Fighting for Power (Howl of the Elements: Book One)

Chapter 16

***picture of Leon***

Chapter 16:

The first rays of daylight gleamed through the leaves of the bush that Layla's wolf form was crouched inside...hiding...waiting for the perfect moment. Her pack members that had came with her were spread out in the wooded area not far behind her, still encased with darkness for the time being.

It was almost time for the guard's shift, the perfect time to strike. The couple of men that strolled through the town keeping watch throughout the night were tired, and the men coming to swap places with them would still be drowsy from just waking up.

Leon's house was in sight, but Layla didn't know the layout of the building or which room her mother would be in. She knew that once they made their move that they would have to be quick before Leon would have enough notice to hide her mother.

"It's almost time," Shawn's voice flitted into her mind right as the guard on the path in front of her waved to an unknown person that was still out of sight.

"I think I realize that," she hadn't meant to snap at him, but her adrenaline was mixing in with her nervousness and she couldn't help it.

The sound of footsteps dragging along the gravel path was music to Layla's ears. The new guard was still as half-asleep as she had hoped. She began to ready herself to pounce. As soon as the night guard left, it would be time.

"Mornin'. Heard that you got some wedding plans going on, eh?" the deep voice that came from the one guard was followed by a hearty laugh that shook his plump stomach.

"You heard right," the voice that responded made Layla's heart skip a beat. She could recognize that voice anywhere. Hell, it was the same voice that haunted her dreams every night.

"Logan.."

It came out as just a whisper in her mind, but even as a whisper it was too much. That wasn't meant to be voiced whatsoever, and the immediate stop of those dragging footsteps told her that it was heard by the one person she shouldn't have let herself direct her voice to.

"What's wrong? Did you hear something?" the scruffy voiced man asked.

"They're onto us. We need to move now," Shawn's father commanded, and without waiting for Layla to respond, her fellow wolves leaped from behind their wooden shelter and bolted towards Logan and the other guard.

It was too late for Layla to do anything besides following their tracks by rushing out from the large bush that had hidden her so well. As soon as her body was out from the leaves, she immediately saw Logan's eyes find her. The other guard was yelling for backup and starting his transformation.

Logan was still wide-eyed and taken by surprise, but he, too, quickly morphed into his own wolf and began going after one of Layla's pack members. Layla, on the other hand, avoided the fight that was beginning to escalate in front of her, and darted towards the house that she had been watching earlier.

Snarls were heard from the wolves behind her, and howls from other Hadan wolves were getting closer as their men were coming in to help. She lunged between a gap in the fence posts, up the front steps, and heaved her entire body at the front door. The sound of the wood splitting was almost quiet in comparison to the chaos that was developing all around her.

It took a moment for Layla to refocus as she regained her composure after landing on the floor in front of where the door used to stand. She heard a thud from a room upstairs, followed by the muffled shouts of who she assumed was Leon jumping out of bed.

Darting across the room, she hid herself in the shadows beneath the staircase opposite of the front entrance. A half-naked Leon came sprinting down the stairs, nearly tripping over his own feet when he reached the bottom. His head swiveled back and forth as he hastily scanned the room in front of him, before he turned to his left to go investigate the back rooms of the main floor.

Not wasting her chance, Layla raced up the stairs as quietly as she could. She wanted to be fast, but she also didn't want to give Leon an immediate heads up that someone had gone upstairs.

At the top of the stairs was a hallway with three doors on each side. Following the sweet aroma that she instinctively recognized as her mother, Layla headed towards the far right door that was cracked open from Leon leaving it just moments before.

She nudged the door the rest of the way open , and stared at the image before her. Selena was just starting to stand up from the bed, pulling a house coat tightly around her slightly protruding stomach. She turned her head to face Layla, and as soon as she realized who had entered the room, her face dropped into a frown.

"Layla, honey...you shouldn't be here. I-I'm having a baby. I can't leave. You need to get out of here," Selena stammered, almost in tears.

"Why? Why did this happen? You knew that we were coming back for you! How could you let this happen?"

"What the hell? Get away from my wife," Leon shouted as he ran down the hall after Layla.

Spinning around, Layla let her anger take over and she charged right back at him. Their bodies collided as he was switching forms, causing both of them to slide across the polished wooden floor. Layla winced when her back slammed against the wall, but rushed to stand back up and face her enemy. Never before in her life had she hated anyone as much as she hated her so-called step-father.

The wolf that stood across the hallway from her was the same wolf that had taken her father's life and had now ruined her mother's as well. Snarling, Layla lunged at him, her teeth sinking into one of his shoulders. The force of her attack sent them barreling down the staircase.

Just as they crashed at the landing, Logan came sprinting inside, with Shawn close behind him. Shawn flung his body into Logan's, sending the two of them into the next room. While that was going on, Layla and Leon both leapt to their feet and faced each other yet again.

Before Layla realized what was happening, Leon had flames flickering at the bottoms of his paws. In a split second, he had a fireball flying right at her. Hitting her full force, she got knocked across the room. The smell of her scorched fur and skin was overwhelming, but it was nothing compared to the pain that coursed through every inch of her body.

She couldn't help but transform into her naked human self, pulling herself into a fetal position. Her screams were ear-splitting, and her skin was blistering and a little pool of her own blood was forming beneath her.

Leon wasn't about to give her any mercy, though, as he ran up and started ripping into her already charred flesh with his teeth. The increased pain was too much, and Layla was quickly fading out of consciousness.

This is it. This is how I die, the only thought that her brain could muster up at that moment. The last words that she thought she would ever think.