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146. Mistakes and Consequences
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Alpha King's Curse 147. All Hail The Queen
Jackson lathered Layla’s hair for what felt like the millionth time. Layla said she could still smell blood in it but he knew that was psychological. All the blood and filth had run down the drain a long time ago. The whole room had steamed up, he could hardly see her, but he didn’t need to. Layla was full of guilt and a lot of pain. Everything he was feeling. “I know I was very angry with you for going off by yourself, but that was because I was terrified,” he admitted. “I’m sorry. I've calmed down now; I know no one else could have done what we did. It worked out.” Layla’s fears were valid. Hunters enjoyed the chase almost as much as killing their prey. He and Cain were still alert, tracking movements in and around the hotel because he didn’t trust those fuckers. It wasn’t over; he could feel it. But Hunters were patient. If what Layla said was true, they could strike that night, or it could take them months. “But for how long?” Layla sighed. “He’s coming back. He might even fig
The Alpha King's Curse 148. Diedre
Layla kept her senses alert as she sat on Jackson’s lookout rock. The sounds of the forest below were soothing. There were no disturbances as far as she could reach, which was very far since she had started training. From the rock, she could hear everything in Jackson’s territory if she wanted to. Jackson knew that, which was why the day’s lesson was a complete waste of time. Her ears pricked at a sound in the forest behind her. She closed her eyes and focused. Jackson was teaching her how to combine all her senses and form an almost complete picture in her head. Any movement of sound caused vibrations in the air, which she could pick up. But he told her that was another thing that the other wolves couldn’t do. The list kept growing, and it was making her more anxious. How was she supposed to protect herself if she was going to stand out? And Jackson told her she would be okay in his pack, but his earlier words kept playing in her head. They would never accept her. He had been so
The Alpha King's Curse 149. We're Not Running Away
Layla watched the pack gates get smaller in the mirror before disappearing completely. She sighed and looked at Jackson as he drove the car down the dirt road. “If you are positive they won’t do anything, why are you taking me away?” “They’re our allies, and they owe you their lives,” Jackson said. “Of course, they won’t do anything.” “You said the lunch was important.” “Not that important; I’ve discussed everything with them on the phone before, so I don’t need to be there. They’re worried about the Circle and the witch. Dylan can handle it.” And yet his grip was tight on the steering wheel. What she had done had wound Jax up tighter than a spring. “Why are you lying to me, Jackson?” she asked. “If you’re going to keep me at some other hideout like last time—” “I’ll never do that to you again,” Jackson sighed. “And I’m not lying. Chase and Brax are your biggest fans; they wouldn’t hurt you.” She looked back at the month-old baby sleeping in her car seat. Hope still had a mo
The Alpha King's Curse 150. Teenagers
Layla was out the door before she could think, following the scent to the woods behind the house. And just past the treeline, she saw the woman who had birthed them, dressed in a casual summer dress with her arms around. “You know I can’t do that, darling.” “Get away from her,” she growled. Both Britney and Rebecca turned with surprise on their faces. Surely her mother had sensed her coming? ‘Get away from my sister!’ she screamed in her head. Rebecca winced and stepped back from Brit as if she’d heard her. It was one thing to appear out of the blue to traumatise her but to approach Brit? That was a different story. Rebecca had said she was watching Brit the last time they had spoken, but she didn’t think the woman would dare to make contact. Fury raged through her veins, so much that she had to force her emotions down so Brit wouldn’t see them. “Are you going to make this decision for me, too?” Brit snapped. She looked from her mother to the moody teenager with a frown.
The Alpha King's Curse 151. Happy Birthday, Britney Carlisle
Layla set the cake in the middle of a table and turned to watch Brit holding Hope in the shade near the pool. Since Brit had refused to have a party to celebrate her birthday and also for writing her last paper, there was no one else around. It was for the best, anyway. She was anxious about what would happen that night. “You said it can happen at any time, right?” she asked Jackson when he came out to set more snacks on the table. “Yes, anytime around the eighteenth birthday if she’s going to shift. If she’s a half-blood, she won’t, but she’ll start having issues with her wolf half when she’s older,” Jackson answered. She sighed and turned away from her sister to look at Jackson. “And she could be like me,” she stated. “I’m not so sure. You have red hair and green eyes, and so does Hope. Your sister looks like your father, and I don’t sense anything different in her,” Jackson said. “It’s a full moon tonight, so if it was going to happen, Britney would have started feeling it
The Alpha King's Curse 152. How, Diedre?
It was still dark when he stopped the car outside the packhouse and mindlinked Dylan to help Layla with Hope and their bags. Guilt was eating him up. His heart raced, and Cain howled loudly in his head. Diedre was the closest thing to a mother that they had. He’d seen how bad she had been; he shouldn’t have left her. She should have been surrounded by the people she loved the most. Dylan came out of the house just as he ran up the front steps. "She's in the kitchen," Dylan said. He stopped and looked at his Beta with a questioning frown. Why would Diedre be in the kitchen when she was so unwell? Dylan let out a breath and continued down the steps without saying anything else. He walked into the house slowly and listened. The house was empty except for the young orphans who couldn't shift yet. And Diedre was in the kitchen. He followed her scent mixed with the smell of baking down the hall. He could hear humming... When he pushed the kitchen door open slowly, the humming f
The Alpha King's Curse 153. Unbreakable
Jax turned slowly towards the door. Layla stood there with tears shimmering in her eyes. She must have heard everything. Layla wasn’t even trying to mask herself; all her raw emotions were pounding into him and slicing into his heart. His first urge was to go and soothe his mate, but he held back. He’d made it to one month until his birthday; that was good enough. Now, he had to break Layla’s heart. “What do you mean, Jackson?” she asked. He looked down at Diedre and felt her relief as if she thought his ordeal would finally be over. But didn’t she get it? The same bond Diedre was relying on to save him was what was holding him back. “Let’s take a walk,” he said to Layla. Layla immediately walked out. She projected her breaking heart so loudly he could even hear it. “Tell her everything,” Diedre said. He walked out of the kitchen and followed. Layla was already out of the house when he saw Dylan coming down the stairs. “How is that possible, Jax?” he asked. “Diedre was
The Alpha King's Curse 154. Taking Risks
Layla watched Jackson spar with a young girl and wondered how he could still go about his day as if he hadn’t completely nuked her heart. How could he even smile like that? “Are you here to train or to ogle your boyfriend?” She ignored Dylan and watched Jax show the girl a complicated hold. He was dedicated to giving the best of himself. Though most of the pack members were wary of him, they were eager to train with him and learn from him. Dylan sat beside her and pulled at a blade of grass. “It sucks, doesn't it?” She pulled her attention away to look at the man beside her. And his new attitude finally made sense. He knew. All of that pain that he couldn’t hide... he was hurting for his best friend. “What am I supposed to do?” she whispered. “If I knew that, we wouldn’t be sitting here.” When she looked back at Jackson, he had stopped training and was looking at them. The smile was gone from his face as he looked at both of them. Briefly, she felt the pain he was hiding. Bu
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The Alpha King's Curse 164. Grateful
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
The Alpha King's Curse 163. My Queen
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 Alpha King's Curse 162. Brothers
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 Alpha King's Curse 161. Dark Clouds
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
The Alpha King's Curse 160. Angelic Singing
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
The Alpha King's Curse 159. Happy Birthday, Jackson King
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
The Alpha King's Curse 158. We Effed Up
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
The Alpha King's Curse 157. Something's Changed
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
The Alpha King's Curse 156. Different
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,”
