Page 94 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part Two

“Are you that eager to go?” he snorted without thinking.

“There’s nothing here for me. Let’s just get on with this,” Layla answered calmly.

Another spear to his heart.

He entered the garage and chose one of the bigger cars with tinted windows. He opened the passenger side door for Layla, but she opened the back door and got in. She was doing all the right things. It would be easier to reject her like this, and there would be no awkwardness after. Maybe she wouldn’t even feel the breaking of their bond; perhaps he was just worrying for nothing.

Just because the last few days had been different, it didn’t mean their bond was stronger. Layla was just stronger than she used to be, which meant her response to their bond was also stronger.

He sighed as he got into the driver’s seat and opened the garage door. There was no one waiting outside to pounce on him like last time. He drove down the driveway slowly so he wouldn’t accidentally hit anyone, but he put his foot down once he was out of the gates. Through the rearview mirror, he saw the pensive look in Layla’s eyes as they drove down the main street.

What would their lives have been like had they been allowed to live like everyone else? Would they have taken regular trips to town for a meal or some shopping? Would they have split their time between the city and the pack so they could spend time with Britney? Would they have travelled the world and created memories for themselves and their children?

He shut those thoughts down before they could hurt him further. He had never been destined for that life, anyway. He was an Alpha King; his life had always been full of chaos.

He drove for hours without saying a word. He kept his senses open to make sure no one was following them, but he still took a long way around and swapped cars at one of his safehouses.

By the time they drove down the hidden path that led to his hideout, it was dawn, and Layla was fast asleep in the backseat. The simple double-storey house was set on a large plot of land and surrounded by woodland. And the witch who’d placed the protective ward on it was already dead, so no one else knew about it.

Layla would be safe here until the baby was born.

“Layla.”

She woke quickly as if she had just been feigning sleep. When she looked at the house, it was in darkness. It was clear there was no one else inside.

“I thought I was going to be with Britney?” she questioned.

“No. You’ll stay here until you give birth. I’ll be more confident that you’ll stick to the deal this way.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Layla snapped.

“Deadly. I don’t have time to play games, Layla. Go inside; everything is ready for you.”

The time had come to break their bond. He could do it. He had to.

Chapter 47

Layla walked into the house after Jackson had put the light on. It wasn’t grand, but it was similar to the home she and her family had lived in before her father had lost it and moved them to the trailer.

Well, as similar as it could be, seeing it was in the middle of nowhere.

A fine layer of dust on almost every surface showed that no one had been in it in a while. There was an enclosed porch at the front and then a wide hallway leading into what she assumed were the lounge, dining room and kitchen. There were stairs on one side of the hallway.

“You’re off the grid here for security reasons, so you have a generator, solar energy and a water system,” Jackson said as he walked through and put every light on.

She followed behind him slowly. The lounge was tastefully decorated with heavy, comfortable furniture, and a few pictures on the wall. The dining room had a similar design, and the kitchen was also spacious and simple. It was perfect for a little family.

But Jackson hadn’t brought her there for that. She’d swapped one prison for another. She couldn’t pick up any signs of life for miles around her except the little animals in the woods.

“I didn’t get a chance to clean and stock up, but I’ll head out now and get you more supplies. Get some rest; I should be back in a few hours.”

Her eyes widened.

“How far is the nearest town?”

Jackson looked at her after he set her bag down on a counter in the kitchen.

“Too far for you to walk in your condition,” he answered. “I’ll show you where you can walk when you need to stretch your legs, but you have to stay inside the protective wards.”

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