Page 112 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part Two

Just in case. Just in case it was the only time.

On that thought, she reached in and gently took the tiny hand in hers. Such a fragile thing. A wave of protectiveness washed over her. She was the only one left to take care of the baby; she was the only one left to fight for her life. If the doctor didn’t give her better news the next time he came in to check on her, she would insist on going to a human hospital. Jackson would want her to try everything she could.

‘Pick her up,’ the voice in her head said.

“I can’t. All those wires...”

‘Just be gentle. She shouldn’t be that far away from us.’

She didn’t argue with the voice because that was what she wanted. The tubes stayed in place as she lifted her child and placed her on her chest. And a part of her settled. A part of her healed.

“You’re where you belong,” she whispered to the sleeping child. “Hope. You look like a Hope.”

Hope. It was a fitting name considering that was all she had. As she gently rubbed her daughter’s back, she hoped her little lungs would start working on their own. She hoped her daughter would grow up and become the strong, independent girl she had often imagined. She hoped that, even without meeting her father, Hope would know Jackson had wanted her so much that he had moved heaven and earth to get her.

The pain pushed back into her heart, but her daughter’s steady heartbeat kept it from breaking her.

Hope started to stir in her arms and started to whimper. She hadn’t heard a peep out of her child after the initial cry.

“Are you hungry?” she whispered.

It took some effort, but eventually, she got the tiny bundle to latch onto her breast. Hope’s first feed. Her heart filled as she watched her little cheeks work. For months she’d had doubts about the sort of mother she would be. Could she give Hope a good life? Could she learn everything she had to learn to teach her baby how to control her nature?

But as she watched the miracle in her arms, she knew. She would do everything in her power to raise Hope right.

“Miss Layla! The baby needs to stay in the...”

The doctor’s words trailed off when he saw what she was doing. And by the disbelief she sensed coming from him, she realised the doctor hadn’t believed Hope would be fine at all.

He met her gaze as if he had something to say but immediately lowered his eyes.

“When she finishes feeding, I’ll check her again, Miss Layla,” he said, giving her a small bow before leaving the room.

Faith walked in moments after, and like the doctor, she seemed surprised that the baby was in her arms.

“I had to hold her,” she said defensively.

Faith nodded, and then came closer to look at the baby.

“Her name is Hope,” she whispered, a little smile forming on her lips.

But that smile died only seconds later because the air changed. Something dangerous was coming towards them.

It felt like forever when he heard the wheels of several cars drive up the driveway, and then a voice she’d hoped never to hear again spoke.

“The baby has been born, so it’s time to kill the human, as we agreed. We can’t allow her to live.”

Chapter 56

Layla had just managed to get off the bed when the bedroom door was shoved open.

She felt the hatred first before Zach walked into the room with a smile on his face. It was the same intense hatred she'd felt the day she'd spent with the pick outside. It had been this group of people all along.

"Congratulations, human. I hope you've said your goodbyes," the older man sneered.

She backed away from the bed as people started piling into the room. The man who’d attacked Jackson with a chain was among them, and he smiled as if they were there for a friendly visit.

These were the people Jackson had left her for. His pack. He’d been right that they wouldn’t accept her, but couldn’t they have waited until their Alpha was at least cold in the ground?

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