72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

J ackson blocked out the insistent chatter in his head from Dylan and sat on the smooth rock on the edge of his territory that looked over the forest.

Things had been quiet the whole week. According to Micah, there were no more sightings of rogues or the red wolf, and his scouts had nothing to report. Whatever issues Dylan had to talk about all had to do with the amount of time he'd spent locked away with Layla, and he wasn't in the mood for that. Especially since he didn't want to listen to how they had to kill her and how bad it would look when others found out he was shacking up with a half-blood.

The past two weeks had put things in perspective. He'd realised he just didn't give a shit about what they thought, but his biggest realisation was that he wanted to spend his dying days with this woman.

Child or no child.

How the mighty had fallen. He'd turned into the type of person he had loathed before he'd caught Layla's scent.

"I said I wanted to stretch my legs, not tire myself by hiking up a mountain," Layla grumbled as she came up to sit beside him on the rock.

"It's hardly a mountain, and we walked for fifteen minutes," he pointed out.

Far enough away from the pack that they could speak freely. He'd expected Layla to still be terrified of him after her initial reaction when she had found out who he was, but she seemed to have taken that in her stride. She didn't shy away from his touch or his kisses. But he could still feel that desperation in her, and it worried him.

When Layla stopped complaining, she looked ahead at the view before them. He'd lived in the forest his whole life, so he was biased, but that was the best view in the world. From there, the forest stretched out for miles, a sea of green untouched by humans. It was as untamed and dangerous as the humans feared it to be, yet there was a beauty even in that. Giant trees with thick trunks shot up high into the sky, and wildlife made its home in their branches and below. The canopy was too dense to see beneath it, but he could sense all the dangerous animals lurking under it.

"Wow! It's beautiful," Layla whispered.

If he weren't dying, he would have made it her home.

"It is," he answered. "But don't ever go through it alone. You wouldn't last a day."

"I've never realised the forest was so big. What's beyond it?"

"Nothing. There's a steep, very dangerous drop into the ocean on this side. It makes it harder for anyone to attack us from there."

"Do you get attacked often?"

He sensed her change of mood when she asked. Was that what had her desperate to leave?

"No. People tend not to fuck with me. We've had some minor incidents lately, but those settled down. You're safe here."

It didn't count as a lie if he was just trying to protect her, did it? The Circle's wards didn't work, so anybody could still attack them to do the witch's bidding. It wouldn't help to tell her she had a target on her back.

He didn't know if she believed him as she played with a blade of grass and kept her gaze on the view.

And he kept his gaze on her. Since he had stopped fighting the pull towards her, he'd taken more time to study her. The bond had definitely changed her. Her mannerisms were more wolfish now. Her eyes pricked up when there was a distant sound. She sniffed the air when food was being made down in the kitchen. And though she had complained about him tiring her out, she hadn't become breathless even with the brisk pace he'd kept.

Fate had taken the perfect woman for him, and she was adapting to her life as his mate. Completely screwed up, but that was what it was.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked.

"We had that talk already. There's nothing wrong with us enjoying the time we have together. I don't want you to be unhappy, Layla," he said as he looked back over the forest. "Maybe you'll be the only one to think of me fondly when I'm gone."

"Gone where?"

Shit.

"When we have to part ways," he corrected.

And her sadness returned. Layla looked away from the forest and started twisting the ring on her finger. If Diedre's magic didn't work on her, then the ring and the pendant were nothing more than expensive jewellery—gifts from a man to his lover.

He put his hand over both of hers to stop her anxious movements.

"Are you scared of me, Layla?"

"I don't know," she answered. "I know I should be, but..."

"You have nothing to fear from me. I'm the last person in the world who'd ever hurt you."

She looked up at him questioningly. Humans didn't know anything about mates and what that did to a wolf, so he wouldn't attempt to explain that. Knowing too much would be too big of a burden on her shoulders when he was no longer there to protect her.

"Do you hurt other people?" she asked.

"I've had to. I protect what's mine," he answered quietly.

And that was the reason they were all in this mess. There was no redemption on the cards for him.

"Why are we talking about this? I brought you out here so I can hear your screams echoing over the forest," he said as he stood and turned to face her. He positioned himself between her knees and heard her heart rate spike up.

"Anyone can come up and see us. Don't tell me you're an exhibitionist," Layla chuckled when he pulled her t-shirt off her head.

"Oh, definitely not. No one else gets to see you like this."

Her bra went next, and he threw it on the ground next to the shirt. Layla didn't resist him. He knew she couldn't, but he wanted to believe they had spent enough time in each other's company for her to have thawed towards him. Maybe she would have reacted the same if the bond wasn't pulling them together.

He pulled his t-shirt off and watched the way her eyes lit up like the red wolf's as they ate him up. She couldn't hold her emotions back any more than he could.

‘Mark her.'

He groaned as he pulled her against him. Since his recovery, that was all Cain wanted. To mark his mate and bind them for life. The urge was nearly impossible to resist.

"Your eyes," Layla whispered.

And yours, mate.

"Am I scaring you?" he asked.

She shook her head quickly; he could sense it was the truth. Layla seemed more fascinated than scared. It was a relief because he couldn't stop it. Heat rose in his veins, and his heart started to hammer against his chest. His hands trembled as he brought them up to her face and brought her lips against his.

Completely lost. She'd ruined all his plans, yet he couldn't find it in himself to be upset about that. Layla owned his soul and had claimed it, whether she understood it or not.

He had them both naked in record time and then wrapped her legs around him as he settled back between her legs. Her sexy moans started the moment he started sliding inside her and got louder with every movement. The echoes travelled over the forest as he had expected.

His little screamer.

She had no idea what she had done to him.

She consumed all his thoughts, and everything he had done since he had brought her to the packhouse had been for her. Had been just so he could do this, feel this for as long as he could.

She had brought him back to life, even if it was just for a season.

When she called out his name and her muscles squeezed him, he buried his face in the crook of her neck and joined her. Her scent was all around him, inside him... she was everywhere, and his gums itched to seal the deal.

"Bite me, Jackson," she moaned.

Like after the first time she'd said that, he sucked on the spot on her neck and felt her start to cum again. His whole body reacted, spilling his seed a second time. But it wasn't enough. He knew what they needed, but it was something he would never follow through with.

‘Bite her!' Cain ordered.

His face tightened, and his teeth scraped against her skin before he realised what was happening. He wrenched his lips away, quickly untangled himself from her limbs and put some distance between them.

Cain was still trying to take control of him as he watched Layla fall back against the smooth rock. Disappointment laced her emotions.

"Layla..."

‘Alpha, we have a situation at the main gate. Alpha Kendrick's Beta has sent his messengers.'

He didn't want to deal with that shit. He wanted to make love to his mate until she was sated. Until that disappointment was gone. Until she passed out with his name on her lips.

‘Alpha?'

Layla moaned and put her hand between her legs as if she hadn't just exploded a few times. But it was his job to deal with whatever was happening. He had to take care of everyone, not just Layla.

Didn't he?

‘Alpha?'