Chapter 41 Writer's POV
Onyi's days blended together in a haze of longing and despair. He couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness that had settled in his chest since Amanda's departure. At night, he'd toss and turn, his mind replaying memories of her warm kisses, her gentle touch. His body ached for hers, his skin craving the warmth of her presence.
As he lay in bed, he'd stretch out his hand, expecting to find her beside him. But she'd be gone, and the realization would hit him like a punch to the gut. He'd curl up, wrapping his arms around his pillow, trying to find comfort in the familiar scent of his sheets. But it wasn't the same. Nothing was the same without Amanda.
One night, as he drifted off to sleep, exhausted from another day of longing, he didn't notice the pair of eyes watching him from the shadows. Laila stood in the doorway, her gaze fixed on Onyi's sleeping form with an unnerving intensity. Her eyes seemed to bore into his very soul, her expression twisted into a dark, sinister grin.
She stepped closer, her movements silent as a ghost. Onyi stirred, sensing a presence, but Laila froze, holding her breath until he settled back into sleep. Her eyes never left his face, her gaze drinking in the contours of his features.
As she watched him, Laila's thoughts were far from innocent. She'd been studying Onyi, probing the depths of his psyche, and she'd discovered a vulnerability that she could exploit. The crescent moon mark on his neck seemed to hold secrets she was determined to uncover.
With a calculated slowness, Laila reached out and touched Onyi's forehead. He didn't stir, lost in the depths of his sorrow. Her touch was cold, clinical, but it sent a shiver down Onyi's spine, even in his sleep.
Laila's smile grew wider as she withdrew her hand. She knew Onyi was hers now, hers to manipulate, to control. And she'd stop at nothing to uncover the secrets he held.
As she turned to leave, the darkness seemed to swallow her whole, leaving Onyi alone in the silence of his room. But the feeling of being watched lingered, a creeping sense of dread that seeped into his bones.
Onyi slept fitfully, his dreams haunted by visions of Amanda, of loss and longing. He didn't know what the future held, but he knew one thing - he'd do anything to find his mate, to hold her in his arms again. Little did he know, his fate was already entwined with Laila's, and she had plans for him that went far beyond his wildest imagination .