Page 67 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

He felt another wave of fear come from her. Maybe taking her out was a bad idea. She'd tried to escape only hours ago, and she didn't seem like the type to give up on that so quickly. If she ran again now, there was no telling what she would see. They had rescheduled a training session just to allow her to walk outside.

But on the other hand, if he kept her locked up, he would never get her to trust him. He'd pinned all his hopes for his legacy on her—he wanted... No, he needed her to feel safe here.

"We'll take a quick walk around. I'm sorry I cut into your time, but we'll walk again tomorrow," he said as he pulled the pendant Diedre had given him from his pocket.

He felt the magic coursing through it, reassuring him that Diedre would have done her best work on it to protect his mate.

"And I got you something."

Layla lifted her head. Her eyes widened when she looked at the jewellery in his palm.

"Why?" she asked.

"To thank you. I know it doesn't look like it, but I'm very grateful for what you agreed to do for me."

"That looks expensive," Layla said, shaking her head. "You're already paying me; I can't accept anything—"

"It's one of the rules," he lied. Most women accepted jewellery with no problems. What was wrong with this one?

"Wearing this will keep me safe?" she asked with a sceptical frown.

"Yes. Because it's from me, it's a family heirloom," he lied as he undid the clasp and gestured for her to turn around. "And everyone here will know it's from me and keep away from you."

She turned hesitantly and moved her thick braid out of the way. Since the day he'd seen her, she'd kept her glorious mane confined one way or another, which was a shame. He liked running his fingers through it. He liked grabbing it. He liked_

Fuck, he had to stop. Now wasn't the time for any of this shit, not only because of the threat over her head but because he knew how much he had worked her body after the storm.

Without touching her, he put the chain around her neck. The moment he clasped it behind her, he felt the magic rise, prickling at his skin as the protective spell did its job.

Layla turned back to him, running her fingers over the emerald.

"It's very nice. Thank you," she said with a little smile.

It was nice. It made her eyes stand out more. For a moment, they looked like they were glowing as they met his head-on.

It felt like a challenge and an invitation at the same time.

His heart did that thing again, and all he wanted to do was rip all the clothes from her body and undo that braid. She would look amazing with nothing but that emerald pendant on.

He looked away, not focusing on anything except trying to break this bold she had on him. He hadn't even touched her. It wasn't supposed to be this strong. And only hours before, he'd ripped a man's throat out for making his pack believe she was rogue. He was supposed to be fixing that situation.

"Jackson?"

His heart skipped a beat when he looked back into her eyes. Did she know how she looked at him? Did she know how much her eyes begged him to touch her?

Did she know how much it made the beast inside him want to claim her for good?

"Are you still sore?"

His voice was lower and husky with his efforts to rein in his wolf.

"No," Layla whispered.

She didn't stop him when he closed the distance between them to undo her jeans. She didn't stop him when he pulled them down with her panties.

And when he finally picked her up and sat her on the edge of the conference table, she didn't stop him from stuffing her full of his dick.

Layla wrapped her legs around him and her head fell back. Lust took over him so quickly, so completely, as he started to move.

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