Page 21 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

He ignored the wolf because it was pointless arguing about it. They couldn’t change their destiny, no matter how pigheaded Cain was about that.

As always, Diedre worked quickly, and when he turned back around to watch her redress the cut, he saw that her bruise was already healing.

“We’ll change the dressing tomorrow, but you’ll be fine,” Diedre said as she helped Layla off the table. “It’s waterproof, so you can shower if you want one before you sleep.”

“I’ll take you to your room,” he said gruffly as he walked to the door.

“May I have a word with you after your guest has settled?” Diedre asked.

He looked back at the witch and saw all the questions she had in her eyes. All the hope. If he talked to her, he would get sucked in again. Hope was a very dangerous emotion to have right now. Diedre had to accept that.

“It’s been a long day. Maybe tomorrow,” he said as he continued out of the room.

Layla followed quietly behind him until they returned to the entry hall, where Dylan talked to Jon. Instead of catching up on any news of things that happened while Jon had been in charge as his Gamma, the two were gossiping about Layla. He could tell, even though they weren’t speaking out loud. Jon turned to look at Layla with pure hatred, putting Cain on edge.

He could stop all this bullshit. He could tell them the truth that Layla was his mate, and they had to accept that. But what good would that do when the last thing he wanted to explain was why he couldn’t mark her?

Yet he needed to say something. He needed a good enough reason to have brought a human among them and put their whole pack at risk.

‘We’ll meet in the morning before training,’ he said through their mind link.

He continued up the stairway to the top floor, ignoring Layla’s breathlessness as she tried to keep up. He’d asked someone to prepare the room next to his for her; in hindsight, that had been a stupid move. He would never get any rest. A room in the dungeons would have been better.

“You’ll find everything you need in this room. Don’t leave your room without me. I’ll show you around after breakfast,” he said as he opened the door.

Layla eyed him warily before she entered the room. She looked around briefly before she turned back to him.

“Why does it feel like I’m a prisoner here?” she asked softly.

“Maybe because you are,” he admitted before he closed the door and turned the key.

Chapter 12

Layla inhaled a sharp breath when she heard his words. He didn’t even look like the words he’d said bothered him. A prisoner?

And then Jackson closed the door. The sound of the locking door spurred her into action, despite how dangerous the whole place felt. She rushed forward and tried the handle, hoping she had just heard things, and this man hadn’t really just locked her in a room. But the handle didn’t turn. She tried it several times before she banged on the door.

“Let me out, you fucking bastard! This wasn’t our deal!” she screamed.

Panic welled in her chest again. She’d put herself in this situation because she’d been desperate to keep Brit safe. Jackson had known she would agree to anything. He had taken advantage of her. For someone who had claimed to hate people who went back on their word, he was doing the same thing. He’d said she wouldn’t be a prisoner! Jackson had made her think she would be free to come and go.

She banged on the door again, ignoring the pain it caused.

“Take me back to my sister! You can’t keep me locked in here. I don’t want to do this anymore!”

She didn’t know how long she banged and how much she shouted when the door was unlocked again. She moved back moments before it was shoved open with so much force it would have hurt her if she hadn’t moved.

Jackson entered the room, and his icy gaze pinned her to the spot. If she had thought he had been angry before, that was nothing compared to what she could see now. His eyes held burning hot fury as he walked towards her.

Instinctively, she stepped back. His anger was overwhelming, and it brought a sense of helplessness within her. She hadn’t felt this hopeless since the early days after their mother had left them.

“You know we’re in the middle of a dangerous forest, but you think shouting your lungs out and drawing attention is a good idea?” Jackson growled.

“I just want to get back to my sister,” she whispered.

“Your sister is safe as long as you behave,” Jackson said.

Behave? Behave?! Was she a child to be told what to do?

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