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56. I'm Not A Monster
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Alpha King's Curse 57. Dangerous Questions
The sun hadn’t yet risen when something woke Layla up again.A howl.And just like that, everything she had been trying to process returned to the forefront of her mind. Another howl joined the first. She inhaled shakily and then bit her lips to stop herself from making a sound. Though she had left a big gap between them when she had eventually nodded off back to sleep, Jackson’s arm was around her stomach, and his warm breath fanned her neck where he had nuzzled against her hair.“You’re thinking too hard,” Jackson said sleepily.Way too hard. The worst part was not knowing if she had lost her damn mind. If she asked Jackson, what would he think about her? Maybe the better question was why she would care. His opinion of her didn’t matter to her. Not one bit. Especially since he was going to kill her once she gave birth.Still, there was that horrible part of her... The one reacting to his nakedness and the warmth of his body. The one that felt the tingles when he spoke. She tried t
The Alpha King's Curse 58. Rebecca Carlisle
He hadn’t meant to do that.He was supposed to be given her space to deal with the shit that had happened, but one thing had led to another and... He ran his tongue along his gums because they were itching. The urge to go back and do what she had asked was still riding him hard. He had to remind himself that she had no idea what she was asking for. And even if she did, he could never do that to her.He dried himself and then looked at the bite on his side. It had reopened and was still bleeding. It looked worse than it had before he had gone to bed. How the hell was that even possible if it wasn’t caused by magic? Could Diedre have got that wrong? If she couldn’t see his future, maybe her magic didn’t work on him at all. Maybe the witch had found a way to speed up his death. He put a thicker dressing on it before leaving the bathroom. Layla was still exactly where he’d left her, looking a little shell-shocked. He could commiserate. It felt different this time. A little more intens
The Alpha King's Curse 59. Uninvited Guests
Jackson watched the look on Dylan’s face as he continued to collect all the paperwork.Was he that excited to get rid of Layla even after he had told them all that wouldn’t happen? Maybe finding somewhere safe for Layla to take his child was the only thing he could do now. He’d been desperate to have a child to leave his legacy behind with his pack, but his bond with Layla strengthened every day. He was still desperate for a child, but only so he could watch Layla swell with his seed. So he could leave her a part of himself to console her when he was gone.She would feel it when the bond severed. She would get depressed without understanding why. She would break down a little. But she would recover. She would love his child as no one else would.A part of him knew he was asking for the impossible. With his blood running through their veins, his child would be the Alpha King, no matter where he was raised. He would need a pack around him to help him understand what he was and his resp
The Alpha King's Curse 60. Who Is Jackson King?
Layla was dressed and wondering when Jackson would bring her something to eat when she saw the entourage of expensive cars coming up the driveway. She leaned against the window to have a better look as the people started to come out of their cars. They were all dressed in suits like Jackson. She’d assumed he had just made up an excuse to escape her questioning, but she’d obviously been wrong about that. A group of the visitors met before the front steps and started talking. There was only one woman among them, and she was dressed to kill. A tight, short dress that showed off all her assets—and even from her distance, she could see what fine assets they were. She was tall, like all of them, and her hair was in some sort of elegant curly do on top of her head.Something inside her hated the woman on sight. She never formed opinions about people if she’d never spoken to them but this woman... Her skin prickled just by looking at her. What sort of meeting was this anyway, where people d
The Alpha King's Curse 61. Breakfast With The Enemy
Jax chewed his food slowly. All his senses were alert as he paid attention to every little movement, every breath, the beating of their hearts.He could smell the deceit in the air even if they hadn’t said or done anything. One wrong move, and it would start a war. So why were they even going to attempt it?He looked over at Chase as he cut up his breakfast and then shoved it into his mouth as if he didn't have a care in the world. So far, he had yet to say what was so important that he had repeatedly sent his scouts to his gates until he’d secured an invitation. What was his angle? Had he forced this invitation just to get on his property?And then Kendrick. He sat quietly with Amber on one side and his Beta on the other. So far, his heart had been beating steadily, but Kendrick was the one he had to watch more closely.Kendrick was vocal about his displeasure that he had the most extensive territory. He was vocal about the fact that he didn’t think they needed a king. The fucker was
The Alpha King's Curse 62. Traitor!
Jax stepped back and tried to rein his beast in, but his heart was pounding, and his head was still trying to process what he had just done.And Cain, the bastard, he was raring to go. He had a mate to mark and enemies to rip apart, in no particular order. “It was you,” Layla whispered. Behind him, the sound of footsteps pulled his attention away. Dylan and his warriors were running up the stairs. Shit! His door lay on the floor, and he couldn’t stop his shift. Like a newly shifted pup, his beast had taken all the control from him.He had to stop. If they saw Cain, then he would never be able to lie that Layla didn’t know the truth. ‘I’ll kill them all,’ Cain growled. ‘And then you won’t have to hide her from anyone.’‘They will take her from us!’“Hide, Layla,” he growled before Cain turned them around to face the coming deluge.By the time Dylan appeared on the landing, Cain was already halfway down the hall, ripping off his jacket and shirt as he became half man, half beast. The
The Alpha King's Curse 63. The Truth Hurts
Layla sat on the carpet floor in the walk-in closet, hugging her knees as she waited for Jackson to return.His face had been different, and he’d had claws. Fucking claws. But still, there she was, waiting for him because she didn’t know what was going on and if she was safe.Why had he knocked the door over like that? And who had been chasing him? Those people who had come for the meeting?The moment he’d looked behind him, something had crossed his face that looked like fear. The huge monster from the forest was scared of something. That had been enough to hammer in that something could be out there that was much worse than what she had seen with her own eyes. Jackson had constantly told her to just follow the rules. To not challenge him and not ask questions. She was starting to wonder if that had been his way of keeping her safe from his people.She lifted her hand and looked at the ring that had appeared on her finger in her sleep. Jackson hadn’t explained why he’d given her ano
The Alpha King's Curse 64. Fighting Words
Two days.Jackson had been out for two days.Layla placed the wet cloth on his forehead again and then studied his unconscious state. He looked like he was just sleeping, and his features were softened. So many emotions swirled inside her that she couldn’t make sense of any of them.Jackson was larger than life. When he was angry with her, when he made love to her, when he looked at her, he always evoked such extreme emotions in her. Now he looked harmless. He looked so vulnerable that she felt a hint of protectiveness towards him. It was funny how her fear of Jackson had disappeared now that he was so helpless. The need to stay by his side to take care of him was as strong as it was confusing. And she felt driven to touch him constantly as if she was trying to reassure herself that he was still alive. She shouldn’t have felt any of those things, especially now that she knew what he was.“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty,” she whispered, pushing a lock of his sweat-drenched hair out of his
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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,”
