Rejected To Be Your Second Chance-Chapter 71. Layla’s Purpose

"Why haven’t you called on me? Why the hell have you just abandoned us?"

"Abandoned you? Kade, it is not my job to tell you everything that you want to know. I gave you and Layla a lot of information, and as far as I can tell, you have done nothing with it." I stared at her, befuddled.

Her long silk hair falling over her shoulders, and her eyes were squinting in question.

"We’ve done what we could," I gritted.

"Have you, though?"

"Layla needs me."

"She needed you a long time ago, Kade. She, too, was given the same information as you, and yet she chose to ignore that." dark circles had formed around her eyes. On a closer look, I could see red veins stretching from the side of her eye and marks on her hand. She put the cup in her hands down and dragged her nails over the back of her hand, perfectly matching the marks.

She saw where my eyes were looking and quickly pulled her hand away. Annalese cleared her throat, placing her reddened hand under the other and sitting straight.

"What is going on?" I asked her, as my eyes flickering between her hands and her eyes.

"This—this is nothing."

"It’s clearly something. What’s happening to you? Your eyes are red, you look like you haven’t slept in days, and you’re scratching your hand bloody."

The sound of a whistle went off, and Analese went up to grab the kettle from the stove. She poured more tea in our cups and stood still with her back facing me for a good few seconds.

"What happens doesn’t affect only you, Kade, it affects us all."

"I know that," her head turned halfway.

"Do you?" Like I didn’t fucking know that the entire werewolf species was hanging in the balance right now?

"I do," I said and got up, with my hands pressing against the handles. The blood was pumping through my veins, and my head was starting to throb.

"I know exactly who this affects, but why don’t you tell me how this, Layla, and I affect you?" I took slow steps, not wanting to scare her, but also restraining myself from threatening her. She had the power to send me back and I still needed answers.

She sighed a heavy sigh, and her shoulders shrank to the floor.

"They will stop at nothing to keep you away from your mate," she whispered. The cup trembled in her grip as she slowly placed it down on the sink. The cup fell on its side, and the tea spilled, releasing the minty aromas and burning the flesh on her wounded hand.

"You are the one—" her voice was quiet, and her words spoken with fear. "—they need her weak and alone, and you, you make her strong."