Page 150 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part Two

“Yes,” she lied. She wasn’t up to doing much these days.

There were only three weeks until Jackson’s birthday. The next full moon was a blood moon. And she had to play happy families until then. She had to pretend she was okay and enjoy her time with Jax until he took her heart with him to his grave.

She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out at the injustice.

The moment she walked into the house, Diedre came into the lobby as if she had been waiting for her. The older woman took her hand and pulled her along the hallway to the conference room.

“Did you try?” Diedre asked the moment she closed the door.

“He doesn’t want to talk about it.”

When she tried, Jax used his body to mess up her mind. If she’d thought their sex life was phenomenal before, Jax had ramped it up to one hundred. He was making every touch count. Every kiss. Every look. He gave her everything except the one thing that could save his life. His bite.

“I’ve told you he’s the most stubborn person you’ll ever meet. But you’re his match, Layla. Try harder.”

Diedre was pinning all her hopes on her shoulders, putting a lot of pressure on her. But she could understand where the witch was coming from. No one wanted Jax to die.

“I’m doing my best, Diedre, but I think he knows what I’m trying to do.”

“Of course he does. But you still have to do it. You still have to make him mark you. Fate will take care of the rest.”

She looked at the older woman and the confidence in her eyes.

“What makes you so sure it will work?”

Diedre walked over to the drinks cabinet and poured herself a shot of something. She wished she could drown her sorrows, too, but she was still breastfeeding.

“I spoke to the doctor who delivered Hope,” she said as she turned back to her. “I heard the little princess was weak and wasn’t expected to make it through the night.”

Her heart hammered. She stepped back as the shock hit her.

“What? He said she was fine.”

“He had to say that; otherwise, you would have worried yourself sick over something you couldn’t control,” Diedre stated.

“But Hope is fine. She was breathing by herself by the end of the day.”

“After you held her in your arms and told her to get better,” Diedre said gently. “The same way I got better when you willed me to.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

Wasn’t it? She had no magic; she was just a wolf, like all of them. She wasn’t even a werewolf yet, so she was nothing like them. How could they even think she could do something like that?

“I know you don’t believe me, but I need you to have confidence in yourself. You are the only one who can break his curse.”

The door opened, and Jax walked in. He was shirtless, straight from training, and didn’t look surprised to see them in there.

“Are you two conspiring again?” he asked as he dropped a kiss on her lips before he went to pour himself a drink.

“How can you act like everything is okay?” she asked.

“Because, my sweet mate, the alternative is to break down and die,” he said before he drank the shot in one go.

“Can’t you fight for me? For Hope?”

“I’ve fought. And I lost,” Jackson sighed. “Let’s just enjoy the time we have left.”

Diedre muttered expletives under her breath as she walked out of the room.

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