Jackson gently wiped the tears off Layla’s reddened cheek. The scent of her blood filled the air as it dripped from her nose and mouth. Her eyes were already swelling shut. But she was alive. His heart was still in his mouth, drowning out the sound of anything else. He’d thought Ryker had done something to her. He’d thought he wouldn’t make it to her on time. His body was still trembling with the shock of it. If he’d lost her... The red haze covered his vision again as he looked at the people behind her. He’d ordered them to stay, and they’d fallen to their knees. They shook visibly, their eyes glued to their fallen comrades. Gina was among them. The woman was still grieving her parents but should not have gotten involved with Zach. The consequences were on her. He would defend what was his until the day he died. A growl came from deep within him, from the place his vengeance lay, and made the traitors whimper and lower their gazes. “Shh. I’m okay,” Layla whispered, even as th
Jackson had washed the blood and dirt from his body before he’d finally held Hope in his arms, but she would never forget the look in his eyes when he met his child for the first time. The huge, cold man had melted. His emotions had shown in his eyes and on his face so brightly that she would have known how he felt even if she hadn’t sensed it herself. It had been hours, but he still held the little girl. They had moved back to her smaller bedroom because the big one was full of dead bodies. She hoped someone had at least taken care of them, but she doubted she would ever use that bedroom again because of that. She couldn’t get over how quickly Jackson had killed them. They had been alive one second and then bleeding and lifeless the next. She lifted her head from the pillow to watch Jackson watching his daughter. For some reason, Jackson had held her hand over Hope’s little foot as they had both napped. Labour had taken a toll on her but resting seemed to have done the trick. She
He shouldn’t have opened his mouth. Though Layla hadn’t pushed him away, he’d sensed her mood change. The last thing he wanted to do now was tell her he would die. He just wanted to hold her and Hope until the day he did. Dylan was devastated by the news. Layla would be worse. He couldn't do that to her. Eventually, she fell asleep, but he’d stayed up to look at her and Hope. How could Fate be so cruel as to give him something so perfect and snatch it away? Hope started to whimper, but Layla didn’t stir. It had to have been a difficult few days for her to go through labour while thinking he was dead. He’d only thought the worst for a short time, so he had no idea how she’d handled that for so long. He slowly untangled himself from Layla and got to Hope before she started crying. She was due a feed but he knew he had to check her nappy first. Max had taught him that when the kids had taken over his room after the attack. He remembered feeling depressed because he didn’t think he w
Jackson looked back the way they had come and listened. There was nothing but the sound of the forest animals and the wind howling through the trees. They had already walked far enough into the forest that it was too dark for human eyes unless they brought their torches. The Hunters would have torches. They’d have heat sensors and night vision. They’d have military-grade weapons to wipe them out. He sighed and held Hope closer to his chest. Layla hadn’t complained yet even though they had been walking for hours, only stopping when the baby wanted to feed. Faith led the way because she knew where the meeting point was, and Layla followed her without stumbling. If anyone else had come with them, they would have been asking why Layla could see so well in the dark. They were about an hour away from where they would meet the pack when Hope started to cry. Her little voice echoed in the darkness, and it made him worry. Layla rushed back to him and took her from his arms. Faith stayed ah
The collective gasps echoed through the forest. Layla’s heart pumped loudly as she held Hope against her chest and watched the proceedings. Jackson was expressionless as he looked down at Diedre, but she could have felt his horror a mile away. She got it. They had only started having the ‘what are we’ conversation. They had just talked about going away, and hopefully, they would have agreed on what their relationship was. But did Jackson have to be so horrified that someone had called her his girlfriend? She had been in his bed for months; that couldn’t have been the first time someone had said it. Amber had tried to be his girlfriend so she could be called Luna, and she’d tried to make Zach the Alpha for the same reason. She knew there had to be some power in that ranking—Jackson was not only their Alpha but also their King. But if he wasn’t planning on getting rid of her and wasn’t thinking of getting a more suitable woman for that role, why the hell was he so against that idea
In the hours that they had been running, Layla had learned that the Hunters were relentless. The magical barrier Jackson had told her about had only held them back for a little while. They had passed through it somehow. And they had not become disoriented or cursed in any way. They had been hot on their tails for hours, even with the potions thrown to cover their tracks. They were like machines. The packs were tired. In that time, they had run into two other packs and joined forces. She had no idea how many wolves they were running with now. And all of them were tired. As she drank the last of her water and then put the empty bottle back in the rucksack so there wouldn’t be a rubbish trail for the Hunters to follow, she looked at the miserable faces of the kids who were stretching their legs and being given quick snacks. Even the food was running out. They could not hunt because the carcasses would give them away even if they buried them. The Hunters had hounds that seemed to h
