Chapter 37
Glimpse
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Content Warning: This chapter might contain violence, abuse, crime, or triggering factors that may be harmful, disturbing, or traumatizing to some. Reader’s discretion is advised. Thank you.
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“She has high fever…” Hunter uttered worriedly as he felt Leila shivering in his arms.
Uncle Bob told him about it but he was in panic. He didn’t know what to do. He hugged her tighter but to no avail.
Hunter let out a deep sigh and removed his shirt.
Skin to skin he could feel Leila’s warm body on him.
He swallowed the lump in his throat as Leila moved closer to her. He was now extra sensitive but no matter how much he wanted to push away the woman in his arms, he couldn’t. He had to stay there.
However, his hell worsened when Leila buried her face on his neck.
It was as if his inner wolf was growling at him to take her right there and then.
He clenched his jaw as he closed his eyes tightly. He had to make sure that he wouldn’t be taken over by his wolf. Not now. Not in a situation like this.
Hunter knew that he could hold his inner wolf but he wouldn’t want to take risks. Especially not when it comes to Leila’s safety.
There was a huge intimate and pleasure growing inside her and he knew that his inner wolf was feeling it, too.
And he wouldn’t want to let those earthly pleasures take over him.
He looked at Leila.
She was now calm and sleeping soundly in his arms.
It would be better if he would let her lie on the floor instead. That would be safe for him. Their distance was waking up every sensitive cell in his body.
However, Hunter felt like he just couldn’t do it.
‘She might tremble again… I don’t want to risk it.’ A part of his mind commented with concern.
But a huge part of him scoffed at his reason.
‘As if! You just wanted to stay that way and hug her tightly.’ This time, a part of him commented, too, sardonically.
He let out a deep sigh.
Surely, he didn’t want to think that way.
But no matter how much he tried to stop himself for all the confusing things that was running into his mind right now, he just couldn’t.
And for the first time in his life, he let himself go and did what he wanted to do right now.
‘Just for now… I want to follow what my heart is telling me to do.’ He murmured inside his head as he pulled Leila closer to him.
She moaned as she moved closer to him, too.
And that only made Hunter smile as he closed his eyes.
***
“Leila…”
She could hear a familiar voice inside her head.
Leila looked around but she was in her grandparents’ house.
‘What happened?’ She mentally asked herself.
“There you are!”
Her mouth slightly dropped wide opened when she saw his father smiling at her.
She swallowed the lump in her throat as she tried to utter a word, but nothing came out.
Her vision blurred as she looked at her father’s smile.
How she missed her father!
“I have a surprise for you!” Her father excitedly stated as he showed him the cocoa in his hands.
She heard herself giggling, then, a younger version of her hugged her father tightly.
A small sob escaped from her mouth as her hands flew in front of her mouth to stop herself from being too emotional.
But she couldn’t do it.
Everything seemed to be so surreal.
She couldn’t believe that this was actually happening in front of her.
“Great! Let’s see… What can we do to this…” Her mother uttered smilingly as she pretended to be thinking deeply.
“Chocolates, Mom! Chocolates!” Leila, in her younger self, replied immediately.
She beamed at her and they were all very happy.
It was as if everything was all perfect. It was as if everything wouldn’t go wrong.
But happiness was short-lived.
Leila found herself panting like she had run a mile.
She couldn’t breathe properly as if someone was after her.
She found herself running in the forest.
The eerie hooting of the owl. The snapping of the twigs and dried leaves under her feet. The coldness of the forest air.
Everything was slowly spinning in her head that she had to hold her temple and let out a low groan.
Her head was throbbing in pain as if something was hammering at it. It felt like it was splitting into half. She groaned in pain and frustration as she sat on the dried leaves, ignoring the things that were happening around her.
However, she was startled by a loud shout.
Her heart immediately pounded so hard inside her chest.
Somehow, she knew that voice but she prayed so hard that it might not be what she was thinking it to be
Her eyes widened as she stood up. She didn’t even know how she managed to stand or how she got her strength to walk towards where she heard the loud and familiar voice. Her hands were trembling as she silently prayed and hoped that she was wrong.
She felt like her breathing hitched as she slowly hid on the huge tree.
There was torch the only thing that gave them light in the middle of the night.
“He’s dead…” She heard someone say.
Leila saw a man and woman standing in her…
Her hands immediately flew into her mouth as she tried not to utter a word. Her heart was pounding so fast inside her chest.
Her father…
He was lying on the ground full of blood.
And she was so scared that he might have… he might have been… dead.
She swallowed hard as she bit her lower lip.
“Tell them…” She heard the woman said as they walked to the opposite side.
“But…” The man contradicted.
She couldn’t hear them already but she was sure that she had left her father in the middle of the forest.
‘They were the people who k*lled her father. They even left them there…’ She mentally thought.
Leila felt like she was deeply rooted to the ground.
She didn’t know how long she had stayed there but she had to go to her father. She wanted to check and hoped that she could still save him.
And when silence filled the air… And the tension was slowly building inside her… She slowly walked towards her father…
With his eyes closed she knew that it was already too late.
Her father is gone.
In the middle of nowhere.
And she didn’t even know why they were there or how this happened.
It was as if they were just happy together.
Her mother cooking while she and her father were playing together.
And now this…
Her tears fell as her heart broke into million pieces.
Whoever those people were she vowed to make them pay.
***
Leila swallowed hard although she felt that her mouth was already dried up.
However, a familiar and lovely scent attacked her nose.
She felt so warm and comfortable as if all that she wanted was to stay there forever. She felt at ease. She felt like the pain in her heart slowly being chased away.
Leila bit her lower lip as she opened her heavy lids.
Only to be shocked as she stared at the man holding her.
Hunter…
She was disoriented as she tried to understand what was happening.
Hunter is sleeping as he groaned and pulled her closer to him.
For a moment, she thought that he was now awake but he wasn’t.
However, she couldn’t stop herself from blushing at how close they were. Not to mention that she could stare at him from that distance.
Leila swallowed hard as she found herself smiling from ear to ear.
Maybe… Just maybe, she could simply stay like this for the meantime.
The serenity that Hunter’s closeness and presence brought peace in her heart. And she wanted to seize the moment.
For the first time, she felt the urge to be selfish.
For a moment, she wanted to stay in Hunter’s arms.
For a short while, she would let herself do that.
She would let herself enjoy the moment because she didn’t know whether this could happen again or not.