Chapter 6: The Confrontation

The cousins sat beneath the tree till the sun began to set. Both weighing out the situation. Layla wasn't welcome in Solomon's pack and would not be welcomed home if she left. She had nowhere to go. As much as she longed to see Solomon again, she was extremely hesitant to do so.

Maybe Alistar wasn't too bad. She watched her father live without his mate, her mother, since she was four year old. He seemed happy enough. He never complained. Maybe she too could do the same but with Alistar instead of alone.

The thought felt wrong, though. In a weird nonsensical way it felt like she was cheating on Solomon but she wasn't. He hasn't rejected her but he also didn't pick her. Not that she would have let him. It was too convoluted. All she wanted was to talk to Solomon but the clock was ticking. The ceremony was to take place that night.

"I heard somewhere that mates can communicate telepathically," Tabitha said as she lounged in the grass.

Layla rolled her eyes, "that's ridiculous."

"That's ridiculous! We can shift into wolves and you think telepathic communication is ridiculous." Tabitha said sarcastically.

"I heard that too," Alistar slurred. Neither cousin heard him approach and shot each other a quick skeptical glance. "That's how I found you."

"I highly doubt that," Layla said through gritted teeth. Alistar reeked of ale and tobacco, the combination made her stomach turn. He plopped himself next to her closer than she wanted and she shot Tabitha another quick skeptic glance.

"It's true." Alistar threw his arm around her and pulled her closer towards him. "The Goddess," he stage-whispered, "I know how dear old Dad feels about Her, blesses all mates with the ability to communicate that way. That's how I found you. You called out to me."

Layla pushed herself away from him, "oh yeah?" She asked sarcastically. "What did I say to you?"

Tabitha snorted and quickly covered her mouth. "I also would like to know," she added between giggles.

Alistar, who was too drunk to recognize that the cousins were mocking him, chuckled loudly and saw this as an opportunity to woo Layla and said, "You told me you wanted me." He smirked.

Layla hated to admit that she found the smirk a little intriguing. "I wanted you? I don't even know who you are." Alistar mistook her tone as flirtatious.

Alistar began to play with mid length dark brown hair. "Darling, you and I both know that you do." Layla glared at him as she batted his hand away. Alistar laughed. "Oh don't you fight me. I always win."

"Gross," Tabitha said disgustedly.

"I think you are mistaken." Layla stood up.

"Oh, so you're playing hard to get?" Alistar drunkenly laughed. "I can respect that."

"I'm honestly not." Layla said as she helped Tabitha up from the grass.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp twinge in her forehead and she bent over from the pain, dropping Tabitha who cursed under her breath. Her thoughts were jumbled and bouncing all over her mind. Her breath became shaky. She had an overwhelming sense that something was approaching but she was unable to focus. Her inner wolf was surfacing uncontrollably and it took all her strength to fight it off. She felt as if she were on fire.

"Can you feel that?" She asked, hoping that someone else could feel it as well. But no one else responded. Tabitha looked at her cousin with apprehension. Layla fell on her hands and knees and tried to get herself under control but it only made the burning sensation more intense.

And then it hit her. Cardamom and leather. She frantically scanned the area for any sign of Solomon but was unsuccessful.

Alistar placed his hands on her back and began to awkwardly rub it. She groaned in pain. "Oh my Goddess! Stop! Stop!" She cried out not only to Alistar but Solomon as well. She wasn't sure where he was but she knew he had something to do with it. Alistar did not stop.

"She told you to stop," Solomon forcefully called out from the shadows of the woods. Alistar quickly jumped to his feet into a defensive position.

Tabitha crawled over to Layla's side and wrapped her arm around Layla's shoulder. "What the hell is going on," she whispered to Layla.

"I have no idea," Layla replied through shallow breaths. The burning sensation was slowly dying and her mind was becoming a little clearer but her anxiety was skyrocketing. She hung her head to try to steady herself.

Solomon approached them from the woods. His energy was intense.

"Oh my!" Tabitha said to herself with a cheeky giggle.

