Page 56 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

‘Then show them not to fuck with you,’ Cain growled. ‘You should have let me kill them.’

‘If you kill any of them, my child will pay the price.’

It was a game of balance, but so far, it felt like he was the one constantly bending backwards. This wasn’t how he was supposed to spend his last days. He was supposed to enjoy his ‘retirement’ and maybe get to hold his child in his arms for a few weeks before the witch’s curse took him.

‘I told you not to trust anyone. We’re the only ones who can protect our mate,’ Cain said.

Maybe the beast was right in this case, though that was impractical. It was his pack who had to raise their future king. He had to learn to trust someone. He’d thought that person was Dylan, but he couldn’t do that now.

He followed Dylan’s scent outside and walked to the training field hidden behind the woods at the back of the packhouse. Dylan stood at the side, watching some young wolves train with weapons. They were probably the ones he had relied on to protect the territory last night, and even that made him angry. How could he trust Dylan to make good decisions for his child if he thought using children as soldiers was a good idea?

Dylan turned to watch him approach and must have sensed his anger. He saw the flash of panic on his friend’s face before fear overtook him. He knew what he had done. Before meeting Layla, Dylan had never been afraid of him, even when he had seen him at his worst.

“Jax...”

He could hear the plea in Dylan’s voice, but he didn’t stop moving.

The young wolves stopped training when they noticed him and stood to watch, but he didn’t want any witnesses for this.

“Leave,” he growled loud enough for them to hear him.

He stopped a distance away from Dylan and didn’t take his eyes off him. His friend had the good sense to keep his head lowered. Any hint of a challenge was dangerous; he was sure even the trainees could feel that as they rushed off the field.

He waited until he was sure no one was within earshot before he started moving again.

“Tell me the truth,” he growled.

He would give him one chance out of courtesy for their lifelong friendship. Anyone else would already have lay bleeding at his feet.

“I was protecting—”

“Tell me the truth, Beta,” he repeated.

“When you went for your run, I went back to the packhouse to prepare to go out to look for the rogue,” Dylan started, his head still lowered. “I caught the human’s scent in the lobby and thought she had escaped. So I followed her scent.”

Dylan stopped and swallowed.

This was the moment. If he lied... His bond with Layla had already surpassed all others, so he already knew he wouldn’t be able to let this go. It sucked. Nothing was supposed to be able to destroy the bonds he had valued the most so easily, as if they had never existed. Nothing was supposed to be able to change him so drastically, as if he was a completely different person since the day he had caught her sweet scent.

But here they were. Waiting to know if Dylan, his only friend, lived or died.

“I found her in the basement,” Dylan said. “She’d been knocked around a little and used the knife on Cassie to defend herself. I don’t know why Cassie and her friends did that, but I told them it wasn’t their place to question your decisions.”

He fought the urge to attack as he pictured how helpless Layla would have been. This was just the beginning. Things were going to get messier once Layla became pregnant. He had to control his instinct for her sake.

'No!' Cain howled.

He ignored the beast and concentrated on Dylan.

“Why did you lie to me?”

“You’ve become too attached to the human,” Dylan said. “You threatened to kill me, and I’m the only one who’s always been in your corner. I knew you wouldn’t hold back on those girls.”

“I’m not attached,” he lied.

“I’m not the only one who’s thinking it. After the dinner, everyone asked me what was so special about the human that you would risk exposing the pack. The hunters would descend on us in droves. If the Circle finds out—”

“When the time is right, I’ll tell them she’s going to have my baby, but there’s no need to put a target on her back until the deal is done. You know why I’m doing this, Dylan. I shouldn’t have to ask you to protect the mother of your future king. She won't see anything.”

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