“But our pack is now fearing an attack—”

“And they’ve all trained their whole lives; I have faith in them,” he said. “Leave them be and do something more important. Diedre needs our help.”

The pack was only as strong as their Alpha and their pack witch. If both he and Diedre were sidelined, then that was their biggest worry.

How did Diedre’s magic become compromised? Who was he dealing with for them to be able to disable the strongest witch in all his territories? He’d felt the magic when he had put the jewellery on Layla. Had it been compromised even then? What about the charms she had made for all the warriors to protect their minds from the witch?

Sorting that out was more important than whatever the new Alpha of Kendrick’s pack had planned.

“Help her find whatever she needs to fix this situation. I’m afraid she’s been taking on too much by herself.”

“I’ll do my best, Alpha,” Micah said with a head bow.

He looked at his Head Warrior briefly as he stopped at the packhouse gates. Even though he had sent the man’s child away, Micah was still at his side as usual. Did he not hold malice in his heart like the others?

“How is Cassandra?” he asked.

“She has settled well, Alpha. It’s her eighteenth birthday tomorrow. Her mother and I wondered if we could go to see her.”

“You can see her whenever you can, Micah; you don’t need to ask for permission. Just don’t... don’t bring her back.”

Micah nodded and then turned to walk back to the house. Maybe after seeing what had happened to Cassie’s friend in the dungeon, he was glad that Cassie had not met the same fate.

He was about to signal the guard to open the gate when a sound reached his ears. A low moan that went straight from his ears to his dick.

He knew that moan. He lived for that moan.

But what the hell...?

He turned back and heard the moan again. He didn’t even have to open up his senses to search for her, even from this distance. It was as if she was pulling him back to her.

Cain stood to attention as if he had been summoned. He could see the red haze in his vision that told him his eyes had changed colour.

And then her scent hit him as if he was right next to her. As if he was already buried inside her and losing his mind.

His emotions mixed with his beasts. They were of one mind for the first time in a long time as their focus turned to the woman they had left on their bed. Lust... pure lust and need washed through his body, strengthened by the bond that had doomed them all.

“Alpha? Shall I open the gate?”

He looked back at the guard who had been waiting for his command. Could he not smell that? Her scent was everywhere. It made his blood pump rapidly as his stupid heart hammered in his chest. It made his beast drunk with emotions neither of them was equipped to handle.

It made him want... no, need those things he could not have.

He needed Layla. He needed to mark her.

“Alpha?”

“Open the gates for everyone to leave. Don't let anyone back in for anything,” he growled as he started to walk back.

The wolves he met were still talking amongst themselves and heading towards training as if his world hadn’t just tipped on its axis. How could this even be possible? The doctor had said it was her human biology that was dominant. He’d been prepared for that. Not this...

‘Everyone leave the packhouse and the grounds. Everyone,’ he ordered through the pack link.

Could they truly not sense what was happening?

Sweat was already dripping down his forehead and chest, and anyone looking at him directly would see his body’s reaction, which he could not hide.

But that scent. It was the most intoxicating... It wiped out his desire to do anything else except satisfy his mate.