Page 152 of The Alpha King's Fate

The older man swallowed and looked away. His uneasiness had been evident the second he walked into the trailer, but now a hint of fear coloured the air. Gerald didn’t even see the worst of it but he was scared.

“Why did you come back when I told you I would tell you when it’s safe enough for you to do so?”

If the other Hunters came for their revenge, he couldn’t spare anyone to watch him. Gerald shrugged and then looked at his daughter.

“I found a nice motel and spent a day watching movies and getting drunk,” Gerald said. “And then, when I sobered up the next day, I had this sudden fear that that would be my life. I didn’t want that.”

“So you came back even though you know there’s nothing you can do?”

“I came back because I realised I was safe away from this city while my girls were in danger. What sort of father does that?”

“The sort that was never a good father to start with.”

Gerald looked away.

“I deserve that,” he said. “But I’m the only father they have. And whatever she is... Well, I’m still her father. I have to get my girls back.”

After Layla’s reaction when she saw him drunk at the hotel, he was sure that was something he was not supposed to get in the middle of. Whether Layla accepted him back into her life would be her decision.

He sighed and took Layla’s hand again. She had stopped shivering, which meant she would be sweating very soon and he’d have to take the blankets off.

“One hour. If her temperature gets higher, I’m carrying her out of here,” he said.

It took over an hour and several bowls of cool water, but Layla finally settled. When he covered her up again, she looked like she was merely sleeping, and her heartbeat picked up a little. He adjusted his legs for the millionth time in the cramped room and rested his head against her pillow next to her head.

She was pale. Her lips were dry even though he’d been giving her a little water. The love of his life was sick, and there was nothing he could do about it. He’d never felt more helpless in his life.

Layla was human now. If he hadn’t wanted to believe it before, he believed it now. Wolves didn’t get sick like that unless someone poisoned them with silver or wolfsbane. It was something he would have to get used to. She was more vulnerable than she had been before her wolf manifested. He’d have to learn to be gentle. To take his time with everything so he wouldn’t hurt her.

Cain would have to back off so she would be safe.

The beast whined in his head but there were no objections. Cain hadn’t spoken except to show his eagerness to take her back with him, but his emotions were clear. They were both struggling with the loss of Layla’s wolf.

Nia. What a beautiful name. A beautiful wolf.

A sound outside had him on his feet and ready to defend Layla in seconds, but when he looked around, he realised he must have slept. The storm had passed, and people were talking outside.

He stretched and then checked on Layla. Her colouring was a little better but she still didn’t look like herself. If the damn ambulance had...

He closed his eyes and swore under his breath. He had something better than what the human hospitals could have given her. He’d been too panicked to remember. One vial of Diedre’s potion would get Layla back on her feet in no time.

He leaned over and kissed her forehead before he tucked the covers back around her. Gerald was in the small kitchen, stirring something in a pot that made his stomach grumble. But there was no time to eat.

“I need something to wear,” he said.

Gerald was smaller than him, but his clothes would have to do. When he walked out in the tight sweatpants and an old t-shirt, he looked around at the damage around the trailer park. Gerald’s neighbours were outside, wading through their flood ground and picking debris up. The storm smashed some windows and blew unsecured furniture around.

He looked back at Gerald’s trailer and saw the big dent the tree made. He’d have to fix that for them. If Layla insisted on staying, he would make sure she was safe.

He slipped behind the trailer and wadded barefoot into the forest. The moment he was far enough from the humans, he ripped the tight t-shirt off and shucked the sweats before he shifted.

There were many trees down in the woods that he jumped over, Many obstacles that made him realise that Gerald had been right. It would have been too dangerous to carry Layla to the hospital in the town.

By the time he ran through his gates, the sun was shining as if nothing had happened, and every inch of his fur was wet and muddy. He shifted at the gates and grabbed a pair of sweats from the gatehouse before he jogged up the driveway.

There were many people out in the fields. He slowed down and realised most of them were the wolves they had rescued. They seemed to have recovered well, though it would take a bit longer for them to gain their weight back.

“Did you find her?”

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