She was still bleeding. The metallic scent of fresh blood assaulted Jax's nostrils, and the moment he stopped the car in front of the hotel, he shoved the door open and got out without looking back.
She’d been hurt, and all his wolf wanted to do was make her feel better. Take care of her as a mate should. The scent had Jax so wound up he had to ball his fists and concentrate on keeping Cain under control. It had taken everything in him not to chase after the last of the men who had taken her from her home and tied her up. He wanted to rip them apart like the others for daring to touch her. He hadn’t lost control like that in a long time.
If he gave in to Cain, the demented wolf would do just that. It would take little effort to hunt them down.
The attendants opened the hotel's wide double doors the moment they saw him approach the entrance. But he could sense Layla’s hesitation behind him as if somehow this cursed bond had already taken root even though he had no intention of marking her. He wasn't supposed to sense her emotions so easily yet. How was that even possible?
Though he didn’t want to, he turned back and looked at her with a raised brow. Layla still had her arm around her little sister as they waited at the bottom of the steps, and Dylan stood behind them with their bags. Britney. She was the only person Dylan had found that he could twist and turn to make Layla do what he wanted. The money he would offer would end all of Layla’s problems and get her out of this mess, but it was her sister she would accept it for.
“What is it?” he asked impatiently.
He wouldn't concentrate on anything else as long as he could scent her blood.
“I’m... I’m not allowed to use this entrance,” Layla said.
“They’ll make an exception this time,” he said, and turned back to walk through the doors.
It wasn’t too late, so the hotel lobby was a little more crowded than he wanted. Most of the guests knew who he was. He could smell their fear the second they saw him. Some he had invited to discuss the issue with the rogues in neutral territory. They all knew how he felt about humans, so the bleeding one following him was bound to raise eyebrows.
But he was banking on the fact that they wouldn’t have the balls to question him about her.
“Mr King.”
He hadn’t walked far through the lobby when he heard that irritating voice. It had been bad enough when the woman had been one of the maids. She’d always found a way to be assigned to his room. But now that they had promoted her, she was turning up everywhere like a foul smell. He didn’t think she’d even gone home since he had checked in.
“I’m busy, Miss Roberts,” he said without stopping.
The woman didn’t take the hint and quickened her step to walk beside him. No one in his pack would dare to do that - to walk beside him as if they were equal. This was another reason he couldn’t stand humans. They didn’t know their place.
“You’ve just missed the dinner service. Would you like me to bring something up?” Miss Roberts asked.
He could hear the hope in her voice. When he stopped over, he’d been known to have a woman or ten in his suite, but they were always wolves. Not that this annoyingly insistent woman would know that. She had no chance of being one of them, pretty as she was.
Cain growled in his head as if the thought of other women angered him, and that worried him more. He had known many mated wolves, but all the intense feelings came after the marking. This part was supposed to be easier. Just some sparks, just a pull to be intimate and cement the bond. But Cain was an asshole and always had to take things to the extreme.
That wolf knew better than anyone else why Layla couldn't be his. He had to know, since everything was his fucking fault.
“If I need any food, I’ll call room service,” he said firmly. “But if I need anything cleaned, I’ll contact you.”
He didn’t need to look at her to know her displeasure at being reminded of her place, but her feelings were the least of his problems as he stopped at the elevators and pressed the call button. Layla’s wound didn’t need to be assessed by a doctor, but Cain behaved like she was bleeding out and on the brink of death. He would act out and expose them if they didn't get to his suite as soon as possible. Stupid wolf.
“Yes, sir,” Miss Roberts said, turning away.
He sensed the moment the meddling supervisor noticed Layla because of the tension that rose in the air.
“Layla, this is unacceptable. You know the rules, and you’re in no state to be seen at the front of the house. Our image is everything,” Miss Roberts said. “This is your third strike—”
Third? So typical of humans. They didn’t know the necessity of following rules and maintaining order. The young ones were always the most selfish and disrespectful.
But no matter what a degenerate Layla was, he needed her.
“She’s with me.”
The doors opened and he marched in, eager to reach his room so Layla could wash the blood off. When he turned to face the doors, he saw the expressions on Miss Robert’s face. He saw the shock as she watched Layla walk into the elevator with him; then, she must have made the correct assumption about why he would be with a woman like Layla in the first place because jealousy coloured the air.
It made Cain want to wrap himself around Layla and stake his claim immediately, so Miss Roberts would stop thinking she had a chance.
The doors shut in the Housekeeping supervisor’s face, and Layla swore quietly as the elevator started moving.
“What?”
“She’s going to fire me,” Layla answered.
Maybe he should ask Miss Roberts to fire her, just to make sure she had no other options to escape the situation she had found herself in.
