Page 156 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

The car stopped briefly and then started again. The first gate. She was out of the place that had imprisoned her for so long.

She imagined they were driving through the town she had never walked through, among the residents she would never meet. After a while, the car stopped again. The main gates. From there, she would be free.

When it started moving again, she couldn’t help the quiet sobs that wrenched through her. She clutched her chest and rested her head on one of the stinky boxes. Was this a mistake? Would she ever be okay again?

No. Probably not. How would she ever forget a man like Jackson King? She would remember everything for the rest of her life.

They had driven only a little while when the car slammed to a stop. Some boxes were tipped over, pinning to the back. A part of her knew what was happening before the trunk opened.

Above her stood Jackson King.

Fists clenched, eyes red. And angry enough to kill her.

Chapter 82

The car stopped at the Dark Moon pack gates and Jackson stepped out, ignoring Micah’s objections.

Something wasn’t right, and it wasn’t the presence of the stupid pack camped in his forest—though their numbers were indeed a worry.

It wasn’t Chase’s scouts and warriors watching them from the forest, either.

‘Alpha, we’re too exposed here. I’d feel better if you return to the car until we join the other team inside,’ Micah mindlinked as he came to stand beside him.

The Head Warrior looked around and kept alert to any threats as he had trained his whole life to do. He shouldn’t have bothered. No one would attack him when they were fully aware he could sense them in their hiding places. They wouldn't be so obvious if they were going to ambush him.

‘Did Amber cause trouble when you threw her out?’ he asked Micah.

Micah tensed and turned to look at him with his eyes lowered.

‘You didn’t seem surprised that Dylan rushed back to deal with her,’ he stated, his suspicions growing as he watched Micah’s reaction.

‘They had become quite close, Alpha.’

‘And from a security point of view, you think that’s a good idea? Your Beta fooling around with a rival pack's warrior?’

‘I think she should have left with her pack, Alpha,’ Micah answered.

‘So answer my question. Did she cause any problems when you threw her out of my territory?’

‘She had a lot to say. It didn’t make sense, but many people heard her before I took her far enough into the forest,’ Micah said.

And then he went quiet again. The man was trying his patience. Something was wrong, and he was pretty sure the problem was at home. Cain came to the forefront, ready to shift and take over. If Layla was in trouble, then no one was safe right now.

“Spit it out, Micah,” he growled out loud.

Micah flinched.

‘She said she’s going to report something about Miss Layla to the Circle because something is not right with her,’ Micah mind-linked.

Fuck. He should have ordered her not to speak about Layla at all. If there was anything the Circle liked to do, it was to meddle in all his business. But that didn’t explain why she was already back at his gates. If the Circle had gone to his gates with her, he would have already known about it. They couldn't hide their darkness even if they tried.

Alpha Chase’s gates started to open just as he felt something. Layla. She’d been masking herself well since he left, but now something had slipped through. Regret? Sadness? Why was she feeling heartbroken? She had been drowning in many emotions when she slipped before, but he didn’t feel any of those emotions. What was going on?

“Your Highness.”

Chase had come to meet him at the gate, which was unusual for the arrogant Alpha. And he didn’t have the usual smirk on his face. He had bags under his eyes, and the air was heavy around him. But he was too busy trying to figure out what was happening with Layla to figure him out, too.

“I didn’t want to waste any time, so I’ll take you straight to...”

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