26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

W hat the hell was happening?

Layla tried to keep her footsteps light as she found the old rucksack she had come with and stuffed some essentials into it. Her heart was still beating a mile a minute.

Breathe. She just had to breathe and focus on the task at hand so she wouldn't draw attention to herself.

Was she supposed to pack for Jackson, too? She slowly opened his drawers and took a few things out. What did one pack when they were running for their lives?

Her heart started to hammer again.

Had she heard right? Some people had come all this way to what? Take her? Kill her?

As she listened in, she heard the anger in their voices. She was more unwelcome here than she had imagined, and these people seemed to already know she was pregnant. Was she really responsible for all the bad things that had happened? Were all the whispers she'd heard from the pack true? She hadn't understood half the things the visitors had said. What was a rogue, and why had it claimed her?

They had called themselves the law, but Jackson had still killed one of them. And then he had come back to the room with a look on his face that she hadn't seen on him before.

Her heart pounded harder.

Breathe.

Focus.

She closed her eyes until it returned to normal, then put the rucksack on her back.

When she sat on the edge to put her shoes on, Jackson walked out of the bathroom. He'd washed the blood off and dressed but he was still barefoot. And his attention was elsewhere as he listened. Hopefully his senses were far superior to hers because she couldn't hear anything, not even footsteps. That was worrying.

A sense of foreboding in the air told her things wouldn't end well, no matter what Jackson did.

Jackson bent to pick up her shoes and shook his head as he left them beside the bed. She realised that the sound on the floor would give her away. Jackson then moved quickly to the door. She had no idea how such a huge man could walk without making any sound and then remembered it was a wolf characteristic. That was how they stalked their prey.

Was that how the pack was moving now? Were they already surrounding them but she just couldn't hear them?

Jackson led them halfway down the hallway before stopping at the hidden door Faith had brought her through before. It opened silently to reveal the secret stairway. She had been too out of it to notice before, but it was a poorly lit stone stairwell. And she could see every step clearly, right down to the cracks and chips, as if something had changed in her again.

Only as she started to descend did she realise she had heard Jackson and his visitors clearly, as well. She was sure he had gone into the town, judging by how long it had taken him to walk back. She hadn't had that range before. How much more was she going to change?

When they got to the bottom, Jackson stopped to listen. It was still quiet. The kitchen had been full of people making breakfast before the silence had fallen on all of the pack, but they had all disappeared.

Jackson turned back to her with something that looked like worry in his eyes, making her tremble as fear took hold of her again. He was a beast. She'd seen him rip another wolf apart, and his visitors had said he had killed a whole pack of wolves. But now they were running away. They were not safe.

Jackson put his hands on either side of her face and lowered his forehead to hers. His touch made some of the worries disappear and calmed her heartbeat. When his lips met hers briefly, she knew he was trying to tell her not to worry.

Seconds later, he turned back to the door and carefully opened it. He stepped out first, sniffing the air and listening. But all she could smell was the half-prepared breakfast and Jackson. There didn't seem to be anyone else around, but she knew that couldn't be true. Jackson didn't wait; he grabbed her hand and they started walking a little faster. He led her towards the basement and then headed to the door on the opposite side.

Her bare feet didn't make a sound as they crossed the cold, concrete floor, and the garage door opened quietly, too. They had made it to the cars without a problem but she knew this was just the beginning. There were two sets of gates to go through and patrols everywhere on the property. And there was the fact that the last time she had tried to escape, Jackson had been able to catch them without a problem and he'd ripped the car door open. Could any of the others do that?

Jackson led her to a huge car that looked more like a military vehicle, and when she got into the passenger seat, he gently closed the door. She let out a breath of relief only when he was behind the wheel. Maybe they would make it if the car was as strong as it looked.

Jackson briefly looked at her again before he pulled the keys from the sun visor and pressed a button. The garage door started to roll open, and he put the car on at the same time.

And then he immediately switched it off again.

She looked at him questioningly until she felt the change in the air. It was still quiet outside but... but they were there. As the door lifted, she saw their feet first along the whole length of the expansive garage door. And then she sensed the coldness in the air. The anger. It all came at her at once, as if they had been hiding it all that time.

Her heart started pounding; she didn't bother trying to calm it again. It was over.

The garage door finally stopped moving, and all she could see was a sea of angry faces. There were bare-chested men and women in slips standing perfectly still as they blocked the exit as if they were waiting for her and Jackson to move before they attacked.

The man in front of them was familiar. Unlike the others in shorts and sweatpants, he wore a suit and had his arms crossed. He had been the one who'd sat with Jackson at the dinner and also the one who'd wanted to have her killed after the attack.

"Come out, Alpha," the man said with a satisfied smile.

Jackson let out a breath.

"What are you doing, Zach?" he asked.

He sounded defeated. He was their king, and he'd said he was stronger than all of them. So why did she sense his fear?

"We're the ones who should be asking you that," the man, Zach, spat out. "Come out and face the consequences of your actions."

"Let me take Layla—"

"It's too late for that. You've condemned us all just because of the human," Zach said. "Come out."

Jackson looked over at her and then lowered his gaze to her stomach.

"I'll fix this. Whatever happens, stay in the car and control your emotions," he said.

"What?" she asked, grabbing his arm as her fear took her over. "You can't go out there."

"It will be much worse if I don't deal with this," Jackson said. "Lock the doors, and drive out of here if you see a chance. Don't stop for anything. I'll find you."

They wanted to kill them! How could it possibly be worse than that? But Jackson prised her fingers from his arm and placed the car key in her palm before he got out of the car without another glance at her.

"Don't bother calling for help. No one will come," Zach said as Jackson reached him.

That made Jackson tense. Had they got to the people on Jackson's side before coming to him?

"If I take Layla—"

"You've just killed a Circle member," Zach hissed. But she heard it as clear as day, even above the sound of her rapid heartbeat.

"He threatened to kill the pack—"

"He wanted the girl!" Zach shouted. "All you had to do was give her to them."

"Look, I understand your anger. I've been angry with myself lately, too," Jackson said. "If I'd been here, then maybe we wouldn't have lost so many people—"

"Maybe?" a woman standing behind Zach asked as she walked over to him. "You know they would never have tried it if you'd been here. I lost my parents, Alpha."

Tears started falling down the woman's cheeks, and Layla felt her pain, too.

"Bring the human out so we can end this before the Circle comes to take their revenge. I won't lose any more people for you," the woman hissed.

The air was charged with so many emotions, but it was Jackson's she felt the most. She felt his guilt, his remorse. He blamed himself for something she had caused, and it broke her heart. If it weren't for the baby, she would have given herself to them.

"I'm sorry. I know that will never make up for it or bring them back," Jackson said softly. "They were my family, too. I feel the missing pieces of myself every day. I promise I will protect you all from whatever is coming, even if I have to lay down my life for yours. It's my duty as your Alpha."

"You're not fit to be King. You're not even fit to be our Alpha," Zach spat out as he came to stand right in front of Jackson. "You're like your father, leading everyone down a destructive path on your whims."

The older man then smirked again, and she sensed so much satisfaction from him.

"I'm the Alpha, now. You and your human are sentenced to death for your crimes against the pack."