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

Chapter 25

***picture of Natalie***

Chapter 25:

Logan fell silent as he looked across the room and his eyes landed on a girl that he had failed to notice before. She was standing still, staring back at him, as she slowly swiped a stray strand of her long dirty blonde hair behind her ear. A little blonde toddler clung around her leg.

Glancing up at him, Layla intertwined her hand into Logan's and nudged him forward with her, walking towards the people directly in his gaze. His feet felt heavy as he took each step closer to them.

"Hi, Lo. I missed you," it was barely a whisper that escaped from the girl's lips, but Logan heard every word that came out of that voice that he hadn't heard in so long.

"Hey, sis. God I missed you too," reality sunk in as Logan stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her.

Layla smiled at the two siblings finally reuniting in last. The little boy moved aside and looked up at the uncle he had yet to meet with those stunning violet eyes. There was no doubting that he was a true hybrid. A mixture of fire and water. The one and only of his kind known thus far. It was amazing knowing that they had to protect this little being for now, but that it wouldn't be too long and he would probably be able to take on the world on his own with all of the power he has growing inside him.

***

Shawn sat in the dirt, his elbows resting on his knees. So many thoughts were running through his mind. He had thought Layla was dead which turned out to be false, but now that he had her back in her arms she went running to Logan. Layla was supposed to be his mate. She was supposed to be his for forever. She was always his for sure thing. He never thought that he would lose her, but now he was. There was nothing that he had ever regretted more than at this moment regretting how much he had taken her for granted.

It was fun getting attention from other girls when he knew that he would be stuck with just one for the rest of his life when the time came. Now, though, there was no doubt in his mind that he wished he could go back in time and change all of that. Layla was amazing and he shouldn't have even risked that. He should have just grabbed on to her and never let her go. Made her see just how much he really cared about her. Now it was too late. Now she was running into the arms of someone else, and he had no idea how to get her back.

He was too busy imagining himself kicking himself in the ass that he didn't notice that Layla had came up next to him until she was sitting down. He turned his head slightly towards her, just enough for their eyes to meet and to see those sparkling green eyes that seemed to stare straight into his soul.

"What's the serious face for?" those full lips twitched into a small smile as the words slipped through them.

"Nothing, just thinking, I guess," Shawn muttered back and turned back to staring at the ground.

"About what? You can talk to me," Layla reached her hand up to softly turn his head back to facing her.

Shawn hesitated for a moment before responding, "I missed you, Layla. I really did."

"I'm sure you didn't miss me too much. You probably missed your groupies from back home more than me," a nervous giggle escaped as she arched her eyebrows and rolled her eyes.

"I'm being serious. I know I was a dick to you before and never showed you how much I like you, but I do. You're the girl of my dreams, and I was stupid for not letting you know before. When I thought you were dead, I hated myself for never telling you that."

Surprised was an understatement for what hit Layla right then. No words could manage to form themselves, and her eyes were almost as wide as baseballs. Shawn was one known for charming girls, but not once had she ever heard of him saying any sort of mushy type of stuff....especially not to her. She wasn't sure if she should be believing what he had just said or if it was some sort of joke that she should be laughing about. This completely random curveball confused the hell out of her.

"I-I don't know what to say," she was finally able to stutter out.

"Anything, just say anything so that this doesn't feel so awkward."

"Well, yeah, I guess I never knew you felt that way. I always thought you were more interested in what girl you were going to be conquering that current week."

"I admit I was dumb, and I'm sorry for that. Do you have any feelings for me?" Shawn stopped and watched her reaction closely.

Layla's body tensed up and her eyes shifted to the side, "I...I don't know. I mean, I guess I'm attracted to you, but we haven't exactly spent that much time together, like as a couple or anything. I know my father chose you as my mate, though, which I need to respect and abide by."

"So..you don't actually want me. You just want to follow your dad's decision?" Shawn spoke slowly and a frown began to form.

"If you're asking what I want, then I don't know what to tell you. All I know is that I want to make my father proud of me as he looks down on me. I don't want to disappoint him. Everything is so messed up right now. I have neither one of my parents here with me right now, so I want to do whatever I can to keep the memory of him alive," a tear strayed down her cheek, which just left a trail of smudged dirt in its wake.

Leaning closer to her, Shawn wrapped his arm around her and pulled her deep into his chest. Layla wasn't used to him trying to comfort her, but the feel of his strong, yet gentle, grasp around her was all she needed to allow herself to break down and cry. Her shoulders shook with her quiet sobs, and Shawn's hand softly brushed up and down her back.

A/N: It's getting closer to the end. Not sure exactly how many more chapters there will be, but I'm thinking it will just be a couple more to kind of wrap things up, yet leaving the option for a sequel if this one gets popular enough.