Page 122 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part Two

Cain tried to push himself to the surface, but he pushed the beast back. Now wasn’t the time to act impulsively or emotionally. He couldn't head back and kill all those Hunters.

"Are you sure they won't find us?" Layla asked.

"The last time the Hunters got any of the packs in our territory was over a century ago," he explained. "We have a system, and there are wards up ahead. We'll be safe once we get to our meeting point."

That was always the hope, but the fact was there hadn't been a hunting party in Wolfsdale since that time. The Hunters that had come to town when his father had been alive had been just passing through, and though they had done some hunting, they'd had nowhere near the force of an entire party. This was the first time any of them were going through this, so it could go either way.

His ears pricked. Somewhere in the distance, a twig snapped under someone’s shoe. Layla gasped and looked up at him before she rushed to her feet. He hadn’t realised her range of hearing had become that advanced.

“I’ll feed her while we walk,” she whispered before joining Faith. Faith helped her to strap Hope to her chest so both of her hands were free to protect the baby from the dense undergrowth of the forest.

He looked back again. They were still hours ahead, but had the Hunters found a trail, or was it just dumb luck that they were heading in the same direction?

‘Go faster. Layla will keep up,’ he instructed Faith.

Faith didn’t question it. They started to move at a speed a human would not have kept up with until he sensed the powerful magic of the protective barrier. After the last hunting party had almost wiped them out, the remaining packs in the territory called a truce so their witches could work together to create a spell to ward off intruders. Even though the wards hadn’t been tested yet, he relied on them to protect Layla and Hope.

Lead settled in his stomach. He should have stayed behind to lead them away.

The magic rippled over his skin as it allowed him entry, and then he finally sensed his pack and heard their whispers. At least that much was working. They could hide anywhere past this point once everyone arrived.

As they approached the clearing, Faith’s mother appeared at the edge of the trees. The young girl ran into her mother’s arms, their relief at being reunited tangible. But this was just the beginning. They couldn’t celebrate yet when the hunt had just begun.

As they walked into the clearing, the pack quietened down. They were in light clothing that they could easily carry because, from this point, they would flee in their other forms.

“Why has she come back?” someone whispered. “She’ll get us caught.”

Micah stepped forward and approached him with his head lowered. He’d stepped into his role as Gamma much easier than Jon had before he’d been killed.

‘Alpha,’ he started in the mind link. ‘There’s only one group left to join us, and then we can go. Have you heard from Beta Dylan?’

He shook his head and looked back in the direction they had come from. The Hunters stayed on their trail as if they knew where to find them. Unease settled on his shoulders.

“Miss Layla,” Micah said to Layla, bowing his head. And then his eyes landed on the little bundle still strapped against Layla and lit up. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Layla whispered.

But her anxiety had increased because she could hear the whispers, too. They may have accepted her after she had fought Brax’s pack, but Hunters were a different story. One mistake could wipe all of them out.

‘The other group are not too far. Get everyone ready to move; the Hunters are already tracking us.’

Micah lifted his gaze, the worry evident in his eyes.

“Where’s Diedre?” he asked out loud.

“Resting. It took a lot out of her to cover our territory,” Micah answered, and the worry coming from him told him things weren’t as simple as that. Diedre was in no state to have done such a big spell.

He sighed and then put his arm around Layla’s shoulders to find somewhere for her to sit. The whispers died down, but the fear in the camp started to increase. When Layla had settled on the ground against a huge tree trunk, he handed her the rucksack so she could attend to Hope.

“Don’t drop anything. Try not to disturb too much of the environment. Focus on hiding yourself, and you’ll know what to do.”

Her wolf would know what to do. Self-preservation was an instinct all wolves were born with.

He looked around the camp and saw Gina and her group of traitors standing at the edge of the clearing with a few warriors guarding them. She lowered her eyes and started to tremble.

‘What did they tell you?’ he asked Micah.

‘Zach was working with the witch, but they never saw her. Amber found a way to relay the messages.”

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