26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

J ax tightened his fist around his cutlery as he sensed the reactions around the room. The hatred, the disgust. It was no less than what he had expected, but he hadn't anticipated how hard it would be not to react to it. Cain was still lying low, so once again, he was the one who wanted to rip heads off.

He also hadn't anticipated how he would feel when she'd walked out of the bathroom looking like a goddess sent to make him lose his mind. It was just a dress, and he had already seen her hair out of the braid when he'd made love to her.

But this was a temptation on another level.

She'd walked out of that room and had claimed another part of his soul. Something had flared inside him at the sight of her that changed something. His whole body had tightened in reaction. Her scent seemed stronger. The pull between them was stronger. And it appeared his need to protect her was stronger.

After finding out that she was in danger, the best thing to do would have been to hide her away, but he knew he couldn't be with her every second of the day. The only thing to do had been to carry out his plan. He'd introduced her and then ordered everyone to stay the fuck away from her in the pack link. No one could defy their Alpha's orders without severe consequences.

They didn't like Layla or understand why she was there, but they wouldn't dare touch her again. At least he had eliminated that threat so he could work out what the hell was going on outside his territory without worrying.

But instead of thinking about the prisoner, he remembered how turned-on she'd been when he'd touched her. How ready to accept him inside her body.

He shouldn't have done it. He should have just given her the shoes and waited outside her room. There was so much he needed to do to make sure the pack was safe. For starters, he had to ensure sufficient security around the whole boundary of the territory. He had to question the warriors individually. He'd already had a run to track the wolf's scent where they had found him, but he hadn't caught anything, which was extremely worrying. Cain was the most efficient hunter in the territory; he could track anything. But that insane prisoner seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

He needed to concentrate, but there he was, wishing everyone would eat and go home so he could take Layla to bed. The mate bond had made every part of her body an erogenous zone, so she couldn't help how she reacted to him. And he couldn't help how he responded to her. He should have remembered that and kept his hands to himself.

‘I'll make sure they don't shift where she can see them,' Dylan said in his head.

Just hearing his voice brought distrust and anger again. He put his cutlery down because he was tempted to use it on his so-called friend. Dylan said all the right things, but he sensed his Beta was as disgusted as everyone else.

‘Sure.'

He looked outside the windows as the rain started to worsen. It would be hell in the forest for the night with the flooding, and the river would probably overflow, but he didn't think it would stop anyone who was determined, especially if they had been hexed and didn't give a shit about their safety.

‘Keep an eye open. That prisoner may not have acted alone, and tonight would be the perfect night to breach our territory again.'

‘All our warriors are out on duty, most just outside our boundaries. The more advanced trainees are patrolling inside the territory, and we have some manning the security cameras. No one will get past us,' Dylan said.

Dylan sounded confident but hadn't seen or talked to their prisoner. And if he had, maybe he wouldn't be as invested in protecting Layla as he was. Dylan would have told that hexed madman to kill Layla and be done with it.

He looked at Layla and watched how she nibbled on her food. She was a bag of nerves. Understandable. She didn't need to be a full werewolf to know she was in a hostile environment. He'd felt like a dick for forcing her to come to dinner after her altercation, but at least she was safe now.

He looked back at Cassie and balled his fists under his table. She hadn't even tried to hide her hostility towards Layla, and unlike her friends, there wasn't an ounce of fear in her.

"Have you thought about when you will reschedule the meetings you were supposed to have in town?"

He forced his attention away to concentrate on Zach. He was one of the elders in the pack and had been part of his father's advisors.

"No."

Zach had been trying to retain his position even though he had made it clear the moment his father had died that he didn't need advice from any of them. They had assumed it had been teenage rebellion, given how young he had been when he'd taken the role. But it had been years, and he hadn't once sought his advice.

It didn't stop any of them from trying. Like he would take advice from people who'd been partly to blame for his father's choices.

"Given what happened today, I think discussing the rogue issue would be—"

"This isn't the right time for this conversation, Zach."

"Of course. I apologise. I had forgotten we have a guest," Zachary said as he brought his wine glass to his mouth.

He hadn't forgotten. Issues like this weren't even publicly discussed in front of pack members. Zach just wanted to make a point about how difficult it would be to maintain their secrets.

"Don't forget again," he growled.

Thunder boomed outside and the rain beat against the windows. He tuned out the noise even though he knew it would limit his capabilities. They would have to send everyone back to their houses as soon as possible so they could secure the packhouse for the night.

He turned towards Layla again and stilled in his seat.

Her seat was empty.

‘Where did Layla go?' he asked Dylan in the mind link.

‘She needed the bathroom. I directed her to the one down there.'

He followed Dylan's gaze to the doors off the side of the hall. How had he been so distracted that she had left the room without him noticing?

Going after her wasn't an option, not with most of the pack watching him so closely. So he opened up his senses again and allowed Cain to locate his mate. It seemed a lot easier than it had ever been to pinpoint a single person in a room full of people. Cain zeroed in on her as if she was a beacon.

He heard her thundering heartbeat first. And then he heard her voice. The echoing around told him she was exactly where Dylan had said, but he could tell she was still scared.

"Stay safe. I love you, Brit," Layla said.

He should have known she would be anxious to speak to her sister. Layla was more like Britney's mother than her sister, so it was understandable that she wanted to ensure her sister was safe, especially after what had happened to her with Cassie.

He relaxed and returned his attention to the room to give her some privacy.

"How long will she be here, Alpha?"

Jon also asked the question loud enough for everyone to hear. He had only been the Gamma for a year. Dylan had picked him for the role after the last Gamma had been killed in a rogue attack, soon after he had put Dylan in charge. But Jon's question sounded like an accusation, and he should have known better. Maybe he wasn't suitable for this job after all.

"As long as I want her to be here. Do you have a problem with that, Jon?"

Jon lowered his gaze and swallowed.

"No, Alpha. I'm sorry."

He'd been right. They had all forgotten who he fucking was.

"Does anyone have a problem with it?" he growled, looking around the room.

There was silence, and part of him was disappointed. He wanted to remind them of his strength and brutality since it had so quickly slipped their minds.

"No one? Good. Go home. Dinner's over."

The quicker he got to do everything else, the quicker he could do what he wanted.

The guests started getting up from their seats when Cassie's father linked him.

‘Alpha, the human has climbed out of a window on the north side. She's heading for the gate. What should I do?"