Page 142 of The Alpha King's Fate

“What are you doing?”

“Chase looked through their stuff before they burnt it down. Maybe he saw something, an antidote or whatever research he used to make it.”

To bring something back from the dead? She didn’t think that was possible. And the Hunters didn’t seem like the type of people to have anything that would help wolves.

“I hope he finds something in case it happens again,” she whispered.

Jax stopped and turned around. Her chest was hurting again, he could probably feel it. Maybe he already reached that same conclusion.

“I have to go, Jax. I can’t stay here like this.”

Chapter 63

The sun was setting when Layla’s taxi stopped at the top of the road that led into her old neighbourhood. The storm clouds were completely black now, and she could smell the rain in the air. Finding someone willing to drive to that side of the tracks from Jackson’s hotel had taken a long time. That was as far as she allowed Jax to go. If he had come all the way to the trailer, she might not have had the strength to let him leave.

“Thank you,” she whispered as she paid the fare.

She’d only hastily packed a single bag. She slung that over her shoulder as she watched the taxi peel away. She didn’t blamehim. There were many desperate people in her neighbourhood, and even though they didn’t steal from their own, taxis were fair game.

With a sigh, she started the walk home. The trailers looked more run-down in the two years she’d been away. Or maybe she’d just gotten so used to living in luxury that she saw everything differently. The same tired people sat outside the trailers drinking and doing whatever else passed the time. Some ignored her as she walked past, and others smiled and nodded as if she never left.

Twenty minutes later, she approached her old driveway. Her rusty old car was still at the side of the road, exactly how she had left it when she ran into the house to rescue Brit. The keys were still in the ignition because it was such a piece of crap that if anyone was inclined to steal it, they would have noticed straight away that it wasn’t worth anything.

Seeing it brought back images of the last time she was home. Her father’s bad habits brought Costas into her home, and that bastard kidnapped her and Brit. Now their family was spread out, unable to live together again for a while. When everything settled down and the kids returned, Jax would make sure Brit didn’t reveal she wasn’t a wolf, or her sister would face the same dilemma. The pack would want to kill her.

Especially if they learned she lost her wolf and was no longer their Luna. She was nothing to them now.

She needed time to think away from all of them. Away from Jax. He hadn’t said a word to make her stay with him. He hadn’t reassured her that it would be alright, and he loved her anyway. His face had closed off the second she told him she needed to go.

She pushed that pain aside and walked up the steps to the front door just as thunder rumbled in the sky, and a flash of lightning followed. The lights were off since no one was home, so she pushed the old flowerpot aside to reach for the sparekey. She never thought she would be back. Her initial plan had been to move out once Brit graduated and never look back. But there she was, without a penny to her name, without a job, and stepping back into the shithole.

She dropped her bag near the door and fumbled for the light switch. Her foot paused mid-step when the place lit up.

She was in the wrong house.

She walked out and confirmed the number on the trailer, then walked back in with a frown on her face. Maybe they left it empty too long, and someone else moved in—someone who cleaned and made the place look homely.

She’d expected to walk into stacks of beer cans, unwashed plates in the sink, and bills overflowing on the counter. But this place recently had a fresh lick of paint to freshen it up, judging by the strong paint smell, and they’d bought new furniture. A comfortable grey couch replaced the old discoloured one that had sagged with her father’s weight, and a stylish circular coffee table replaced the one that broke when Costas’ minion threw Gerald onto it. There was even a rug, curtains and a new television. And the kitchen looked like it had a makeover, too.

This was definitely not her house.

She looked back outside at the darkness and the first big drops of rain and sighed. It would be a very long walk back to town in the dark with the storm raging, and it would be unsafe without Nia. But where was she supposed to go?

She blinked back the tears and set the spare key on the counter so the new owner would see them. Her hand was on the door handle when a door opened down the darkened hallway and someone stuck their head out. Without Nia, she couldn’t see them clearly.

They must have been asleep.

Her cheeks heated up with mortification as the person walked out of the main bedroom.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t realise there’s a new tenant. I’ll—”

“Layla?”

She sucked in a breath when the man came into the lit living area.

“Dad?”

Was she seeing things? The man in front of her was showered and shaved and looked like he had visited the barber. He wore pyjamas that didn’t stink of beer. Such a huge contrast to the last time she saw him at the hotel when he was covered in his vomit.

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