Page 114 of The Alpha King's Fate

Everything else inside her was numb.

Everyone has told her since discovering she was a red wolf that she was special and she would protect the pack. But now, she was just a weapon the Hunters would use against her people.

They wheeled past the restricted door, but she didn’t feel the pull she felt when she’d gone past it before. That was because Rebecca was still in the room beside hers, unconscious. Vulnerable.

There were no moves to make while the people she loved were at risk. Her hands were tied.

The stench in the warehouse pulled her out of her thoughts as they wheeled through the door. The unit in the ceiling that gassed the room crossed her vision, reminding her again that there was no escape from her prison. The numbness in her body turned to pain. An ache she could not heal.

Her eyes closed, and tears slid down her face. She’d fucked up. She had hoped Jax wouldn’t come to save her so he wouldn’t get caught, but everything in her screamed for her mate. She was no hero. She made things worse for everyone.

“Don’t worry, Miss Layla. The Commander will keep his word.”

Her eyes snapped open to look up at the Hunter pushing her towards the aisle where her cage was. All she could see was his chin, but she could tell there was a smirk on his lips. A sinking feeling in her stomach forced her to look up at the cages. The wolves who weren’t unconscious raised their heads to look at her as she passed them.

She caught a few gazes. Felt their uneasiness.

“This will only be until tonight,” the Hunter continued. “We’ll bring you a nice meal while we prepare your new room. Just to show our appreciation for your help.”

She sucked in a breath.

Her help?!

They were making her out to be a traitor! It was true. She betrayed them, but it wasn’t because she wanted to.

The faces peering down at her changed. She sensed the anger. The hatred. It was almost as if she was transported back in timeto when her pack wanted her dead. Her eyes closed again as all their emotions crashed into her.

“You’ll have a nice, comfortable bed to sleep in, and I hear they’re installing a TV,” the Hunter continued.

More hatred. Some whispers. The Commander already got her to do what he wanted. Why was he doing this, too?

The sound of her cage door swinging open forced her to open her eyes again. The Hunter walked to her side and pulled some keys out of his pocket. Unlike the other times, only one Hunter came into the warehouse with her. Another point made to the wolves. Another sign of her treachery.

She didn’t understand what he was doing until the weight of her chains fell off, finally relieving some of the pain from her wrists and torso. The metal clattered as it fell to the floor, and then the Hunter stepped back with a satisfied smile.

“You won’t need those anymore,” he said, reaching for the cage door.

It swung uselessly on its hinges, the bars bent out of shape from her escape attempt.

“We didn’t get time to fix it,” he said, “but I’m sure you won’t do anything to fuck up the deal you made.”

Shit.

More hatred pressed down on her shoulders.

Her eyes closed as the guard pulled her into a sitting position. Her hair fell over her face, hiding her shame.

She would never forgive the Commander for this. No matter what happened, she would kill him before she died. She had to. Her heart broke with all the emotions her people felt towards her. Even in death, she would always be the traitor. Brit would be the traitor’s sister.

And Hope would be the traitor’s child.

She forced her legs to move, rising to her feet by herself. The Hunter didn’t show any emotions—not that she expected any—not even fear after how she killed his peers. They were confident they had broken her.

She entered her broken cage under her own steam and watched the Hunter’s smile widen as he pushed the broken door back in place. He didn’t bother locking it. He picked up all the chains and laughed before he walked away.

She didn’t dare lift her head. She crawled to the back of the cage and sat with her knees up, hoping to make herself as small as possible. The unlocked cage door mocked her and reminded her of what she would lose if she tried to break out again.

The whispers got louder when the warehouse doors closed. Loud enough for her ears to pick up but too quiet for the Hunters' ears.

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