Novel-novel oleh Layla

MYRA I was in the middle of training, pushing myself harder, sweat dripping down my temple, when a guard rushed over. His face was tense, his steps hurried.“The Alpha requests your presence. Now,” he said.Something in his tone made my chest tighten. Without hesitation, I followed him, my boots pounding against the ground as we hurried back. My heart thudded louder the closer we got.When we entered the chamber, the air felt thick, heavy with tension. Alpha Gray stood like stone, his expression unreadable, while Reid’s eyes blazed with something between anger and triumph.Before I could ask anything, Reid’s hand shot out. With a sharp yank, he tore at my clothes. The sound of fabric ripping cut through me like a knife. My shoulder burned under the sudden exposure.I gasped, my arms flying up to cover myself. My eyes widened as I realized what he had revealed.The mark.My breath caught. My entire body froze.“What’s going on?” I stammered, my voice breaking.Reid’s lips twisted into

GRAY How could I tell her? How could I open my mouth and say the truth, that it was because I loved her? That the thought of her leading the front line made my chest twist in ways I couldn’t control?I clenched my jaw, staring at her as she looked at me with those questioning eyes. The weight of the necklace around her neck seemed heavier on me than on her. I didn’t want her hurt. I knew what it meant to be front leader. Risk piled on risk. Death stared closer at that position than at any other. And Reid had forced her into it.“You…what?” she asked quietly, her voice unsure but steady enough to pull me out of my thoughts. Her gaze was sharp, demanding an answer.I was about to respond, to finally be a man and say the words that had been burning inside me, but then—Knock. Knock.The sound was harsh, cutting through the heavy silence.“Soldier Myra, are you there?” a voice called from outside.Myra’s back straightened instantly. She raised her voice. “Yes!” she shouted loud enough fo

MYRA The courtyard vibrated with the deafening chant of my name. Myra! Myra! Myra! The sound pressed against my skin, making it hard to breathe. “Alpha,” I started, but Reid stepped forward, his smirk curling at the edges like poison.“You have to prove yourself,” Reid said, his tone sharp enough to slice through the air. His eyes glittered with mockery, though his words carried weight. “Because I still don’t trust you.”The crowd hushed for a moment, only the echo of his words lingering. My chest tightened, my heart beating so loud it drowned everything else out. My eyes darted to Alpha Gray. His face was carved in stone, but the vein in his temple throbbed. He looked ready to rip Reid apart, his jaw clenched so tight I thought his teeth might crack. Fury poured off him, hot and suffocating.Reid raised his voice again, louder this time, feeding the soldiers’ doubt. “And every one of these soldiers also doesn’t trust you. You have to prove yourself to them too.” He spread his arms,

MYRA For a moment, I didn’t move. His lips pressed against mine, warm, stealing the very breath from my chest. My eyes flew wide, but my body betrayed me, my knees went weak, my heart thundered like it wanted to break free.It was wrong. I knew it was wrong. Yet my lips tingled, my skin burned, and a strange shiver rushed down my spine. Then my mind caught up. My stomach twisted, heat crashing into fury. What was I doing? What was he doing?I shoved him, hard, palms slamming into his chest. He staggered back a step.“How dare you!” I snapped, my voice sharp, almost shaking with fury. My hands flew up in the air, ready to strike again, but then movement caught the corner of my eye. Soldiers. They were approaching fast. My anger faltered, and I immediately lowered my hands, curling them into fists at my sides.Gray’s jaw tightened, his shoulders stiff as his voice boomed across the air. “What are you doing here? I told you to leave!” His eyes blazed at them, his tone sharp enough to

GRAY “What! How come? Have you checked her chamber?” My voice came out sharp, cracking with disbelief as I shot up from my chair.The guard, still kneeling on one knee, bowed lower. “Yes, Alpha. We checked thoroughly. Her chamber is empty. We only found these…” His trembling hands lifted a bundle of folded fabric, Myra’s clothes.My chest tightened. The sight of her clothes felt like a punch straight to my gut. Sweat trickled down my temple. My voice thundered. “Could it be Reid?” My fists clenched so hard my knuckles burned.The guard’s eyes darted nervously. “We…we don’t know, Alpha.”“Where’s Reid?” I barked, my voice echoing against the stone walls.“I—I don’t know.” The guard stammered, fear flashing in his eyes.“Then go and find him!” My roar shook the room. The man scrambled out like his life depended on it. My heart pounded harder with every second.Moments later, he rushed back in, panting. “Alpha… Lord Reid is nowhere to be found.”My breath caught. Myra gone. Reid gone.

