Page 11 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part Two

“Do I just give it to her?”

Max looked at him with a frown as if he also expected the grown-up to know what to do. Max reached over and picked up a cloth from the nightstand, which he put under the baby’s chin.

“If you don’t use this, you’ll have to change her clothes. She’s been spitting it out because she prefers mummy’s milk,” Max said before he took the bottle from him and opened it.

And then, instead of taking the baby, he handed the bottle back. Right. He was the grown-up. It was his job to take care of them. When he finally put the teat into the baby’s mouth, she quietened down and started sucking, but Max was right. Though she was hungry, she seemed frustrated because she wasn’t used to the bottle. It took her a while until she eventually calmed and started swallowing more than she was spitting.

“You said her name is Jade?” he whispered.

Max nodded. He didn’t look like he’d slept more than a few minutes.

“I’m sorry about what happened, Max,” he whispered. “I know this is hard on you, but we must believe we’re over the worst. Get some sleep so you don’t worry your mother when you see her.”

The boy didn’t respond for a while, and then he nodded and lay down. Jade’s eyes were also drooping as she drank her milk. She was so small in his arms, so delicate, that he was struck with fear for a moment. He was alone with her now; what if he accidentally hurt her? But the longer he stared at her little face, the more his heart ached for what could have been.

Was he going to have a girl, too? Would she be this small? Would they look after her the way they were supposed to?

Why did he have to die when his desires were within his reach?

Why did Layla betray him and ruin what could have been a good last few months of his life? He knew it was unfair to blame her for not feeling how he felt, but he couldn’t help himself. Her wolf had claimed him—she shouldn’t have tried to leave.

With that thought, he set the sleeping baby back in her cot and quietly made his way out of the room. The house was still quiet, a contrast to how it had been in the aftermath of the attack. He didn’t stop to check on anyone as he made his way down the stairs and then towards the basement. He hadn’t had any rest from Layla's scent as he had hoped, even though he’d spent the night on the balcony. But it was stronger downstairs, and it fueled his anger.

He never made decisions based on his emotions. He was always the level-headed one, while Cain was the emotional one. But waves of agony hit him as he walked down the stairs, and all he wanted to do was make Layla feel it too. It was immature but he didn’t give a shit.

When he finally opened her door, Layla stood in the middle of the room, waiting for him. She was breathing hard, and her eyes were full of pain and regret. Regret that he had caught her, probably. Regret that now she had no chance of escaping.

The bond flared between them, and all her emotions hit him, mixing with his own. It pissed him off. Why would he still feel everything so deeply when he didn’t want anything to do with her? When he hated her for making him so weak?

When she had taken all the dreams he had started to have and shoved them all down his throat?

He meant to tell her exactly what he thought of her, but that wasn’t what came out of his mouth.

“Why did you do this to me, Layla?”

His voice was broken and sounded pitiful even to his ears. He couldn’t hide his pain even though he was desperate not to show it.

Layla took a step forward but he quickly stepped back. Her pity was unwelcome. When she had been in his bed and taken care of him, he assumed they were over the worst. He’d thought they were at least friends.

But Layla Carlisle was untrustworthy. He would never make the mistake of getting too close to her again.

Chapter 7

Layla felt Jackson coming before she heard the first metal door opening. Her heart started to pound. The voice in her head that had kept her up all night grew louder.

‘Kiss him!’

‘Beg!’

‘You need him—’’

“Enough,” she hissed.

It had never been this bad before. Why would this happen now when she needed to think clearly around Jackson? She’d assumed he would let her stew in her uncertainty a little longer before he spoke to her again.

She got off the uncomfortable cot when his footsteps drew nearer. She took a deep breath and the scent of the forest filled her lungs. She had always assumed it was his cologne, but now that she knew being around wolves was changing her, she knew it was his natural scent. They all smelled differently, so it was easy for her to believe that Jackson would have found her easily if she had escaped.

The light came on and blinded her briefly. Anticipation filled her body at the thought of seeing Jackson again, and that was still a ridiculous thing to want. She should have been scared because Jackson wasn’t a man to be messed with. He’d told her she would be fine as long as she stuck to their deal, so she knew he wasn’t there for a friendly visit.

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