Page 27 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part One

‘Touch her again, and I. Will. Kill. You.’

His claws extended and dug into his palms. The scent of his blood mingled with the scent of Layla’s fear. He knew Cain wouldn’t calm down if Layla didn’t calm down.

And he knew Dylan would start to question things. His secret wouldn’t remain a secret much longer.

‘Yes, Alpha,’ Dylan said in the mind link.

‘Take Jon out of the house before I snap his neck. We’ll have that meeting later.’

Dylan stood straight away, and the sudden movement made Layla flinch. Cain pushed harder to get out so he could get his hands on Dylan before he escaped. He lowered his gaze to his hands and realised he had already partially shifted. Cain’s dark grey fur covered the top of his hands. That meant his eyes were glowing, too.

‘You can’t kill my best friend, Cain. Please.’

“Jon, let’s go,” Dylan said, already walking to the door.

Dylan moved quickly, but it still felt like he wasn’t quick enough. Cain’s rage was always something he struggled with, but it had gone up a level now.

“I haven’t eaten—”

“Let’s go!” Dylan repeated.

Jon’s fear polluted the air. His Gamma had finally noticed what was happening and probably sensed the beast. Seconds later, only Layla remained, but she was still scared. Terrified, it seemed.

Of him? Could she tell how much he was struggling to rein in his beast? To control his anger?

‘You’re scaring her,’ he told Cain.

And only then did his wolf pay attention. Layla gripped her cutlery so tightly that her knuckles were white. Her heart thudded rapidly and loudly, and he could see how much she was trembling.

Cain retreated and took all his rage with him. The worry he sensed from the wolf was something new. It felt like Cain was suffering from a little bit of... humanity.

They hadn’t even completed a whole day but he’d already had to stop a slaughter, and now he had to worry that something was wrong with Cain? He grabbed his napkin and wiped the blood from his hands before he looked at Layla again.

“You need to eat,” he said.

“I’m not hungry,” Layla mumbled.

Lies. He could hear her stomach grumbling from across the room, even with all the noise her heart was making.

“Dylan won’t hurt you again.”

Layla remained silent and hunched over the plate of food she wasn’t eating. The bruise on her arm was more prominent now, but he knew it would heal quickly because she still had Diedre’s potion in her system.

“I can ask someone to bring you some food in your room after we see the doctor if you prefer,” he offered.

“Do I have a choice?” Layla asked.

“Of course. I said I would take care of you.”

“By locking me in a room and threatening my sister. Yes, I’m sure you’ll do a great job,” Layla said, and this time she lifted her head to look directly at him.

Though she was still scared, there was a hardness in her eyes. Determination. From what he had read of the information Dylan had given him, she had been taking care of herself and her sister from a young age. Trust wouldn’t come easily to someone like her. It seemed they had that in common.

“It was necessary. You really can’t run from me, Layla; it would be...” Fatal. It would be fatal. “You met a few of the people who live in this compound. All of this has happened so suddenly I haven’t had a chance to explain why you’re here. They need time to get used to you. I won’t lock you in your room forever.”

Now it was his turn to lie. He had to lock her in because she was a runner. She’d be getting herself killed before she could have his baby. He could have easily told the pack to leave her alone through the mind link, but he couldn’t do that without telling them who she was.

His impending death had made him soft. He’d never worried about what anyone thought before, but his pack was his family, and they would be the ones to raise his child when he was gone.

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