Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Layla
Tempered glass shattered into countless shards, pouring in like a violent storm—
The driver's window had been smashed from the outside.
A hand reached through the broken window. Long fingers, knuckles distinct, skin split open and dripping blood. One drop, two—crimson liquid gleaming like fallen rubies in the dim light.
It was Kayden's hand.
Impossible.
This had to be a hallucination.
From the drugs.
I blinked, lashes sticky with tears from the struggle, my vision blurred like looking through a layer of mist. The whole world spun, the car's interior lights stretching into twisted lines.
I couldn't see clearly, couldn't distinguish what was real from what my desperation had conjured as salvation.
Lucas's scream tore through the night.
He was yanked from the driver's seat by an immense force, his collar ripping with a sharp, crisp sound as the fabric gave way under brute strength. His body flew out like a rag doll, his skull thudding against the concrete in a sickening impact that twisted my stomach into knots.
"You fucking dare touch her?"
The voice was low and furious, each word a growl ripped from the depths of his throat.
It was Kayden. Really him.
I struggled to sit up, desperate to see what was happening outside, but the drug's effects wrapped around me like invisible vines, pinning me to the seat, my limbs soft and melting like wax.
Outside, fists pounded into flesh.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Each blow heavier, more vicious than the last.
Dull impacts mingled with the sharp crack of breaking bones, Lucas's screams growing weaker. "Stop! Stop! Please!"
"Stop?" Kayden's voice grated from his chest, hoarse and terrifying. "You touched her!"
Another punch, the nasal bone snapping with a crisp crack.
"You drugged her!"
Another, ribs fracturing like snapping branches.
"What the fuck were you going to do to her?!"
The final punch landed, and Lucas's groan cut off abruptly. Dead silence followed, broken only by Kayden's heavy, ragged breaths, like a beast fresh from the kill.
I slumped against the seat, tears streaming down my face without me realizing when they'd started, silent and unending.
He came.
Even after I'd said such harsh things to him, telling him to disappear... why save me? Why not just leave me be?
Footsteps approached, quick and tense.
The door was yanked open.
Kayden appeared before me.
His suit was a wreck—sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing muscled forearms dotted with blood.
A couple of shirt buttons had popped open, the collar gaping to expose his solid chest. His hair was completely disheveled, strands plastered to his forehead, whether from sweat or blood, I couldn't tell.
But those eyes...
Burning with golden flames, they locked onto me, piercing right into my soul.
"Layla."
He said my name, his voice so hoarse it barely resembled his own. Then he crouched down, bringing his gaze level with mine, and reached out with that still-bleeding hand, his fingers gently brushing my cheek. The touch was careful, as if handling something fragile that might shatter at any moment.
"Did he hurt you?"
His fingertips grazed the swollen area, where the skin was taut and stinging hot. But his touch brought a strange comfort, like ice soothing a burn.
"Your face is swollen." His voice trembled, those golden eyes surging with something bordering on madness. "He hit you."
It wasn't a question—it was a statement, laced with barely suppressed rage.
"Your lip's bleeding too." His thumb lightly wiped my lower lip, coming away with a smear of red. He stared at it for a long time, so long I thought he might never look away.
"I should have killed him," he said suddenly, his voice low, almost to himself. "I should have just snapped his neck."
Killed him.
Snapped his neck.
Coming from Kayden, those words carried a chilling sense of reality.
He really wanted to kill.
For me.
That realization made my heart clench painfully, squeezing until it almost stopped.
"You..." My voice was faint, like wisps of smoke on the verge of dissipating. "Why are you here?"
"You went off the grid," Kayden said. "Anna called me, said you'd gone missing."
"So you... came looking for me?"
"Yes."
"But I..."
"I'm sorry," he interrupted, his tone laced with cautious sorrow. "I promised I'd disappear, but here I am in front of you again."
I froze. No, that wasn't what I meant—I wasn't blaming you...
"You must hate me," Kayden said, pausing as he lowered his head slightly, like a wolf submitting. "But I had to make sure you were safe."
Heat pricked at the corners of my eyes, tears spilling over like a dam bursting.
How could I hate him?
He'd come for me, saved me again, just like he had seventeen years ago.
Back then, rogue wolves had cornered me, and I'd thought it was the end—until Kayden appeared under the moonlight, like salvation from the heavens, pulling me out of the fray.
I still remembered the splattering blood, the vicious claw marks, his blood dripping onto my hand, the hottest sensation I'd ever felt in my life.
