Page 15 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

But no matter what a degenerate Layla was, he needed her.

“She’s with me.”

The doors opened and he marched in, eager to reach his room so Layla could wash the blood off. When he turned to face the doors, he saw the expressions on Miss Robert’s face. He saw the shock as she watched Layla walk into the elevator with him; then, she must have made the correct assumption about why he would be with a woman like Layla in the first place because jealousy coloured the air.

It made Cain want to wrap himself around Layla and stake his claim immediately, so Miss Roberts would stop thinking she had a chance.

The doors shut in the Housekeeping supervisor’s face, and Layla swore quietly as the elevator started moving.

“What?”

“She’s going to fire me,” Layla answered.

Maybe he should ask Miss Roberts to fire her, just to make sure she had no other options to escape the situation she had found herself in.

“I’ll sort it out. But you must clean yourself up first, and then we’ll talk.”

He said nothing else until the elevator stopped at the top floor.

‘Check her wounds and patch her up until Diedre can look at her. I’ll start packing,’ he told Dylan through their mind link.

‘We’re leaving? What about the meetings?’

‘Rearrange everything. She’s going to say yes, so she’s coming with us. I don’t want to waste any more time.’

There was no other way. Cain was so wound up that they needed to leave, and his wolf wouldn’t leave without Layla. She would have to stay with him until he figured things out.

‘Wait. You want to take her to the packhouse? Jax, she’s human. You know she can’t be there—’

‘Do as I say, Dylan.’

He didn’t wait for a response. The moment he walked into the suite, he went to his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. It only mildly helped to block the scent of her blood but not much. Cain kept pushing, trying to force his way out so he could see to his mate himself, but Dylan had to handle this one. The less contact they had, the better.

Half an hour later, he heard Layla speaking gently with her sister, their voices carrying clearly from the lounge. Despite her questionable character, she was very good with her sister. Was Britney a half-blood, too?

He didn’t give a shit, though, one way or another. Neither of them was welcome in his pack.

He picked up the folder on the bedside table and then marched out of the room, finally allowing Cain to seek out Layla. The slight scent of blood was still in the air, but it wasn’t fresh. She'd stopped bleeding.

The two girls stopped talking when they saw him. They had showered and changed clothes, and the only evidence of their earlier adventures was their pale appearance. They were both bags of nerves, but Layla was doing a good job hiding it from her sister.

"Layla. A word, please," he said as he walked towards the doors that opened to the balcony.

He didn't wait for her to respond. Layla was human, but she was a street-smart one. She would know she didn't have a choice in this.

Layla stepped out hesitantly when he had settled on one of the balcony chairs.

"Um... Thank you for rescuing us. We'll get out of your hair—"

"And where will you go? You've got yourself involved with some dangerous people."

"I'll figure something out," Layla shrugged.

"Or we can make an arrangement that would benefit both of us. It looks like your job here won't last much longer, either," he said as he slid the folder across the table.

Layla eyed it warily but didn't pick it up. Would she still make him work hard for this, even after everything?

"I'm offering you financial security for the rest of your life. I'll sponsor your sister at a college or university of her choice and pay off whatever debts you have right now. You'll have a proper roof over your head. And I will assign security for your sister for the duration of her school year, so you don't have to worry about her being kidnapped again."

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