Page 37 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

“Come on, Jax. You’ve been like this for months. I get it. I need to take my responsibilities more seriously. I need to act like your Beta and not your friend. But I need your help with this one,” Dylan said as he followed him. “I’m trying to reschedule that meeting at the hotel, but for all I know, any of those fuckers were behind this morning’s attack. I don’t want them here if that’s the case. Help me get to the bottom of this.”

“I’m trying to make a baby. The stress is no good for me,” he said, throwing Dylan a grin before he started off into the forest.

He didn’t make the mistake of shifting yet because he knew where Cain would go. Back to his mate to finish the job.

‘She’s our fate,’ Cain howled.

He ignored the wolf and kept running. He didn’t stop until he was deep in the forest, and when he was sure there was no one within earshot, he swore loudly and punched the tree trunk in front of him. One punch didn’t do it, and neither did the second. He punched repeatedly, ignoring the pain and his blood on the wood before he realised it was pointless. Cain’s rage was gone, but he was still a mess.

He couldn’t work this one out.

Fate had decided to fuck with him one last time before he met his end, and there was nothing he could do about it.

But he had to look on the bright side. He would leave his legacy, his child, who would make better choices than he had. And Diedre would be there to make sure the child didn’t repeat the mistakes of his forefathers. They wouldn’t kill indiscriminately and get cursed with the darkest of magic. His blood would make them stronger than anyone, and their upbringing would ensure they used that strength for good.

There would be no mentally unstable parents leading their child down the wrong path.

He dropped himself onto a moss-covered rock and lay on his back. He’d gone so deep into the forest that he could hardly see the sky through the tree canopy, but it was so hot that a storm was on the horizon. He’d have to make sure Dylan knew he had to take extra precautions in case the next breach happened during all that commotion.

He sat up and looked down at his knuckles. He’d probably broken something when he punched the tree, but he had healed, and the blood had already dried.

“I can’t keep arguing about this with you, Cain,” he said out loud with a sigh. “I know she’s ours. I know that in another life, she would have been good for us, despite her being human. But do you understand why you can’t mark her?”

Cain remained silent, as he always did when he brought their past up.

He shook his head and stood up, ready to shift and return to the packhouse. Cain needed the run as much as he did.

“I want this baby. I don’t want our legacy to be the things you did when we were younger. We are the last of our kind, but our pack deserves better than us. Don’t fuck it up for everyone.”

He was met with silence again.

He shook his head and turned to head back to the house when he felt something. Pain? Fear? He felt it through the bond as if Layla’s voice was screaming her emotions at him. Cain forced his way out before he could tell him to and raced through the trees. His huge paws snapped twigs and small branches, and the ground shook. The rage returned in full force.

Someone had hurt Layla.

Cain didn’t stop to shift once they reached the edge of the forest; he ran out and straight through the training ground. Some wolves jumped out of the way, while some unlucky ones got knocked over. He didn’t stop until he reached the back door.

Once he shifted, he used his nose to guide him. He could smell blood. Not Layla’s, though. Layla’s scent was all over the lobby as if she had defied his order and come downstairs. But he no longer sensed her fear. He no longer felt any pain.

“Hey. What happened?”

He followed the sound of Dylan’s voice and saw him coming down the stairs.

“Was there another breach?” his Beta asked.

And as he came to stand in front of him, he caught a hint of Layla’s scent on him. He turned fully to his Beta and cocked his head.

“Where’s Layla?” he growled.

Dylan’s eyes widened, and he looked down.

“In her room.”

“Was she down here?”

He sensed Dylan’s hesitation and growled.

“She was. When Cassie took some food to her, she attacked her with a knife and then ran down here. I had just come in when I saw her. I just took her back to her room, I swear,” Dylan said quickly. “I know you said I shouldn’t touch her, but I was just trying to make sure she didn’t run out and see the warriors training. I’m sorry, Alpha.”

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