5. Security Threat

Jax watched his mate nervously sipping her cup of coffee while she watched Britney fuss over her niece.

Layla was determined to have her sister with them, like she had forgotten how she had reacted to the life-altering news. She’d been in a zombie-like state for days. He understood that Britney, like Layla, liked to have all the facts to figure things out herself, but the timing wasn’t right. Brit still had to go and finish the semester so she could wrap up her first year in college. 

“So... Did you sleep well?” Layla asked. 

“I’m in a cult in the middle of a forest full of wolves. How do you think I slept?” Brit answered without looking away from Hope. 

Layla put her mug down and pushed the food on her plate around. She hadn’t really eaten it, just as she hadn’t eaten much of her dinner. 

“We’re not a cult, but you’ll see that for yourself soon,” Layla said. “But we need to talk about why you’re here. You sounded terrified when you called me.”

Britney’s eyes widened as she looked up at her sister and then at him.

That was another mistake Layla was making. Her sister didn’t like him, much less trust him. And she was still terrified of him, despite the jabs she took at him when they met. Layle could sense the same things. She should have had the conversation in private so Britney would feel more comfortable talking about it. 

“It’s okay, Brit. You can trust him,” Layla urged gently.

“I’m fine, Layla,” Britney said, turning back to her food. 

He sighed as he picked his coffee up and stood. He didn’t know why Layla wanted him there. It wasn’t like he could shift to demonstrate. His beast wouldn’t put Britney at ease; he was the worst one to pick for that. But he’d promised to spend time with them, so that was what he would do.

He frowned as he walked to the other end of the balcony to lean over the railing. 

Spending time with Layla wasn’t a chore, so he had no idea why he was thinking like that. On any other day, he’d have been over the moon to be stuck in a room with her. But the past few days had been heavy; he needed a little more time to get over them. 

And once his head was right, he'd take Layla away somewhere and propose as he'd planned. He had to learn to live with what he had done to his people somehow, so life had to go on. He had to get that plan back on track and give his people something to celebrate, too. 

The sisters started to argue, Brit whispering because she didn't know he could still hear her. That was another thing Britney would hate once she found out. Layla knew she could take her to the conference room for privacy, but she was still doing it in the open. 

He sighed and looked over the empty training fields. They had all gone back to hiding their nature, so training was only being done at certain times. 

His phone rang, and he found himself wishing it would be an emergency that would pull him away so Layla could speak with Brit properly. The screen said it was the Royal Hotel. They never called him directly for anything; he had capable humans in place to run the day-to-day things. 

“Yes?” he answered. 

“Sir, this is Mr Ambrose, the Head of Security at the Royal Hotel,” the man started. “I’m sorry to bother you so early, but a man came in, causing a scene this morning. He was shouting in the lobby that you kidnapped his daughters.”

He turned around and looked at the bickering sisters with a sigh. Gerald Carlisle had done the same thing at Britney’s school when he’d first taken her in, but his warriors had dealt with him. It was funny how he’d been so concerned about Brit, but he backed off the moment they’d given him some money. 

“Where is he now?”

“I’m holding him in one of the security rooms until he’s a bit sober. The PR department and Front Of House teams are handling any fallout from the disruption he caused. I need to know how you want me to handle him. He said his name is Gerald Carlisle.”

At the mention of her father’s name, Layla turned to look at him with a frown. She never spoke about her father, even though he was directly responsible for the situation she and Britney had been in before he’d rescued them. But if anyone understood complicated father-child relationships, it was him.

“Keep him there. I’ll be right over.”

Maybe it was time he met his future father-in-law.

“Um, Brit, I’ve just remembered I have something to do today,” Layla said as she stood. 

He hadn’t expected her to leave Britney. Did she realise that they would have to lock her in until they were sure she would be okay out with the pack?

“Layla—”

“It’s important,” Layla said. 

‘I need to see him. He has no right to do that.’

“You said we were going to hang out all day,” Britney grumbled as she stood.

“I know, I just... I need to go for a little while,” Layla said as she got up. “Can you... Can you stay in your room until I get back?”

Brit turned back and gave Layla a pointed look.

