Page 157 of The Alpha King's Fate

“It was just a little bug. She looks perfectly fine to me,” Adam said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Gerald didn’t say anything, but there was a frown on his face. If he’d figured out what Layla was, he knew what a big problem her illness was.

“Go. You both need a night out,” Dylan said quietly.

Chase walked out of the trailer with plates and cutlery in his hands. He surprised him the most out of all his people, from volunteering to go with him to rescue Layla to declaring that it didn’t matter that Layla lost her wolf, she would always be his Queen.

The word spread quickly when he and Rebecca revealed what had happened to her. He’d been prepared to fight for her as he did in the beginning, but that was unnecessary.

Now if only Layla could see it that way.

“Yes, please, take her out somewhere. She’ll just shut herself in her room again. A change of scenery will do her some good.”

Maybe the blood oath Chase took to always protect Layla and Hope had something to do with his attitude, but he doubted it.

‘If we go—’

‘Don’t worry about anything. You’ll have someone close at all times,’ Dylan said in the mindlink.

It was a little worrying that Layla couldn’t defend herself if they got attacked, but if he thought about it, he’d always been like that with her. He always had his warriors close to her because her wolf disappeared after destroying the dark witch, Hailey.

“Fine. We’re going on a date, then.”

Layla’s heartbeat thumped. He looked at the doorway and realised she had heard him, but he couldn’t figure out if she was excited or pissed off.

When he walked into the trailer, she leaned against the counter with her arms crossed.

“We’re going on a date, are we?”

Right. So she was still pissed off.

“Only if you want to. I won’t force you to spend time with me if you hate it that much.”

He closed the door behind him, but that was only to stop the human ears from catching their conversation.

“You know that’s not what this is about,” Layla hissed. “You can’t just move everyone here, take over everything, and throw orders around.”

“I have nothing to do with them following me here. I’m pretty sure they would stay even if I went back home,” he shrugged ashe put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the counter opposite her.

Layla’s gaze roamed lowered, and her cheeks coloured a little. Even without her wolf or his mark, Layla still responded to him. Getting her into his bed wouldn’t take much, but that wouldn’t achieve anything. She would still want space between them to work out how to leave him.

That wasn’t happening.

“You’re making this very hard for me, Jax.”

“That’s not my intention,” he admitted. “The bond might be gone, but you’re in my blood, Layla. It kills me to be away from you. I promised you space, and I’m giving it to you. I sleep outside with everyone else; I’m keeping myself busy clearing up after the storm... But that’s as much space as I can give you. What I said to you before still stands. I intend to take you back home because you’re mine.”

“I can’t think when you’re here. You should be at home—I’m sure there are many other things you need to stay on top of after what we did to the Hunters.”

“I can do those things from here as well as at the packhouse.”

Layla sighed and uncrossed her arms. She started to walk past him, but he took a chance and gently pulled her back.

“I understand everything you’re afraid of,” he whispered, “but trust me, Layla. You’re the woman I love and the mother of my child. There will be no one else for me. Don’t rip my heart out before you’ve given me a chance.”

As if he could ever look at another woman. The fact that she thought like that made Cain whine again at the loss of the bond that had kept such insecurities out of their relationship.

“I’m not trying to be difficult,” Layla said. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “You know everything that happened is my fault.”

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