Chapter 8 - Human World.

Lila’s POV

After wandering around the forest for a while, I eventually found my way out of it.

I stepped past the last set of trees, and immediately the forest felt behind me; it was already fading away from my mind. It felt like I had just stepped into another world. 

The ground beneath my feet was no longer earth. It was tar, dark and hot, carrying the smell of heat. The air itself was thicker, filled with smoke and noise

I walked slowly, eyes wide, everything here buzzed. The lights flashed even though the sun still shone, voices of people echoed from unseen corners, and the smell… gods, the smell was everywhere. I couldn’t even name them because everything  mixed together and made my nose ache.

And what  rose before me was… impossible.

The sky was split with irregular towers, it was metal and glass shining under the sun. They sparkled brighter than the ranch Lunaris Hold ever did, their tips scraping the clouds as though they were trying to challenge the moon goddess herself.

And the roads? The roads stretched endlessly, made in black stone but smoother than any routeI had ever wandered, and on them growled strange metal beasts with glowing eyes. 

Their growls echoed louder than any pack hunt I've ever heard. 

I stood there in the middle of the road frozen, like a prey caught under the watch of a predator. 

And then… 

The first metal beast came. It dashed past me so fast the wind from it nearly knocked me off balance, I had not even gotten over that before another one stopped inches away in front of me. 

Its glowing eyes beamed at me, and the horn blasted so loud it rattled through my bones. My wolf immediately became conscious. And my instincts screamed.

A man inside the beast leaned forward, his face was red, and he spat angry words. His mouth moved fast, too fast, his tone mocking and furious. I blinked trying to understand what he was saying. 

What is he saying? I thought Why can’t I understand anything he said? My chest grew tense.

 For the first time, it dawned on me that I wasn’t just cast out of my pack. I was cast into a world where I didn’t even belong.

In a world where their language was different from mine, how do I communicate with them? I was still standing there thinking when he came and aggressively pushed me off the road.

*****

I walked aimlessly for hours,

Wandering through streets that looked like they extended forever, not ending. Each turn I took revealed something even more foreign and beautiful than the last. 

The city was beautiful, yes. Very beautiful but it was loud, too loud. The lights were too bright and the noise. It was too noisy, while I wandered aimlessly on my bare feet I heard my stomach grumble.

I had not eaten since the previous night and now I'm hungry. 

But then I caught it, the scent. It smelled nice, delicious even. It was rich, hot, and filled with spices I had never known existed. 

My wolf got agitated, urging me to move forward, and without thinking I followed the scent, moving  between those metal beasts that roared down the streets. 

The smell pulled me to a small building lined with bright signs. And a lot of humans went in and out of it, most of them carrying boxes that were steamed with food.

I pushed open the door and stepped inside. 

It was a whole different world entirely, the eatery felt alive. The walls were bright with light, the tables looked like they were just polished, and voices?? They echoed everywhere. 

There were so many voices, some laughed, some shouted across the table, and others shouted at humans behind the counter. 

The smell that got me here, I smelt it again. They crashed into me heavily, it was meat boil, bread baking, different types of fried things in oil. 

My stomach growled this time around, I was still standing at the doorway. I wanted to move towards the counter but the sight of so many humans in a place made my heart beat fast.

I occasionally caught stares from the ones sitting down, they looked at me like I was different. Strange, like they knew I wasn't a part of their pack. 

I did not care, all I needed was food. But now, who do I approach and what do I say to them? Am I supposed to sit down or what? I barely figured out my life in the pack, now it turns out I don't even know the rules of the human world.

I felt nudged forward, like I was pushed with force. Someone had opened the door behind me, so I was pushed to the side. The person without even apologizing went to the counter, he spoke with the person there and in less than a minute his food was served.

I watched keenly, to learn how things were done in this building. 

I finally gathered enough courage to go there myself, and my feet felt heavy but my stomach growled so loudly I thought the whole diner could hear it. 

I stared at the woman behind the counter, and she looked back at me expectantly. Her lips moved so fast, with strange sounds coming out of her mouth like broken syllables. I stood there frozen because I didn’t understand a thing she said. 

“Uh…” I tried to mimic the sounds, but nothing came out right.

Her brows furrowed. She repeated herself again, and very loudly this time. But, I still couldn’t understand anything. And my throat stung with shame. 

She decided to repeat it, slower this time, but her tone was filled with irritation. 

I felt heat rush to my cheeks. And I shook my head, trying to gesture, by my hand moving clumsily in the air. She slapped the counter with her palm frustrated and yelled out words I didn’t know, but the meaning was clear: leave.

A man waiting in line behind me laughed loudly, and I caught the word “crazy” from his lips. I stood there staring, still hungry.

 My pride broke, but my hunger was louder. I didn’t move until the woman pointed toward the door with such force it felt like a command. My legs obeyed, and I was cast out once again, but this time it was not by my pack but by the humans.

**** 

By now, my stomach had started to sting. It was almost night now and I had gone to other different diners trying to get food, but none of them understood me or my plight.

I keep getting chased out like a dog.

I even tried speaking with Eryndra about what to do next because she said coming to the human world was the next step in line for us. 

But I don't think both she, I, and the baby will survive the evening to fight whatever war the moon goddess is getting us ready for if we don't figure out how to get food soon. 

I sat tiredly on the floor by the side of a restaurant, inhaling the scent of the food. At least if I cannot get food, I’ll eat through the smell.

I was beginning to wonder if everything Eryndra told me was true, because it is beginning to look as though the moon goddess had forsaken me.

The sting in my eyes came before I could stop it so I buried my face in my hands but it didn't stop the tears from dropping. 

I think I prefer when I was rejected by my mate more to being lost and hungry in an unknown city. 

“Rough night?” The voice startled me.

I looked up quickly, wiping the tears from my face. A man stood tall in front of me, he looked way older than me. He should be about Elena’s age or a bit younger. 

He stood a few feet away from me, he was neatly dressed, his hair dark with a few white strands in comparison to Elena's white hair….. Ohhh I miss her.

His presence made the hair on my neck stand instantly, the humans had not shown me love since I got here so I immediately stood up and stood at alert because I could not risk whatever this one wanted. 

I pressed myself back against the wall, and my body tensed. But he did not come any further instead he bent down slowly and dropped a box on the ground between us. 

The scent hit me immediately, what I had been looking for a day placed in front of me. Rice, spiced meat, vegetables, my mouth watered so hard it hurt.

“Eat,” he said in a calm voice but that wasn't the issue, the thing was that I understood him, as clear as day. This is the first human I can understand. I was so happy but I hid it. 

“Why?” I replied with my voice hoarse from crying. 

He studied me for what felt like a long moment, his eyes intense but not unfriendly. And then, with a tone so casual it felt like all the air got knocked out of me at once, he said:

“Because I know what you are, Lila. And I'm here to help you.” 

The world seemed to stop. My blood turned to ice.

How did he know my name?