Chapter 8: The First Night

Layla walked up the stairs and down a familiar dimly lit corridor. She was ready for the day to be over. It had been, without a single doubt, the longest day of her life. She was exhausted and ready for sleep. She opened the door to her bedroom. Her window was open and the cool breeze filled her room. Her bed was directly across from her door inviting her in. Her room wasn't spectacular, there weren't any tapestries or paintings. There was a well worn rug in the middle of the room at the foot of her bed. A small desk by the window. A large wardrobe in the corner.

She sighed as she walked into the room. She lightly kicked the door to close it as she walked towards the window to close it but the door didn't close. She heard a thud of the door catching someone's arm and she jumped. Javier was standing behind her in the doorway.

"What the hell," she exclaimed angrily. "What are you doing here?"

"My Luna," he began as he bowed his head. She immediately wanted to vomit and it was written all over her face.

"Never call me that," she interrupted.

Javier looked at her with an extremely puzzled expression. "You are my Luna. You are mates with my Alpha. It just happened, you were there." Javier said earnestly. "I do not want to offend you at all because you are my, uh, I'm sorry."

"My name is good enough." She said flatly. He seemed kind hearted and simple, it wasn't necessarily his fault that Alistar was his Alpha. But it was his fault that he was standing in her door frame.

"I'm sorry, Layla." He apologized. "Oh, that feels weird to say. Can I call you Luna Layla?"

"Absolutely not." She said without missing a beat. She crossed her arms. "What are you doing here, Javier?"

"Okay, noted. I am on guard duty tonight," he began to explain.

"Oh my Goddess! By who's orders? This is my home. Now I am to be a prisoner in my own home!" She threw her arms up and began to pace around the room in anger.

"Uhh, It is my job to keep my," Javier struggled to find another word for Luna, "my Alpha's mate safe." He was extremely pleased with himself. Layla was not.

"Are you serious? In my own home? In my own room?"

"No! No! I will be outside the door. I just wanted to let you know because it was very obvious that you did not hear me follow you." She stopped pacing. "Which, I think, shows that you need me because, um, I am a loud person and you were oblivious."

She sighed. Javier was kind enough. Maybe a little simple minded but she did appreciate him letting her know that he would be standing outside her door. "I am usually not this oblivious. It is very loud downstairs and I am very exhausted." Javier shook his head. She walked over to her desk and sat sideways on the chair towards Javier. "I don't think it's fair to make you drink all day and then stand here all night."

"It's my job."

"To drink all day?" She dryly joked.

"No," he chuckled. "You're funny like Tabitha." He said with a sincere smile on his face. Layla smiled at the mention of her cousin's name. "I didn't drink all day so I can stand guard."

"I can't get rid of you, can I?"

"No, you're not." Javier smiled like a child.

"Do you want this chair at least?"

"No, I am okay." He said as he closed the door.

Javier was older than Alistar but not by a lot. She couldn't tell early but standing face to face with him she could see the soft wrinkles that framed his face. She was happy to have found, so far, one friendly Thundermoon that she liked. And he seemed to like Tabitha which was always a plus in her books.

She grabbed the back of the chair, crossed over the door and opened it. She placed the chair next to Javier. He started to protest but she put up her hand. "This is just in case. You don't have to sit in it."

"It's okay," he started.

Layla shook her head. "Am I not your Luna?" She joked.

He laughed. "Yes."

"Okay, do as I say. Here is your chair. Sit when you get tired." She closed the door before Javier could say anything.

She walked over to her wardrobe and removed the oversized woolen tunic Solomon had given her. She hung it behind her other clothes. She had spent the entire day focused on the difference of her size that she hadn't noticed that it was softer than her other clothes. It was made better, too. Her other clothes looked a little ratty in comparison, or so she thought. Anyone else would have said that they all looked about the same.

Next to the wardrobe was an old mirror that used to belong to her mother. She stood in front of it in her underdress examining herself. She looked the same as she did the day before but she felt like an entirely new person. She hadn't struggled with feeling insecure before but now, for the first time, she felt it deep within her core. It wasn't directed towards her body, that was fine. She couldn't shake what the Riverwalkers called her or the tone that they had used towards her. She was less than, she wasn't worthy, she was trash. It was a horrible feeling. She wondered if that's how Solomon saw her. If he had to convince himself to lower himself to choose her. Would he have wanted her just as herself without being her mate, like Alistar did?

