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23. Keep Your Head Down
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
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The Alpha King's Fate 24. Alpha Cole
Jackson turned the moment someone somehow snuck up on him and grabbed his hand. His claws extended, ready to rip their throat out, but he slashed through... nothing. A spotlight came on and blinded him for a moment before his eyes adjusted. Layla was not in his arms anymore. Lead settled in his stomach when he realised what had happened. His rage ripped through him instantly, and Cain wrested control from him, half-shifting as he looked around the circular prison that was the main attraction in all Circle trials. It was a raised stage made of silver, surrounded by an invisible ward of dark magic to keep him inside it. And he knew from experience that the Circle’s witches would have also warded the whole room. His jacket and shirt started to rip at the seams, constricting him. It took him seconds to get rid of both as he met the gazes of the people that sat around the stage, only feet away from him. “What are you doing?” he snarled. “Give my mate back to me.” It was no longer him
The Alpha King's Fate 25. Inevitable
Layla stopped banging on the door and screaming when there was no response. She turned and leaned against the door to look around again. The room felt even smaller. Her throat started to close up, making it harder to breathe. Was she still at the hotel? Did Jax know where she was? “Breathe, Layla,” she gasped. Her knees gave out, and she slid to the floor. So much for being the queen, the woman worthy to stand beside Jackson. She couldn’t even get out of the room. Jax had been right—she was not ready. She was a liability and should never have come with him. If she had left when she’d wanted to... Pain lanced through her chest, but she forced herself to breathe through it. She had to think. She was still alive, which meant Jax was also alive. He would move heaven and earth to find her. Her heart calmed down as her panic started to dissipate. She pushed her fear to the back of her mind and focused on her link to Jax. ‘Jax?’ No response. She couldn’t even tell if he could h
The Alpha King's Fate 26. It's Not You, It's Me
“Are they coming after you?” Jax cradled the phone on his shoulder while he thought about how to answer Dylan. The Hunters spotted near Faith’s college were all the proof they needed that those bastards were involved in all the disappearances. The whole pack would be worried. Did he want to worry them with details of how much he’d pissed off the Circle, too? No. But it had to be done. The pack had to prepare for the fallout that was coming. Once again, he was the reason everyone would suffer. He popped the trunk open and pulled up a go bag. Considering all the dangers they faced when they left their territory, having one or two bags full of clothes and emergency supplies in the car was necessary. He pulled a pair of sweats and a t-shirt out before picking something out for Layla. It was a shame about her outfit. They had to burn their bloody clothes and all the evidence so they could travel home, and that outfit had become a favourite. “Jax. Is the Circle going to come for us?”
The Alpha King's Fate 27. Feeling Small
Layla was a bag of nerves when Jax stopped the car in front of the packhouse. It had been so easy for the Circle to separate them, and it would have been just as easy for them to kill her. She would never have been able to defend herself the way Jax had done. She would have been the cause of Jackson's death. She was his weakness. Useless. Even the wolf that had come to her aid and given her confidence that they could rescue Faith had abandoned her without telling her what the hell she was supposed to do. She got out of the car without a word to him and rushed up the front steps. Dylan was already waiting there with Gavin, and they didn't look like they'd slept since she'd last seen them. She could cut through their anxiety with a knife. "Have you learned anything else?" she asked them. Both men didn't answer her directly. Instead, they looked behind her at the man coming up the steps. Jax was an emotional void, but she could never completely escape knowing how he felt. His a
The Alpha King's Fate 28. Yes, Jax...