Layla lifted her head and caught the sight of Solomon in all of his glory. He shifted to his wolf form to run to their village from his pack's fort. He had not brought a change of clothes.

Her heart jumped a little in her chest, she very much liked what she saw. But then quickly remembered that she was not alone with him. She looked over to Alistar who had a menacing smile across his face.

"I've been waiting for a fight all day," he said with glee as he bounced around a little preparing to shift.

The tension was overwhelming. Layla's hand instinctively went to her scar. Ever since the day she received it, she could not bear to watch or be around two wolves fighting.

Especially if it was over her.

She shot up and held her arms out, "No! No fighting!" She pleaded.

"Stay out of this, sweetheart," Alistar jeered. His focus only on Solomon who returned his intensity with a low snarl.

"Oh my Goddess," Tabitha excitedly whispered as she backed towards the large tree she had spent the afternoon under.

"Stop!" Layla was exhausted. "What are you guys doing?"

The men both ignored her and began to slowly circle around her. Alistar removed his shirt without breaking his intense gaze to reveal a muscular torso covered in scars from previous fights. Layla's pulse began to race so rapidly she felt as if her heart could beat out of her chest.

"What are you doing here?" Solomon demanded.

"Same could be asked of you," Alistar jeered.

Layla rolled her eyes. "Stop. Seriously. This is so dumb," she implored. Feeling true loyalty to only one man, she turned to Solomon and put both her hands on his shoulders. "What are you doing here?"

"You tell me," he snapped, eyes still locked on Alistar.

Layla was shocked by his tone. "Wait. What?"

"Don't speak to my mate like that," Alistar growled.

Solomon angrily charged towards him. "Your mate? Are you insane?" He shouted. Layla tried to push him back but struggled. She did not want to be sandwiched between them, it triggered too many bad memories. She could feel a panic attack starting.

"I know who you are," Alistar taunted. "And you are so far from home and all alone." Solomon growled. "She is mine. You will not have her."

"You both are being so stupid. Please stop," Layla begged.

"She is not your mate." Solomon forcefully said with authority.

"Oh? How do you know that?" Alistar asked with a mocking tone. "Is she yours?" Solomon's gaze broke for a split second. "Are you here to claim her? Yeah, I didn't think so. Don't want to mix with that Ashford trash."

"Am I supposed to be scared of you?" Solomon laughed. "It will take more than that."

"She is mine and I will have her." Alistar barked.

"Enough!" Layla screamed. "Tabitha, take Alistar back inside," she ordered. Tabitha jumped up and pulled Alistar by the arm back to the hall. Layla sighed once he was out of sight.

Solomon wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm sorry," he said. "I couldn't help myself. I couldn't shake this feeling like something was wrong."

"You're not dressed." She said bluntly. She was elated to see him but was exhausted by the almost fight she stopped.

"You like?" He joked as he playfully swayed her back and forth.

"Shut up," she laughed. "You can't be here."

"You can't be mated to that asshole." He said in a serious tone.

"I'm, I'm not. Well, it's complicated." She stammered.

"I'm not sure how it's so complicated," he angrily asked. "Did you reject me?"

"No! Of course not!"

"Then how do you have two mates, Layla? It doesn't work that way."

"He isn't my mate. Goddess. You are my mate. Unless you rejected me!"

"I made you a promise this morning. This morning, Layla. It hasn't even been 12 damn hours and here you are, mated off to someone else!"

"Did you reject your father? No. No you didn't. So why are you here? Why do you care? Alistar lied to my father and this is where I am. This isn't River Reach. I can't sit here my entire life without a mate. I will never be Luna on my own. My father has decided." Her voice was raised and the blood flushed across her cheeks.

Solomon hung his head. "I don't like this. Don't go through it."

Layla sighed, "you aren't going to give up your pack. Why must I give up mine?"

"I told you that I would," Solomon argued.

"And then what? We are both left without packs. Where will we go? What would we do?"

They stared intensely into each other's eyes for what felt like a century. Both scrambling to find a solution to their problem but both coming up empty.

Finally Solomon broke the silence, "I love you."

Layla sighed. She knew what he meant, it was a good bye.

"I love you, too."