening, and that was the reason she indulged him on the balcony, asking him questions and getting him to talk instead of staring at her.
Obviously, that didn't work because even while he was explaining stuff to her, she couldn't help the urge to stare longingly at him. Rayla had fought to stay composed and not show her vulnerability, but the more she fought, the more difficult it became to win.
She was really craving him, and a part of her had wanted him to make the first move, to hold her, to kiss her. That was how bad it was.
Rayla was relieved when he finally read her body language and gave in to the temptation. The events of last night reminded her of the good times that they used to have before the big scandal that robbed them both of their love.
She turned and looked at his handsome face while he still slept peacefully. In that posture, she saw the striking resemblance with Abel; it was like looking at a grown version of her son.
Rayla's heart was delighted with a grin spreading across her face as she envisioned a future where all three of them were a happy family.
She blinked rapidly, and her jaw dropped in awe as her eyes caught his early morning erection pushing up from within the sheets. It was a sight she had always loved to behold.
Her mind drifted back to the events that unfolded the night before as she basked in the feeling of what his cock had done to her, how deep he had traveled inside her. She remembered his tongue on her entrance, licking up her juice.
He had taken his time to feast on her, just the way she liked it. He paid attention to her needs and the tiniest of details in every part of her body. His tongue went to places that no human tongue could naturally reach.
Xander was really good at pleasuring her. She had missed it, she had missed him. She had missed their conversations, especially because he was blessed with so much intelligence. He wasn't one to talk much; however, whenever he did, she always learned something new. He was older and wiser, gentle and calm, yet fierce when necessary.
He had told her that he hadn't been with another woman since she left, and now she was left to wonder if he was telling the truth. Xander was a lot of things, but a liar wasn't one of them, and this was a quality she had always admired about him.
That risen cock was really distracting her thoughts and making her hot on the inside. She started to feel horny, wet, but she was going to control herself. She couldn't afford to jump on that enticing organ and ride it to ecstasy like she did last night, despite how badly she wanted to do just that. It was still too soon to be so comfortable with him lest she appeared desperate.
She inhaled deeply, drawing in the scent of flowers from the garden outside, and then she exhaled slowly. She repeated the process; in through her nose, out through her mouth. A couple of seconds later, she was okay, better and less horny.
Rayla shifted her attention from his cock and focused on his face, watching him sleep like a child. In that moment, coupled with the realization she had last night, Rayla came to terms with one simple fact: she was still in love with him and wanted him back in her life. She didn't want to lose him again. It hurt the last time they were apart, and she couldn't go through that pain again.
But what was the guarantee that this—whatever it was, would eventually grow into something worth holding on to? Since he was still alpha of his pack and still took counsel and guidance from the same Elders that caused their drift in the first place, would they not still oppose this reunion? What if they decided to take the child and discard her because of some ancient tradition that didn’t allow the union of his pack with a human?
Oh, they'd be starting a war, and I won't go down without a fight.
She knew she was overthinking the situation, but she couldn't leave any stone unturned. She had to think about every possible outcome and figure out a strategy to handle it. If she was going to stay here for the time being, then she would have to be smart, think fast, and be at least one step ahead.
While she was still in thought, Rayla heard him groan slightly, adjusting in bed as he turned to face her. He sighed softly and wiped his eyes with his fingers, a bit shocked that she was watching him sleep.
“Good morning,” his voice, bold and thick, resonated through his esophagus.
She smiled, finding his baritone rather hot and sexy.
“Good morning,” Rayla replied, her eyes crinkling at the corners with a mirth.
For the next few seconds, they were silent, both staring at each other without a word. A feeling of embarrassment immediately washed over Rayla's face for no particular reason… or was it because of the way he was looking at her?
It was an awkward moment, and they could feel the weird energy radiating around them. Rayla's heart skipped a beat and she shifted her gaze from him, feeling uncomfortable.
“We should…” he said
“Yeah…” she cut him off immediately, knowing exactly what he was proposing.
They got out of bed and she quietly picked up her clothes littered on the floor. Rayla put her panties on and slipped into her bra. She struggled for a second with the hook but finally got it.
Xander put his shirt on and took some time to button it up. He walked over to a chair, sat down and, after getting his shoes on, he got up and stood in front of her.