It was late when Jax walked out of the ensuite naked after a shower. Layla was on the bed, facing the wall, pretending to sleep. He’d never felt more like a dick than he did from the moment they’d got home. His heart was wounded, and he was taking it out on the woman he loved. Childish. It was so fucking childish, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself. And those fucking bastards. What gave them the right to touch his mate? What made them think it was okay? He’d had to sit through the rest of the meeting with them even though he’d wanted to rip their limbs off. Gauge their eyes out. Rip those tongues out that dared to speak to Layla like he wasn’t in the room. They had enough shit to deal with; they didn’t need to antagonise Cain on top of that. He threw the damp towel he’d been using to dry his hair somewhere across the room and looked at Layla again. How could she think their relationship wasn’t important? It was everything. His gaze went to the couch and then back to the be
The Alpha King's Fate 29. Not A Drill
There were holes in the arms of the chair where she'd gripped the fabric too hard to stop herself from going after Jax. She was a coward. On the ride to meet the Circle, Jax had admitted that he thought something was wrong with her wolf. There had to be for her to have been so aggressive with him, even before she’d slapped him. She shouldn’t have made things worse by asking him to go and leave everything behind to protect Hope. Now he thought she was the type to abandon their child easily. He’d been rightfully angry, even before they’d messed things up with the Circle. And then what did she go and do? She’d been like a wolf in heat, further distracting him from what was important— saving the missing wolves and preparing for the Circle’s next move. She couldn’t face him again so soon after that. She’d let the Alphas deal with the logistics of mounting a rescue and only help once they had a plan. Her senses were superior even without her wolf’s aid. She would find a way to be helpfu
The Alpha King's Fate 30. The End Of Everything
The planes were in a part of the forest that Layla hadn’t dared go into before. She’d only seen the vast, endless sea of green from Jax’s lookout spot. The cars could only go so far into it, and the rest of the journey was made on foot. The trees were thicker and the canopy denser. And the animals around them didn’t seem to scurry away as they did on the other side. She could sense they were the intruders there. The animals were used to being the kings in the forest and were taking their time deciding if the children were their next meal. She knew only the presence of the adults who already had their wolves were keeping them at bay. She held Hope tighter against her chest and pulled Britney to her. Britney stumbled, as she had already done several times. It made her panic a little. The children could easily see where they were going because they were born with superior senses. Even she’d had excellent eyesight, though she hadn’t known why then. What if this meant Britney had no w
The Alpha King's Fate 31. Last Minute Decisions
When Jax woke up at dawn, Layla was still in his arms. His heart squeezed when he saw her puffy eyes. ‘She’s where she’s supposed to be,’ Cain said. The beast's contentment rippled through him. Cain didn’t understand that this meant nothing to Layla. She could still walk away from them. He gently rolled over so Layla was on her back and started to move his arm. Letting go of all the children had put a heaviness on the pack that hadn’t gone away even after receiving the call to say everyone was where they were supposed to be and they were all safe. He had no idea how he would have handled that if Layla hadn’t been beside him. If she hadn’t felt the same way. If she hadn’t let him take comfort in her body. He’d almost freed himself when Layla rolled back to him and snuggled against his chest. So trusting. Why couldn’t it be like that between them all the time? He brought his hand to gently move the strands of hair that had covered her face, and Cain puffed up his chest with prid
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The Alpha King's Fate 78. No Regrets - Epilogue
“What’s this?” Jax looked at the envelope in front of him with the Circle’s seal. The last time he received one of those, they summoned him and Layla to stand trial. He looked up at Hugo, sitting at the end of his conference table with Keith and frowned. If they thought they could punish him for defending his pack, they could think again. “You’re not going to sit at my table and tell me that piece of shit deserved to live, are you?” he growled. Hugo shook his head. “No, of course not, Your Majesty,” he said. “That’s just a formal apology from the Circle, acknowledging our mistakes. And we’d like to welcome the Queen and her family into your pack.” “They don’t need your shitty welcome,” Ryker snapped. Hugo flinched and looked at Ryker, who was sitting opposite him. Out of everyone, the Alpha of the Night Walkers was the least agreeable about the new partnership. If anyone knew how to hold grudges, it was Ryker. He wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to string one of them up
The Alpha King's Fate 77. Reunion
Layla struggled to breathe. She could feel Lincoln’s large hand crushing her windpipe, even though part of him was twitching on the floor in front of her. Her mind was foggy with the lack of oxygen, but the fear that crippled her disappeared. Jax had taken charge now. Everything would be okay. Her eyes fluttered and then closed even with all the commotion around her. The cut-off screams. The scent of blood that even her nose could pick up. And when she heard her mother’s voice, she breathed a sigh of relief. Rebecca’s wolf was stronger than Nia. She would never allow anyone to hurt her family. She relaxed entirely until Britney's scream brought her back to the present. Her heart lurched as she sat up and saw Alpha Cole drag her and Hope towards him. Maybe Cole didn’t have a wolf, or he wasn’t shifting because he knew he was outnumbered. But there was no denying he had enough dark magic to follow through with his threats. She could almost smell it even though she was less than
The Alpha King's Fate 76. And Then There Were Three
