Page 92 of The Alpha King's Curse: Part Two

“And I’ve been watching her,” Rebecca said. “She’s not fine. You need Jackson. But if you are set on leaving, I’ll be with you. Just call my name.”

‘Or mind link me.’

That last part was said in her head, the way she used to do it as a wolf. Layla stepped back and shook her head. This was too much for one day.

‘You’ll be a good mum,’ Rebecca said again in her head. ‘You won’t make the same mistakes that I did.’

She turned and started to walk back to the packhouse. Somehow her senses had focused despite the shock of seeing her mother. And the pain had become a dull ache. But the closer she got to the house, the louder everything became again. And the more her heart hurt.

Sunlight started to break through the canopy of the trees, and the smell of breakfast wafted to her nose. She kept her head down as she came out of the woods.

“There she is. She’s safe,” someone called out.

“Miss Layla! Are you okay?”

She ignored all of them. Maybe they could see the tracks of her tears or feel her pain because they didn’t call out to her again. It was probably for the best, anyway. They had made her feel welcome the other day, making her feel like she belonged.

But it was time to pack so she could leave them all. They would never see her again. And they would never see the baby.

Chapter 46

They’d been running around in circles.

The witch’s scent was everywhere and yet nowhere at the same time. But he’d seen her. He’d caught a glimpse of blonde locks through the trees as she had fled. The witch used the same tactic she had used to confuse the warriors when she’d sent rogues to their territory, but this time she hadn’t left any trace of her dark magic for him to follow.

He hadn’t caught her, but he’d sensed her emotions. He’d sensed her intent. Her hatred of him felt like it had taken a life of its own, and that was terrifying. All that anger was being used to make sure he suffered before he died, and for the first time in his life, he had someone his enemies could use to make that happen.

There had been no other clue at the settlement. No record of anyone. The paperwork had been exposed too long to the elements after the attack; nothing was left. Or the witch had already removed all traces of herself in anticipation of this moment.

He was furious and frustrated when he walked up to the packhouse gates at sunset. He’d set out to hunt but had achieved nothing. He didn’t even know where she could have set up her home. Was she in the human city or the forest?

‘I’ll double the patrols and make sure Alpha Brax leaves by the end of the day. There are still too many of them, even though the rogues have left. The witch could still use them,’ Micah mind linked.

‘No. Get some rest. I’ll tell everyone what to do.’

He shifted as he approached the gatehouse, and the guard handed him and Micah some clothes. Though his body ached from being too far from Layla, he had enough energy to continue looking. But the forest was vast, and he knew Micah would have continued to follow him. His future Gamma looked exhausted; he’d had to stop his fruitless search.

Besides, he could feel there was something else coming for them. Micah needed to be at his full strength if they were going to fight such a vengeful spirit.

The pack members greeted him as he walked down the driveway, which was the complete opposite of how they had treated him after the first attack. But others were still raw, and he knew it would take time for them to forgive him for not being there when their family member had died.

And then there were the ones that he would have to weed out of the pack to be sure there would be no targets on Layla or the baby.

‘Lock your door when you rest,’ he said. ‘It’s still not safe.’

‘I can round them up and put them in the dungeon if you want,’ Micah replied. ‘They are still whispering among themselves.’

‘Soon,’ he promised before he walked into the packhouse.

He took the stairs two at a time, eager to see Layla even though he had hurt her before he’d left. His muscles started to loosen, and the pain deep in his core decreased as he got closer to his mate. She was still awake and waiting for him. He could sense her anxiousness and her pain.

But her pain wouldn’t change the outcome. Once their bond was broken, her human side would thank him for getting her out of the mess he had created.

When he opened the door, the first thing he saw was the tattered rucksack Layla had come with along the wall. It was full, so he knew she had already done as he had asked.

And somehow, that still knocked the wind out of him. Speared him right through his heart.

He lifted his gaze from the bag to the woman sitting on the edge of his bed, fully dressed in her old clothes and the shoes she had worn when she arrived. She was making a statement—she didn’t need anything he had given her.

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