Rayla had fully gotten dressed and was sitting on the edge of the bed, piling her hair on her head when she saw it. She almost chuckled, but the atmosphere wasn't liberal enough for that.
“Your uh…” she said to him, unsure of how to put it.
Xander squinted at her.
“Your fly is down,” Rayla blurted out.
“My what…?”
She subtly pointed at his zipper, and he traced her gaze.
“Oh. Shit!” he muttered to himself and quickly pulled up the zipper. “Thank you.”
She gave a faint grin, and that silence returned again until he broke it by clearing his throat.
“I need to go to Abel, hope you don't mind.”
It felt good that he was trying to be close to his son even though deep down she had wanted some more time with him. But she wasn't going to be the barrier between their bonding time.
“Sure,” she replied.
“Okay,” he sighed, a hand scratching the back of his head. “I want to show him around, teach him about the pack, you know… maybe even introduce him to my friends.” His speech was filled with pride.
“Yeah, you do that.” Rayla nodded, trying to look away, turning her gaze to anything else in the room but him.
“Will you be okay by yourself?” he asked.
That's sweet .
She rose to her feet. “I'll be fine. But thanks for the concern.”
His lips quirked into a smirk.
“I'll just be in my room.” She headed toward the door.
Xander was in her path, and as he tried to move away, she attempted the same, but he ended up being in her path again.
“Sorry,” they both said in unison.
She moved away and he simultaneously did the same, forcing them back to the same situation.
They chuckled nervously as Xander stepped aside and helped open the door for her.
“Thank you,” she replied. He responded with a welcoming silence.
Rayla left the room, and as she walked down the hallway, she could feel his stare on her back. She got to her room, opened the door, and walked inside.
Leaning against the door, she let out a heavy sigh, confused about the whole thing. She walked over to the bed, massaging her eyeballs as her mind raced like a speeding vehicle.
Rayla tossed herself on the bed in a state of discombobulation. She was confused because she knew that she was still madly in love with Xander. But Rayla was afraid of her past hurt.
She wasn't sure about anything right now. Even though the sex last night was great, it wasn't enough to erase all that time she suffered, the hell she went through because of him.
She buried her face in a pillow for a moment as her mind flashed back to the day she met him—or rather, the night she met him.
That night, she was out in the woods despite the horrible stories about the beasts and demons that lurked in the darkness of the forest.
Going for walks in the midst of nature was something she loved doing—it was a way of clearing her mind whenever she felt stifled.
She was eighteen at the time and was battling with how she wanted to do more than take over the chicken farm like her parents wanted her to. Rayla wanted to leave her small town, to see the world and explore it. There was more to life than her parents’ chicken farm.
That night, while clearing her head, she had wandered onto an unfamiliar path, and she didn't realize that she was lost until it started to get dark.
She still couldn't seem to find her way back, so she walked the forest, thinking this was the end for her and wondering if things could get any worse when she tripped and fell down a gentle slope. Rayla tumbled all the way down, and before she could get a grip, a log rolled down the same slope, traveling swiftly toward her. Her eyes widened and, with a gasp of fear, she rolled away, but she wasn't fast enough. The log trapped her foot, settling on it.
In pain, she shrieked, her voice echoing through the forest. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she thought that her scream might draw the attention of the demons and shadow monsters the townspeople always talked about.
She tried to pull her leg from underneath the log, but it was stuck, and the more she pulled, the more it hurt, so she stopped trying.
As she lay there, helpless on the ground, Rayla was tempted to scream for help but she was too scared. It was ironic that she was afraid tonight when she never used to pay attention to the fairytale that her friends and parents so strongly believed in. If everything she'd heard about the woods was true, then she was obviously doomed.
Several thoughts overlapped themselves in her head about how she would be feasted upon and she soon started to shed tears.
As she thought that all hope was lost, she heard the sound of a loud thunder clash after a dangerous flash of lightning streaked through the night sky.
“No, no, no…” she pleaded with the thick clouds above.
That instant, the sky started to weep, drenching her to the skin as she struggled against the log. Her white dress was now muddy from the splatter of rain that had soaked the dirt beneath.
She was shivering at the cold and her lips were trembling. She was helpless and was wondering if this was how she would die.
A few minutes later, the bush around her rustled, inflicting her with fear as she thought it was a predator watching her from the darkness.
