Chapter 12
He’s a WHAT?!
***
It took her time to gather herself together after her encounter with Hunter a while ago. She simply cooked some pancakes for Hunter the best recipe to deceive time and escape any more encounters with Hunter.
Right after Leila prepared his breakfast, she told Butler Henry that she needed to go home. She told him that she wasn’t feeling well and that she needed to rest.
To be honest, she just didn’t want to see Hunter in the meantime. She felt hurt and wanted to calm herself.
She was just grateful that Butler Henry told her that she could go home and rest for the entire day. However, she had forgotten her things at Hunter’s mansion.
Leila scratched the back of her head as she stared at the huge gate thinking twice about whether she would enter or not.
Before she went home, Butler Henry gave her the spare key to the gate so she could go inside freely. It was better for her, though. She didn’t want to bother anyone to open the gate for her.
She heaved a deep sigh.
“If it’s not for my phone, I wouldn’t think twice about going here.” She murmured to herself.
Truth to be told, that was the only reason why she needed to go back to the mansion. She needed her phone because she needed to call her mother and brother.
Besides, she wanted to take every word that Hunter said to her for a while, out of her head. And baking is truly calming her nerves down. Surely, she didn’t want to just sit in the corner and sulk her emotions down. She needed something that could keep her busy. And she wanted to try some of the new recipes that she had saved on her phone.
‘Oh, really?’ A part of her mind suspiciously teased her.
Leila swallowed hard before biting her lower lip.
She shook her head because of the answer that was lingering inside it.
That it wasn’t just because of that… That despite of the rude and hurtful words that Hunter told her a while ago, she just couldn’t stop herself from worrying.
He was wounded.
She couldn’t stop herself from worrying. She wanted to know whether Butler Henry tended his wound… and where the heck it came from.
“Urgh!” Leila groaned because of her hopeless thoughts.
She couldn’t believe she could be this masochistic. She didn’t want to, but there was something that was pulling her back to where Hunter was as if he were her magnet… attracting each other… to be together.
Before she could even stop herself, she had already opened the gates and entered the mansion.
It was already almost ten, and she knew that she shouldn’t be lurking around the house. She had fallen asleep after her crying spree okay, that was supposed to be because of the painful words that Hunter told her.
She might be such a sensitive fella, but she didn’t want to keep the burden… the pain inside her chest. She wanted to take it out. Besides, crying would make her feel fine and move on. She preferred to let it all out rather than keep it as a burden in her heart anyway.
“You just need to get your things, Leila.” She whispered to herself as she tried to convince herself while nodding her head to assure herself that she was doing the right thing.
Leila took a slow, deep breath as she looked around the living room. She knew that she didn’t create any sound as she entered the place. She didn’t want to be caught… well, more like, she didn’t want to be seen by Hunter.
She, then, remembered placing her bag at the side table near the huge sofa. However, she couldn’t find it there. Her forehead creased as she tried to recall whether she remembered it correctly.
“Maybe, I left it in the kitchen?” She asked herself as she decided to proceed towards the kitchen area.
Though, before she could even take a step, a faint noise instantly stopped her tracks. Leila swallowed hard as she bit her lower lip.
The hair at her nape stood up as she remembered that there might be a ghost lurking around the huge mansion.
Surely, a huge mansion like this… She shivered at her own thoughts. She was about to ignore it, but the faint and eerie sound continued.
“Oh, God, please help me.” She mumbled as she tried to take another step.
Her legs were trembling, and her hands were slightly shaking. She bit her lower lip ignoring whether it would eventually bleed or not.
“You’re such a coward, Leila.” She told herself as she entered the kitchen.
However, she still couldn’t find her bag. She just wanted to curse her freaking bag.
Leila swallowed hard as the faint noise became louder this time making her flinch a bit. She unintentionally walked back into the living room, where the noise was already becoming a bit more distinctive.
And it wasn’t coming from a ghost but from upstairs from Hunter’s room, to be exact.
Leila stopped as she looked at where Hunter’s room was.
