Page 161 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part Two

“Five years ago, I was cursed to die on my birthday.”

The applause died. Shock rippled through the room. There were gasps and murmurs. And from the ones that loved him the most, he felt their gut-wrenching pain.

“Diedre and I tried everything we could, but the spell can’t be broken,” he continued. “I invited you all here tonight on the eve of my birthday to tell you in person. And to apologise. I tried to keep you all safe but failed many times.”

From her table at the front of the room, Diedre pursed her lips and didn’t look at him. She was still under the impression that her plan would work.

“I don’t want you to worry. You’ll be in good hands. You know Alpha Dylan will look after you.”

Dylan folded his arms and also kept his emotions to himself.

“And you’ll have my little girl...” He swallowed. “When she’s older, please don’t tell her how much of an asshole I was. She will do a better job than I did.”

His voice broke. He swallowed again but couldn’t stop all his pain from tumbling out. He looked down at the drink, unable to carry on. He’d planned a whole speech to say goodbye, but all the words were stuck in his throat.

“I’m sorry. I will spend the rest of the evening with my mate and child. I’m confident that you’ll all be okay without me.”

He stopped speaking and took Layla’s hand to help her up. And then he took his last walk among his people. At the door, he turned to look at them all one last time, and then he did something an Alpha would never do. He bowed. He showed them the respect they deserved for putting up with all his shit.

When they walked outside, the sun had set, and the moon was red. It looked darker than usual, a deep red resembling spilt blood. He supposed it was a fitting end to his reign.

“I made arrangements for Britney. Have you spoken to her yet?”

“No. I’ll speak to her tomorrow,” Layla said firmly.

He watched her strap Hope back into the car, her shoulder set and her emotions all over the place. She didn’t believe they would have a tomorrow, either.

Chapter 78

Angelic singing. It drifted in and out of his ears and tried to force him from his peaceful slumber. It was beautiful but it was pissing him off. Why did anyone have to sing so much when people were trying to fucking sleep?

His eyes shot open.

His heart slammed in his chest.

Could it be?

He turned and saw the face he had fallen asleep next to because it was the last face he wanted to see before he died. Layla’s mouth was slightly open and she was snoring softly.

He sat up with a jolt and listened to the singing. Those weren’t angels. That should have been his first clue. His soul had been damned long ago; there were no angels in his afterlife.

“What are you doing? Come back to sleep,” Layla mumbled.

It took her a few more seconds, but Layla jolted awake and her eyes widened as she looked at him. She sucked in a breath, her heart hammering to match his.

Maybe he was dreaming. Perhaps he wanted this so much that he was dreaming about it just before the curse snatched his life away.

'Is this real?' Layla asked in his head.

He slowly raised his hand to her face. She was warm and felt real. But she always felt real in his dreams. All the dreams of the future he longed for always felt real. And he could always feel their bond, unhindered by curses, burning brightly as they grew old together.

He looked around and saw Hope sleeping in her crib, right where they had put her before they held each other on the bed. The sun was shining through their windows, and the soft singing outside continued.

He hadn't meant to fall asleep. He'd wanted to look at Layla until the last second.

His heart was still hammering when he slid off the bed and walked to the window. Hundreds of people were all over the front lawn, some lying down, others seated and swaying as they sang. They had candles and tea lights burning like they had been holding a vigil.

He looked back at Layla. Was it real? He had no fucking clue. He could smell them. He could hear them. And his heart... It twisted as it filled with all the hope he had denied for five years.

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