Page 161 of The Alpha King's Fate

Layla moaned against his lips, exactly how she used to. Her scent wrapped around him, and white-hot lust surged through every part of him. Layla tasted like wine and temptation. So much temptation. Something in his mind told him to resist for a bit longer, but he’d missed her touch. Her scent. He’d missed thesoftness of her skin and the heat of her mouth. Resistance was futile.

His arms tightened around her as he backed her up against the rock and deepened the kiss. Layla wrapped her legs around him as she always did when he picked her up, allowing him access between her legs. He groaned into her mouth as he ground into her. If only he could take her jeans off. If only he could rip them off her and sink into her.

Without another thought, he reached between them and unzipped her. Layla's throaty moans fueled him like he was under her spell, under some trance. His fingers found their way where he desperately wanted to be, and Layla’s breath caught. Her body trembled in his arms, and he sensed nothing but need coming off her in waves.

“Ride me, Layla,” he whispered against her lips.

And as she always did in the bedroom, she followed his lead without question. She rolled her hips, tipped her head back and whispered his name. It didn’t take long for him to bring her to the edge and watch her beautiful face as she tumbled down. Every moan, every scream, every little move she made, made him harder.

He wanted more. He wanted it all.

His head went down to her neck as he always did when Layla was ready for it, and his teeth scraped against her skin.

He froze.

What the hell was he doing? He had already decided his path.

He released her and stepped back from her, ignoring her protests.

“I’m sorry, Layla,” he whispered. “I shouldn't have touched you. Take my hand, and I'll lead you back to your trailer. This was a bad idea.”

When her pain and disappointment replaced her lust, he bit down on his jaw and turned away. It was better that way. Fuck fate. He would decide how his story ended.

Chapter 71

Layla rolled her neck and shoulders to ease some of the stiffness but knew it wouldn’t do her any good. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt that tired. She spent money that she didn’t have to buy some energy drinks to keep her awake for the drive home. It was almost two in the morning, and working two jobs was sucking the life out of her.

At one point in her life, she’d even had three jobs and still had the energy to run around after Brit and take care of their trailer.

With a sigh, she grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and shoved her door open. The car had been a piece of crapwhen she’d bought it, but it was worse after being off the road for so long. She’d worked at least a month to afford the extra money to pay someone to get it roadworthy again. It was hectic catching buses or getting a taxi to take her close enough to her neighbourhood, especially this late at night.

She hadn’t seen Jax since the picnic, but some warriors hung around the neighbourhood for weeks afterwards. She knew Jax ordered them to protect her. After a few more weeks, there were fewer of them, and now none at all.

It had been two months since she saw Jax.

Two months of feeling like she’d made the biggest mistake of her life.

Even with the poison in her blood, could she have tried to stay with him as he asked? Or had she convinced him that she was right?

Their last night was still clear in her head—she could see it all as if it just happened. Jax pushed her away. He said he made a mistake. And then he disappeared.

It was what she asked for, but she hadn’t expected it to still hurt after so long.

She stopped at the trailer door and looked around. But, of course, she could see anything beyond the porch light. She couldn’t smell anything.

It was hard to get used to that, too, but she accepted it. Besides, she didn’t want to forget how it felt to have Nia. It would be like forgetting Nia ever existed.

She sighed and walked into the trailer. Her gaze immediately went to the kitchen counter. Before meeting Jax, there were always piles of bills waiting for her. But since she moved back to the trailer, nothing was overdue. She only saw notes telling her what was for dinner and bidding her a good night.

Gerald surpassed her expectations of him. Two months sober and gainfully employed for the first time in years.

Of course, with his reputation, he’d only been able to find part-time work as a janitor in some motel, so she was still the primary breadwinner. She’d told him to hang on to whatever money was left after he’d done the renovations. It was a good idea to have something aside in case they needed to disappear quickly.

Because she was still looking over her shoulder, waiting for the Hunters to find her.

She picked the note up and padded to her bedroom. She was too tired to eat, as always. But she wasn’t too tired to shower. Working in the kitchen at a small diner in town meant she always smelled of grease. She didn’t need werewolf senses to know how strong that smell was.

It took her half an hour to shower and wash her hair while fighting sleep, and then all the hassle of blow drying so it wouldn’t be frizzy in the morning. Her hair wasn’t the same as it used to be. It lost some of its shine.

---