What had she done? As Jackson deepened the kiss, his heart hurt for the little girl they had left behind. Whatever Layla was thinking of doing wouldn’t work. After the Hunters killed them, they would still hunt the others. It didn’t matter to them how long it took. Once they confirmed werewolves in the forest, they would tear the whole place down if they had to. “You shouldn’t be here,” Layla repeated in a whisper against his lips. “Where else would I be?” “I’m so sorry.” The hounds surrounded them. Their vicious snarls startled Layla and made her jump to her feet. She’d masked herself so well as she’d run from him that he’d had to rely on their bond to guide him. But now her heart pounded like crazy, and her fear clogged his nostril. Cain automatically reared forward, ready to eliminate the threat, but he shoved Cain deep down inside him. Now more than ever, he needed to act human. He stood more slowly, sizing up the beasts in case he had to fight out of this one. They were
Shock rippled through Layla as she watched the light dim in Amber’s eyes. She brought a shaky hand to her hair and pulled something out. She knew what it was but her mind had short-circuited. It felt like a dream. Everything sounded muffled as she watched the blood seep into the ground in front of her. Since she had started living with Jackson’s pack, this wasn’t the first dead body she had seen. But it was the first that made her understand just how brutal her new life was. Her heart pounded as she looked from what was in her hand to the man holstering his gun. Evil. Not human. Not human at all. The wolf inside her rose, her self-preservation instincts kicking in. She understood now that her plan would never have worked. She had been prepared to die for Hope and Jackson, but the darkness inside the Hunter wouldn't have let him stop at just her. It wouldn't have stopped until it consumed everything she loved. It was Andrea’s sobbing that brought her back to reality. She quickly
Jackson grinned when Dylan rolled his eyes at him as Hope led him by the finger to the tea party she had set up in the garden. “Enjoy your party,” he called to them before he turned and walked toward the packhouse. The trainees had the day off today, but he was pleased that most of them took their training seriously and were sparring in the fields. All the kids had to grow up quickly after the last war. In a few days, they would all hold a memorial honouring all the people they had lost. Gavin walked up to him before he reached the door. “Everything is all set, Alpha,” he said. Gavin was the most prominent reminder of what the war had cost him. He’d had to fill Micah’s big shoes. Though it wasn’t his fault, his heart cracked whenever he saw Micah’s replacement as the Gamma. “Thank you. We’ll be ready in time,” he said with a nod. The packhouse was spotless as usual, awaiting all the guests he had invited. As he walked toward the stairs, Faith’s mother walked in, a huge sm
Layla clutched her heart and fell to her knees. Hope started to cry behind her, as if her poor child could sense her pain, too. Faith tried to soothe her, but there was too much fear in the air, too much pain. “Jackson is hurt,” she whispered, looking at her mother. She had held out long enough. The house was full of all the vulnerable people in the pack, and their fear and anxiety weighed down on her. She couldn’t wait any longer. Rebecca walked over to Faith and took Hope from her. And her little girl instantly quietened in her grandmother’s arms. Rebecca met her gaze and nodded. “I will look after Hope. And I will protect everyone in this house,” Rebecca said, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Her mother knew what she had to do. She couldn’t leave Jackson to fight alone, but if anything happened to one of them, it would happen to the other. “Can I trust you, Mum?” she whispered. She hadn’t called her mum since the day she had abandoned them. “Always,” Rebecca whis
The dark clouds completely covered the sun. Jax stood at his lookout rock and looked over the forest. Even the witch was closing in from that direction when it was supposed to be their safest. He could sense her magic filling up in it even though he couldn’t sense any individual wolves. It was like when she’d sent the rogues who had hidden in the shadows right under their noses. His warriors wouldn’t sense them until it was too late. ‘The women and children are in the packhouse,’ Dylan said in the mind link. He didn’t know if that would make a difference. The strength he could sense in the magic around him was something he had never experienced from the witch before. He could feel it in the clouds above him, in the air they were all breathing. He could feel it rippling over his skin, yet they had not reached their boundary. Cain was silent in his head, already in hunting mode. But he couldn’t hunt everywhere at once. They were surrounded by armies bigger than any that had ever