She returned to her struggle with the log, but once again, her attempts were futile.
The sound of the rustling was growing louder. Whatever was within the bushes was getting closer.
“Oh, God! No,” she whimpered, refusing to give up on her trapped foot.
The rustling of leaves ceased as did her breath. She swallowed, bracing herself for whatever would reveal itself.
“Who's there?” It took all the strength in her to speak up.
As she saw a figure stepping out of the shadows, she immediately looked away.
“Please, don't hurt me… please.”
“Hurt you?” A sexy baritone voice spoke.
Rayla turned to see the speaker, and her jaw dropped. She saw his face in a flash of lightning that lasted a couple seconds, long enough for her to catch a glimpse of his handsomeness. He was gorgeous with a sexy body.
The strange shirtless man walked up to her and effortlessly yanked the log like it weighed nothing. She caught herself staring at his muscles in a flash of another lightning streak. He tossed the log away and bent over to take a look at her ankle as she groaned slightly at the pain.
“Looks like you dislocated your ankle,” he said to her.
“Yeah, I think I did.”
He took the ankle and observed it for a moment.
“This is going to hurt,” he declared softly.
“What is…?” She was still talking when she heard the sound of her bone snapping in place. The pain traveled to her brain, and she screamed.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “But I had to do that. You're fine now.”
She was really angry, but the pain died down very quickly. As she tried to flex her ankle, she realized that it was actually fixed.
“Thank you,” she said with a grateful heart.
He nodded and asked where her village was. Rayla told him, and he led the way.
“Do you often get lost in the woods?” he asked while in motion.
“No… this is the first time. Although I love the woods.”
“You love the woods?” He turned to her, amazed. “Watch your step.” He pulled away from a hole in the ground.
Gratitude flickered in her gaze at his swift action.
“I've heard stories about the woods, but that never really stopped me from coming,” she replied. “Is it true that there are monsters here?”
“Depends on what you think a monster looks like,” he answered. “But don't worry. You're safe with me.”
His words were so reassuring that she completely let her guard down.
“We're here,” he declared, taking a pause at the end of the forest.
Rayla could see her town from there, lights emanating through windows.
“Thank you. But I don't know your name…” She turned to face him, but he was gone. How was he able to vanish so fast?
Since that night, Rayla began to frequent that particular part of the woods, and that was how their relationship blossomed. Sometimes, he would come around the town looking for her, popping up in the library to meet.
As time went on, they started to fall deeply in love, and they couldn't spend a day without seeing each other. They had lots of mind-blowing sex, and everything was good, perfect, until she got pregnant.
Rayla tossed on the bed as she remembered how badly her parents treated her after finding out about the pregnancy.
They called her names when she told them, and her father said that she was a disgrace and that she had brought shame upon the family. They asked her to get rid of the baby, but she refused. She couldn't reject it even though her lover had rejected her.
It was torture living in that house, having to bear all that ill-treatment and torment from her parents, but she wouldn't budge.
One night, she overheard them talking about how to send her away, but her father objected. He had a better idea; to leave her in the town so she would suffer the shame and disgrace alone while they moved uptown to his parent’s place.
Her heart broke upon hearing that. She felt rejected again… unwanted. But all these rejections weren't enough to kill her. Instead, they made her stronger.
The sound of her phone getting a text drew her back to the present. She picked it up, and her breath ceased as she saw the context of the text from her blackmailer.
‘Five thousand dollars or the video gets out!’
She swallowed hard, thoughts racing as she tried to think of a solution. Should she sell the house? It was the one thing her parents had left her when they passed away. She had no real sentimental attachment to it, but it was all she had. The idea of losing it felt like losing the last piece of her old life.
Sure, Xander might take care of her for Abel’s sake. But what if he didn’t? What if he decided to kick her out? She would have nowhere to go, and Abel would suffer for it. But it would be better than not giving the blackmailer the money and facing the consequences of that video being released.
Rayla took a deep breath, trying to calm the whirlwind of thoughts in her mind. The house was her only real option as it was all she had. She couldn’t let Ralph ruin her life and Abel’s. If selling the house was what it took, then that was what she would do.
She picked up her phone again, determination hardening her resolve. She would contact the agents, and she would find a way to get the money.
She had to.