Chapter 5 Chapter Five

LILA'S POV

The moment the phone clicked, I froze. 

Walter’s deep, velvety voice had me gripping the phone as tightly as I could.

“Who is this?” he repeated.

I needed to respond before he thought of ending the call because I hadn't responded. I cleared my throat and with all the confidence I could muster, I spoke. 

“I… it’s me, Lila,” I whispered. My voice trembled, barely audible.

There was a pause, long enough that my chest felt like it would cave in. I could hear the faint rustle of papers or footsteps in the background. Then he spoke again.

“What do you want?” He asked and his voice sent a shiver down my spine.

“I need your help. I-I– need money.” 

“You need money?” His voice remained icy, though there was a weight behind it. “And you want me to help?”

“Yes,” I admitted, my throat tight. “The hospital bills… I… I can’t—please, I have no one else.”

Another pause. My pulse raced, every second stretching painfully.

“I’ll help,” he said finally. “But there are conditions-”

“I'll do anything!” I said in an instant without waiting for him to finish.”

“Anything?” He said, sounding amused at my instant acceptance.” 

“Yes, anything.” I breathed out, already exhausted from the train of emotions I had experienced all day. 

“Then you’ll come to my estate to discuss repayment. I want to see you in person. I'll send someone over.” 

My stomach twisted. The Fairmoon estate. But I had no other choice. I nodded, though he couldn’t see me.

“I’ll… I’ll come,” I said softly, swallowing the fear knotting my chest.

The call ended and I just lay there, finally glad that I had gotten help, even though it was a costly one. 

Another nurse walked in shortly after my call and helped me back into bed and even scolded me for not caring about my health, she then had food brought for me and left me alone ever since.

I tried to eat, tried to distract myself, but the image of Walter’s cold voice haunted me.

By evening, a sleek black car arrived at the hospital entrance and I was escorted out of the room. I stepped in silently, my hands clenching in my lap as the vehicle sped toward the Fairmoon estate.

When we arrived, Adrian met me at the doors. He was rigid, every line of his body screaming distrust. His sharp eyes traced my face with a scowl, and I could feel the judgment pressing down on me.

He said nothing as he escorted me through the grand halls, silence between us filled only by the echo of our footsteps. My pulse pounded so hard I thought he could hear it.

Finally, we reached Walter’s office. The door opened, and I stepped inside nervously. The room was dark and I almost couldn't make out the furniture or even… him. 

Immediately I saw him, a rush of feeling I couldn't understand filled my entire being and from the way he reacted, he felt it too.

What was that? 

Walter sat behind the massive desk, his eyes staring directly at me. There was no emotion in his eyes and that freaked me out more than anything. 

I swallowed, trying to steady my voice. “Thank you for… helping.”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and kept staring. 

Then he spoke. “You want to tell me what happened?” His tone was flat, but his eyes were sharp, studying me as if every word I spoke could be a lie.

I began explaining, my words rushed and uneven, spilling out the events of the last few days. I told him about the hospital, the bills, the desperation. 

I tried to make him understand but I left out the part of me turning into a creature I was yet to understand. He didn't need to know that. 

He listened without a hint of warmth, just those piercing eyes scanning my face. When I finished, he leaned forward, fingers drumming on the desk as if he could see into my soul. 

Finally, he said, “I’ll make a deal. You work as my assistant, and the debt will be considered repaid. You survive, you live. Fail, and… well, that will be your choice.”

I blinked, trying to process. Assistant. My hands shook slightly, but the pull I felt toward him, made me shift slightly where I stood. 

I pushed it down, forcing myself to think of anything else but the desire coursing through my veins. What was wrong with me?

“I… I’ll take it,” I whispered.

“Good. You move in tonight. Not like you have anywhere else to go.” He stared intently and I turned my face away from him. 

“Nora will settle you into a room.”

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. Nora led me to a quiet, barely furnished room. I sat on the bed, exhausted and every muscle aching. 

I wanted to sleep, wanted to let the day end, but my mind refused. Every sound in the estate, the ticking of clocks, the distant creak of the halls, made me tense.

I lay there until midnight. Then I heard it. A faint, almost inhuman sound echoing through the hall, a deep, strained groan, followed by the subtle snap of bone. My chest tightened. I forced myself out of bed, following the noise.

I crept down the hall, careful not to make a sound. The source was a cracked door at the end of the corridor. A strange dread twisted in my stomach.

I peeked through the crack. What I saw made my breath catch. Walter. His body was convulsing violently and his bones cracking audibly. 

His skin stretched and fur exploded from it but there was something strange about the whole thing… only his lower body had transformed. 

He snarled and groaned, clearly in pain from what he was going through.  “Lila has to pay for this,” he growled, voice deep and chilling.

I gasped and immediately slapped my hand on my mouth, noticing what I had just done. 

His neck snapped in my direction and his eyes bore into mine.

Shit. He had seen me.  My legs were frozen to the floor and I tried to move but I couldn't. 

Suddenly, my brain realised the danger I was in and I spun around, running in the direction of my room but the sounds of heavy footsteps behind me made me realise that he was chasing after me.

He was fast, impossibly fast and in seconds, he had me pinned against the wall, his hands wrapped around my throat.

His claws dug into my skin, huffing breaths against my face. His eyes blazed with a feral intensity that stole my breath.

My mind froze, searching desperately for something, anything to say, to make him stop.