GRAY “I'll take my leave now.” Myra’s voice cut through the tension in the room. She turned, her shoulders stiff, and started to walk away.Then she paused. Her eyes met mine briefly, sharp and unreadable. “And please…let’s keep our relationship professional. I’m just a soldier, and you’re the Alpha here.” Her tone was firm, but there was a subtle edge of something else, maybe caution. She left before I could even respond.I slumped into the nearest chair with a heavy thud. “Shit!” I muttered, burying my face in my hands. My chest felt like it might explode. That was a rejection. A real, full-on rejection. And from her. Myra was the first person to ever reject me like that. My blood boiled hotter than I expected.And what did she just say? That she has someone else she likes? Who the hell is that? My mind raced, and the ache in my chest turned sharp and fiery. I slammed my fists on the armrest. “Someone out there! Now!” I bellowed.A guard appeared instantly, bowing low, eyes wide. “

GabrielFor a moment, everything went silent.All I could see was her—Elysia—her body on the ground. She looked thin, pale, like she was inches away from death. And just the thought of her carrying my child, going through all of this… I should have been here sooner.I felt something inside of me snap.The air shifted immediately. A wave of power rolled off me, and it felt like every single person there felt it. All the slaves, including the buyers and the guards, fell to their knees, bowing.The one who had held the whip stared at me with fear, the whip slipping from his hands and falling to the ground.I walked slowly to where he was.He bowed immediately. “King Gabriel,” he said.The moment he lifted his head, I grabbed him by the neck, lifting him off the ground. He choked for air, clawing at my hand, but I didn’t let go.“She’s mine,” I said coldly.“I didn’t know,” he forced the words out as he begged for forgiveness.I looked around. Everyone’s head was bowed in fear.I never wa

Gabriel I found myself in the woods. It was foggy. I couldn’t really see clearly. I kept moving, but I quickly realized I was lost. “Help me…” I began hearing voices coming from every direction. “Hello?” I said. “Is someone there?” The voice came again. “Help me…” I moved towards the direction where I assumed the person would be. The fog was thick, but from a distance, I could see a figure. When I got closer, it felt like the person was disappearing, but I saw her eyes. Those were the eyes that, even in the thickest darkness, I could recognize. Elysia. I ran. I called her with everything I had in me, but she was gone. I was left there in the foggy darkness. I screamed her name, but there was no response. My eyes shot open. I was covered in sweat. I quickly sat up, realizing it was a dream. My chest was rising and falling, but I didn’t know why it felt like that wasn’t just a dream. It felt like a part of her was trying to reach out to me. “Zaine, did you feel that too?” My

ElysiaI opened my eyes slowly. I wasn't sure if this was the second or third time I was passing out and waking up. I was still tired. My hands were sore. My legs didn’t touch the ground, and I was stripped completely naked. I felt like the blood flow to my hands had stopped. Everywhere hurt.I should have listened to Lily and stayed put. I never should have tried to escape.The door opened again, and this time, the amount of fear that gripped me was like nothing I had ever felt before. From the door, I could tell that it was night, but whenever the door was locked, there was no way of telling if it was day or night because of how dark this place gets. And I wasn't sure how many days I had survived in this place.The guard that walked in—he saw me. His eyes were dark with evil intent. I felt so powerless and disgusted at how he was looking at me.“You are so beautiful,” he said as he moved closer to me.“Stay away from me,” I yelled with the last bit of strength I had left.He scoffed

GabrielI hadn't left my room in days. I wasn't even sure how many days had passed. I just sat on the chair, watching the sun rise and fall.I was a king. I was supposed to be able to find her. But I had searched everywhere. My guards had been everywhere. It felt like she fell off the face of the earth.Where the hell could she have gone? Who the hell would have taken her?I wasn't myself. I was inches away from madness. I've had sleepless nights just thinking about her.Maybe… I was never supposed to get anything that would give meaning to my life, that would make me happy, because just once, when I thought, okay, my life wouldn't be as miserable as I thought it was, I was going to have it—her, my child—she was just gone.I got up from the chair I had been sitting on and walked to my bed slowly. I lay down on it, staring at nothing.The door swung open. My head turned immediately, and Sylvie walked in.“What are you doing here?” I asked, staring at the ceiling.She didn’t respond imm

ElysiaI didn't sleep that night. Every single time I closed my eyes, images of the girls that were sold at the auction played in my head. Some begged; they forced them into dresses and auctioned them like they were some cheap commodities. I couldn't believe that that would be me.I shook my head. No, I wouldn't let that happen to me.It was raining outside, and the cell where we were was dripping badly from the rain. Lily lay in the corner, her body shaking, small. The one sheet that was given to us, she had used it to cover me. I took it off slowly and covered her with it. She needed it more than me. She was too young for this.I felt so bad, but there was nothing I could do.I wanted to move to another corner that wasn't wet, but the entire floor was. As I pushed myself up, pain shot through my entire leg. I wasn't even sure if my leg was healing anymore because the numbness I had been feeling had become worse, though the pain had reduced.I walked to the iron bars. If only I could

ElysiaMy entire body was killing me. Pain came from everywhere. I hadn't showered in days, and my foot—I was pretty sure it was infected. The swelling didn’t stop; it only got worse. The pain had spread all the way to my knee. I had cried so much, it felt like the tears in my eyes had run out.“Are you okay?” Lily asked, her voice filled with so much concern.Ever since I met her that day, the guards had kept us together. They wanted her to take care of me so that I would appear ready for sale. No one wanted to buy me because of my foot. Just thinking about it devastated me.“I’m fine,” I said, my voice cracking. I was shivering from the unbearable cold.It had been six days, and I had foolishly hoped—just maybe—someone would come to save me. I was stupid for thinking that. I had run from Gabriel straight into the worst misery of my life.The way the guards looked at me, even with my condition—they gave me filthy looks, staring at my body. Thinking about it disgusted me.And Lily—sh