59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

J ackson watched the look on Dylan's face as he continued to collect all the paperwork.

Was he that excited to get rid of Layla even after he had told them all that wouldn't happen? Maybe finding somewhere safe for Layla to take his child was the only thing he could do now.

He'd been desperate to have a child to leave his legacy behind with his pack, but his bond with Layla strengthened every day. He was still desperate for a child, but only so he could watch Layla swell with his seed. So he could leave her a part of himself to console her when he was gone.

She would feel it when the bond severed. She would get depressed without understanding why. She would break down a little. But she would recover. She would love his child as no one else would.

A part of him knew he was asking for the impossible. With his blood running through their veins, his child would be the Alpha King, no matter where he was raised. He would need a pack around him to help him understand what he was and his responsibilities, or he would lose his fight with the darkness inside him. His child would become worse than he had been. Layla wouldn't be able to do anything for him.

But how he wished...

He shook his head and picked up the paperwork that Dylan had placed neatly on the table. He would have to burn all of it.

"And I was thinking that if Alpha Chase has that much of an issue with it, we can tell him she's going today. We need to keep the truce," Dylan continued. "I'm worried about the number of rogues you killed last night. Something big is going to happen; we will need Alpha Chase on our side."

"You will tell no one."

Dylan stopped smiling and looked at him with a frown.

"What do you mean?" Dylan asked.

"I asked for information about Layla's mother. Where she is, sightings, whether she's still alive. That sort of shit," he said as he took the last stack of papers from his Beta's hand. "You won't tell a soul about Layla."

Dylan's shoulders lowered, and realisation dawned on his face.

"You knew," he stated.

"I'm the Alpha King. I could scent her wolf's blood coursing through her veins a mile away," he answered honestly.

"Then why?"

"I don't know," he lied. "Maybe because she didn't know who I was. I think she still doesn't know I pay her cheques every month. Or maybe because she said no, and I felt challenged to change her mind."

"You've put us all at risk to appease your ego?" Dylan asked calmly. "You're becoming your father with each passing day."

That one cut him deep.

Dylan knew that was his worst fear, but if they were as close as he'd always thought they were, Dylan would have seen that his situation was nothing like his father's. He wasn't losing his mind.

"Maybe you should take the day off. I'll go get rid of these and meet with Chase alone," he told his Beta.

He ignored the disappointment he felt from Dylan as he walked out of the conference room and into his office. The first thing he did was walk across his spacious office to the fireplace on the other end. It was too warm to light a fire, but he lowered to his haunches and got it going before throwing the papers in one by one.

For a moment, something heavy settled on his chest. He'd brought Layla into his world, and now the doctor and Dylan knew what she was. He'd put her in danger. Again. In a year, either of them could reveal the secret, and Layla's life would not be the same again.

He didn't know how long he watched the papers burn, but a knock on his door pulled him out of his miserable thoughts.

"Alpha Chase has arrived, Alpha," Jon said when he entered.

He released a breath and followed Jon out of the office. The quicker he dealt with this fucker, the quicker he could return to Layla. Despite her suspicions, her company was still preferable to anyone else's.

Alpha Chase was in the lobby with his Beta and a few of his higher-ranked wolves. And, to his surprise, Alpha Kendrick stood beside them with his Beta and some ranked wolves. That couldn't be good.

He stopped and looked back at Jon. Hadn't he thought to mention that the Alpha who hated him the most was in his house with the man who was supposed to be his ally? This was yet another reason Jon wasn't fit for his role.

He turned back and nodded at Chase in greeting before he looked at Kendrick.

"I wasn't expecting you," he said. "You must have driven through the night to make it here this early."

"I arrived at Alpha Chase's house last night," Kendrick answered with a smile that was as fake as anything. "When he told me he had managed to secure a meeting with you, I thought it was better this way to save you some time."

So they were in contact behind his back. His suspicious mind knew immediately that they had something up their sleeves.

"You still should have told me. I have wards around my property that will work against anyone who tries to cause harm."

And by that reasoning, Kendrick shouldn't have made it past them. Was Diedre's magic really malfunctioning, then?

"I would never even think of it, Your Highness," Kendrick answered with his head lowered.

He studied the Alpha momentarily before nodding to an Omega waiting unobtrusively beside the entrance. He mind-linked him to have the kitchen set extra places at the table and take some food to Layla before he gave the Alphas his attention again.

"We'll wait in the sitting room while the kitchen works to accommodate the uninvited guests," he said to Chase.

Kendrick didn't like being referred to like that. He always assumed he was so important that the King would call on him, but even his father had never had the snake in his home. When the entourage started to walk down the hallways, he noticed his Beta standing beside the same woman he had been talking to at the hotel, and once again, they appeared very comfortable with each other. It was as if they had been familiar with each other even before the rescheduled meeting.

His distrust increased.

"Dylan?"

Dylan walked over to him with the woman in tow. She was a tall brunette with strong Beta blood, as far as he could tell. And the smile she gave him as she stopped beside Dylan made his skin crawl. He had seen many smiles like that since he'd hit puberty.

"Alpha, this is Amber. She's a warrior in Alpha Kendrick's pack," Dylan said.

And Dylan trusted her? Alpha Kendrick's warriors were renowned for fighting dirty.

"I'm glad she's here today because I've been meaning to introduce you," Dylan continued.

His suspicions were confirmed. Dylan had set him up with so many women in the past that he knew where this was heading. But why would his Beta think it was okay to set him up with anyone involved with Kendrick? Revulsion worked its way through his body at the thought of another woman touching him, and Cain roused just to growl his agreement. But even before he'd met Layla, he would never have touched this woman.

He nodded at the woman and turned to follow the others.

Something was about to happen, and he didn't like it.

Chase and Kendrick talked as they sat on one of the chairs, and the Omegas offered them hot drinks. He chose the seat opposite them and listened to their fake pleasantries without joining in.

When breakfast was finally announced, Alpha Chase rose and looked around.

"Will the human join us for breakfast?" he asked casually.

"No."

"If you've seen it fit to risk us all by having a human on our land, surely you'd extend us the courtesy of seeing her even once," Kendrick said.

"And there I was, thinking you had come to discuss the more pressing matter of the rogues," he said as he stood. "You won't meet her. Ever. Deal with that while we eat so you can get the fuck off my property."

He wouldn't wait for them to play their games. Being nice had put him in this position in the first place. Like Dylan, they could all accept what was happening or leave.

"But, Your Highness—"

"I spent the night ripping rogues apart, but the thrill was fleeting. They all died too quickly. If you would like to challenge me instead, then please, I'm all for it," he cut in.

"Of course not, Your Highness," Kendrick said quickly.

He deliberately turned his back on them and walked out of the room to head to the dining room. Why had he agreed to this shit in the first place? There was a feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him that the day would not end well.