She suddenly remembered the very first time she went there. Butler Henry told her that he loves watching thrillers and suspense movies. She was about to shrug her shoulders and just ignore it when she suddenly heard Hunter’s curses followed by a loud crashing sound.
Her eyes widened as she turned back to his room. Surely, it wasn’t coming from his television or something.
It is Hunter himself!
Then, she heard a loud groan as if he were trying to soothe his own pain.
Leila remembered Hunter’s shoulder a while ago the reason why he suddenly turned cold and rude to her.
Worry started to creep into her system once again.
She instantly went to the stairs, but she came to an abrupt stop as her hand held the railing. She wasn’t allowed to go upstairs. And…
“Let me just remind you that you are here to be MY SERVANT. You are here to pay for your mother’s debts. And you aren’t allowed to pry by any means. You should know your place here.”
Leila closed her eyes firmly, and her hand turned into a balled fist as she remembered his words to her a while ago.
She put down her hand holding the railing and was about to turn back and mind her own business when another loud and painful scream escaped from Hunter’s room.
This time, she knew that it was from him.
He was, as if, asking for help.
Now, she was torn between obedience and her conscience.
“Where the heck is Butler Henry when I need him?” She asked herself before hearing another painful whimpering sound.
Leila heaved a deep sigh.
And before she could even think twice, she was already walking upstairs. Surely, she was certainly prying this time. But she couldn’t help but worry about Hunter.
She wouldn’t mind if he told her rude things again.
She wouldn’t mind his cold stares at her.
All that she’s thinking about is he might need her.
Or worse, he might be in danger!
That certain thought made her decide to go upstairs throwing all of her inhibitions free.
Her heart was beating loudly as she stopped her tracks facing Hunter’s room.
Leila swallowed hard as she heard another faint grunt from inside. This time, it was a bit clearer to her.
She walked slowly towards the door and held the doorknob.
“Ahhh!” A loud cry from Hunter made her eyes widen as she instantly opened the knob and pushed the door handle.
She swallowed hard as she found out that it wasn’t locked at all. She slowly opened it enough for her to see what was happening inside.
She might be impulsive most of the time, but she was being careful this time.
What if Hunter was just watching some sort of suspense movie?
However, her legs wobbled as her heart seemed to stop.
For the scene inside Hunter’s room was far from a simple day like Hunter enjoying a suspense movie and trying to relax.
It was indeed a shocking reality when she saw Hunter on the cold floor breathing heavily as his ankles snapped and…
Leila clenched her jaw as she saw him become a dog’s feet… no, more of a wolf’s feet.
She bit her lower lip as she placed her hand in front of her mouth stopping any sound that might escape from it. Her eyes widened like saucers as she felt her heart almost exploding because of… fear.
‘W-What… What the h-heck!’ She screamed inside her head, but nothing came out of her mouth.
Or was it because she just couldn’t ignore the fact of not making any noise or else…
She wanted to run… get away… and hide.
But her feet felt like they were glued to the ground.
For she just saw Hunter transform into a…
She couldn’t comprehend what was happening, but fear started to intensify and creep into her system. And even when her legs were wobbling, she managed to go out of the mansion… which she couldn’t comprehend how…
Perhaps, it was because she just wanted to save herself. Hunter… might… He might do something to her!
Leila was panting as her heart beat so loudly inside her.
“The hell!” She uttered it lowly as she took a deep breath.
But then, as her legs finally gave up her adrenaline was slowly drifting out of her she fell down the cold floor.
She just couldn’t believe what happened. She shook her head and pinch her arm.
“Ouch!” She wailed as she touched her hurting arm.
This is all reality. This is all true.
And…
“What the hell…” She muttered under her breath.
She took a deep breath and swallowed hard.
“H-Hunter… H-He turns into a w-wolf?” She unbelievably muttered more of a question that was lingering inside her mind.
Then, she remembered.
The huge wolf that saved her from Donovan… which she forgot to ask it wasn’t his pet…
“Oh, God!” She whispered as her lips quivered in fear.
The huge wolf was Hunter himself!
“What the hell have I gotten myself into?” Leila intuitively blurted out as she licked her already dried and quivering lips.