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49. Not Running Anymore
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Alpha King's Fate 50. New Era
The light was more blinding when Layla opened her eyes. She closed them and tried to roll to her side, but something held her in place. And then it all came back to her. Her rage. That weird shift when she was half a beast, clawing Hunters’ throats out. The blood and screams. And that gas that had knocked her out. Her eyes snapped open as she sensed the danger she put herself in. It was all around her, even though she could feel no one else in the stark white room. She looked down at her bound limbs and torso. Her feet were spread apart, the silver chain holding them in place on bars on either side of the cold, metal bed they tied her to. Her arms were stretched above her head, also connected to some bars at the top. Only a pair of underwear covered her modesty, so she could see her smooth skin where she had previously been covered in wounds. At some point, between escaping her cage and waking up tied down, she had completely healed. Her wolf did that. It tried to be a hero, k
The Alpha King's Fate 51. Traitor
Layla didn’t fight when the Hunters wheeled back to the warehouse. She’d spat a few times, but the metallic taste and scent of blood still overwhelmed her senses. It made her nauseous. And she could still hear the Hunters' applause when they finally forced her teeth away from their guinea pig’s flesh. Everything else inside her was numb. Everyone has told her since discovering she was a red wolf that she was special and she would protect the pack. But now, she was just a weapon the Hunters would use against her people. They wheeled past the restricted door, but she didn’t feel the pull she felt when she’d gone past it before. That was because Rebecca was still in the room beside hers, unconscious. Vulnerable. There were no moves to make while the people she loved were at risk. Her hands were tied. The stench in the warehouse pulled her out of her thoughts as they wheeled through the door. The unit in the ceiling that gassed the room crossed her vision, reminding her again tha
The Alpha King's Fate 52. Warriors
The full moon was high and the night was almost over. He could feel the wolves near him itching to run and follow their nature, but everyone stayed still. Everyone waited. Hunters had been driving into the base throughout the night. The car park was almost full like those fuckers were having a party while his mate was imprisoned inside their walls. He had never seen so many Hunters in one spot, not even when a hunting party chased them through the forest, and they were still coming. There was no doubt that whatever they were doing involved all the wolves they took. Soft footsteps behind him didn’t take his attention away from the gate. One chance. That was all he needed to get into the fortress the Hunters built for themselves. He wasn’t about to let anyone distract him from waiting for it. ‘I think you should rest while we wait,’ Dylan said in the mindlink. He didn’t bother to respond. There was no point repeating himself. The sound of another vehicle coming down the road r
The Alpha King's Fate 53. Bite Me
Layla sat on the edge of the filthy mattress on the floor, staring at the blank wall. There was no TV or a comfortable bed, and they hadn’t provided another meal. The only thing they gave her was a new gown. The Commander liked mind games. Her people were stuck in their cages, cursing her for what they thought she did, losing their trust in their Queen. They thought she was living in luxury while they suffered. She hadn’t been able to mindlink Faith or Rebecca, but she could sense their emotions, even from the basement. The Commander never had any intention of treating her like a person. He was trying to alienate her to continue using her for his sick project. Mutherfucker. Her fists clenched for so long that they were numb. But she wouldn’t make the mistake of moving too soon again. The sound of wheels rolling on the concrete floor shifted her attention to the door. They kept the overly bright lights on in the small room, so she still couldn’t tell what time it was, but the
The Alpha King's Fate 54. If You Build It, They Will Come
Irvine had been a rookie, but he’d had traps set up all over his property. It was only right to assume all the Hunter families near the base would do the same. Their traps would probably be more elaborate. ‘Everyone’s ready.’ Jax looked back at Dylan and then at the gates of the house he had chosen. He had never thought much about the Hunter family structures since he assumed they were all soulless bastards. For what he planned to do to them, he hoped that was true. Not that it would damage his already unsalvageable reputation, but Layla wouldn’t like it if he went around killing innocent people. Even if they fucking deserved it. She’d been disgusted by what he did to the Circle’s vampire assassins, but this would get uglier. ‘Remember to watch out for the traps. I see a lot of silver and smell wolfsbane. The fuckers must bathe in it,’ he told Dylan. Dylan turned back to whisper, ‘silver and wolfsbane’ to Chase, who was foolishly sticking to him, and another wolf from Ryker’
The Alpha King's Fate 55. Now Or Never
Did she mishear him? Layla’s eyes widened as she looked at the unhinged Hunter in front of her. She’d only briefly been in the restricted area, but she knew what those disfigured Hunters were—failed experiments. So the Commander was ready to risk his life after one successful bite? They weren’t even sure if there would be any side effects. It hadn’t been long enough to tell if the experiment succeeded. “Didn’t you hear me? I said bite me, Layla,” the Commander said. He stepped forward, forcing her to take a step back. His eyes sparkled as if he was high on anticipating what was coming. She wanted to bite him—right through his neck. But there were guards in the room with their weapons pointed at her, and she didn’t know if Faith and the children were safe. They were her priority. “You’re willing to risk your life?” she asked. “I’m not risking anything. Don’t you see what I’ve done?” he asked, turning back to the glass cage and sweeping his arm at the turned Hunter. “I have done
The Alpha King's Fate 56.Nia
Layla’s rage boiled over. No longer hidden behind her panic and worry, a white-hot fury left everything else in embers. Her fists clenched again, but she wasn’t trying to contain herself anymore. ‘Don’t, Layla,’ Rebecca said through their mindlink. ‘You don’t know what it will do to you.’ Her mother rushed up to the glass and put her palms against it. She hadn't noticed it before, but there were bags under her mother’s usually vibrant face, and the undeniable strength she always sensed from her mother was gone. The Hunters did that. They took a woman who once shielded a whole packhouse full of wolves, calmed them during the war and reduced her to just a shell of herself. A wolf rumoured to be stronger than anyone. They took scouts, the bravest and most skilled fighters out of all the packs. They took Gavin and Faith. They took children. She approached the glass that imprisoned her mother and placed her palm against it. Behind her, the mood shifted. The tension in the Hunters
The Alpha King's Fate 57. I'm Coming
Jax watched the vehicles drive out of the gates, and several Hunters came out to hide in strategic points around the base wall. Beyond the open gates, more Hunters loaded onto their vehicles. They wouldn't leave the base unmanned—that much was a given. But fighting even half those bastards was better than the whole army. He only hoped the others were ready. His gaze remained on the Hunters still loading into the cars. The morning sun shone brightly without any hint of a cloud in the sky. There was nothing to hide behind, no darkness to cover him. The second he made his move, he needed to be ready to get attacked. ‘They’ll lead the Hunters as far away from the base as possible before they attack,’ Dylan said. His Beta, his brother, stood beside him, bloody from the bait they set when they attacked the Hunter families. He could sense Dylan’s eagerness to attack the base even though he stood perfectly still. It wasn’t their first time fighting side by side. He and Dylan went throu
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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
