33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

" W hat did he mean, Alpha?"

Jackson turned away from the window that overlooked another training field to face Dylan.

"You know where we found Layla. She's not a rogue, Dylan," he sighed as he returned to his seat at the head of the conference table.

There was a pile of business paperwork he had to go over before he started looking at the official reports from the incidents yesterday and earlier.

"I know that. She's human," Dylan snorted with barely disguised disgust.

His fist clenched, crumpling the paper in his hand. He had to stop doing that. He couldn't react to every single little thing someone said about Layla.

"But why would they target her?" Dylan continued.

"I think they're targeting me. The whole pack probably already thinks I'm fucking a rogue. Maybe whoever is doing this wants to undermine me, somehow."

"But why?"

He pushed the paperwork away from him and leaned back in his chair.

"I don't know," he lied. "I've pissed off many people in my life. Maybe this is about revenge. We just have to keep vigilant. If they were so brazen to run right into my territory, then there's no telling what they'll try next."

"If we tell the Circle, they can send in some witches to help Diedre protect—"

"No," he cut in. "Diedre is stronger than anyone. She'll figure this out. I need to know who's behind this first; we can't trust anyone."

The door opened, and Micah walked in with some team leaders.

"You wanted to see us?" Micah asked as he entered with his head lowered.

He could feel the apprehension in the air. The rogues had got to them, too. He hadn't thought his warriors' faith in him would ever be shaken.

"Diedre is going to give you all some protective charms. I'm worried that whoever is behind this can take control of a wolf so easily," he told them.

Very worried. What would happen if they somehow infiltrated the compound and controlled one of theirs? He wasn't even sure they hadn't already. How had they known about Layla in the first place? Either someone was voluntarily feeding them information, or they already had control of someone. Diedre would have to look into that.

"If there is another breach, raise the alarm but keep your distance," he added. "I'll have to deal with it."

"Yes, Alpha," Micah answered.

"Keep the patrols within the boundary. We can't use the trainees for this unless it becomes necessary."

"The boy from the gate is still waiting for your punishment, Alpha," Micah said.

He'd completely forgotten about the boy. Last night could have turned out a lot worse. But it wasn't the kid's fault. Dylan should have known better than to send a boy to do a man's job. His father had made them all do that, and it had destroyed most of them. He didn't want to leave the same legacy his father had. Crushing a child's spirit and sending them to gruesome battles wasn't how you produced well-balanced adults. Half the wolves in his pack were probably as fucked up as he was. But the kids didn't have to turn out like that.

"You deal with him. He needs to understand how dangerous falling asleep on the job is," he said as he stood up to walk back to the window.

He was feeling too antsy to sit in one place. Layla was getting to him. He'd still been in the shower when he'd felt her fear, and it hadn't stopped when he'd gone out to check what was wrong. Was she still waiting for punishment for trying to escape? After last night, why would that even cross her mind?

But he had enough shit to worry about now; he wasn't supposed to be thinking about her feelings. As long as she remained safe, he had to ignore her. Especially now. Shit would blow up if the truth came out now.

Cain growled his displeasure, but he ignored the beast, too. Cain knew less about taking care of anyone's emotional needs than he did.

The warriors turned to leave, but Micah remained where he was.

"I'll... I'll go and see if Diedre needs anything for her spells," Dylan said as he looked from Micah to him.

He already knew what Micah wanted to speak about. Dylan must have already told him what he intended to do.

"Alpha, I've been told you're sending Cassandra away?"

He sighed and returned to his seat. Micah was sad and angry- he could feel that even though his head warrior was trying to calm his emotions. But he imagined if he hadn't had death hanging over him, he would have been the same with his future child. He'd been told that having children changed people like that.

"She's been overstepping, Micah. Your daughter needs to learn her place."

He was sure Micah had noticed his daughter's interest in him over the years.

"I'll talk to her. Her mother will be distraught, Alpha. They've both been planning her eighteenth birthday and... Please give me a chance to make this right."

Micha had never asked him for any personal favours in all the time they had known each other. The man had a lot of pride, so he knew what it would have taken for him to stand in front of him like that.

"It's not just me she's upsetting," he admitted.

When Micah's heart rate spiked, and he looked up to meet his gaze, something the warrior never did, he knew his words had been understood.

"She's not my mate, Micah. She's not going to be Luna and Queen. She can't behave like she is and make other people do her dirty work. I'm sending her away so I don't have to have a more difficult conversation with you," he explained. "Do you understand?"

Micah nodded, the fear for his child visible in his eyes and the set of his shoulders. It was never a good thing to upset Cain. Micah and the rest of the warriors knew that better than anyone.

"It won't be for long," he assured him.

Cassandra could return once he was dead and gone if she still wanted to.

The moment Micah left, Diedre walked in and locked the door behind her. He sighed and sat back. He couldn't put this conversation back any longer, and the conference room was one of the only rooms he could speak freely in because it was soundproofed.

"I've made her this," Diedre said, holding a gold chain towards him as she sat beside him.

The chain was thin and delicate, and an emerald to match Layla's eyes dangled on it.

"She should wear it at all times; it will ward off most magical attacks," Diedre continued.

"Most?" That wasn't good enough.

"I don't know what I'm protecting her from. It's the best I can do at short notice," Diedre said. "I'm sure she'll be okay. Fate wouldn't bring her to you only to take her away again."

"Stop it, Diedre. She's not the answer. You've been looking for ways to break the curse for years now, and we haven't even come close," he sighed as he put the chain in his pocket.

"I won't give up, even if you have," the witch said firmly. "You're not your father, Jax. You don't deserve to go out like this."

"I do," he said firmly, meeting the witch's gaze. "You know I do. And I'm worse than my father because even he wouldn't have..."

He let that sentence hang and looked away from the witch's probing gaze. Diedre put her small, delicate hand over his larger one and gently squeezed.

"You have been given a mate, Jackson King. The Moon Goddess hasn't abandoned you. Maybe it's time you started believing that you deserve redemption," she said.

Layla wasn't a blessing; she was a half-blood curse. Even if his curse were broken, he would have to watch her lose her mind and be put down for being a danger to everyone. If that wasn't a sign to say he didn't deserve happiness, then he didn't know what was.

"Have you marked her already? Maybe that's all it will ta—"

"I'm not doing that," he said as he stood up and returned to the window. "If it doesn't work, I'll have condemned her for nothing. I just want a child, Diedre."

Diedre huffed but didn't say anything else. He kept his gaze on the field, watching the future warriors training in their wolf forms, but his mind kept coming back to Diedre's words. What if...? What if he broke the curse and got to raise his child himself? What if he could mark Layla and get to keep her? What if he could be happy?

"Have you seen anything?" he asked.

"No."

He swallowed back the bitter disappointment. This was why he shouldn't have allowed himself to feel even a slither of hope. If Diedre, the greatest Seer that ever walked the earth, still couldn't see his future, then nothing had changed.

"I can try after—"

"Let's concentrate on finding out who's behind all this shit," he said, cutting her off before she could say anything else to make him hopeful.

The chair scraped on the floor behind him as Diedre stood.

"Bring her to dinner tonight," the witch said. "I can't protect her if you keep her locked up. And frankly, she won't want to stay here to raise your child if you don't allow her to mingle."

"She's not going to stay. She'll leave the child and go."

Diedre chuckled as she walked to the door.

"What?" he growled.

"You think Cain, the beast, the wolf from fiery pits of hell, the bringer of death and destruction, is going to let his mate walk out of here?" Diedre asked.

And then she laughed again as she opened the door and left him to his thoughts.