My Professor Is My Alpha Mate (Lila) novel Chapter 223

Lila’s POV

It felt like my entire body was numb, and yet, all I felt was pain. It wasn’t the same fiery feeling I felt earlier, but it felt as if I was just beaten. My body felt heavy, and my breathing was rash, but at least I was breathing.

I had yet to open my eyes, but I knew once I did, I wasn’t going to find myself in the arena. I wasn’t sure where I was expecting I was, but I knew Professor Xander had to do with this.

I also had this strange sense of loneliness, but it wasn’t that I felt alone in general, I somehow knew, without even opening my eyes, that I was alone in this area. I didn’t feel safe, but I also didn’t feel as if I was in immediate danger as well.

Managing to open my eyes, I finally got a glimpse of the darkness that surrounded me. I heard myself groaning as I lifted my head, trying to get a grasp of my surroundings, but I was getting nothing. All I felt was pain and all I smelled was nasty mildew and maybe even Hay.

Was I in a stable?

The school didn’t have a stable, which meant I wasn’t on campus. But I can’t imagine he took me far from school.

How long have I been out for?

I moved my hands, trying to grip the ground under me and I was relieved to feel that my hands were free of any cuffs. When I moved my feet, I was even more relieved.

He didn’t shackle me for whatever reason, but that didn’t help me if I didn’t know where I was. The quick movements of my body caused pain to shoot through me and I gritted my teeth at the very sensation, trying to keep myself from screaming in agony.

That fiery feeling was returning to my veins, and I took a steady deep breath to keep myself from passing out again. I gripped the dirt that lay under my body, silently begging for the goddess to relieve some of this pain.

Soon, the pain eased, and I found the strength to sit up.

I scooted backward until my back was able to rest against a wall and I allowed my body to relax slightly. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I was able to get some kind of look at my surroundings, I realized he didn’t shackle me because he had locked me in some kind of cage.

I was also right about the hay; I was surrounded by it. It was like a stable, but I didn’t sense any life around me, which meant there were no animals. The walls were made of rustic wood and on the very top of the tall wall sat a couple of windows. They weren’t big enough to crawl through though, so I didn’t find much hope for them.

In front of me, beyond the cage I was placed in, I saw a giant arched closed door with streaks of light breaking through the cracked corners and I realized I was inside of a barn.

My heart was racing rapidly; why would he bring me here to just leave me?

I tried to remember the last thing he said to me.

“You need to learn to escape the impossible.”

Was this some kind of test?

“Val?” I whispered out loud to my wolf. “Are you with me?”

I knew the answer long before I even asked the question; her silence only confirmed it. I was completely on my own. She was too weak to say or do anything, but I knew she was there in the back of my mind, itching to come out.

Take it in. Embrace it. Own it.

Those words still haunted my mind.

I wondered if Enzo could feel my distress, even if I was out of range.

“Professor Xander?” I called into the dark, knowing he wasn’t there.

I lay defeated on the ground, with zero hope of getting out of here.

At the time, it didn’t make sense as to why he was giving me this lesson, but as I lay in this barn, caged in and weak, I realized that there was nobody around to help me in this situation besides myself. Whoever was approaching this barn was not a friend and I needed to be careful.

The footsteps grew closer and soon, I was starting to hear the murmuring sounds of voices. It sounded like a guy and a girl and once they neared the barn doors, the scent of rogues invaded my nose.

I quickly scurried to the farthest corner of the cage, engaging myself with the shadows that lurked nearby. I might not have the ability to manipulate the shadows, but they still worked in my favor, and I knew I was safe within them.

The doors of the barn swung open; as predicted, Xander didn’t even bother locking them. I saw the figure of a guy walking into the barn. He was shirtless with a pair of ripped jeans and he was barefoot. His hair was on the longer side, resting just above his shoulders and it looked wet from rain. I hadn’t even realized it was raining… or maybe it was sweat?

His back was turned from me so I couldn’t get a good look at his face, but I saw deep and gnarly scratches on his back, making me wince. I’m sure that must have hurt; it's strange how he hadn’t healed from that, but maybe it had just happened.

Behind him stood a young girl; she didn’t look much older than me. She had long blonde hair, which was also wet, and she wore a bra with a pair of jeans that looked almost designer. She had a nice figure and bright features, though she reeked of rogues.

Unlike the guy, I was able to get a look at her face and I was shocked to see that her eyes were tinted red, and she looked like a mix of pissed and worried.

She looked around the barn for a moment with a look of disgust.

“Are you sure nobody is here? It smells like shit,” she muttered, staring up at the man.

He looked around as well, and that was when I also saw his face. I had to stifle a gasp when I realized who he was. I covered my mouth with my hands and kept myself buried in the shadows.

They were part of Paul’s clan.

They were Volana hunters.