Jackson balled his fists and looked to where Dylan stood with Micah and a few other warriors. They all turned to look in his direction as he stood on the patio and then immediately lowered their gazes.But he could feel their disgust, even if it was laced with a bit of fear. If he had come to sort out the mess the rogue had caused instead of fucking Layla on the conference table, this wouldn’t have been happening. He wouldn’t have threatened Dylan like that, either. He knew it was only the fact that he’d still been buried inside Layla and holding her against him that had stopped him from ripping his friend’s throat out. ‘Get back to work!’ he ordered through the pack link.While the warriors turned away to go and start their training or patrols, Dylan approached him. Cain watched his every step while still growling in his head. His wolf’s possessiveness made his blood run cold and pushed forward what he had realised from the first time he’d been between Layla’s legs. Diedre was righ
Layla had no idea how long she lay on the bed. Jackson had returned at some point and brought her some dinner before he disappeared again, but she hadn’t touched it. Was she losing her mind? The growl, the super strength those mean girls had had and the fact that she had been referred to as ‘human’ a couple of times. And the blood on Jackson’s body? She’d seen and heard all of that, hadn’t she? That hadn’t been an episode.Had it?She rolled over and punched a pillow. It hadn’t happened in a few years. She’d almost forgotten how frustrating and terrifying it was to be stuck in her head like that. Jackson had already looked at her as if he knew something wasn’t right when he’d brought her the food.Not that she cared about that. It was probably better if he thought this was one of those ‘defects’ the doctor had mentioned so he could forget about this deal and let her go. But her mind was sometimes a dark place to get lost in. It was always a downhill slope the moment she started seein
Jackson walked through the doors that the door attendants held open for them. Micah had stayed behind to protect the pack with his Gamma, Jon, but Dylan insisted they needed a few warriors when they met the Circle. Almost like he had no faith in him anymore.He balled his fists, something he was doing too often lately, as they walked through the lobby. The sun was just rising, so there was thankfully no one—“Mr King, welcome back.”Fuck’s sake.He ignored the voice and continued walking to the elevators. What the hell was that woman doing here so early, anyway?“I heard you were coming, but I wasn’t sure if you plan on staying for a while. We cleaned your suite again despite that very young girl you have staying as your guest.”He sensed the judgement in her tone. He had no time for this shit. Layla had still been asleep when he had gone in to see her before he’d left, but he had sensed something wrong with her all night. Cain wanted to go back and make sure she was alright, but sh
“I don’t understand why the Circle is coming. We haven't dealt with them since the last king was murder—”Alpha Chase cut himself off and glanced at him.“Sorry. Since King Jackson ascended to the throne,” he continued.That wasn’t a mistake. Chase was his biggest ally, but he never failed to mention the circumstances surrounding his father’s death every time they met. Most people outside his pack didn’t know what Alpha King Richard had been like in the end because they had kept him hidden. “They’re not here to see you, so don’t worry about it,” he answered with a tight smile.Chase had never openly challenged him. Like most Alphas, his ego was the size of a small country, but he was strong enough and intelligent enough to back it up. He would be a dangerous enemy for Dylan if he didn’t deal with him the right way. “But we’re neighbours and allies. I have to worry about the things you and your pack do,” Chase said, adding—as if it was an afterthought—“Your Majesty.”His fists balled
Layla stretched and then opened her eyes. Something still didn’t feel right, but it differed from the previous day. She didn’t just feel mentally broken; she also felt bereft. Something was missing.Maybe it was the fact she knew Jackson would see Britney and had left her stuck in this room. She rolled over and punched her pillow several times before finally dragging herself to the bathroom. The stress had taken a more considerable toll on her than usual. She felt drained, just a shell of herself, as she stood under the shower spray. She didn't understand why it felt worse this time when it hadn't got as far as it usually did. She hadn't even seen a wolf or heard the voices in her head, for that matter. All she’d had were hallucinations and feeling separated from reality. It had been pretty mild compared to her usual meltdowns.But still, the feeling wouldn’t let her go. Once dressed in another t-shirt and jean outfit from Jackson's wardrobe, she walked over to the windows to look
Layla took a step back. Her first instinct was to run, but where the hell would she go? The girl was blocking the path down the side of the vast building, and they had come quite a distance from the main door of the house. The girl was strong. Maybe she was fast, too. Trying to make it back to the room would be a gamble. She should never have come out in the first place. She should have listened to Jackson."You shouldn't be here, Monica," Diedre said, stepping in front of her as if to shield her. The woman's sunny nature had disappeared, and it actually felt a little chilly in the air. Layla had no idea if Diedre was just like the girl, if she was just as strong from whatever they ate or injected themselves with in this place, but she hoped so. She did not fancy getting her ass kicked again."But I didn't do anything wrong," the girl, Monica, said. Her voice sounded small. That fierce snarl she had shown the first day was nowhere to be seen. The anger and the attitude were gone as
“You know the rules better than anyone, Jackson. No humans on pack territories,” Hugo said. “There are Hunters who have been operating not too far from you. Now isn’t the time to take any chances.”“Who told you about her?” Jackson asked as he sat back in the chair.He was willing to bet it was Zach. That old man hadn’t been happy that he had shut him down during that dinner. But of course, after the rogues had declared Layla one of them, it could have been anyone in the pack. “That doesn’t matter, Jackson,” Lincoln said. “What matters is that you need to fix this before things escalate. We don’t want to have to take any... extra measures.”The threat was clear in Alpha Lincoln’s tone. He’d seen some of their ‘extra measures’ before. The Circle was so sadistic that he wasn’t sure who was worse; them or the Hunters. Whole packs had disappeared—maybe moved off their lands or worse, he didn’t know for sure—just to make sure the Hunters found nothing when they arrived. All in the name of
Rage.That was all he felt when he saw Layla pinned down on the path. When he saw Laken and his sons with their filthy hands on her. His vision was red as he slowed to a stop. He’d got out of the car and ran the rest of the way to the packhouse, but he hadn’t shifted because he had assumed Layla had just seen something that had scared her, and he’d known how dangerous it would be for Layla if she saw Cain. But he couldn’t rein his beast in now. He growled in warning, and the three wolves let go of Layla immediately and backed away. Their fear polluted the air as they lowered their gazes. He had stopped Cain from carrying out justice many times already but this... This he would not let go of. Dylan finally reached him and stopped beside him.“Fuck,” Dylan whispered. Because he knew. He knew this was the end of them.His gaze lowered to Layla, who was still on the ground, frozen in place. His mate. She felt... broken. They had done this to her. ‘Stay,’ he growled in the mind link w