“I’ll sort it out. But you must clean yourself up first, and then we’ll talk.”
He said nothing else until the elevator stopped at the top floor.
‘Check her wounds and patch her up until Diedre can look at her. I’ll start packing,’ he told Dylan through their mind link.
‘We’re leaving? What about the meetings?’
‘Rearrange everything. She’s going to say yes, so she’s coming with us. I don’t want to waste any more time.’
There was no other way. Cain was so wound up that they needed to leave, and his wolf wouldn’t leave without Layla. She would have to stay with him until he figured things out.
‘Wait. You want to take her to the packhouse? Jax, she’s as good as human. You know she can’t be there—’
‘Do as I say, Dylan.’
He didn’t wait for a response. The moment he walked into the suite, he went to his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. It only mildly helped to block the scent of her blood but not much. Cain kept pushing, trying to force his way out so he could see to his mate himself, but Dylan had to handle this one. The less contact they had, the better.
Half an hour later, he heard Layla speaking gently with her sister, their voices carrying clearly from the lounge. Despite her questionable character, she was very good with her sister. Was Britney a half-blood, too?
He didn’t give a shit, though, one way or another. Neither of them was welcome in his pack.
He picked up the folder on the bedside table and then marched out of the room, finally allowing Cain to seek out Layla. The slight scent of blood was still in the air, but it wasn’t fresh. She'd stopped bleeding.
The two girls stopped talking when they saw him. They had showered and changed clothes, and the only evidence of their earlier adventures was their pale appearance. They were both bags of nerves, but Layla was doing a good job hiding it from her sister.
"Layla. A word, please," he said as he walked towards the doors that opened to the balcony.
He didn't wait for her to respond. Layla was human, but she was a street-smart one. She would know she didn't have a choice in this.
Layla stepped out hesitantly when he had settled on one of the balcony chairs.
"Um... Thank you for rescuing us. We'll get out of your hair—"
"And where will you go? You've got yourself involved with some dangerous people."
"I'll figure something out," Layla shrugged.
"Or we can make an arrangement that would benefit both of us. It looks like your job here won't last much longer, either," he said as he slid the folder across the table.
Layla eyed it warily but didn't pick it up. Would she still make him work hard for this, even after everything?
"I'm offering you financial security for the rest of your life. I'll sponsor your sister at a college or university of her choice and pay off whatever debts you have right now. You'll have a proper roof over your head. And I will assign security for your sister for the duration of her school year, so you don't have to worry about her being kidnapped again."
Layla snorted and then slapped her hand to her mouth.
“Sorry. But that’s a lot to offer a stranger. I’m sure the surrogacy agencies would cost you less,” Layla said.
He tapped the folder.
"I have my reasons for not going to them. Read my offer, Layla. I don’t think you can afford not to right now," he stated as he sat back. “Say yes, and you’ll never have to worry about your sister again.”
Layla pulled the folder towards her and then looked back at the man. She didn’t even know his name, but he’d offered her this baffling deal. Brit was terrified. Her little sister was trying to act strong but she could see it. Their lives had changed for the worst tonight. Costas would still try to find them and use them. Going on the run was their only option. But she had no money, and as small as it was, Brit's college fund was sacred. She couldn’t dip into it if she had another option. And even if she did, it wouldn’t take them far. “Please sit down, Layla,” the man said. He was right. He was her only hope to save her sister. But would she give a child away to save another? She sighed as she pulled a chair across from him and looked down at the folder again as she sat. The knife she had commandeered earlier was comforting in her pocket, but she sensed it wouldn’t do much good here, or Jackson wouldn’t have let her keep it. “How do you know my name?” she asked. “I looked into
Layla sat in the back of the car exactly an hour later, feeling like Jackson King had bulldozed her. Everything had happened too quickly. Jackson had come back into the room with a gigantic man dressed in all black, who he’d introduced as the head of Brit’s security. Who was Jackson to pull something like this that fast? Why did he have bodyguards on call? His earlier statement about needing to keep her safe went around in her head until it dawned on her that she’d dropped herself into some deeper shit than merely Costas Markopoulos. When she imagined someone in the Mafia or other criminal organisations, they looked just like Jackson. An air of authority around them and expensive suits that were a world beyond Costas’ cheesy suit, hairstyle, and gold chains. Though Costas had turned their lives upside down, it felt like he was nothing compared to Jackson King. She'd screwed herself over by agreeing to this. She could feel it in her bones. Fear seeped through her whole body as she r
Jackson had already sent a message to Diedre, the pack witch, through his Gamma, so the woman was already waiting in the lobby when he walked into the packhouse. “This isn’t right, Jax. You’d have to confine her to her room or the basement because she would know the truth the moment she stepped out of the house,” Dylan said as he followed behind him. He refrained from rolling his eyes. Dylan had been mindlinking variations of that the whole drive home—he was giving him a headache. But he couldn’t get mad at his Beta for repeating something he had enforced for years since he had taken the throne. If they were lucky, it wouldn’t take long to get her pregnant and maybe by then, Cain would accept sending her back to the hotel. “You should have just let her run off. She’s going to be a handful—” “Enough!” he growled. It was Cain who made that command. Dylan felt it and shut up, but even with that submission, he still had to push his wolf back down to stop him from going after his fri
Layla inhaled a sharp breath when she heard his words. He didn’t even look like the words he’d said bothered him. A prisoner?And then Jackson closed the door. The sound of the locking door spurred her into action, despite how dangerous the whole place felt. She rushed forward and tried the handle, hoping she had just heard things, and this man hadn’t really just locked her in a room. But the handle didn’t turn. She tried it several times before she banged on the door.“Let me out, you fucking bastard! This wasn’t our deal!” she screamed.Panic welled in her chest again. She’d put herself in this situation because she’d been desperate to keep Brit safe. Jackson had known she would agree to anything. He had taken advantage of her. For someone who had claimed to hate people who went back on their word, he was doing the same thing. He’d said she wouldn’t be a prisoner! Jackson had made her think she would be free to come and go.She banged on the door again, ignoring the pain it caused.
