Jackson lowered his head to hers and waited to see if she would turn away. She needed to. Something told him there would be no turning back this time. But if she pushed him off, that could kick some sense into his head. If she reminded him how much her human side wanted to leave him, he wouldn’t have to break his word to himself. He wouldn’t have to fall into the trap again. But Layla’s breath hitched, and her lips parted. He could see the fire in her eyes as lust poured off her in waves that wiped out any other emotion she had been feeling. “Do you know what it does to me when you challenge me, my little mate?” he whispered when his lips were a hair’s breadth away from hers. “I swore I would stay away from you. Stop me now, Layla, because this won’t end well for either of us.”Layla didn’t push him away. Her beautiful glowing eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into him and put her mouth on his. And just like that, the hole in his chest disappeared. His dead heart started to bea
Layla was still dazed when she walked out of the ensuite in Jackson’s room. She had never really read up about schizophrenia because she’d been terrified that she would tick all the boxes. She’d had enough to worry about taking care of her sister. Maybe she should have read up on the first time the school counsellor had mentioned it. Because she knew for a fact she was not the one who had initiated sex with Jackson. She stopped when she saw the man himself lying on the bed with one arm behind his back and a drink in his hand, resting on his abs. Jackson’s gaze lowered to the towel she had wrapped around herself and flashed red before he looked back at her face. It was funny how that didn’t scare her anymore.“I’ve brought your bag in and unpacked,” he said.She saw the suitcase Micah had given her to pack her clothes lying empty next to the dressing room. “You might want to go and explain to your sister why you’ve moved into your employer’s bedroom. She’s not very pleased,” Jacks
There were too many smells in the air, not just from the food but also from everyone in the restaurant. Layla barely managed to focus her hearing, but trying to stop the overpowering scents was different. She couldn’t pick just one out when they all blended into one horrible smell that made her nose sting and her eyes water. Jackson led them to a table near the back and helped her and her sister into their seats before he sat down. “We’ll have something quick. I’ve had a long day,” Jackson said. She couldn’t help noticing that he had a perfect view of the restaurant entrance while she had her back to the room. Was Jackson being thoughtful about her predicament, or was he trying to keep track of whatever he had seen in the lobby?“Are you alright, Layla?” Brit whispered.She gave her a bright smile again and tried to keep her head in the present. Keeping Brit from finding out the truth was her main priority now. “Of course. This is my first time eating here; I’m just a little nerv
That had been a stupid lapse of judgement. Jackson had been too preoccupied tracking Miss. Roberts’ and her guest’s movements that he’d forgotten the other threat.He hadn't expected her eyes to glow in the middle of the dinner service.Going downstairs when Layla hadn’t learned to control her emotions had been a risk to start with, but he’d put everyone in danger now. There was a Hunter in his hotel. The stench of death that clung to Hunters was hard to hide. The darkness, the evil in their souls, always gave them away. Hunters were human, but they committed so many heinous acts in their mission to eradicate all werewolves that he could never sense any humanity in them. Just death and darkness.He heard Layla’s elevated heartbeat behind him and turned to look at her. Her grip was so tight on the rail that he could see the metal bending between her fingers. He turned back to Britney quickly and gave her a tight smile. “Don’t worry,” he repeated. If Britney thought it was weird that
It was late at night when they pulled up at the front of the packhouse. Layla was still numb from Jackson’s revelations.Did Jackson mean there was a wolf inside her? This thing that took her over and made her do stupid things? It was like a separate entity, a personality that was the complete opposite of who she was."It can't be true," she whispered. If Jackson had no explanation, then he had to be wrong. It had to be the baby changing her since Jackson had said it would be a werewolf. But all of this had started before she'd got pregnant. She'd seen the red wolf throughout her childhood. So it was true? Would she turn into a beast like him? What would the pack do to her if they found out?So many questions but she didn’t know what to ask first. Her whole life had changed at the drop of a hat. Some things made more sense now, while others became more confusing. Was Britney the same as her? Had she also grown up keeping all the weird things that happened to her to herself?And the
Eight months.He had eight more months of this shit. At this rate, he would mark Layla before the month was out. Jackson leaned back in the seat and drank a sip of his beer as he looked out over the balcony. Breakfast hadn’t even been prepared yet, and he was already drinking. What he needed was sleep, but Layla’s scent was stopping that from happening. He knew Layla didn’t fully understand the nature of his struggle, and even if she did, there was nothing she could do about this either. “Fucking Fate,” he grumbled as he listened to the sounds of the pack waking up. Zach had already held his nightly treasonous meeting with a few more pack members. They would all then continue their day as if nothing was happening. As if they weren’t backstabbing fuckers trying to find a way to kill him. Zach’s latest recruits included the loved ones of the people who had died in the last attack.Guilt ripped through him again as he set his empty beer can down and picked up another. What was he me
Cain took control the moment Micah finished speaking.It was like the day he’d killed Kendrick. The extent of Cain’s anger took him by surprise as he marched out of the packhouse. It burnt through him instantly as the red haze of his rage tinted his vision. He’d wrested control from him as if it was nothing. As if it was something he could now do at any time.That was concerning.‘Calm down!’ he ordered the beast.‘It’s their fault. Their wards failed because they thought they were some sort of gods capable of anything. They killed my people and put Layla in danger.’He couldn’t argue with that. The Circle had always been full of people who had big egos. Much like Zach and his friends, who considered themselves higher ranked in his pack when they were nothing but parasites. But as much as he wanted to deal with everyone, he had to think about what they would do to Layla and his child when he was gone. The Circle was much bigger than the three who liked to bother him.‘Cain, this isn’t
Blood. The scream that died in his throat. The limbs that landed on the roof of their little toy car. The lifeless eyes staring up at him from the ground.Fin was dead before his magic could flare up to defend him.He felt the stinging dark magic shackle him from behind and turned to see Alpha Hugo with his eyes black and black veins around them. Soft chants came from his lips and made his invisible shackles tighter. And then, in front of him, Lincoln did the same. The whites of his eyes bled black, and he lifted his palms to start chanting.He had seen them in action once or twice in his lifetime, but their magic had never been used against him or anyone with his blood. If his father had been alive, he would have told him he’d brought shame to the family name.But he was fighting for his child’s life. Richard King hadn’t had a paternal bone in his body, so he wouldn’t have understood this. But it was his mate bond that had driven him to madness. That much he would have understood.