82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

T he car stopped at the Dark Moon pack gates and Jackson stepped out, ignoring Micah's objections.

Something wasn't right, and it wasn't the presence of the stupid pack camped in his forest—though their numbers were indeed a worry.

It wasn't Chase's scouts and warriors watching them from the forest, either.

‘Alpha, we're too exposed here. I'd feel better if you return to the car until we join the other team inside,' Micah mindlinked as he came to stand beside him.

The Head Warrior looked around and kept alert to any threats as he had trained his whole life to do. He shouldn't have bothered. No one would attack him when they were fully aware he could sense them in their hiding places. They wouldn't be so obvious if they were going to ambush him.

‘Did Amber cause trouble when you threw her out?' he asked Micah.

Micah tensed and turned to look at him with his eyes lowered.

‘You didn't seem surprised that Dylan rushed back to deal with her,' he stated, his suspicions growing as he watched Micah's reaction.

‘They had become quite close, Alpha.'

‘And from a security point of view, you think that's a good idea? Your Beta fooling around with a rival pack's warrior?'

‘I think she should have left with her pack, Alpha,' Micah answered.

‘So answer my question. Did she cause any problems when you threw her out of my territory?'

‘She had a lot to say. It didn't make sense, but many people heard her before I took her far enough into the forest,' Micah said.

And then he went quiet again. The man was trying his patience. Something was wrong, and he was pretty sure the problem was at home. Cain came to the forefront, ready to shift and take over. If Layla was in trouble, then no one was safe right now.

"Spit it out, Micah," he growled out loud.

Micah flinched.

‘She said she's going to report something about Miss Layla to the Circle because something is not right with her,' Micah mind-linked.

Fuck. He should have ordered her not to speak about Layla at all. If there was anything the Circle liked to do, it was to meddle in all his business. But that didn't explain why she was already back at his gates. If the Circle had gone to his gates with her, he would have already known about it. They couldn't hide their darkness even if they tried.

Alpha Chase's gates started to open just as he felt something. Layla. She'd been masking herself well since he left, but now something had slipped through. Regret? Sadness? Why was she feeling heartbroken? She had been drowning in many emotions when she slipped before, but he didn't feel any of those emotions. What was going on?

"Your Highness."

Chase had come to meet him at the gate, which was unusual for the arrogant Alpha. And he didn't have the usual smirk on his face. He had bags under his eyes, and the air was heavy around him. But he was too busy trying to figure out what was happening with Layla to figure him out, too.

"I didn't want to waste any time, so I'll take you straight to..."

The full force of Layla's emotions hit him like an avalanche. What the hell...

He tuned Chase's voice out and pulled his tie off before ripping his shirt open.

"Your Highness?" Chase questioned.

"Alpha?" Micah said at the same time.

He was naked a second later and shifted as he ran back towards his territory without an explanation to the two men.

Had Amber gotten to her? Was it Dylan? Had he used this as an excuse to finally get his hands on Layla? Dylan had been so angry when he'd thought he had beaten Amber up, and then he'd suddenly changed his mood when he had agreed to meet Chase. That should have been a clue. How could he have been stupid enough to believe that was the end of that?

Cain ran faster than ever, cutting through the forest rather than taking the road. His huge paws snapped fallen twigs and branches, and the leaves in the trees shook as he whizzed past them. The animals that made the forest their home sensed the danger and scurried away from him.

He never thought he would see the day when Dylan became his enemy. He had been so sure that he would eventually explain the truth to his Beta and all would be right again. He had been so confident Dylan would still be the one to look out for his child.

He sensed Dylan's location before he reached the gates and changed his direction to follow him. There wasn't a trace of Amber anywhere; that fucker had lied. But he had Layla with him.

His mate was still projecting her emotions so strongly that his anger increased with every step he took. Cain growled as anger turned to fury. He saw nothing but red as the urge to kill took him over. The forest became quiet as everything within it sensed the danger. Did Dylan feel it, too? Did he realise how much he had fucked up?

