Page 148 of The Alpha King's Fate

She would have to, though. She would have to learn how to do it, and in time, she would be able to see Hope again.

Her hair was still in her face when she bent to feel around for the crank. The shutters wouldn’t shut themselves, and shehad no money to replace the windows. Her fingers closed on something warm instead.

A scream ripped out of her throat as she fell back. Hunters? Did they find her?

She scrambled back as she pushed her wet hair out of her face, looking up at the figure that loomed over her. The rain and the darkness distorted the person before her, and fear kept her frozen in the spot like an idiot. She couldn’t hear how loud her heart was beating, but she felt it. The fear stole her voice and her ability to think. She didn’t scream again. She didn’t run. She didn’t do anything.

Did the Hunters already mobilise to seek revenge for what she did to the Commander?

The figure moved forward just as a flash of lightning lit up the sky, and a wave of relief weakened her limbs.

Jax.

It wasn’t a Hunter out to kill her now that she was defenceless.

It was the love of her life, standing stark naked in front of her, just as he had done in the first storm.

She craned her neck to look up at his massive frame as he reached for her hand, too shocked to ask what he was doing there. She’d asked for space— which he needed, too— to decide what was best for the pack and Hope. He shouldn’t have come to the trailer park when the packs needed him the most.

Jax pulled her to her feet and rushed her to the front door. She was dripping all over the kitchen floor before her head started working correctly.

“What happened?” Gerald asked.

The shutters started rolling down, one by one.

“Who is it?” Gerald asked as he walked over to the kitchen window.

As the shutter rolled down, Gerald paled and looked back at her.

“I’m going to my room,” her father said quickly.

If Nia had been around, she would probably have smelt the fear in the air. Gerald closed his bedroom door and locked it, and she wondered again what exactly he saw.

The door behind her opened, and she turned quickly. Only a man like Jax would feel comfortable walking into someone else’s house with no clothes on. Heat spread through her when he ran a hand through his wet hair. It was almost as if he was putting himself on display so she would drool over him. It was unbelievable how her body still reacted the same way even though they were not connected anymore.

He put the crank on the surface and met her gaze. Her cheeks heated up because she knew he could tell what he was doing to her.

“What are you doing here?” she whispered.

“I’m moving in.”

Chapter 66

Layla secured the towel she’d wrapped around her hair. She’d taken as long as she could in the shower to warm up, something she didn’t normally do when there was a storm. She ran out of excuses to stay away from him.

She took a deep breath before stepping out of the bedroom. It took her only seconds to realise she was still unprepared to talk to Jax. She felt his presence, but not in the same way. The love of her life filled her living room, taking over it the same way he took over her heart.

He stood with her back to her, dressed in one of her old, comfortable bathrobes while he dried his hair. The worn cotton fabric of the robe sculpted his back, ass and thighs. He was like a work of art, sent by fate to tempt her. He might as well have stood there naked.

Jax turned, and the view improved. He’d only loosely tied the belt so she could see his muscular thighs and the tattoos on his chest.

He knew what he was doing to her. Heat spread through her cold body the same way it always did when she looked at him. Nia was gone, but Jackson was still the same attractive man he’d always been, and her love for him was still the same. Her wolf dying didn’t change a single thing about how she felt. She’d have to be dead not to react to him.

“I haven’t eaten. Did you stock up on food?” Jax asked.

He stepped closer to her, and the knot on the bathrobe slipped a little. She swallowed to make sure she didn’t embarrass herself by drooling. Jax was no longer hers, not in the way that mattered. Jumping back into bed with him would only complicate things in the long run.

“I’ve never lived in a trailer before, so you’ll have to tell me what’s safe to do during a bad storm,” Jax continued.

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