It felt like weeks when Layla was finally allowed outside, although it was only a day.She had never felt claustrophobic before but being stuck in her tiny cell with nothing but her thoughts and guilt was torture. When Faith led her out to the front of the house, she took a huge breath of the fresh air and felt her body relax.“There she is.”“I can’t believe she would show her face.”“They should have just killed her.”The whispers reached her ears without her even trying. She had spent all her time in her new room huddled on the cot, trying to block everything out, but she seemed to have made it worse. Her head was pounding because she could pick up even the rustling of the leaves beyond the gates. Everything was so loud in her head; she didn’t know how to stop it.“You can’t seriously blame her for what happened. She’s human; she can’t fight Alpha Jackson. You shit your pants whenever you see him, so you can’t say anything about that.”“Shut up. That’s not the point.”“She doesn’t
The red wolf didn’t shift to reveal her identity to her daughter. The last time he had spoken to Rebecca, she had been cryptic and explained a whole bunch of nothing. She’d wasted his time, and he was the gullible fool who had believed her. Protect her daughter? He was the one who needed protection from her!He had no interest in whatever she had to say now because Layla was on her own after she gave birth. She had been resourceful before he’d found her; he was sure she would do the same after. And now she knew about their world, she would know what was happening to her when the changes didn’t go away.Besides, she had her mother following her. She would be fine.He looked away from the wolf to look at Layla and found she was looking at him as if she had seen an alien.“Your time is up. Let’s go,” he growled and started walking back where he had come.“Wait!” Layla said, scrambling off the rock. “Can you...? Did you...?”He didn’t answer her, but she didn’t chase after him as he had
Jackson stood on his balcony with his hands in his pocket and his senses reaching out as far as possible. It had been three weeks since the attack, and he hadn’t slept much.“We have to do it,” someone whispered. “He just ripped apart a whole pack less than a month ago. You’re all crazy right now. Keep me out of it.”“Didn’t you hear what that woman said? We’re putting our lives on the line for a fucking rogue.”“If that were true, the Circle would have come back by now. That woman was full of shit.”The whispers were coming from deep in the woods, far enough away that other people couldn’t hear them. It had been like this since the shock of the attack had worn off. They were unhappy and planning something.Most of the conversations were had silently between two individuals because none of this treasonous shit could be discussed in the packlink where he could hear them. But lately, the group had become big enough to sneak off in the middle of the night to make their plans.The old hi
Layla ignored the pain in her chest as she watched Jackson walk away.He had been like that every morning, the only time she saw him. Since he had taken her for that walk, he had kept his distance as he had said he would.She’d never been more miserable in her life.She had never needed or relied on a man since her mother had left and her dad had started neglecting them, so she couldn’t understand why she felt so attached to Jackson in the first place. Why would she be miserable just because she hadn’t spoken to him in weeks?But on top of that, a big ball of anger was sitting on her chest, waiting for him to come close enough so she could unleash it. How could he just walk away after what had happened on that walk? He had seen that red wolf; she knew he had. He’d looked right at it, and when he had talked about taking her back to her cell, he’d angered the wolf and stepped back from it. He had also probably seen it the first time, which explained his strange behaviour. He’d let he
Jackson walked ahead of Layla into the lobby of his hotel and headed straight for the elevator. That had been the longest car ride of his life. He should have thought about what being close to her did to him and gone in a different car. It didn’t matter that he loathed her; his body had other ideas. 'Loathe her? Say it louder for those in the back. Maybe they'll believe you.'And then Cain had decided to speak just because Layla was next to him. He had focused on nothing else except Layla and that title heartbeat. He punched the button to call the elevator harder than necessary and then looked back at the lobby. He frowned and sniffed the air. Something felt off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. That feeling that something was going to go wrong intensified even though he was away from his territory and treasonous pack.It was early afternoon and a weekend, so the lobby was busy. All human, though, and none of them looked out of place. He didn't sense any danger in the air. E
Layla turned away from the closed door to look at her sister. That hadn’t sounded like an employer/employee conversation, and by the look on Brit’s face, she had already figured that out.“Is he forcing you to sleep with him?” Brit asked straight away.“What? No!”There had been no force whatsoever, even if, in her head, she had been against it. “Then why are you dressed like this? You look different. Your hair, your face, everything. You look like he’s had you polished up and dressed up, so he won’t be embarrassed to be seen with you.”“Don’t be ridiculous,” she snorted. “Then why did it look and sound like you and Mr. King were arguing like lovers?”She sighed and walked back towards her sister. Britney was too observant at times. If she had been the one taken by Jackson, she would have figured things out within a day.“Why don’t we clean this pigsty up first so we can relax and talk properly?”“I don’t want you to clean for me. You clean all day for Mr King if I’m to believe what
“Are you sure?”Jackson walked towards the elevators. The other warriors were already waiting."She called Costas Markopoulos, and I heard him tell her to make sure you didn't leave. He said he’s on his way."He should have ended that rat the first time he had seen them, but using Layla's fear of him had been to his advantage at the time. He hadn't expected the bond to strengthen the way it had, so Layla's future had been of no concern to him. But now, the thought of leaving her in such a dangerous world had his heart twisting. Costas was nothing compared to the Circle or his pack, but he was still a dangerous human. Layla would be out there by herself with no one watching over her."Watch all the entrances. I need someone to stay here in case someone comes up."The service elevator doors opened, and they let him on first before they piled in after him. They couldn't go through the lobby; it was too exposed. The service elevator would take them to the staff-only area at the back of t
“Shall I bring you a drink from the bar, sir?”Jackson looked up from the newspaper in his hands to find Miss Roberts hovering over him. He had seen her at the front desk when he had walked into the lobby, and her anxiety was through the roof. Did she know that she had put herself in a dangerous situation? And if she did, why was she risking it? What was she hoping to achieve by the ambush she was trying to set up?“Are you working in the kitchen, too, these days?” he asked.“I’m just being hospitable, sir, since I’m on my break,” she answered with a smile. He could feel the hostility in her tone. It made him wonder if this was the real her and she’d had an ulterior motive when she tried to get close to him. Had she been trying to get information out of him all this time?“Instead of getting me a drink, maybe you can arrange for someone to do the work I pay them for in my suite,” he said dismissively. “Unless you want me to fire all of you and start afresh?”Andrea’s eyes widened.“