Jax couldn’t close his eyes for a single second. He could still smell her. One touch and Layla had been putty in his hands, despite her obvious anger. She’d been turned on, causing an inexplicable hunger to rip through his body. He could still smell how wet she’d been. And all he’d wanted to do was rip her clothes off and bury himself in her body. The need had almost floored him.He punched his pillow several times and turned it over, but he still felt uncomfortable. It felt like he was trying to sleep on a bed of nails just because every cell in his body was urging him to return to Layla’s room.He knew it was the fucking mate bond. It made people stupid, made them look twice at someone they would never have wanted before. When he’d seen what the mating bond had done to his father, he hadn’t wanted that fate for himself. To be at the whim of unreasonable emotions? To put one person above himself? Above the pack? No, that was never something he’d wanted. Learning that leaving an
Wolves howling way too close for comfort woke Layla up with a start. She sat up in the comfortable bed, her heart pounding, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings. And when the previous day's events registered, she shot out of bed and rushed to the nearest window.Bloody wolves! She was going to get killed in her sleep!Her hand trembled as she pushed the curtain aside and peeked out. The room they had given her had a view of the front of the house where they had driven up, and she could just about make out the gates in the distance. There wasn’t even a hint of dawn in the sky, but the moonlight through the trees cast eerie shadows that gave her a horror movie vibe. No wolf eyes like before, though. If she hadn’t heard that terrifying growl in that infirmary, she would have believed she had just imagined those eyes. They had looked all wrong, for starters. Wolves didn’t have glowing blue eyes. Not in these parts, anyway.Were the wolves beyond the gates, or did they roam the grounds f
Jax pushed his eggs around his plate while his eyes remained glued on the large, finger-shaped bruises forming on Layla’s arm.He had never had to fight Cain so hard to keep him caged.Out of the entire pack, it was Dylan he had trusted to help him protect Layla, despite how he felt about her. His Beta knew the trouble he had gone through to get her to the packhouse. He’d stalked her. Offered her money that should have gone to taking care of the pack. He’d killed for her and possibly started a war with the humans. Dylan should not have dared.Layla’s fear hung in the air and spoiled his breakfast while the man responsible was shovelling his food into his mouth as if he couldn’t sense the danger in the air. He pulled his gaze from the bruises to look at his Beta and Gamma.Jon sat across the table from Layla and glared at her instead of eating. Cain was pissed off with him, too, but it was Dylan he wanted.He gave up pretending to eat and put his fork down before turning his gaze to
Layla watched the nurse place a bandaid on her arm to stem the bleeding from the needle. It had little cartoon characters like it was meant for children. Was this a children’s hospital? Why had Jackson brought her here?She eyed the nurse suspiciously from under her lashes, which she probably didn’t need to do. The woman wasn’t paying her any attention. She was flustered and acting like a love-struck teenager because of the hulking presence in the room. It was a wonder she hadn’t stabbed her to death when she’d drawn her blood. “I’ll run this to the lab. The doctor will see you as soon as possible,” the nurse said. She said this directly to Jackson as if he was the one on the exam table. The nurse hadn’t addressed her at all the whole time she’d done her observations.But she had thrown her that cold look like everyone else she had met so far. Would they even treat her without bias like medical professionals were supposed to do? She didn’t think so. The nurse left the room, but not