Page 141 of The Alpha King's Fate

She continued walking without looking back. By the time she reached the lobby, she somewhat composed herself. Now wasn’t the time to fall apart. That would bring attention that she didn’t need.

A few people were left in the packhouse and some in the tents that were still set up on the grounds, preparing for the others to return. They would need to make sure there was enough food and Diedre’s potions, as well as make sure they could rest comfortably enough to begin healing. She couldn’t add to that by breaking down in front of them.

In the kitchen, she took out the first things she put her hands on and only half paid attention when she made their breakfast. She had no idea if any of it tasted good when she pushed a trolley full of food and coffee out of the kitchen.

Jax was outside the dining room, probably because he sensed her coming. She avoided his gaze as she went past him and set the food on the table, and she still didn’t look at him when she started to push her food around her plate.

“I thought you were hungry,” Jax said.

“I ate some while I was making it. I guess I’m not as hungry as I thought,” she lied.

She bit her lip the moment the lie came out. Jax could sniff those out without trying, she shouldn’t have bothered.

“Do you want to take a walk in the woods? It’s a beautiful day,” Jax said.

Was it? The last she’d seen, storm clouds were rolling in. But she knew Jax just wanted some privacy so he could make her talk. She put her cutlery down and met his gaze. That look was still on his face. She owed him the truth so he could at least start processing things before everyone returned. He would come to the same conclusion.

Without the bond, his feelings would fade away. They were not tethered anymore. Maybe that was a blessing after how she almost got him killed.

She nodded and pushed her untouched breakfast away.

The air outside was fresh but she couldn’t pick out the scents. She couldn’t hear the grass rustling or the animals in the woods.It had taken her some time to control it, but it became part of her, as natural as breathing.

Jax stopped beside her at the top of the steps, his gaze burning through her, but she kept her eyes on the pack members walking around the front yard.

“Alpha, we’ve brought in everything and secured the tents,” a woman said as she walked up with some boxes. “I hope they make it back before the storm. It looks like a bad one.”

Jax nodded and then took her hand to lead her down the steps. The sparks were there, the tingles whenever he touched her. But she knew those were just because she was and probably always would be sexually attracted to him. But those sparks would probably die, too, with time.

He led her down to their favourite trail and didn’t stop until they reached the lookout spot. She sat down and looked over the forest. She couldn’t hear any of the dangerous things that roamed there and usually gave her comfort. And without her keen eyesight, it looked darker than usual and more terrifying.

“I was going to wait until you were ready, but I think you need to talk to me now,” Jax said as he looked over the forest, too. “I feel like I’m going crazy, imagining something that shouldn’t be possible.”

Because their bond was supposed to be unbreakable. Fate chose them for each other, and no one was supposed to be able to mess with that. But here they were.

“You’ll probably hear more from the others. I wasn’t there as long as they were,” she whispered.

She looked up at her mate and wondered if this was the last time she could sit next to him as his mate. Nia said she would always be the Queen, but after how hard she fought to make the pack accept her as a half-blood, she knew that was impossible.

“Cain shut himself off. I feel like he’s grieving,” Jax said. “Please talk to me, Layla. I can’t... I can’t reach you. I can’t feel you.”

She let out a breath and closed her eyes, but she couldn’t stop the tears that fell.

“My wolf’s name was Nia,” she whispered.

“Was?”

“She’s dead.”

Jax suddenly came off the rock and stood in front of her.

“How?”

She opened her eyes. She was right to assume that everything would change once she told him. She was responsible for the pain on the Alpha King’s face.

“The Hunters injected me with something,” she answered, looking away.

Jax turned and started walking back down the trail to the packhouse.

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