Page 74 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part Two

She wiped her face before she turned at the sound of Diedre’s voice.

“What happened? Is it Jackson?” she asked urgently.

“No, he’s fine,” she assured her quickly. “I just came to see if everyone was okay.”

She smiled at Diedre before she headed back towards the stairs. She hadn’t meant to be away from Jackson for that long, but it hadn’t hurt to be away from him like last time.

‘Because his wolf is resting,’ the voice in her head said. ‘He’s okay.’

How did she even know that? How could she tell what was wrong with someone else?

But the voice didn’t answer. Maybe that was for the best. There was too much to think of now without worrying about whether she could trust the voice in her head.

Once she reached the bedroom, she locked the door behind her, just in case. She hadn’t been focusing on the pack, so she didn’t know how they would react to the attack this time. She slipped back onto the bed beside Jackson and settled on his chest.

She listened to his heart beating. She listened to her own, beating in sync with his.

How the hell was she going to let go of this man? And would this be her child’s life? Would her baby have to put their life at risk for everyone else?

Chapter 38

The morning sun was streaming into his room when Jackson opened his eyes. He hadn’t thought he would. The dark magic had spread through him so quickly that when he had closed his eyes, he’d been sure it would be for the last time.

He turned his head towards the bundle of heat nestled against him and met her gaze. He felt her relief like the weight had lifted off his shoulders.

But there was nothing to feel relieved about. What happened only proved that she wasn’t safe with him.

He could have died.

Layla would have been left alone to deal with all this shit, even with Dylan, Micah and Chase watching over her. The witch had become bolder. Maybe she had just been toying with him because she seemed stronger.

Layla bit her bottom lip as if trying to hold all her emotions in. He could sense each one, and it felt like a judgement. Her feelings made him feel like the biggest failure to walk the earth. An Alpha King who couldn't protect his mate and child.

An alpha who couldn’t mark his mate to give her the protection she deserved.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“You can’t do that to me again,” she whispered.

She started to blink back tears, and that speared his already shattered heart. He’d spent months trying not to get emotionally involved with her, but it was all fruitless. The woman in his arms was his whole world, even if he was only a small part of hers. That was a fact he had to deal with, and quickly so he could do what needed to be done.

“I’ll take you out of here,” he whispered. “I’ll keep you safe.”

It was starting to sound like an empty promise.

“I don’t want you to keep me safe; I want you to be safe,” Layla whispered. “How will you raise our child if...”

She looked away from him, and his heart was speared again. Neither of them would be raising their child.

“How are you feeling?” Layla asked when she had composed herself.

He gladly accepted the change of subject.

“Not as bad as last time, actually. Just a little tired. How long was I out this time?”

Even Cain was just resting. He didn’t sense any pain or distress from the beast even though the pain had been unbearable when they had been bitten.

“It’s been less than a day.”

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