51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

W hat the hell was going on?

A red werewolf? Those were a myth. A tale told their pups to make them behave. Untrackable. Unkillable. They were like fucking ghosts. They could kill you before you knew they were there because they could hide their scents whenever they wanted to. This one had alerted him of its presence on purpose.

Why, though? The only wolf that was a danger to a red wolf was him. He would have gutted it if Layla hadn't been there. Or maybe it had only approached because Layla had been there.

Jackson tried to sense the red wolf's location one last time before he turned around and looked at Layla while she devoured her meal. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched the contentment on her face as if they hadn't just seen a giant red wolf in the woods.

Either Diedre's potion was working a little too well or... or the woman was just batshit crazy.

He'd pushed Cain back as far as he could and struggled to keep him there. Cain wanted to go hunting. His skin was itching with the urge to shift and join the search for that wolf. There was a reason no one came into his territory without an invitation.

Where did that wolf come from? Was his wall damaged again? Had it come in before or after the Circle and Diedre had put up the protective wards? Or was it another trick from the wolf targeting him? Instead of possessing rogues, she was targeting rare wolves?

Too many questions, and he wouldn't get the answers sitting in his room.

"So how are we going to do this?" Layla asked.

Oh, okay, they were finally going to talk about this. Layla had freaked out so much just hearing him growl that seeing an actual wolf should have made her shit herself.

He walked across the balcony and sat opposite her as she wiped her mouth.

"You tell me," he said.

"I liked the mixed martial arts classes I've done," Layla answered.

Huh?

"If you don't know any of those fighting styles, whatever you can teach me is okay."

Right. Okay, they weren't talking about it.

"I... We'll spar a little first so you can show me what you can do," he answered. "Then we'll work it out from there."

"Can we go after lunch? I think I'll go insane if I'm stuck in your room all afternoon again."

"I have some things I have to take care of first," he said. "I'm not sure how long that will take."

Before he had even made it up the stairs, Micah had mind-linked him that they'd lost the trail and couldn't find the scent. He'd expected that, but he still wanted to go back out there and check for himself.

"Oh. Ok," Layla said.

He could feel her disappointment through the bond.

"I'll just stay here and find something to do until you get back," Layla said as she stood up.

Before she walked back into the room, she looked at the woods. That was the only indication he had that she had actually seen the wolf. She kept looking back as if she could somehow see it from the balcony.

But why wasn't she talking about it?

But on the other hand, this was for the best. The only reason she wasn't dead was he'd insisted to the Circle that she hadn't seen anything. If she started asking people about the big red wolf in the forest, then everyone would know their secret was out. She wouldn't walk out of the compound alive after she gave birth.

He followed and saw she had already settled herself in front of the television and was flipping through channels.

"I won't take long," he said.

When she'd first arrived, he would have just walked out and locked the door without another thought. Now he was acting as if they were in a real relationship.

"Okay."

And then she smiled that odd, fake smile she'd given him a few times now. Layla was not pleased.

But this had to be done. He couldn't babysit her all the time when there was so much danger around her.

He walked towards the door without another word. He'd find Dylan first and—

Dylan was leaning against the wall outside his room when he walked out. He'd been too busy worrying about what was happening to sense him. He was off his game.

"What are you doing up here?" he asked as he quickly shut the door and walked towards him. "Did you find it?"

"No. Nothing. There weren't even any tracks to follow," Dylan said.

He led his Beta further away from his room in case Layla could hear them.

"Are you sure it was red?" Dylan asked. "That's more worrying than the rogues breaking in."

"Definitely red."

Like Layla's hair. With Layla's eyes.

He looked back at the bedroom door and almost kicked himself for not seeing it sooner.

"You should have gone after it, Alpha. That was more important than exposing yourself to a human," Dylan said.

He could tell how much it took for Dylan to say that to him. His Beta had been more nervous around him lately. They all were. The Omegas in the kitchen had reeked of fear, and that pissed him off more than anything.

‘Kill one pack member, and suddenly you're the devil,' Cain muttered in his head.

"I need you to find Layla's mother."

That request made his Beta look up at him questioningly, and then his irritation came though glaringly clear.

"There is chaos around you, but you're locking yourself in your room. You've had the Circle instil fear into everyone this morning if they even look at Layla funny," Dylan hissed. "We need to get rid of her, Jax. You're not yourself, and it's fucking everything up."

He looked away and clenched his fists. Before Layla, he would have been the one saying these things. He would have been the one getting rid of all the threats. He wished he could tell his friend why it wasn't possible, but it was too soon. There were still eleven months until his birthday. Eleven months of seeing a preview of his funeral every time he looked at his face. Eleven months for the news to slip out and to watch chaos descend on them.

"Not yet," he growled.

He meant he couldn't tell him yet, but by the look of relief on Dylan's face, he knew his Beta took it differently.

"So when? When will I get to kill her? Waiting for her to get pregnant isn't an option."

He looked back at his bedroom door before he pulled Dylan towards the stairs.

‘Dylan, I promise I will tell you everything as soon as I can. She's here for the good of the pack. You just have to trust me,' he said in the mind link. ‘You have to take care of her. I'm asking as your friend, not your Alpha.'

Were they even still friends at this point? He wasn't sure anymore. There was no more trust between them, but Dylan was still the only one he could ask to help raise his child with Diedre.

Dylan gave him that look again, the one that said he had lost his mind.

‘What did you say to the Circle to get them on board?' Dylan asked.

‘I told them she was already pregnant.'

Dylan shook his head as they reached the lobby. Micah was waiting with Jon and a few other warriors.

‘I think you should have named Micah as the Gamma. He will make a better Beta if anything happens to me.'

Dylan stopped and looked at him sharply.

‘Why did you say it like that?'

He could already sense the worry in the air.

‘As you said, there is chaos around us right now. I think we should be prepared for anything,' he answered with a shrug and then pulled his t-shirt off.

"That's not the reason I came to find you," Dylan said out loud. "Those kids in the dungeon aren't going to last much longer. What are you going to do about them?"

He looked around at the other wolves and knew this was a crucial moment. Every ounce of him wanted the traitors to die. He wanted to see the light fade in their eyes as it had in their father's. But his pack already hated him for killing Laken; they would despise him for killing the kids.

‘No!' Cain growled. ‘They will die! They will pay for what they did!'

"Take them down and send them to the hospital," he growled.

‘You fucker!' Cain shouted.

He clenched his fists to keep the beast down.

"When they get better, exile them."

That was the best he could do. When the time came, it would be up to Dylan and Diedre to protect his child from them.

"Yes, Alpha," Dylan said with a breath of relief before he and the other wolves rushed out of the pack house.

‘I will hunt them down. They will not escape from me!'

He put his t-shirt back on and headed towards his office. There would be no run for a while. Cain was too unstable to let loose.

‘I'm not unstable. I have the balls to do what needs to be done so our mate is safe. I will get it done, Jackson.'