And now... he'd shown up once more in my moment of deepest despair, saving me yet again.
Fate had woven another bond between us, just when I'd thought I'd severed him from my life for good. That's what it means to be mates—cut the tie, and you're still ensnared in an inescapable destiny.
My heart pounded fiercely, hot and excited, crashing against my ribs as if trying to break free.
Because I'd fallen for him all over again.
"Don't cry," Kayden said softly. He raised his hand to wipe away my tears but hesitated midway and let it fall. "It's okay, Layla. I'm here."
I'm here.
Those words were like a key, unlocking everything I'd forced down, buried, and thought long dead—emotions surging back along with new, overwhelming ones.
The drugs were still raging through me.
Heat spread from my core to every limb, my skin burning like it was crawling with fire ants. My breaths came quick and shallow, each inhale like swallowing flames.
And Kayden's scent...
With him crouched right in front of me, that cedar aroma mixed with his Alpha pheromone grew impossibly thick, utterly... intoxicating.
Diana roused from her stupor deep within me, lured by our mate's presence, stirring restlessly in my soul.
Mate. Our mate is right here.
Want him! Mark him!
"Kayden..." My voice emerged hazy and fractured.
"Yeah?" He remained crouched, watching me with careful concern.
"It's so hot..."
"I know." His Adam's apple bobbed sharply. "I'll take you to the hospital—they'll..."
"No hospital," I cut him off, reaching out to grab his tie.
Kayden's breath caught.
"Layla... you don't know what you're doing..."
"I do."
Do I really?
No.
But I didn't care anymore.
I tugged on the tie, drawing him closer.
"Layla..." There was a warning in his voice, but it wavered. "Don't. Not like this..."
"Aren't you apologizing to me?" I tilted my head, my vision hazy. "Then, help me."
"Fuck." He closed his eyes, veins throbbing in his forehead. "This isn't helping you—it's taking advantage."
"I don't care." I pulled harder, bringing his face even closer, close enough to feel his breath hot on my skin—restrained, making me yearn to shatter his control completely.
"Kayden," I whispered, my lips nearly brushing his. "I want you."
He went utterly still, like he'd been frozen in place. Motionless. Only his eyes—gold fully eclipsing the silver, like twin blazes.
"You'll regret this," he said, his voice trembling as he squeezed his eyes shut, avoiding my gaze. "When you're sober, you'll regret it."
"Then let me regret it."
I let go of the tie, my fingers slipping inside his open collar, touching the scorching skin of his chest. His muscles tightened under my touch, his whole body shuddering violently.
"Layla..." His voice no longer sounded human—more like a wolf's low growl.
"I'm here," I said, my fingers trailing lower, exploring every ridge of his body. "Kayden, I'm right here."
"You know you're playing with fire?" He snapped his eyes open, seizing my wandering hand. I could tell he was teetering on the brink.
"Then burn me."
Kayden's final shred of restraint crumbled. With a deep growl, he scooped me up in his arms bridal-style and bundled me into his own car.
Slam—
The door shut with force, the confined space instantly thick with our mingled scents, hormones hanging heavy like a fog on the verge of condensing into droplets.
"Layla." Kayden gripped my shoulders, his voice raw and hoarse. "One last time."
"Are you sure?" His eyes bored into mine, desire swirling wildly within them.
I raised my hand, fingers tracing his face—the one I'd secretly loved for ten years, yearned for over seven.
The contours were still so sharp, the jawline perfect, but now there were fine lines at the corners of his eyes, fatigue etched between his brows.
He hadn't been doing well.
That thought sent a wave of sour ache through my chest.
"I'm sure," I heard myself say.
No, it had to be the drugs...
But I couldn't tell the difference anymore.
Was the heat from the drugs, or from his proximity setting my body aflame? Was this my true desire, or just a physiological reaction?
Screw it. Don't analyze it.
Just this once. Let me... indulge again.
Kayden's throat worked visibly, his fingers digging into my shoulders with enough force to leave bruises.
"Fuck," he muttered under his breath, then surged forward, his mouth claiming mine in a fierce kiss. No hesitation, no gentleness—just raw plunder, total invasion, the explosive release of long-suppressed need.
His tongue pried my lips apart, plunging in deep, stealing every breath. I tasted the faint bitterness of whiskey on him—sharp, yet utterly addictive.
My hands slid up to his neck, fingers weaving into his hair, the strands slipping like silk between them.