Page 24 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

A run in this state may have been a bad idea.

‘You can’t keep me from her,’ Cain growled in his head as he shifted.

‘I have brought her here because of you! You will have her, Cain. Just be patient.’

Asking Cain to be patient was like dangling a juicy steak in front of a hungry lion and expecting him not to eat it. Impossible.

By the time he walked out of the woods, his warriors were already approaching, and he could see Dylan coming out of the packhouse, dressed only in his pyjama bottoms. The warrior in charge shifted and approached with his head lowered.

“Is everything okay, Alpha?” he asked.

Dylan frowned as he reached him, clearly waiting to hear his answer.

“Yes.”

“We felt some distress—”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said as he walked towards the house. “Get back to your patrols.”

The warriors on duty did as he asked them without question. Out of everyone in his pack, they were the ones who would stand by him to the end. He’d hand-picked them himself even before he had become the Alpha King. He trained with them, and when the time had come to prove himself, he had fought with them.

But he didn’t want them to start doubting him, and he didn’t want to worry about their loyalty now.

‘What’s going on, Jax?’ Dylan asked in his head.

‘Nothing. I needed a run,’ he lied as he pushed the door open.

Immediately, he realised that all his efforts had been in vain. Layla’s scent hit him like a truck when he stepped into the packhouse, and the little clarity he’d acquired on his run disappeared.

‘I’ve known you since we were in diapers, and you’ve been acting strangely lately. You’re hiding something from me.’

‘And why would I do that?’ he asked without stopping.

Dylan followed him up the stairs.

‘I don’t know. Something’s stressing you out, and you won’t let me help you. Is it the Hunters? The rogue attacks? I know the Circle has been pressuring you to have an heir, but maybe now isn’t the time. We can send the human home until you’ve sorted out whatever is eating at you. There’s no rush; your mental health is more impor—’

“My mental health is just fine,” he growled out loud. “I’m not my father.”

For a moment, he felt a frisson of fear in the air and that angered him. Dylan knew him better than anyone, so for him to even insinuate... And for him to fear him when he’d admitted already that they were raised together and were more like brothers than just friends was a low blow.

He didn’t bother saying anything else as he reached his floor. Dylan’s eyes were on him as he walked past Layla’s door so he didn’t stop. He didn’t react to her scent or the sound of her rapid heartbeat that told him she was now awake.

He’d told Layla to get some rest because they would start today, and that was exactly what would happen.

When the doctor checked Layla and declared her healthy, he would take her to his bed. Maybe after that, Cain would let him be.

Chapter 14

Wolves howling way too close for comfort woke Layla up with a start. She sat up in the comfortable bed, her heart pounding, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings. And when the previous day's events registered, she shot out of bed and rushed to the nearest window.

Bloody wolves! She was going to get killed in her sleep!

Her hand trembled as she pushed the curtain aside and peeked out. The room they had given her had a view of the front of the house where they had driven up, and she could just about make out the gates in the distance. There wasn’t even a hint of dawn in the sky, but the moonlight through the trees cast eerie shadows that gave her a horror movie vibe. No wolf eyes like before, though. If she hadn’t heard that terrifying growl in that infirmary, she would have believed she had just imagined those eyes. They had looked all wrong, for starters. Wolves didn’t have glowing blue eyes. Not in these parts, anyway.

Were the wolves beyond the gates, or did they roam the grounds freely? How did anyone choose to live among them, especially when they could afford to live among the wealthy in Wolfdale? Or maybe she needed to ask herself what sort of illegal activities happened there because, as far as secret hideouts went, the place was an excellent choice. No one would dare to venture this far out, not even the police. She would need to tread carefully until she left.

If she left.

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