The air was knocked out of her lungs as Layla landed in a heap in the field. Everything hurt. Jackson had been pounding into her for hours. ‘And not in a good way. How the hell are you getting worse at this instead of better?’ the voice in her head said. Since Jackson had marked her, that voice had become a more permanent feature in her head. She’d been able to shut it off before, but now it was impossible. She was constantly arguing with it and losing focus, and her ability to control her emotions was also on the fritz. Her moods were yo-yo-ing worse than when she’d been pregnant. “You’re distracted.” She lifted her head with the bit of energy she had left and looked at Jackson, who was glaring at her from the other side of their makeshift ring. “I’m tired,” she corrected. “Let’s take a break.” “We can’t, Layla,” Jackson growled. He marched across to her and helped her to her feet. “You pissed off the Circle, and I pissed off the Wicked Witch. It was fine when our sins were
Angelic singing. It drifted in and out of his ears and tried to force him from his peaceful slumber. It was beautiful but it was pissing him off. Why did anyone have to sing so much when people were trying to fucking sleep? His eyes shot open. His heart slammed in his chest. Could it be? He turned and saw the face he had fallen asleep next to because it was the last face he wanted to see before he died. Layla’s mouth was slightly open and she was snoring softly. He sat up with a jolt and listened to the singing. Those weren’t angels. That should have been his first clue. His soul had been damned long ago; there were no angels in his afterlife. “What are you doing? Come back to sleep,” Layla mumbled. It took her a few more seconds, but Layla jolted awake and her eyes widened as she looked at him. She sucked in a breath, her heart hammering to match his. Maybe he was dreaming. Perhaps he wanted this so much that he was dreaming about it just before the curse snatched his l
Jackson watched the sleeping baby in his arms and blinked back his tears. He was leaving his precious little girl in chaos. All his efforts to find the witch had failed. She’d disappeared after Amber and Miss Roberts had failed. He assumed the witch knew there was no point now. She’d already achieved her goal of making the rest of his life miserable. “I’m sorry, Hope,” he whispered. “I know you’ll become a better person than I was, even in any adversity. Do you know why? Because you also have your mother in you. You are going to be magnificent.” The more he said it, the more he would believe it. But it was hard to see any such future in a helpless three-month-old. “What the fuck was I thinking?” His chest squeezed as it had done all day. “It’s not your fault.” He looked up to see his mate in the bathroom doorway, a vision in a green, body-hugging dress. It had thin straps, so his mark was on show. For a second, he felt pride in it. But he remembered it was nothing but a death s
Jackson wasn’t too worried about Hugo’s threat. Since Diedre had started feeling better, she had been working hard to remove all the traces of dark magic around their territory. Her well of magic seemed to run deeper, even though it was not yet fully replenished. Warding the whole territory had been beyond her before Layla had healed her. But all the entry points had been fortified. Her magic wasn’t as it used to be but strong. Nobody would enter through his gates without his permission. Even if Diedre’s magic didn’t work on him and Layla, it had to work for the rest of the pack. Right? He was more worried about what the hell Layla was doing there. She should have been home with Hope and the others. Especially since he’d already warned her that the Circle was worse than any Hunter she would ever meet. Layla seemed intent on breaking all his rules. He was about to tell Hugo they had wasted their time when he sensed the rage rising in his mate. It was so dark it felt like Cain’s
Layla opened her eyes and stretched. And then she remembered what she had done. She sat up and looked at the other side of the bed. Jackson hadn’t come back, though she could sense he was close. And he was angry. Rightfully so. She lay back and pulled the covers over her naked body. Her hand went to her neck, and she felt the grooves left by his teeth. She’d assumed his bite would heal like all her other injuries. Maybe that was why they called it marking. Would everyone be able to see it? It tingled when she ran her fingers on it, and though the way she had got it made her cheeks heat up with shame, she didn’t regret it. She had known he would react like that. She would have been livid in his shoes. If he never spoke to her again, then she would understand. But she would never have forgiven himself if he died and she could have saved him. She’d had no choice. She sighed as she pushed the covers off again and slid off the bed. She started walking toward the bathroom, but her st
Everything felt different. The longer he lay on the rock, the more he sensed the differences. Everything was sharper, as if there had been a veil on his vision before. The stars were so clear he felt like he could touch them. The air was sweeter. The chirping of the birds as they woke up to get the worm... Beautiful. Fucking beautiful. And the rage in his heart eclipsed it all. He’d told her. He’d said no over and over again, even before she had known what his bite would do. And she’d gone ahead and violated his trust. Violated him. ‘She was never going to give us up without a fight,’ Cain stated. ‘Stop talking like you knew it was going to happen. This isn’t Romeo and Juliet. We don’t have to die together!’ ‘What would you have done in her shoes?’ That question cooled some of his anger. He knew what he would have done for his love. He’d have moved heaven and earth to save her. He’d have crossed any ocean, climbed any mountain. But this wasn’t about him! “I’ve killed her,”