Page 14 of Cruel Mate

Layla dipped her head in acknowledgment. There was no need to ask anything further. She remained silent, head bowed and hands clasped behind her back as she awaited Luke’s response to Jack.

“All is well in Nightstar, I gather?” Luke asked, head cocked slightly.

Layla cleared her throat and responded, “Yes.”

Even if it wasn't, it was not for her to say.

The alpha regarded her as if he wondered whether or not she was telling him the truth. Then, he scoffed and nodded, handing her the envelope he had just placed his letter within.

“Miss Keely, you are welcome to remain in Pine Valley to rest before you return home, though I would advise that you seek the comfort of the bed and breakfast immediately and stay there until you are ready to travel again,” Luke explained, and Layla knew that something was definitely up.

Usually, she was invited to do as she pleased and stay as long as she liked. She never stayed long, of course—just long enough to rest and trade enough to make a living for another week.

Luckily for her, her recent trip to Blackwell Falls had been great for her wallet, and she didn’t have much need for further trade.

She did, however, have a sharp curiosity within her to know more about whatever the hell was going on in Pine Valley. There was a dullness to the alpha’s gray-green eyes that she had never seen before, and he looked tired, weary even.

Something was going on, and the twisting of her stomach told her that she ought not to stick around to find out what that was.

“I thank you for the offer of hospitality, Luke, but I have been traveling a lot lately, and I think I should rather like to return home quickly,” Layla said, dipping her head in respect to the alpha.

Luke nodded his acknowledgment. “One of my men shall escort you out.”

With a click of his fingers, the door was opened, and Layla shown out. It was only when Kyle, one of Luke’s personal guards, had seen her back to the front door that he asked, “Hey, Layla, you don’t happen to have any more of those wolfberry seeds, do you?”

Layla smirked at that and pulled off her bag to reach inside. “Kerry liked them then?” she asked, pulling out a bag of the seeds in question.

“She loved them. Hasn’t been able to find them anywhere else,” Kyle said, smiling back at her. “She’s been bugging me to see when you were next on your Pine Valley run.”

Layla’s heart warmed to hear it as she handed over a bag of the seeds. Taking the cash he offered in return, she reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a card with her number on it. “You should give her this. She can give me a call herself next time.”

“Thanks, kid, you’re a lifesaver!” Kyle, who could have only been a couple of years older than her own twenty-five, beamed at her and looked as if he were about to ruffle her hair. She was glad that he didn’t. This was the usual interaction she was used to with the males of her race—those that weren’t Karl Ryker’s cronies, anyway. People always treated her like a kid, a godsend, were just friendly in general. It was only in Nightstar she had ever been tormented or abused, and now that only seemed to come whenever Zander was around.

And here she was, thinking of him even when he wasn’t. She was really beginning to get on her own nerves.

“Make sure to remind her to soak them in lukewarm water the night before planting,” Layla instructed him, and Kyle gave her a playful salute before sending her on her way.

“Take care!” he called after her, and she threw a wave of acknowledgment over her shoulder.

Almost the second she turned the corner away from the alpha’s house, the dark cloud settled over her again. Something wasn’t right in Pine Valley at all. There was a thick tension in the air that left her even more determined to be on her way swiftly.

There were even fewer people out on the streets than there had been when she arrived, and the creeping feeling that continued to run down her spine grew more and more uncomfortable.

Why did I decide to hike? She wondered, wishing she’d borrowed one of the messenger cars that Jack had begun supplying since his takeover, yet another way he proved he cared for his packmates and their safety. Before, Layla had traveled by whatever means she could. Getting by on a messenger’s salary hadn’t really allowed for travel expenses or buying a vehicle of her own, but she had gotten by, and trading often helped. She was used to hiking to Pine Valley, but today of all days, she wished she hadn’t.

And when she was almost out of town, she realized that her day was just going to go from bad to worse.

“Well, well, there she is.”

The voice was oddly familiar, and Layla recognized the two men sitting on their motorbikes on the street corner all too well. The one still cupping his man jewels was clearly still having trouble after her attack on them. His pale face suggested he was in quite a good deal of pain.

Layla had to bite back the urge to laugh. Maybe it would teach him not to go laying hands on another she-wolf again. But from the way the two of them were glowering at her, she wasn’t sure she was going to be so lucky.

“I would have thought the two of you might have learned after the first time,” Layla said, standing her ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked for an escape route. Luckily for her, she knew Pine Valley almost as well as she knew Nightstar. She just hoped that these guys didn’t.

“And I would have thought you might have learned just to give up whatever information you have to save your sorry hide, being a messenger and all,” the one whose balls she hadn’t injured growled at her.

“I wouldn’t be all that good at my job if I did that, now, would I?”

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