2- Beneath The Skin

Layla’s POV.

The sound of the morning bell jolted me awake and I felt beads of sweat gather on my forehead when I opened my eyes to see Asher’s probing eyes on me.

I froze in place, my heart racing, thudding as I hoped that the herb I’d used to mask my scent hadn’t worn out yet. My mind played back the words he’d said to me last night and I felt something lodge at the back of my throat.

“Good Morning, Caleb.” Asher said, his eyes shone bright red and the sound of his voice coupled with that devilish grin plastered on his face sent cold chills snaking down my spine.

I am Caleb. I am Caleb. Right here, right now. I am Caleb and not Layla.

Before I could blink or even say anything, Asher had already moved away from me, making his way out of the dorm room and I felt a breath I didn’t know I was holding escape my parted lips.

When I was sure that there was no one around, I couldn’t feel any eyes on me and despite my aching muscles, I crawled out of bed as I reached into my bag for the potion to mask my feminine scent, I sprayed the liquid on my body and waited a moment for it to settle.

“Okay. Let’s do this!” I said to myself as I ran out of my room. The sun hadn’t come out yet but the academy courtyard echoed relentlessly with the violent sound of boots hitting the ground.

“FASTER! There’s no time to think, only act! Move faster than your brain processes things!” The dorm master yelled as everyone tried to follow through on the instructions.

My lungs burned as I ran and each breath that I let go of made me feel as though I was running out of oxygen, as if I was running out of life but I couldn’t stop.

It was torture but nothing compared to the emotional and physical torment I went through back at home and so, with a determination of steel, I kept putting one foot in front of the other as swiftly as I could.

“CALEB THORNRIDGE, WHAT IN THE GODDESS NAME ARE YOU DOING?!” The sound of the harsh master’s voice hit me and I shriveled internally but didn’t relent.

“If you keep being so slow, you’d be reduced to nothing but a prey and we don’t train preys at the Wargate Alpha’s Academy!” He scolded and my chest heaved, burning as the linen wrapped around my chest tore into my skin.

“YES SIR!” I responded and could feel the eyes on me, especially Asher’s. I could also hear the other students murmuring, talking about how fragile I looked and how I looked like a femboy.

I couldn’t let them find out my secret. If they did, everything I’d worked so hard for was going to be in vain. I couldn’t possibly let that happen.

“ANOTHER LAP!” The instructor’s voice sank into my head and I sprung into action, going faster than usual even though I felt like I could pass out at any moment.

If I ran too slow again, I’d be singled out, tossed aside as weak. That’s not going to happen!

“Time!” The instructor yelled and by the time the whistle shrieked, sweat soaked my shirt, clinging to my ribs like a second skin, I was completely out of breath and my heart raced.

I bent forward, hands on my knees as I swallowed the bitter taste of exhaustion and I’d thought I could rest even a minute but that was just wishful thinking, there was no rest.

Close-quarter combat followed, the mats slick with blood and sweat. I forced myself to fumble just enough, missing the strikes by a hair, taking hits that left bruises and drew out blood.

I could feel his gaze on me the entire time. His stare clawed at my skin like talons, not leaving me as if I was some sort of secret he was trying to unravel.

It was finally time for Asher and I to spar and when we did, he pushed me harder than anyone else. His strikes were calculated, brutal as if he was trying to break me, trying to force me to peel off my mask and reveal who I really am.

“Again!” He snapped, a wicked bright light shining in his eyes as he got so close to me that I could his hot breath on my ear, “or are you tired?” He asked in a whisper.

My wolf shifted, agitated and restless at how close Asher was and I could feel the claws scraping inside my chest as I gave my all to see to it that it didn’t bare its fangs.

“These drills aren’t cruel enough to make a man tired,” he added, pulling away from me but his eyes never for a second left mine, “what’s wrong, Caleb? Why do you feel like a woman?” He added and my breath caught.

I swallowed hard, forcing my hand to stop trembling as I raised it in an attempt to strike him, the veins in my forehead gathering together as I snarled.

“Don’t you dare call me a woman!” I growled but he didn’t falter. Instead, he smirked, a wicked expression that tormented me even though I tried to forget about it.

The survival drills came next and it was just as brutal but soon, it was all over and I couldn’t be more grateful that it was finally over, at least, for now.

My heart pounded excruciatingly hard against my ribs as I pressed my back to the slick tile, waiting and listening. The shower echoed with voices of men, laughter and I felt something hot rush to my cheeks.

I swallowed hard, trying to quiet my ragged breaths as a single towel clung to my chest, barely covering the soaked linen I’d used to make my boobs vanish beneath.

Staying still, I waited until I could no longer hear voices and I seized that opportunity, bolting for the exit, my feet slapping against the tiles, water dripping from my hair as I rushed.

Breakfast, leisure and all went by quicker than I expected before the alarm rang for another combat drill and I cursed under my breath as I made my way to the courtyard.

The exercise had started simple enough and when it was time to draw the straw, I drew the shortest one and was paired with Asher, my least favorite nightmare.

“You and I…. Again.” He smiled and I felt a shiver roll over my skin as I hissed. His gaze remained burning into me and I did my best to ignore him but his fingers found mine as we shifted into a joint lock and at that moment, something shifted.

It was sharp, electric and impossible to throttle as I froze, my eyes widening and before things could escalate, I yanked my hand back instinctively, heat roaring up my arm.

“Wah—” Asher flinched too, his jaw clenching so hard that the sound of his teeth gritting was loud and his eyes…. They were locked onto mine, dark, wild and terrifying.

“Hey! What are you doing?!” One of the students yanked me backward until I was on the ground and I lifted my gaze to see Asher glaring, not at me this time but at him.

“How. Dare. You?!” Asher growled, each word punctuated by the sound of his heavy breathing as he hit the student before I could even blink.

What? What’s going on with him?

One of the other students made his way to me, extending his hand for me to take, helping me up and handing me a towel to wipe my sweaty forehead.

“Don’t mind him, he’s one of Asher’s minions and—”

“Get away from he— him!” Asher snarled at the student in front of me and the air turned heavy, the tension getting so thick even a pair of scissors wouldn’t have been able to cut through.

My throat felt parched as it closed and I tried to move away but Asher’s arm shot out, fingers wrapping around my wrist. His hold wasn’t tight enough to hurt me but I felt his pulse hammering against mine as something awakened within me.

My gaze lifted and what I saw in his eyes scared me to my core, enough to make my knees weak as I tore myself away from him.

“Stay away from me!” I barked before running as far away as I could get from him and luckily, I hadn’t gotten in trouble for doing that.

Just before lights out, the air room was tense. I fought so hard to forget everything that had happened today but I couldn’t, it kept coming back to me over and over again.

The lights soon went off and after a moment of silence, I heard Asher move in his bed, causing my own heart to stop as I shut my eyes tight.

“Just what are you hiding from me, Caleb?”