Jackson looked up at the broken security camera perched high over his wall and the footprints leading from the wall and back over. Whoever it was hadn’t gone far. His defences were better than a wall and flimsy camera, and the suicidal wolf must have realised that and turned back. But the fact that he had even dared to try had Cain ready to rampage. Again.Rogues always tried to breach their boundaries, but Cain, as territorial as he was, always got excited because it meant he could go hunting. But now he was in a rage, just because his mate was within these walls and his over-protectiveness had gone into overdrive.And because he had refused to leave his mark on her.Pulling himself away from Layla before he’d bitten her had nearly killed him. He'd lost his head when he’d fucked her. He’d gone all-in, and she had taken all of it without inhibitions. Human or not, she had handled Cain better than anyone he had ever been with.And she’d loved it.She’d loved every second of it.He’d b
Layla opened her eyes and realised she was now in her bedroom prison. Dylan and those girls hadn’t killed her.A sense of relief flooded her body, and then she felt nauseated that she had ended up in that position in the first place. For two days in a row, her life had been in peril. How the hell had she ended up like this?She sat up gingerly so she wouldn't aggravate anything. Her head had hit the concrete pretty hard; she was surprised it wasn’t hurting more than it was. Even her ribs felt only slightly tender. There was blood on her hand from when she stabbed one of them, and despite everything, it made her feel horrible. She wasn’t a murderer. She only had weapons for self-defence but had never used them against anyone before. And those girls had been pretty messed up in the head, so she wasn’t sure she could blame them for what was happening. She tried to wipe the blood on her already ruined clothes but it was pointless. There was no saving them. With her meagre wardrobe, she w
Jax tracked the scents to one of the lounges. It was where the younger wolves liked to hang out after they’d finished training. He stood still at the door and listened to the loud, obnoxious conversations of teenagers who thought they knew better. Cassie was among them- Cassie and the two other wolves he had scented on Layla’s clothes.His fists clenched at his sides, but it wasn’t Cain’s anger he was reacting to. This was all him and the stupid bond. Layla’s emotions were all over the place, but the ones getting to him were the fear and the desperation, the same feelings he had felt when he’d gone for a run. Something had happened. Had she seen something? Or had Dylan lied to him about what had happened?His skin felt too tight, and his gums itched. Whatever the story was, Layla had been hurt. She wasn’t faking her emotions or the small bump on her head. Why hadn’t he seen that the moment he had walked into her room? Why hadn’t he checked on her after his run? He would have gotten t
Jackson walked through the trees to the secluded guardhouse behind the training grounds. Dylan and Micah, Cassie’s father, followed behind. “Has he said anything at all?” Dylan asked.“He’s saying many things, but none of them make any sense. And he’s...” Micah stopped and sighed. “You’ll see for yourselves.”Jax looked back at the warrior with a frown. Micah had been the head warrior when his father had been the Alpha King, so he had seen and dealt with many dangerous and unusual things. What was he about to walk into that had made Micah so agitated?They walked into the guardhouse, and the warriors on duty were already standing on alert with their gazes lowered. He walked past them to the room at the back, where the hatch on the floor was already open.He could smell the prisoner from there. He smelled of the earthy scent of his wolf and then the pungent, unbearable scent of death and decay. It was the scent of dark magic. He’d had that scent stuck up his nose for a long time afte
The sun was starting to set when Layla’s phone rang.She rushed back from the window where she had been trying to map a way to the front gate to grab the phone from the nightstand. The number flashing on the screen was unknown, but she already knew who it was.“Brit?” she said as she answered.“Hi, Layla.”Britney sounded cheerful. That immediately put her most pressing fears to rest. Her sister would never have been able to hide her emotions from her if something terrible was happening to her. “Sorry, I didn’t think about getting you a new phone until now,” she said as she sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ve been busy settling in, and this place is huge. Have you been okay?”The lie came so easily again. But she knew she would have to tell her sister everything when she was ready to escape. “Don’t worry about me,” Britney said. “This is so surreal. They gave me a whole wardrobe full of expensive clothes, and I’m allowed to order anything I want.”Her heart ached. Those were the thing
Layla smoothed the front of the dress as she looked at herself in the mirror. It was by far the most expensive thing she had ever worn. The soft silky fabric felt sensual against her skin as it skimmed against her curves and fell to her feet with a slit at the front. The round neckline made it look classy, and it draped at the back, showing more skin than she was comfortable with around Jackson.With her height, shopping was a chore most days, so she knew she would have struggled to find something that fit her so well if she’d had to shop for herself. It was gorgeous.But it was hardly the type of clothing to wear when running through the woods at night. And she wouldn’t be able to hide her knife under it.With a sigh, she fluffed out her curly hair and then slipped her phone into her cleavage before leaving the bathroom. Not the classiest of places, but she needed to get in touch with Brit once she was on the move. Jackson stood by the windows, but he turned when she closed the doo
Jax tightened his fist around his cutlery as he sensed the reactions around the room. The hatred, the disgust. It was no less than what he had expected, but he hadn’t anticipated how hard it would be not to react to it. Cain was still lying low, so once again, he was the one who wanted to rip heads off.He also hadn’t anticipated how he would feel when she’d walked out of the bathroom looking like a goddess sent to make him lose his mind. It was just a dress, and he had already seen her hair out of the braid when he’d made love to her. But this was a temptation on another level.She’d walked out of that room and had claimed another part of his soul. Something had flared inside him at the sight of her that changed something. His whole body had tightened in reaction. Her scent seemed stronger. The pull between them was stronger. And it appeared his need to protect her was stronger.After finding out that she was in danger, the best thing to do would have been to hide her away, but he k
“Shit!” Layla leaned against the wall and rubbed her foot. She’d known going barefoot was a bad idea, but she hadn’t expected it to be an obstacle so soon in her escape. There was something sharp in the bushes. She couldn't see what she had stepped on. But there was no time to worry about the pain now. At any moment, Jackson would realise she hadn’t returned to the table. It was darker than usual because of the storm clouds, and the rain was pouring down faster than she’d expected. The light from the bathroom window showed it was already forming puddles and flowing in rivulets. She had been drenched in seconds. Her hair was plastered down her face and getting in her way. She did a quick braid before she pushed the sides of her dress up and tucked them into her panties to allow her more movement. Her dress felt like a second skin and would not protect her against the elements, but it would have to do.She felt around the ground for the knife she had taken from the table and made sure