Chapter 69

JAKE

It is time to make my way to the stage. I can not wait to see Layla. I can not wait to make her mine. I want to tell her all about me and I want her to be a part of my life but I first need to know that she feels the same way about me as I do about her.

As I arrive at this stage Mark wants me to do a soundcheck but I quickly let him know that I first want to check out my outfits. I make my way to the makeup room and stop just before I knock on the door. I take a deep breath and then suddenly a thought runs through my mind. What if she does not feel the same about me?

I take it deep breath and knock on the door. I open the door and I find the room empty. I look in the bathroom and she is not there. I wonder where she can be. She is usually right on time. I notice that her laptop is still there, so she must have been here. I decide to go do my soundcheck and then I will come back.

It does not take me long to finish my soundcheck and I hurry back to her room. I know that the show is almost starting and she must be nervous because I have not been there yet. She likes to have her ducks in a row. I knock on the door again and then I walk in.

Again, she is not in her room. I start to feel a little bit nervous because the show is starting and she is nowhere. I turn around and then I almost bump into Mark.

"Did you see Layla?"

"No?! Isn't she in her room?!"

"No, I have been here earlier on and now again but she is not here"

Then I realized that I probably should not have told him as I see the color leave his face. He is now a shade lighter than what he usually is.

"Oh...no, no, no, no. Where is she?! She can not drop us like this"

Then, it is as if it dawns on me. What if she does not feel the same about me and left the world tour altogether? What if she quits? That can not be. I am sure that she felt the same way. I could feel it in her touch. Then, I watch Mark going into panic mode.

He has this way of completely going crazy as he opens the door to the makeup room. He calls her name as if she is hiding somewhere and then he starts to pace up and down.

"What are we going to do?! What are we going to do?!"

I put a hand on his shoulder as I realize he might just start to hyperventilate anytime soon.

"Look at me. I am sure I can dress myself by now. I will just do the same as the previous country's outfits. You need to go back and see that everything else is working perfectly. Leave this up to me, okay?"

"Are you sure?!"

"Yes. Now, breathe deep. In and out. Now go"

He nods his head as if he is a little child agreeing to what his father just told him to do. It must be hard for him to organize everything around these concerts. But when he leaves I look around the room one more time. I see that her room key is also still on the table.

Now, I am feeling like Mark. I feel a bit panicked. What if something awful happened to her?

LAYLA

As I run through the fields and starting to feel even more powerful the further I go, I start to realize that I probably should get back because the show is about to start. But the wolf in me is so strong, that I can not stop it. I want to turn around but the voices are almost like a magnet just pulling me towards them.

Finally, I come to a standstill in the middle of what looks like a forest. I feel a bit scared even though I have this power inside of me. Then I watch as one wolf after the other appears around me. Each and every one of them is huge. Black ones, brown ones, and even grey ones.

"Do not be afraid. We are not here to harm you"

I hear a voice but I do not know who is speaking to me. It is as if he is inside my mind. I want to talk back but I realized that I am a wolf and not a human. So, I do not know how to speak. As if he could hear my thoughts he says.

"Just think what you want to say and we will hear it"

"Who are you?"

Suddenly I can hear my own voice asking that question but I know my lips are not moving.

"We are here to help you. You are one of our members. You are part of our pack"

"I do not understand?"

"I know that you are afraid and confused but we are here to help you. You have been sent to our pack. You are now part of us. We will be incomplete without you..."

I listen carefully as he starts to explain about how I belong with them and I hear each and every one of them introduce themselves to me. I have so many questions and they listen to everything I ask. After what seems like hours, I finally understand what I am. But then they ask me a question.

"Are you someone famous in your human form?"

"No"

I can hear how they gasp in their thoughts.

"Why do you ask?"

"It is just that everyone in our pack is a celebrity of sorts in our human life and we kind of felt safe in this pack because all of us knows how it feels to be exposed in our human life. We never expected a member do not be a celebrity of sorts"

Suddenly the safety that I felt in the pack is taken away. I thought they were happy with me being in their group and that they wanted me to be here. But now all of a sudden it feels like I am an outsider.

JAKE

It is two minutes before the concert is starting and Layla is a no show. I am now at the level where I feel as if something has happened to her because we tried calling her cell phone but we had no luck. Now, I do not just feel nervous about the concert that I have to give but also the fact that she could be unsafe somewhere alone.

But I have my outfits lined up for me and the show starts. It is strange how one person can destroy the entire show or for that matter make it much more difficult. One of the dancer's stylists will help me with my clothes and make up.

For the first time ever I wish that this show would be over and done with. It is almost as if I just want to know where she is or at least tries to find her. It is close to the end and then I remember and that my pack needs to have me there to meet the new person. Now, I do not just need to get the show over and done with but also deal with the new member.

I decide that there will be no encore and just as Mark meets me after the last song, I do not give him chance to say a word and then I say.

"Yes, I know. It was a great show I need to go to. Can you handle the rest of the things here?"

I can see the pure shock on his face but he then says to me.

"Yeah...of course, I can. But where are you going?"

I slap him on the shoulder and say.

"Do you remember that time I told you sometimes I just need to be by myself?"

"Yeah?"

"Well...this is one of those times"

He just stares at me as I smile and turn around. I have to find Layla but first I need to get to the pack. I quickly make my way back to the hotel trying to dodge the crowd as far as I can. It is difficult to leave the stage after the show because everyone wants to see me.

But I make it back to the hotel and quickly grab my helmet as I get on my black bike. I need to get there as soon as possible as they are probably very mad at me because I was not there in time. I did tell them that I need to do something that can not be moved and if they are so important as they say they are they should know.

I get to the forest and then I can hear their voices. I am not even in my wolf form yet and I already know that my pack is here. I stop my bike and start to run. I run as fast as I can. I change into my wolf form and the moment that I change I smell another familiar scent.