Page 155 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part Two

It looked like no one was giving him a choice at all. His anger faded even though he hadn’t killed anything.

Cain was right, though. He’d tried not to think about it every time the bond got stronger, but that thought had constantly been at the back of his mind. Still, Layla had gone against his wishes. They needed to discuss that before they could move on with the rest of their lives. All two weeks of it. They didn’t have time to waste.

Cain gave him back control without another fight when he sensed he had surrendered, and he shifted instantly. He was drained as he started the walk back to the packhouse. The anger was gone, but a big hole remained where his heart should have been.

“Why, Layla? Why would you give up your life for someone like me? You know how fucked up I am.”

He was almost out of the woods when he sensed something. He looked back and focused his senses, and the clarity made him take a step back. He would have to get used to that. Was that how Layla saw everything? Was that how she’d figured out what was happening around her back when he’d kept her locked up in the bedroom?

The sound got closer, and his ears pricked. Several cars. They were speeding as they headed for the main gates. The closer they got, the more ominous the feeling. His first thought was the witch had found something else to fuck him up with before he died. But as the wheels turned on the dirt roads, the darkness they carried became clearer.

The Circle.

It looked like it was time for his punishment.

Chapter 75

Layla opened her eyes and stretched. And then she remembered what she had done.

She sat up and looked at the other side of the bed. Jackson hadn’t come back, though she could sense he was close. And he was angry. Rightfully so.

She lay back and pulled the covers over her naked body. Her hand went to her neck, and she felt the grooves left by his teeth. She’d assumed his bite would heal like all her other injuries. Maybe that was why they called it marking. Would everyone be able to see it? It tingled when she ran her fingers on it, and though the way she had got it made her cheeks heat up with shame, she didn’t regret it.

She had known he would react like that. She would have been livid in his shoes. If he never spoke to her again, then she would understand. But she would never have forgiven himself if he died and she could have saved him. She’d had no choice.

She sighed as she pushed the covers off again and slid off the bed. She started walking toward the bathroom, but her steps slowed, and she frowned.

Something was different.

She looked around the room. It was the same as it always was but still different. Or was she the different one?

She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she felt whole. Complete. Diedre had encouraged her to make Jax mark her but she hadn’t explained what that was. She would have done it anyway, whatever the consequences, but perhaps she should have asked more questions.

She sighed and continued to the bathroom. The first thing she did was look in the mirror at the mark on her neck. It wasn’t as big as she had imagined, but it was raised and in a weird shape. Like a brand of ownership. That thought shouldn’t have got her excited but it did. She supposed there was nothing she could do except wait for Jackson to return so they could fight it out if they needed to.

The sun had just risen when she finished showering and dressing. Her first stop was downstairs, where Faith had already woken up and studied as Hope slept. In the past few days, she’d started expressing her milk so Hope could learn to use a bottle. She’d also started writing instructions with what Hope liked and what she didn’t like. And the things she wanted them to teach her.

Just in case.

After she made sure Hope was okay, she went outside. They were still preparing breakfast but she didn’t think she could eat anything until Jackson returned. Until they talked and she knew where he stood.

She could sense him in the woods, so she avoided walking there to give him privacy. Instead, she walked up and down the driveway—several times. Trainees came and went, and she was still walking. She kept her mind purposefully blank, so she wouldn’t think of what she had made him do.

By lunchtime, she was fed up with walking in the same place. She watched a group of young kids talking among themselves as they walked out of the packhouse gates. They were about Britney’s age and spoke about what they would do after their first shift. She felt a pang of guilt when she thought of her sister. But she had left instructions about her, too. Diedre would have to make sure Brit was taken care of, too.

She followed the group out of the gates and then looked back as the gates were closed behind her. It didn’t look like Jax was ready to talk, but she would hear him when he came out.

When she had walked through the town before, she had been too busy fighting for her life to look around. She had never taken a moment just to stroll and look around. She remembered the first day she had driven through the gates; everything seemed strange and tidy. And everything had seemed scary. But as she walked down the streets, the residents bowed and greeted her.

Because she was their Luna. Their queen.

It felt strange to even think that.

A mate was not another term for friend, and a girlfriend was not the same as a Luna. Jax had told her what she meant to him long before Hope had been conceived.

The main gates loomed in the distance, with some warriors guarding them. They were still on alert even though there had been no more trouble since the Hunters left. She sighed and turned back. Maybe she would be better off waiting for Jackson in their bedroom. She had been gone too long; Faith had to be tired of babysitting.

She’d only taken a step back when something felt wrong in the air. She sucked in a breath and looked around. The back of her neck tingled as if to warn her of danger. But there was nothing. Everyone was still talking among themselves over their fences or on benches lined up on the streets. She looked back at the guards, who were still in the same position.

---