Page 68 of The Alpha King's Fate

“You’ll be fine,” she whispered. Her voice was shaky from the effort it took to hold everything in, but she couldn’t break down in front of Brit.

Her sister looked at Jax and then took his hand. As she watched her mate lead the girls onto the plane, she swallowed back the lumps in her throat, but that didn’t stop the pain in her chest. Britney looked back, and she raised her hand to wave at the scared little girl who’d not yet realised the danger her lie had put her in.

“I’ll take care of them, Your Majesty.”

She looked back at the young man beside her.

“I’m counting on you, Josh.”

Josh bowed without meeting her gaze and followed Jax and the girls onto the plane.

“You’re worrying too much. You know I won’t let anything happen to them,” Diedre said.

“I want to go with them, but...”

“But your place is here, fighting for everyone,” Diedre finished.

The older woman smiled and took both her hands. She turned her injured palm over and inspected her wounds.

“You’ve already healed,” Diedre stated. “I know you’ve been frustrated lately, but if anyone can help us finally get free of the Hunters and the Circle, it’s you and Jackson. It’s not the lack of training holding you back.”

She looked up into the witch’s violet eyes. She hadn’t spoken to Diedre about what was bothering her because she was close to Jax but maybe she had been projecting it. How else would Diedre figure it out?

“Trust yourself. Trust your wolf. I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for you and your wolf. That’s not something to be scared of, Layla. Embrace who you are; it’s the only thing that will get you through this fight.”

Diedre pulled her into a hug and said, “I’ll see you soon, Your Majesty.”

And then the witch released her and walked to the plane. She was the only one out of the whole pack who didn’t feel anxious or scared. It was easy for her; she was the strongest witch alive.

Jax came to stand beside her as the plane prepared for take-off. Little lights came on along the runway to guide it to the cliff, and then the powerful engines came on. When it started moving, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. When the wheel lifted off the ground, she couldn’t stop the sobs.

Jax pulled her into his arms as they watched the plane take off at the end of the runway and soar into the sky. Around her, the sobs of the parents and guardians filled the air, and her anger mixed with her grief. This would be the last time. Whatever fate had in store for them, this would be the last time anyone would force her to separate from her child. She would not live with this fear over her head for the rest of her life. Her beast was right—this was a fight she had to go through. She hoped Diedre was right, too.

She was still looking up at the empty sky when Jax picked her up and started walking back into the woods. His pain mixed with hers as if he could not hold it back any longer. Her mate carried her back to the cars waiting for them, but instead of putting her down, he started to jog. He headed deeper into the forest until they reached a little clearing where he set her down.

For the first time since she had known Jackson, the grown man fell to his knees, and she felt everything through their bond. The pain, the helplessness...

“We’ll see them again,” he whispered.

But it sounded as if he was trying to convince himself.

She fell to her knees in front of her mate and put her arms around him. They were heading into war with organisations strong enough to level their whole pack. A big part of her knew this would be the end of everything, even if they gave their all.

Chapter 31

When Jax woke up at dawn, Layla was still in his arms. His heart squeezed when he saw her puffy eyes.

‘She’s where she’s supposed to be,’ Cain said.

The beast's contentment rippled through him. Cain didn’t understand that this meant nothing to Layla. She could still walk away from them.

He gently rolled over so Layla was on her back and started to move his arm. Letting go of all the children had put a heaviness on the pack that hadn’t gone away even after receiving the call to say everyone was where they were supposed to be and they wereall safe. He had no idea how he would have handled that if Layla hadn’t been beside him. If she hadn’t felt the same way. If she hadn’t let him take comfort in her body.

He’d almost freed himself when Layla rolled back to him and snuggled against his chest. So trusting. Why couldn’t it be like that between them all the time?

He brought his hand to gently move the strands of hair that had covered her face, and Cain puffed up his chest with pride.

“Are you only here because of our bond?” he whispered.

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