Soul Lines (Completed)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight
Elle's POV

Everything seemed slower, the days creeping by. The only semblance of time was our meals which were brought in routinely—dried oats in the morning and leftover scraps for lunch and dinner. Not even the alpha's son got anything more appetising.

Kendra and I stayed together, avoiding Lachlan. We thought of ways to escape, ignoring him as the voice of reason, we discussed our fears of dying, and we held onto the fact that our meals kept coming, but mostly we talked about Tim's excuse for holding us captive. Kendra was just as in the dark as I was, and neither of us felt like asking Lachlan.

Kendra and I spent almost all of our time together, but when either of us used the bathroom, we were left alone with our thoughts. On the third day of joint captivity, I couldn't stand the ideas that settled in my mind like a dark fog, and I hesitated in the doorway of Lachlan's room.

He hadn't moved. His meals were brought to his bed, and the sheets reeked of urine. He was not getting any better, but he hadn't gotten any worse either, dangling perpetually close to death's edge, unwilling to succumb to the torture.

The question burned my tongue as it rested inside my mouth until I couldn't hold it anymore. 'Why did you do it?'

He jolted, coughing as surprise left him winded. He turned over, staring up at me with half-lidded eyes. 'I didn't mean to hurt you.'

It felt like a lie, but I didn't have the fight in me to counter his words. He knew his barb-filled defences had cut like knives, leaving scars everyone could see.

'I met her before I met you in the summer.' His eyes fluttered, softly closing as a wistful smile lifted away some of the pain sketched on his face. 'You don't look anything like her, but you're strong-willed, just like she is.' He winced, swallowing painfully. 'Her name is Priya. It didn't take me long to figure out who she was. I only needed a moment to realise she was my soulmate. She was only meant to be in town for a week—she was on a family road trip—I don't know how we did it, but we convinced her dad to let her stay until the end of the holidays, and it was though my life had finally begun.'

He looked up and then across at me as though he was only just realising where he was. 'I heard Kaden admitted you were his soulmate. It was about time.' He shifted onto his back, staring at the ceiling. 'I had suspicions when we were dating but never had any proof. He used to glare at me when he thought no one was watching. He doesn't hide his anger much anymore. I deserve it, though.'

My mouth had dried, and words seemed foreign, but I forced them out onto my sandpaper tongue. 'If you met Priya before me, why did you date me?'

He didn't answer, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. 'She has a smile for the gods. It makes my heart sing whenever I see it, and she is smart,' he sighed longingly, 'so smart. She is smarter than me. We spent every day of our summer vacation exploring the woods. Her laughter repeats in my thoughts like an endless echo, playing over and over, but when I try to recall the beauty of her voice, it is always just out of reach. I cannot remember the shade of her hair, but I can remember that her skin is as soft as silk, the colour of honey, and her eyes are a shade of blue like forget-me-nots.' He faltered, and the stars shone in his eyes. Sighing, 'forget-me-not.'

I tried asking him again, but he stared wordlessly at the ceiling with a broken smile.

Time passed, and colour returned to Lachlan's skin as we discussed Priya. Our conversations brought him hope. He filled the silence left by Kendra when she went to the bathroom, and as time passed, the hatred I had for him melted away, leaving nothing but the memory of our past and pity.