‘I'll kill him,' Cain said. ‘I'll rip him fucking apart. I will bathe in his blood and leave his remains to be devoured by rodents.'

He had no objections this time.

The speed with which Dylan was moving confirmed his suspicions. What was his end game? Dylan knew he could track anyone. Was he going to kill Layla as he had been itching to do? That was the only way he would ensure that Layla never came back.

He saw the car's headlights and sped up to get ahead of it. Then he lept into the air and landed right in the middle of the road. Dylan braked hard, and the car almost spun out of control before stopping only a few inches in front of him.

But the fucker didn't get out of the car. He didn't beg and kneel even though his fear was all he could smell now.

With rage boiling over, he shifted and marched to the driver's side. He yanked the door open so hard it came off its hinges. He threw it into the forest before grabbing Dylan by the throat and pulling him out.

Layla wasn't inside, but he could sense her fear. The trunk. The fucker had put her in the trunk of the car.

Had he hurt her first?

"Jax..."

He whirled around and punched Dylan in the face before he walked to the back of the car. Layla came first. She had to be okay. Fate wouldn't be that much of an asshole to give her to him and then take her away just when he accepted that she was his now.

When he wrenched the back open, relief flooded through him when he met her emerald gaze.

He didn't scent any blood or see any bruises. She was okay.

He doubled over as his limbs weakened. His heart was still beating out of his chest as he realised how close he had come to losing the only thing that mattered to him now.

A groan from the side of the road brought his attention back to Dylan.

His former friend. The man who wanted to kill his mate.

The red haze was still over his vision when he straightened and started walking back to Dylan.

"Did you really think you could get away with it?" he growled.

It was Cain's voice, and judging by how Dylan's eyes widened as he tried to get back to his feet, he realised that, too. No one fucked with Cain and got to tell about it.

"You're not yourself, Alpha," Dylan whispered. "It's the only way."

He roared and grabbed him by the throat again.

"I fucking warned you!" he shouted as he dangled him in the air. "I told you what would happen if you touched her again."

His claws started to extend, and blood seeped from Dylan's neck. But he wouldn't give Dylan a quick death like the others. Dylan was supposed to be a friend, and he had betrayed him.

He threw Dylan to the side, knocking him into some tree trunks before his body fell hard to the ground. Behind him, he heard Layla scrambling to get out of the car. Her fear had multiplied, but that wasn't enough to pull him out of his rage. Dylan had to die. Anyone who messed with Layla had to die.

"I'm sorry, Jax," Dylan wheezed. "I'm sorry. Please..."

He was on him before he could say anymore. He never wanted to hear that voice again. When he punched him again, blood splattered onto the ground beside Dylan's head.

"Jackson!"

Layla's scream pulled his focus briefly. She had followed them into the forest, and the look on her face was pure terror. She was finally meeting the man she had been unfortunate enough to be mated to.

But he couldn't stop. Dylan would keep trying—it was his best and worst quality.

He picked his Beta up and threw him further into the forest to finish him off. But as he started to stalk his prey, Layla ran past him with a speed he hadn't seen from her before.

And then she threw herself over Dylan's body.

"Jackson! Stop!" Layla shouted.

Tears streamed down her face and her whole body trembled.

"Stop. Please. He's your friend," she cried.

"He wants to fucking kill you. How could you defend him when he took you from our room?"

"Because I asked him to!"

He took a step back.

"What?"

Layla wiped her tears with one hand and kept her other arm around Dylan.

"This was my idea. I want to leave. I'm going home," she said calmly.

And his senses told him she was telling the truth.

She wanted to leave.

He meant nothing to her.

He took another step back as a pain he had never felt before ripped him in half.

"Don't hurt your friend because of me, Jackson," Layla whispered.

He felt the moment the useless thing in his chest shattered to pieces. It had been dead before he'd met Layla, and now all the life she had given it drained away.

It wasn't Dylan who had betrayed him. It was his mate.