Page 71 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

‘It could have been anyone. I’ve been fielding questions about the rogue all afternoon. We’ll take her to the hotel and leave her there—’

“She’s staying here. Diedre will protect her.”

The Circle would know what she was the moment they saw her, and they were a much more significant threat than the unknown witch attacking them. And besides that, Layla couldn’t run away from the packhouse, but she could easily give him the slip if he took her back to the city. Anyone would be able to track and find her. She was safer here, no matter who came after her.

“Jax—”

“Arrange the meeting I cancelled for tomorrow, too. We can’t be away too long, just a few hours, but we’ll have to fit both in,” he cut in before walking towards the gate.

“You’re being unreasonable. Send her back,” Dylan said.

He clenched his fists and continued walking. Dyan forgot his place, but he wasn’t the threat now.

“This witch is going to attack again,” Dylan continued. “You need to have your head in the game.”

That was true. Being with Layla was Cain’s top priority, but he couldn’t let that continue. Not after he’d almost given himself away by growling like that in front of her. He wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t given himself away because Layla’s emotions had been confusing. She’d been more anxious and sad than scared.

But he had to think of the pack now. If there was an attack while he was gone, all the vulnerable pack members would have to move into the packhouse for Diedre to protect them. Everyone else would have to fight, but there was enough room on the packhouse grounds for the whole pack if they needed to retreat. They hadn’t become the strongest pack by hiding from their enemies; they wouldn’t start now. He would just have to make sure Layla stayed in the bedroom while he was out.

He stopped at the gate and pulled his shirt off.

“How many teams have you sent out to track where the rogues came from?” he asked.

“Two, but they’ve already come back. They didn’t find anything,” Dylan said. “It was like with the first wolf; their tracks just disappeared.”

He looked back at the packhouse to make sure Layla couldn’t see him before he pulled his sweats down.

“Is Cassie gone?”

“Yes. Micah saw her off after he met with you.”

“Good. Protect Layla.”

He didn’t speak again as he started jogging out of the gates, then shifted. He gave Cain control and breathed a sigh of relief when the beast didn’t immediately head back to his mate.

But he knew why the second he started paying attention. The rogues’ scent was still strong in the air, more potent than it should have been, and all over the place. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly where it was coming from. A hint of magic pricked at his skin as he ran in the direction they had come from.

The witch used magic to mess with the scents so they couldn’t be tracked. None of the warriors would have been able to trace that. But Cain could. He could follow the magic.

People moved out of his way as he raced towards the boundary. The rogues had cut through their wall, unlike the first rogue, who had somehow climbed over it. Some Omegas were already starting on the repairs, but he squeezed through the small hole and followed the scent of dark magic.

He didn’t know how long he ran. The ground in the forest was still soggy and flooded in parts, but he could see the tracks his warriors had followed easily.

And then they just stopped.

Deep in the forest, not too far from the boundary of another pack’s territory, the tracks and scents just disappeared, as Dylan had said. But the smell of magic continued towards the Dark Moon Pack.

They were the second biggest pack, next to his, and still technically his pack because he was their King. There were never any tensions between them and his pack; he considered them an ally. They had been part of the battle that had condemned him; they had fought by his side. But why would the magic lead to their lands?

Unless this was just a trick by the witch to cause another war. Everyone knew Cain blew up at minor things, and giving him this seed of doubt was more than a little thing.

But he knew not everything would be as it seemed, so he followed the scent cautiously. Magic was tricky. Maybe all he had done was follow a spell leading him into a trap.

Cain stopped at the edge of the forest and looked towards the gates. This place was not as secure as his, but being next to his territory gave them a level of security they wouldn’t have otherwise had. The rogues could have easily breached the Dark Moon territory before they had come to his. Or they hadn’t gone there at all, and Cain would rip into people for no reason.

Once he was gone, this pack would be Dylan’s backup if he needed help. But if he let Cain go in there without proof, it would be Dylan’s rival. His child wouldn’t be safe.

He forced himself to shift back before Cain could be seen and headed back.

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