“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
Layla sat on the edge of Jackson’s bed and ignored the woman hovering around her.“I thought you were safe. I should have seen it...”The mumblings of a crazy person. But who was she to talk? She spoke to wolves in her head.Still, that was better to focus on than the fact that she’d almost been raped and killed. And that Jackson was blaming her for that.Anger fought with despair and shock. The turmoil in her head threatened to consume her. Almost raped. Almost raped.She could still feel their hands on her body as if it was still happening. Still feel their breath on her face. Still see the looks in their eyes. “I’m sorry, Layla. I don’t know what came over them,” Diedre continued.She didn’t want to hear about it anymore, so she stood up and walked to the bathroom. She stripped and threw her clothes in the trash before entering Jackson’s colossal shower. The spray was icy at first and then very hot, but she was too numb to feel it. All she wanted was to get rid of the feeling of t
Jackson looked at the two young men and their kid sister as they hung suspended on silver chains. The girl had passed out before he could do anything to her. The boys had lasted a little longer. They were bloody, and he could smell their impending death as the silver poisoned them, but he wasn’t satisfied. His rage still filled him and clouded his mind. It had been worse when he’d held Layla and listened to her talk in her sleep.The hatch opened, and he caught Dylan’s scent as he came down. Cain growled in his head at the intrusion. He knew why his Beta was there. Dylan thought the kids had had enough, but he and Cain begged to differ. It would be enough when he could no longer smell their scents or hear their heartbeats. “Alpha Chase is still trying to get a hold of you,” Dylan said as he came to stand beside him. “I’m still busy,” he growled. “You killed their dad, Jax. I think they’ve learned their lesson.”“It’s because I killed their dad that they must die. I don’t need thes
Jax looked over at the woman still sitting on the bed, in the same spot she’d been in all day. She was in no state to be put through anything else.Those fuckers. They should have listened to him. ‘Keep them at the gate. I’m coming.’He stood and stretched, paying attention to Layla’s emotions. At least she’d got used to him being in the room; she hadn’t flinched at any movement for a while.“I’m going to check on a few things before I sleep,” he said as he walked over to her. “You should get some rest.”He didn’t like the look she had in her eyes as they followed his movements. She was still looking at him as if he was the enemy, and that was crushing him. He was in an uncharted place with his emotions, stuck somewhere between his rage and his need to protect her. Protect her from his pack, from the Circle, from the witch coming after her. From himself. Because while he’d had nothing but his thoughts to accompany him, he had realised he was dangerously close to marking her, and tha