Defeated, she walked over to her bed. The weight of the day finally hit her. She broke down and began to uncontrollably sob. She had emotional whiplash. She went from the ecstasy of finding Solomon and making love to him to the agony of his parent's refusal back up to the anger of Alsitar's lie to the despair of being forced into this mating. As she cried, it felt like she was opening a wound much deeper than she could imagine and all of the pain and the trauma of not only this day but of her entire life poured out of her. She cried till her body could no longer handle it and she quickly fell asleep.

She woke in the middle of the night. The moonlight poured through her open window. She got out of bed to close the curtains. She heard a loud newly familiar voice through the closed door. She groaned.

"Who told you to sit?" Alistar laughed. "Oh she did? She in there?" He paused. She couldn't make out Javier's voice. "Good. Good. See you in the morning."

Alistar slowly opened the door and crept into her room. Her heart sank. She had hoped that he would have spent the night literally anywhere else. But it was inevitable that he would end up there.

"Did you stay up for me?" Alistar smiled.

"No," she said bluntly. "I just woke up. Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"No. This is my place now. You are my mate." He drunkenly stumbled across the room towards her. In his hand was a candle. Layla was afraid that he would drop it. She rushed to grab it from him. He mistook it as her rushing toward him. He grabbed her wrist with his free hand and pulled her towards him. "Hi," he charmed.

She rolled her eyes and took the candle from him. With his newly freed hand, he grabbed her waist pulling her closer to him. She was annoyed. His hand slipped from her waist to her butt.

"I'll set your hair on fire," she warned.

He let go of her with a laugh. "Don't fight it, Layla."

"I'm not fighting anything. I'm not interested."

"Yet," he smiled. "I'm a very interesting person." He sauntered over to her bed and plopped himself down.

"You're in my bed." She placed the candle on her desk.

"It's ours now." He closed his eyes and stretched out his body.

"I don't like to share," she glared.

"That's nice," he scooted over and patted the empty space. "Come to bed now. Don't be stubborn."

She didn't move.

"Oh you're going to make me beg. I like it." She glared at him. "Please come to bed, Layla."

"No."

"Goddess, is this about Riverwalker?" He asked incredulously. "Seriously?" He groaned. "He's the worst!"

"Shut up." Her patience was running thin. All she wanted was for him to go away so she could go back to bed. She didn't even care that he had mentioned Solomon. Her wolf did though.

"He doesn't want you, you know that right? He just wanted you for a good time."

That she cared about. "Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be with that woman?" She snarled.

"What woman?" He tried to gaslight her but she wouldn't budge. "Oh, you saw that?" He smiled. It made her blood boil. "That meant nothing. Just a little fun. Kind of like you and Riverwalker."

She couldn't hold back her anger or her wolf any longer. She lunged towards him. "Shut your ignorant mouth. You have no idea what you are talking about," she growled.

Alistar excitedly sat up on his knees and braced himself for her attack. He pinned her to the bed before she had time to fight back. She fought underneath him but it was fruitless.

"You won't win," he whispered in her ear. "I will always be stronger than you."

"Go to hell," she snarled.

"He doesn't want you, Layla. He never will. He took what he wanted and left you." Without thinking she tried to bite his nose. He laughed. "I never would have guessed you liked it rough. I've always liked a freak."

"Get off of me," she moaned in anger.

"Goddess," he groaned. "This is hot." He buried his head into her neck.

She hated herself for agreeing. Her pulse was racing and she was out of breath. Something primal stirred inside of her. A small tiny part of herself wanted him.

"Get off of me," she said forcefully as she pushed him off of her. He rolled onto his back and laughed.

"I wasn't going to do anything, you know." He finally said.

"I really don't," she spat. She was too exhausted to move off her bed.

Alistar rolled onto his side to face her. "Layla." She ignored him. "Layla, look at me."

"Oh my Goddess! What do you want!" She turned her head towards him.

"Layla, I promise that I won't do anything like that to you ever. I won't do anything till you tell me to." He said solemnly.

"How can I trust you? You lied to my father. You lied to his pack."

"I am your mate. I didn't lie about that."

She glared. "You and I both know that you lied about that."

"It doesn't matter anymore. He rejected you and I am here. Everyone knows. It's official."

He wasn't wrong, it didn't matter anymore. The damage was done. He was her mate in every way except for in her heart.

She sighed.

"Goddess, you really are so beautiful," he sighed. "I know I'll fall in love with you. I can feel myself falling already," he said sleepily.

She rolled her eyes. "I can't say the same." But he didn't hear what she had said. He was already fast asleep. She rolled over with her back towards him. It took longer than normal but she was finally asleep.