47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

L ayla walked into the house after Jackson had put the light on. It wasn't grand, but it was similar to the home she and her family had lived in before her father had lost it and moved them to the trailer.

Well, as similar as it could be, seeing it was in the middle of nowhere.

A fine layer of dust on almost every surface showed that no one had been in it in a while. There was an enclosed porch at the front and then a wide hallway leading into what she assumed were the lounge, dining room and kitchen. There were stairs on one side of the hallway.

"You're off the grid here for security reasons, so you have a generator, solar energy and a water system," Jackson said as he walked through and put every light on.

She followed behind him slowly. The lounge was tastefully decorated with heavy, comfortable furniture, and a few pictures on the wall. The dining room had a similar design, and the kitchen was also spacious and simple. It was perfect for a little family.

But Jackson hadn't brought her there for that. She'd swapped one prison for another. She couldn't pick up any signs of life for miles around her except the little animals in the woods.

"I didn't get a chance to clean and stock up, but I'll head out now and get you more supplies. Get some rest; I should be back in a few hours."

Her eyes widened.

"How far is the nearest town?"

Jackson looked at her after he set her bag down on a counter in the kitchen.

"Too far for you to walk in your condition," he answered. "I'll show you where you can walk when you need to stretch your legs, but you have to stay inside the protective wards."

"Are you serious?" she hissed for the second time since they had arrived. "You're imprisoning a pregnant woman in the middle of nowhere?"

What about the pain she experienced when she was too far from him? She had known she would have to deal with it, but she hadn't thought she would be so isolated. There would be nothing to distract her. Nothing to help her keep her focus away from her pain.

"I'm not imprisoning you; I'm keeping you safe. There's a witch who wants to kill you simply because you're my... You're the mother of my child."

Jackson turned away and started to walk out.

"Once the baby is born, she won't have any use for you."

"But I can't be out here by myself. What if something happens to the baby?"

"You won't be alone. Someone will be watching the house, and I'll bring someone over to help you around the house."

Jackson was already at the front door as if he couldn't wait to get rid of her. She clenched her fists and pushed her emotions down. She had been doing that since she'd walked out of the forest, and it had saved her sanity. Even the voice, the wolf inside her, was silenced. For the first time in what felt like forever, she was alone in her head, and she was grateful. That wolf would have been crying all over him.

But Jackson would never see her shed a tear for him. She had her pride and knew when she was not wanted.

"Is this why the pack kept getting attacked?"

"That wasn't on you," Jackson said. "But I do have a responsibility to keep my people safe. They come first."

Ouch. She stopped and watched Jackson open the door. His people came first. If she hadn't been sure before, she was sure now.

"After you're settled here, I won't see you again until the baby is born," Jackson said. "I trust you to stay healthy and also deliver a healthy child. Tell the woman who will live with you if you need anything, and I'll provide it."

He was so cold. After everything they had been through, this was how he chose to end things?

"And my sister? When can I see her? She'll be eighteen before the baby is born."

"You won't see her. But I'll take care of her, don't worry. If she shifts, I'll take the appropriate actions."

Her emotions had threatened to eat her up when she had gone for a walk that morning, and they were doing the same now. Anger. Pain. Confusion. Had she fallen in love with a man who could throw her away so easily?

"If she shifts, do not take her to your pack. She's my family, not yours."

Jackson paused as if that was even something he had to consider and then nodded. She didn't need his permission to be with her family. Her fists clenched at her sides.

"I guess there's nothing more to say, then," she said, stepping back from him. "Have a nice life, Jackson King. Go and protect your people; I'll be more than fine here without you."

Jackson looked away from her, but there was no emotion coming from him. None at all. It was almost as if he was made of stone.

He could go and make his plans for his life, but she'd be damned if he was going to have any say in hers.

"There is one more thing left to say," Jackson said, and her heart gave an involuntary flutter.

But he stopped talking.

"What?" she urged.

Jackson shook his head and then turned to the door again.

"Just spit it out, Jackson. Since we'll never see each other again, what do you have to lose?"

Jackson turned back but still didn't meet her gaze.

"You're right. There should be no words left unspoken. It will be better that way," he said, finally meeting her gaze.

His icy-blue eyes were full of something she couldn't decipher.

"I, Jackson King, Alpha of the Midnight Pack," Jackson started slowly.

He stopped again.

What the hell was he doing? She cocked her head and tried to read him, but he was still a stone wall.

"I, Jackson King, Alpha of the Midnight Pack, the Alpha King..."

And then he stopped again.

His heartbeat quickened. His fists clenched at his side. His eyes flashed red several times before he growled and turned away from her.

"Goodbye, Layla," he said before he closed the door.

What the hell was that? Why had he brought up his rank and title? Those had nothing to do with her.

She went to a window next to the door and watched him get into his car. And then he started it and sped off the driveway as if hurrying to get somewhere. Maybe someone had told him there was another emergency.

She turned away before she saw the car disappear for good. She was already struggling to keep her emotions bottled up; she didn't want him to sense how much he had broken her. This was her life now. Alone.

It took him three hours to get back. His car was the only one she'd heard in all that time. Instead of coming in to carry the groceries and packages he had bought, he put everything just inside the front door and then returned to his car.

That was how little Jackson thought of their time together. He couldn't even pretend to be a decent person to help her carry everything into the house.

She was better off without him.

If she told herself that often enough, it would stop hurting her so much.

She wasn't planning on staying long but put the groceries away so they wouldn't spoil. If Jackson was going to send other people to the house, they would need to eat. But she would be long gone before they got there.

She walked over to her bag and looked inside it for her phone. Britney had described the place she was staying in several times, but she hadn't given her the address. It didn't matter, though, because Brit was still attending school, and she knew where that was.

Once she figured out where she was, she would find her.

The house was off the grid, so she didn't bother looking for the internet router. But when she unlocked her phone, she realised the situation was worse than that. She had no reception whatsoever. She wouldn't be able to find out her location.

She sighed and put the phone aside. It looked like she would have to do things the old-fashioned way. She would rest a little while and then walk until she reached the next house or shop. Or at least to a road where she could hitch a ride. She was done being a prisoner.

Her phone beeped, and she sighed again. She would rest and charge her phone. And then she would go.

She looked through the bag for her charger while she made her plans. Once she got Brit out of school, she would use the money Jackson had been depositing every month to get as far away as possible before looking for something as isolated as her new prison to hide in. Jackson was confident no one would find her, so at least she knew what to look for in their hideout.

She tipped the contents of her bag on the counter and looked through all the side pockets before repacking it.

She realised something when she had put everything back in her bag. She'd left her charger. It was still plugged in beside Jackson's bed.

She'd been so eager to leave that she hadn't thought of it.

But it didn't matter. She could buy another one once she got away.

Two hours later, after a power nap and food, she set out with her rucksack on her back. The woods around her didn't seem as dangerous as the forest around Jackson's house, but she knew there could still be dangerous animals lurking in them. She'd packed a couple of knives, some water and extra food.

This wouldn't be her first hike. She used to walk for hours just for fun when she had the chance; she could do it to save her life.

But three hours later, there were no signs of life or a proper road. Her water was finished, and she'd just had her last sandwich. She had never been sunburnt in her life, but for some reason, her arms and face were on fire. She hadn't even seen any streams or watering holes to cool herself down.

Two hours later, she admitted defeat. At least for that day. But she was five hours away from the house and didn't remember where it was.

There was a sound in the distance that made her perk her ears. A car! She saw it in the distance and waved her arms, screaming for help.

But once it stopped next to her, she wished she hadn't.

Jackson was furious when he rolled down his window.