Page 171 of The Alpha King's Fate

There were more people once they got to the hall. She saw Chase speaking with a group of children and Gavin standing with Josh. Her breath caught. The last time she saw Gavin, he had been on the brink of death. It was her fault that he’d been there in the first place. The Gamma turned and met her gaze. And then he smiled.

She released a breath and smiled back.

“Looks like the other packs are already here. We should head back and change so we don’t keep them waiting,” Jax said as he got out of the car.

She got out to follow Diedre and Jax, but a wave of dizziness hit her. It was the exhaustion. She was still learning her limitations, so getting that second job was probably the wrong decision.

She pushed away from the car and stepped towards the hall, only to stop again. There was someone in front of her who wasn’t there before. Someone with sharp fangs and pale skin who shouldn’t have been in Jax’s territory.

A vampire.

A vampire was blocking her way into the hall.

Chapter 75

Where did the vampire come from? How did he go through Diedre’s wards?

Layla backed up until she felt Jax’s car behind her. The vampire grinned, showing his teeth, and she froze in place.

Fear filled her body.

This was her worst nightmare come to life. She was vulnerable, and her child was in the hall. She couldn’t protect her.

“Breach!”

Someone shouted behind the vampire. But she would never have outrun him even if the fear didn’t paralyse her. Their speed was unmatched.

There were screams. Something zoomed past at such speeds she realised there were more of them. And if the vampires were there, the Circle was making its move.

And that was the twist—the final nail in the coffin full of all her hopes for a future with Jax.

Something snapped around her, some invisible force that pulled her forward. It was magic. How did it even get past Diedre’s wards? She tried to lift her arms and drag her feet, but it was futile. Wolves around her were hauled towards the hall like rag dolls.

There were screams, growls and yelps—snarls from the beasts that were brave enough to try to fight. Children started to cry, and others shouted. The magic dragged her into the large hall, and the sight before her made her gasp. Tables and chairs were upturned, and decorations were strewn over the floor. Everyone was squashed in the middle of the room, including Jax. She could see him straining, trying to break out of the invisible hold on him. And when their eyes met across the room, she saw the resignation in his eyes.

He knew it, too. He knew this was their end.

The vampires surrounded the room— more than she saw at the trial. And figures in black hoods stood next to them with their hands outstretched. She saw Diedre cast spells enough times to know they were the ones who imprisoned the packs. There was no way they could get out of this.

“What the fuck is going on?” Alpha Brax shouted.

Beside him were Ryker and some of the Night Walker warriors. They were some of the strongest Alphas in the world, caught up in the mess she and Jax made. Their love had been ill-fated from the beginning.

“I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

The familiar voice behind her made everyone stop struggling. The hall quietened, and a chill filled the room. She had felt the Circle’s dark presence as a wolf, but it was even more terrifying without Nia. The cold seeped into her bones, into her head as the nightmare unfolded.

“Well, hello there, Layla.”

Alpha Lincoln came up beside her, dressed in one of his usual expensive suits and with a shit-eating grin. Her stomach dropped. The Circle was already pissed off with her. Once they found out she was wolfless, she had no doubt they would punish her for what she did to them.

Alpha Hugo and the other guy came up on the other side. She still didn’t know the guy’s name, but he was still the only one who’d lowered his head. If Nia was still present, she would have heard his heart beating as loudly as hers.

“I can’t believe you’re having a party and you didn’t invite us,” Lincoln said to her.

“Did you forget what I said to you the last time I saw you?” Jax growled.

The expression on Lincoln’s face changed to one of pure hatred. Cold, unhinged hatred that changed his handsome face to something ugly.

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