The dark magic continuously ripped Jax’s cells apart even as Cain worked on healing them. Cole—that fucker—rounded up some of the strongest witches. They were no match individually for Diedre, but together they bound her up tighter than anything. He gritted his teeth and looked sideways at Diedre. Her face was pale, her teeth snapped together, and her eyes closed. He sensed her pain. He felt all the pain in the room, even the children’s. “Silence!” The command rippled across the room. Cain growled in his head at the challenge. Had he not been bound, he would have commanded Cole just as he did at the trial. Another warrior fell beside him, and the pain slashed through his body when another bond broke. He was still trying to recover when Lincoln grabbed Layla by her throat. His claws dug into her delicate skin and punctured it. And the scent of her blood overpowered every other smell in the room. Her blood. Her pain. Her fear. All of it clouded his head, calling on the beast
The Alpha King's Fate 75. Gatecrashers
Where did the vampire come from? How did he go through Diedre’s wards? Layla backed up until she felt Jax’s car behind her. The vampire grinned, showing his teeth, and she froze in place. Fear filled her body. This was her worst nightmare come to life. She was vulnerable, and her child was in the hall. She couldn’t protect her. “Breach!” Someone shouted behind the vampire. But she would never have outrun him even if the fear didn’t paralyse her. Their speed was unmatched. There were screams. Something zoomed past at such speeds she realised there were more of them. And if the vampires were there, the Circle was making its move. And that was the twist—the final nail in the coffin full of all her hopes for a future with Jax. Something snapped around her, some invisible force that pulled her forward. It was magic. How did it even get past Diedre’s wards? She tried to lift her arms and drag her feet, but it was futile. Wolves around her were hauled towards the hall like rag do
The Alpha King's Fate 74. Party Time
Layla didn’t sleep much. She’d alternated between having nightmares of Jax losing his wolf and watching her two girls sleep. She had her arm over them, content to soothe herself with their presence. She didn’t know where they had been and how far it was, but after dinner, Brit and Hope had been ready to go to bed. Faith prepared Britney’s room next to Jax’s and moved Hope’s cot there because the girls bonded while away. The three of them snuggled on the bed together. She imagined she heard someone outside the bedroom door a few times. She knew it was Jax. He’d told her the main bedroom was ready for her to return to, but she wasn’t prepared for that. It would be like accepting what he did—acknowledging that he ruined his life over her. Her hand went back to the bite on her neck. Did that mean they were mated again? It hadn’t felt the same as when he marked her the first time, even though it still caused the earth-shattering explosion. There had been no fire in her bones, and she
The Alpha King's Fate 73. Home
Layla smoothed her summer dress and adjusted the straps before she took a fortifying breath. Not that the expensive clothes would make a difference. Compared to how vibrant she’d looked when Nia manifested, she looked like crap now. No amount of makeup could hide the bags under her eyes or how lifeless her eyes had become. And she couldn’t tame the frizz, no matter what she did. She'd tied her hair up in a puff— the same style she used to have before she’d met Jax. She tilted her head to see the angry red mark on her neck. Her stomach churned, almost bringing up the few bites of food she’d managed to eat. Images of her night with Jax returned, and her nostrils flared. What did he think would happen now? The bite wasn’t healing as it did the first time; it was starting to look infected. Jax poisoned himself for nothing. She ripped out the hair band and the millions of pins holding her hair up and fluffed her hair, covering the mark again. No one else needed to know what Jax did.
The Alpha King's Fate 72. Hypocrite
“What the hell have you done?!” Layla repeated, and this time her anger surged as her voice rose. Jax gently pulled out of her before he straightened. He’d known how the night would end. It had been the same the first time he marked her. But her anger still hurt. It had been months, and every second of that had been torture. Did she not feel the same? “I did what I had to do, Layla.” “How could you do that to Cain?” Layla shouted. She pushed him aside and got off the hood to look for her skimpy little night dress. “We don’t know what they put in my blood, but we know damn well that it will kill him!” Layla pulled her nightie on before she turned to face him. Her emerald eyes blazed at him. He’d been just as angry when she bit him the night before the blood moon on his birthday. Marking someone without their consent was a dick move, and as the Alpha King, he’d put down a few wolves for that exact reason. But there he was. Being a dick. “It was Cain’s idea. And I completely agree
The Alpha King's Fate 71. No Regrets
Layla rolled her neck and shoulders to ease some of the stiffness but knew it wouldn’t do her any good. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt that tired. She spent money that she didn’t have to buy some energy drinks to keep her awake for the drive home. It was almost two in the morning, and working two jobs was sucking the life out of her. At one point in her life, she’d even had three jobs and still had the energy to run around after Brit and take care of their trailer. With a sigh, she grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and shoved her door open. The car had been a piece of crap when she’d bought it, but it was worse after being off the road for so long. She’d worked at least a month to afford the extra money to pay someone to get it roadworthy again. It was hectic catching buses or getting a taxi to take her close enough to her neighbourhood, especially this late at night. She hadn’t seen Jax since the picnic, but some warriors hung around the neighbourhood for wee
The Alpha King's Fate 70. Fuck Fate!
“Jax?” He kept his back to her with fists clenched. Cain wasn’t backing down. It felt like the time the beast had completely taken over when he killed Alpha Kendrick on his doorstep to protect Layla. Now all he wanted was to sink his teeth into her neck and return what was lost. “I’m sorry I don’t have the endurance I used to have,” Layla said as she came up behind him. He sensed the pain in her words but didn’t turn around to offer any comfort. If he’d needed proof that her wolf was well and truly gone, he had it now. Even before she had shifted, Layla could sense the danger in the air. She’d been able to feel when he was losing control. ‘She can’t sense me at all.’ Cain’s words caused an avalanche of pain that shoved him further into despair and buried him deep within it. He tried to focus so he could pull himself out, but it was pointless. He felt the same way his beast did. Cain couldn’t live without his mate, either. And if he tried to deny his mate, he would end up like