“Do I have a choice?”

“Just until I get ba...”

Brit had already walked away. Layla turned to him as if asking for help, but what was he supposed to do?

“You can stay and talk to her,” he offered. “I’ll go deal with him. I’m sure you can find him again once things settle down.”

“My father shouldn’t even be looking for her,” Layla growled, and anger surged in their bond.

Fifteen minutes later, they had arranged a sitter for Hope and were about to get into the car when Dylan drove up the driveway. He was back early. It usually took at least a week to make the rounds, and that was with visiting only a few of the territories. Something was wrong. 

“What happened?” he asked his Beta when he got out of the car. 

“I think people are still being cautious,” Dylan said. “A couple of them wouldn’t let me in, and the pack that opened the gates had heavy security. They said their scouts are a few days late to return, so the whole pack is on alert.”

If the witch had been around, he would have instantly suspected she’d got her hands on them and hexed them. But they’d had peace for a year now; it was unlikely that anyone else would want to start a war when they had all suffered losses at Hailey’s hands. It was likely the scouts had encountered some other problem but they would report the matter soon. All pack scouts were highly skilled; they trained as warriors as well as the additional skills they needed to do their job.

He knew what the issue was, though. He’d known that would happen. His pack was trying to heal from what happened, but they had accepted Layla as their queen because they had seen how she had fought for them. But to everyone else, she was still just a faceless human who caused all their problems. 

He would have to go on a diplomatic tour to introduce her and ease their fears so they would accept his mate. 

He put them out of his mind and sighed as he opened the passenger door of his car for Layla. 

“I’ll go there myself in a few days. Don’t worry about it.”

That would have to wait until he’d dealt with Layla’s father, then her sister. Then maybe when all that shit was done, he could whisk Layla away and propose.

“They just need time, I think. A lot has changed lately,” Dylan shrugged. “Where’re you guys going?”

“The hotel. We’ll be back by tonight, so take care of Hope and Britney.” 

The drive to the city was made in silence. Layla’s anger had increased with every minute, and by the time they were out of the forest and driving on the smooth road leading to town, he sensed she was ready to explode. 

“Whatever happens, you know you’ve got me, right?” he asked. 

And he didn’t mean just with her dad. He’d been feeling things he had no right to inflict on his mate, which would upset her emotional stability, too. 

“Yes,” she answered. 

He took the hand she had on her lap and brought it to his lips while he kept his eyes on the road. 

“Be patient with me. I know it hasn’t been easy for you, but I’ll do better,” he promised.

“I wish you’d talk to me, though,” Layla said. “I don’t like seeing you in pain; I want to help.”

“You’re already helping. I’d be a mess without you. All those bonds being severed at the same time were hard to endure. While everyone else feels the loss because we’re all connected, I also feel it on a more physical level.”

“I know. I felt it, too. It was excruciating,” Layla whispered. 

He looked back at her and tensed. He’d known she would have felt that he was in pain since she was his mate, but he hadn’t thought she’d feel the pain herself. Guilt started to eat him up at that thought. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, returning his gaze to the road. 

“I’m okay, Jax,” she said, bringing their joined hands up to her lips and kissing his hand as he’d done hers. “Don’t worry about me.”

How could he not? They had no idea what this meant. She’d felt the bonds being ripped from him, but what if that meant she could feel all the pain inflicted on him the same way? 

When he finally parked the car in the underground parking lot, he turned to face his mate. 

“I can help your father if you want me to,” he offered. “I can take over his finances and help him get clean. Then you won’t have to worry about him—”

“I’m not worried about him. That man is dead to me,” Layla said. “Thank you for the offer, but save your generosity for someone who’ll appreciate it. I’m just here to make sure he understands what I will do to him if he comes near Brit again.”

Layla left him no room to argue as she got out of the car. A year ago, he would have worried that all of that anger she was holding inside her would bring her wolf to the surface and expose them all. But his mate looked outwardly calm as she walked to the elevators. 

He was impressed with her control, but the hard edges she had formed around her were a bit worrying. Had he changed Layla that much that she appeared just as ruthless as his beast?