62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

J ax stepped back and tried to rein his beast in, but his heart was pounding, and his head was still trying to process what he had just done.

And Cain, the bastard, he was raring to go. He had a mate to mark and enemies to rip apart, in no particular order.

"It was you," Layla whispered.

Behind him, the sound of footsteps pulled his attention away. Dylan and his warriors were running up the stairs. Shit! His door lay on the floor, and he couldn't stop his shift. Like a newly shifted pup, his beast had taken all the control from him.

He had to stop. If they saw Cain, then he would never be able to lie that Layla didn't know the truth.

‘I'll kill them all,' Cain growled. ‘And then you won't have to hide her from anyone.'

‘They will take her from us!'

"Hide, Layla," he growled before Cain turned them around to face the coming deluge.

By the time Dylan appeared on the landing, Cain was already halfway down the hall, ripping off his jacket and shirt as he became half man, half beast. The beast ignored the pain in his side as the half-shift pulled at his bite when his body started to stretch and fill out more. His men sensed the danger and immediately started to run back down. If he'd had control, he would have sworn at them all for being so stupid. It was always better to stand still and submit to Cain than to give him something to hunt.

‘I'm going to show you how you protect my mate,' Cain stated, jumping down the first flight of stairs.

Jax tried desperately to control the beast as it reached the first warrior, but nothing worked. Not the reminders of what they would do to Layla or the fact that they were his family. They had stood by his side through everything.

The warrior tumbled in his haste and fell the last stairs. Cain launched himself again and landed next to him. All the fight left Jax when he saw the fear on the young warrior's face as he looked into the face of death. This was where he died, all because his unstable wolf had decided everyone was a threat to his mate.

He hadn't regretted meeting Layla for a while now, but all those feelings returned at that moment. He cursed the day he'd caught her sweet scent. He cursed the day he had brought her back here, too confident in his belief that he could be stronger than their bond.

He closed his eyes so he would never have to see any of the young man's death in his dream as he saw countless others.

But the moment never came.

He paid attention to his surroundings again and realised Cain had gone past all of his warriors and had wrenched the front door open. And right in front of him was Kendrick, taking his jacket off as he attempted to shift and flee.

That fucker!

‘You know he's the cause of this, and yet you shared a meal with him like he's your friend,' Cain growled just before he grabbed the Alpha by the back of his neck. ‘The man has been jumpy since he walked into the house.'

Behind him, several people gasped as he lifted Kendrick into the air. He turned around to face the crowd that had gathered on his front step while Kendrick gasped for air and flapped his arms and legs as he dangled in the air. An Alpha reduced to nothing but a ragdoll flapping in the wind. His warriors and guests looked unsure of what was happening, but their fear kept them from jumping to Kendrick's aid.

"Tell me what you did," he growled at Kendrick. "Tell me why you invited yourself into my home."

"I don't know what you mean," Kendrick whispered. "Please, Your Highness. Have mercy on me."

He let his claws extend further so they punctured his skin like he had done to Laken just days before.

"She said she would help me get your territory," Kendrick called out, breaking immediately as he had known he would. "She said she knew how to get rid of you, and I was to become the new king."

He made his confession directly to the gathered crowd. Cain kept his senses open and kept track of every reaction. Every heartbeat, every unguarded emotion. The shock among them couldn't be faked. It was likely Kendrick had kept that information close to his chest.

"Who?" he growled.

"I've never met her before. A young witch, she said you destroyed her people," Kendrick said. "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I'm sorry."

"Where does she live?"

"She comes to me in the middle of the night. I don't know where she comes from."

Kendrick had tears flowing down his face as he confessed. A real Alpha was courageous even in the face of death. And this man thought he could be king? Cain tightened his fingers again, and Jax felt no remorse.

"Why are you here?" he repeated his earlier question.

"I was only supposed to get close to the human. I thought she would join you for your meals, and I would put something in her drink."

His blood ran cold as he looked among the crowd. Diedre stood among them in the late morning sunshine, pure horror on her face. This man intended to harm Layla, so how had he made it through the wards? He wouldn't have trusted the Circle's wards so quickly, but Diedre's? He trusted that woman with his life. She wouldn't have fucked him on purpose.

"I can help you," Kendrick whispered. "It's not too late. She can reverse it; she told me she can."

He knew the next words that would come out of his mouth. The desperate man would reveal his secret, and everyone would know he was on death's door before lunchtime. Maybe he also knew that Layla was a half-blood and his mate.

Cain didn't hesitate to crush the Alpha's windpipe completely.

The crowd before him flinched at the sudden move, and as Kendrick gurgled and gasped his last breath, they didn't take their eyes off him. Like watching a car crash. Their emotions ranged from fear to relief to shock. When the Circle heard about this, there would be repercussions.

He'd just killed an Alpha like he was nothing. And he was. Kendrick had been lower than the shit beneath his shoes, and no one could say any different. But he'd been an Alpha. He'd had responsibilities.

Cain gave him back control, leaving him to deal with the mess he had made alone. They would have to discuss Cain's actions, but not when he had all those people in front of him waiting for him to calm down.

"Who are his people?" he asked.

Kendrick's warriors stepped back, but the Beta who had sat beside Kendrick at dinner stepped forward. As the man who had killed the Alpha, he was rightfully this man's new Alpha, but he had no desire to touch anything Kendrick had owned. He had no desire to lead anyone.

All he wanted to do was die in peace. Why couldn't this witch let him have that?

"Take your Alpha home," he said, finally dropping the body.

He relaxed and allowed his body to return to its normal human form. Kendrick's Beta and one of his warriors carried their Alpha down the rest of the front steps and into his car. The rest of the warriors didn't hesitate to pile into the other vehicles and then drive off.

Only when he turned back did he realise Amber was still there.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Amber said in a shaky voice. "I only begged to join them today to visit your Beta. I had no idea of his plans."

She seemed sincere, but that didn't explain why she hadn't gone with the rest of her people.

"I came here to seek refuge in your pack. Alpha Kendrick is not... was not in his right mind, and his Beta is just like him."

He looked back at the cars driving through his gate. The young Beta didn't strike him as an egomaniac, but power changed people.

‘Let's go and kill him,' Cain snarled.

He shoved the beast back before he could pull the same trick.

"Go home. Kendrick is dead, so whatever other issues you have in your pack are of no concern to me," he growled as he started to make his way back into the house.

"Alpha, maybe we can let her spend the day here in case she wants to make other plans?" Dylan asked.

His friend was shielding most of his emotions, probably hiding what he thought about what had just happened. Only hours earlier, he'd accused him of being like his father. But he wasn't unreasonable. Besides giving him that flirtatious smile, Amber hadn't raised any warning bells. Her confession could explain away that hint of deception he'd sensed from her. But he still doesn't trust her.

"Keep her out of the packhouse," he told Dylan.

His warriors and Alpha Chase's warriors parted to give him way, and right by the entrance stood the cocky Alpha Chase. He wasn't cocky anymore. He had a frown on his face as he lowered his head. He was worried about what he'd just seen and heard.

"I'm the one under attack, so I don't think you will get any problems," he said. "Speak to Diedre before you go."

He'd walked past him before he decided to turn back.

"If you decide you want to fuck with me, too, I will not hesitate to rip through your whole pack."

The hint of fear he felt in the air was a little satisfying.

He closed the door on all of them and locked it so they all understood they were not welcome, and then he looked towards the stairs. Layla. He dreaded the conversation he was about to have.