Page 84 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

He allowed it only because he needed Layla away from this. Layla shook Diedre’s hand off her shoulder before she wrapped her arms around herself and lowered her head to walk away.

He waited until he heard them walk into the packhouse before he turned to the three men. The youngest of Laken’s sons was shaking so much he could hear it. He could hear the pounding of all their hearts. The blood rushing through their bodies. Their shaky breaths as they waited for their fate.

Two warriors brought the girl over and pushed her down next to the others.

“I’m sorry, Alpha,” Laken said. “The Circle... When we told them about her, they asked us to kill her.”

So they were traitors as well as rapists.

He didn’t wait for Laken to say anymore as he gripped his throat and let his claws extend into his throat. They feared the Circle more than their King. More than Cain. It was time he showed everyone what a big mistake that was.

“Please, Your Majesty,” Laken pleaded as he lifted him by the neck. “Spare my children.”

Like the doctor, Laken had chosen to run a shop in town rather than become a warrior because he didn’t have what it took. The man whimpered as his claws slowly punctured his throat. He was a coward. A man who forced himself on women was less than a man. He’d sealed his fate.

His face tightened as Cain came out to remind them who he was. His mouth stretched as Cain's huge teeth filled it. Fur started to sprout on the hand that held Laken in the air. It tightened, crushing the windpipe until he began to struggle.

And behind him, the little girl and her brothers were screaming. They were on their knees, begging him to spare their father, but there would be no mercy for any of them.

Blood seeped from Laken’s wounds down his fingers. There was so much panic and fear in his eyes as he looked down at him. He imagined Laken could see his whole life flashing in his eyes—they said that happened moments before one died.

Without wasting more time, he squeezed with all his strength until the light died in the traitorous man’s eyes. Until the gurgling sounds stopped. Until he couldn’t hear the heartbeat, but he could smell his piss. He threw the body aside and watched it slam against the side of the house with so much force that it left a dent in the brickwork.

And only then did he turn to the wolves crying on the ground before him.

“What part of ‘she is my guest’ did you not understand?” he growled.

His voice was deeper and raspy as he ripped his shirt off and kicked off his shoes. Everything was too tight on him as his body continued to change.

“What part of that did any of you not understand?” he asked, looking at the gathered warriors.

Their eyes were on the body he had thrown near them. There was nothing but fear in the air, and it fed his beast. It called out to his baser nature as Cain demanded his dues. But it wasn’t just Cain. He was ready to raze the whole place to the ground.

In the back of his mind, this scene was familiar. This was who he had been before his impending death had softened him, but he had never taken his rage out on his pack. But his father had. Many times.

This wasn’t about his father, though. This was about avenging his mate. The future mother of his child.

“I’ve given orders, but you all think you can piss all over me,” he continued. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. “You think you can challenge me with no consequences. I have always been fair and protected all of you, have I not?”

“Yes, Alpha,” one of the boys at his feet whispered.

He turned away from the warriors to focus on the young wolves before him. They were just kids; maybe their father had talked them into it. He still recalled the things his father had made him do against his will.

'They touched what is mine,' Cain growled.

And they would pay. He lifted his gaze to Dylan because, besides the three wolves begging for their lives, his emotions were the strongest. Because he had known? Or because he didn't want him to make the same mistakes his father had?

"Take them to the dungeon," he growled.

Shock resounded through his warriors, and the wolves in front of him whimpered.

No, he wasn't letting this one go. They had fucked with him long enough.

Chapter 45

Layla sat on the edge of Jackson’s bed and ignored the woman hovering around her.

“I thought you were safe. I should have seen it...”

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