Page 77 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

“We aren’t interrupting anything important, are we?” Hugo asked as he casually strolled into the room with his hands in his pockets.

As always, he was dressed in an expensive suit with his long, blond hair tied back.

“Of course not. We’re finished; they were just leaving,” he answered.

He might not have trusted any of the other Alphas, but he was still their king, and it was his duty to shield them from these psychopaths.

“What a shame. I was hoping they could help us shed some light on what’s happening in your pack, King Jackson,” Finn grinned.

He was the youngest member to join the Circle and possibly had less blood on his soft hands. But he had blood, nonetheless. His easy-going nature didn’t fool anyone. The Alpha grinned as he pulled up a chair and joined them. The other Alphas still had their heads down, and that didn’t sit right with him. The Circle had not earned this respect.

“I said they’re leaving. They have things to do,” he answered.

“Better things than finding out why you have a human in your pack?” Lincoln asked.

That had his Alphas lifting their heads to look at him. If they hadn’t already been plotting against him, he was sure they would do so now. One more complication added to all the shit he had to clean up before his baby was born.

He looked Alpha Lincoln in the eye without fear, and the man looked away, unable to withstand his will. This was the reason they wanted him to have children. No matter what they did or how much magic they had access to, he was still stronger than them. He was the true king, the Alpha of all Alphas. No magic could fake that.

They had failed to bend him, so he was sure they would try to turn his child. But his blood would always recognise their nature and go against them, as it had done every generation.

“I said they were just leaving,” he repeated.

“Of course,” Lincoln said with a tight smile. “Maybe we will catch up with them soon.”

The dismissed Alphas didn’t waste time getting to their feet. Chase looked back at him before he left the room. He was sure the Alpha would have withstood any discomfort at being in the same room as the Circle just to hear what they had to say.

And someone else would be eager to hear what would be said. He had no idea what they knew about Layla, if anything. He didn’t want Dylan to find out what she was.

“Dylan, I’ll find you after this meeting,” he said.

“Alpha—”

“Dylan.”

When his Beta and the other warriors left, he turned his attention back to the Circle. The people responsible for making all the laws he had to follow.

“We’ve heard something very concerning, Your Majesty,” Hugo said as he came to sit at the table, too. “You’ve let a human onto your land, against all our laws.”

“She hasn’t seen anything,” he growled.

Finn leaned his elbows on the table, the smile gone from his face as he said, “Nevertheless, we do have to kill her.”

Chapter 41

Layla stretched and then opened her eyes. Something still didn’t feel right, but it differed from the previous day. She didn’t just feel mentally broken; she also felt bereft. Something was missing.

Maybe it was the fact she knew Jackson would see Britney and had left her stuck in this room.

She rolled over and punched her pillow several times before finally dragging herself to the bathroom. The stress had taken a more considerable toll on her than usual. She felt drained, just a shell of herself, as she stood under the shower spray.

She didn't understand why it felt worse this time when it hadn't got as far as it usually did. She hadn't even seen a wolf or heard the voices in her head, for that matter. All she’d had were hallucinations and feeling separated from reality. It had been pretty mild compared to her usual meltdowns.

But still, the feeling wouldn’t let her go.

Once dressed in another t-shirt and jean outfit from Jackson's wardrobe, she walked over to the windows to look over the front yard. The sun had barely risen, but people seemed to be walking everywhere. Most were in groups and hardly talked. Some wore sweats and T-shirts, while others only wore shorts. They were walking up the driveway and heading to the side of the house that she couldn’t see from this room.

Why did so many of them meet at such an early hour? But she was too exhausted to give it another thought.

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