Page 38 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part Two

If Britney thought it was weird that he was hiding her sister behind him, she didn’t say anything. The elevator door opened on their floor and he let the young girl out first before he turned to prise Layla’s fingers off the rail.

“Head down,” he whispered, putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her out of the elevator.

His senses were tracking the Hunter, and the threat in the air had Cain growling in his head. This wasn’t a coincidence. Why would a Hunter show up just after he had gotten rid of Costas? How much did Miss Roberts know?

Britney opened the door and went into the suite first. Miss Roberts and the Hunter hadn’t spoken about wolves and wolf sightings—not that he had expected them to talk about that in the middle of the lobby. But if Andrea knew what he was and what he had done to Costas, then Britney wouldn’t be safe in the hotel.

‘Alpha, they have gone into the conference room with Miss Townsend.’

The one room downstairs that was soundproofed. There was a chance the Hunter was just there to dig up information. If it was a real Hunting mission, there would have been more of his kind nearby. But he couldn’t take a chance with anyone’s life.

‘We’re leaving tonight. Tell the others.’

Layla rushed to the bedroom the second they walked into the room, and Britney made to follow.

“Don’t,” he said.

“Something’s wro—”

“She’s mine, Britney. So I’ll take care of her till my last breath,” he cut in as he walked to block the hallway to his room.

He looked down at the young girl. There wasn’t a hint of wolf blood in her like Layla had from the first time he’d caught her scent. He wanted to believe the wolf gene had skipped her, but red wolves were still a mystery to him. For all he knew, Layla had been entirely human until she’d met him.

“I’ve decided to move you somewhere else tonight,” he said. “I have a house on the other side of town. It’s quieter, and there are fewer people there, so you won’t have people like Miss Roberts making you uncomfortable.”

Britney stepped back and shook her head.

“No, it’s okay. You don’t need to go out of your way for me,” she said quickly.

And the unease and fear she’d projected before dinner returned. What had this little girl seen?

“It’s not a discussion,” he said firmly. “Just pack what you need; everything else will be provided there. I’m sure you’ll like it better.”

He turned and walked towards his room without another word, and when he opened the door, Layla was sitting on the edge of the bed, gripping the bedding and her eyes still glowing. He sensed her growing panic and fear.

“Tell me now, Jackson. Tell me why this is happening,” she whispered.

“I don’t know where to start.”

He walked to sit next to her and released one of her hands to entwine their fingers on his lap. Her panic decreased, courtesy of their insane bond. He was made to soothe her when she needed him to.

This wasn’t how he had hoped the day would end, but he was stuck right back in everything he had tried to hide from.

“Is this going to stop?”

He met the beautiful emerald gaze.

“Not likely,” he whispered.

Layla pulled her hand from his and put it over her chest. He could hear how loudly her heart was beating now and how fast. It was as fast as the second heartbeat working hard to grow in her body.

“You said... You said once I left the packhouse...,” Layla whispered. “Why did you do this to me?”

“I didn’t do this to you. Werewolves aren’t made, Layla. We’re born this way,” he said gently.

“I’m not a wolf, so how do you explain this?”

He reached for her hand again, and instantly her heartbeat started returning to normal.

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