Not-So-Fated Mates

Chapter 18: Soulless

Drake POV

After dressing himself in a t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts, Drake walked out of his room at the same time as Layla. Grinning at each other, they only looked away when Jackson walked out of his room, clearing his throat to get their attention. “Morning, love birds,” he said with a knowing smirk.

Drake rolled his eyes but let the comment slide as Layla chuckled softly. “You’re one to talk,” she replied. “Where’s Chelsea?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he winked.

“I’m here, I’m here,” Chelsea’s voice sounded through the door to her room, just as it began to open. As she opened the door, Drake noticed she had a huge smile on her face.

“Is she a morning person?” he asked, leaning slightly towards Layla even as he openly stared at her overly happy friend.

Layla laughed and shook her head while Chelsea rolled her eyes at him, still grinning. “No, I’m not, but that doesn’t mean I can’t occasionally have a good morning. And this happens to be one of those mornings,” she explained.

“So you didn’t sleep with her,” Drake deadpanned, looking at his beta.

“I take offense to that,” Jackson gasped dramatically as he put his hand to his chest in mock offense. He then grinned at Layla. “Maybe you should sleep with him more often, he’s not usually this playful in the morning. Ow!” he added after Drake smacked the back of his head. “Okay, there’s the grump we all know and love.”

“Why the hell do I put up with you?”

“'Cause I’m awesome.”

“Sure, you keep thinking that.”

“I hate to break this up, but I still have to go get Isaiah and set up for training,” Layla said, interrupting their playful spat.

“I’ll go with you,” Drake said. “What about you two?” He directed the question at his beta and Layla’s friend, who were currently eyeing each other flirtatiously.

“I’m going to grab a quick bite to eat before training starts. Unlike Layla, I can’t do all that work without something in my stomach,” Chelsea responded, pulling her eyes away from Jackson like it was a struggle.

“I second that motion,” Jackson said before offering his arm to Chelsea.

“We’ll see you guys at the training grounds,” Chelsea said with a giggle as she hooked her arm around Jackson’s and they began to walk away.

Drake raised an eyebrow at the pair of them as they walked away, shaking his head slightly. They were so obvious. Though he hoped Chelsea wasn’t taking it all too seriously. Jackson was the definition of a player, and though Chelsea was only an acquaintance to him, he knew Layla would be upset if Jackson broke her friend’s heart. Then again, while he didn’t want her to be upset by anything, he had to admit it would be funny to watch her beat his beta’s ass. He could already tell she was the type to go all pissed off mama bear on anyone who dared hurt her loved ones.

As they walked, Drake suddenly couldn’t think of what to say. Layla didn’t seem to mind the silence, a smile still on her face and a sparkle in her eyes he hadn’t noticed before now. He liked it, it honestly enhanced her beauty, which, to be fair, was already out of the ballpark as far as he was concerned. A part of him hoped that was his doing, though technically he shouldn’t care so much if it was or wasn’t. But he couldn’t help himself. She was just…amazing. Realizing he was staring at her, he looked away and hoped she hadn’t noticed, clearing his throat awkwardly as he tried to find something to talk about to distract him. “So, how’s Isaiah doing?”

Layla glanced at him before answering brightly, “Doc told me this morning he was doing good, all healed up the right way this time.”

“Good,” he said with a nod. Suddenly a thought struck him. “Wait, this morning? When did you go down to see him? I only left you for a few minutes while we changed.”

She laughed, shaking her head again. “Drake, I didn’t go down there, I called while I got ready.”

“Oh,” he replied with chagrin. “Yeah, didn’t think about that one. Did you guys ever figure out the room situation?”

“For Isaiah? Yeah, we just didn’t want to move him until we were absolutely sure he healed correctly.”

“So where will he be staying?”

“The room next to Chelsea’s, actually. That way she or I will be close, especially since he seems to have more issues with males. I’m not totally sure he’ll be okay with Chels, but I need someone who can help him when I’m busy,” she explained.

Good, Drake thought as he nodded. That way I can keep an eye on him. She might think that little boy is nothing more than a child, but something about him just bothered Drake. He couldn’t explain it, though, so he hadn’t brought it up to Layla. He honestly didn’t want to fight with her about this, and, unless he had proof that the boy was up to something, he knew she’d just turn a deaf ear to his worries. Probably arguing he’s just a helpless little kid, and therefore not a danger. Then again, he also could be completely wrong. He had to acknowledge he had a strong bias against rogues, and, for all he knew, that could be all it was. “Well, I’m glad you got it sorted out. I’m sure he’ll appreciate not having to sleep on the ground in the forest, or one of those hospital beds, for that matter.”

“Yeah, can’t blame him on that one,” she grimaced, thinking about all the nights he must’ve spent on the hard ground. “I really hope he finds it comfortable here, and begins to heal from everything going on in his poor little head.”

Drake was saved from having to respond as they opened the door to the hospital. Walking in, he immediately noticed the doctor was working at his desk, his nose practically in his paperwork, as the boy sat on his bed, doing nothing but staring at the wall like he was trying to figure something out. As soon as the door shut, he slowly looked in their direction. In an instant, Drake knew his suspicions had at least some truth to them. He had barely caught it, only a split second before it was gone, but for that second, the boy’s eyes had had that cold look. A calculative, damn near soulless look.

That boy was trouble.