49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

J ackson snuck out of the house like a thief while Layla was sleeping and drove out of the woods like the hounds of hell were chasing him.

He wasn't being a coward. He was the fucking Alpha King! But damned if he would stick around for the agony that saying goodbye to her face would bring him again.

He didn't slow down once he reached the main road that would take him into the city. The pull back to Layla was worryingly tolerable. That only happened after marking, or mates would never get anything done if they had to fight it all the time. He didn't know much about red wolves, but mating with one wasn't supposed to be different.

"It's impossible," he said out loud.

'Maybe it's the number of times you growled 'Mine!' when you were fucking her,' Cain said gleefully. 'Like in the movie when you say 'Candyman' three times in the mirror.'

"Shut the fuck up."

They'd finally agreed on this. They couldn't do anything that would hurt Layla, marking or rejecting included, so why the hell did Cain sound so pleased?

'You can't fight Fate, Grasshopper.'

He shoved the beast back and slammed on his brakes in front of the hotel. Damn beast. Acting like this had been his plan all along when neither of them had a fucking clue what was happening.

He threw the car keys at the valet before marching into the hotel. The lobby was predictably empty since it was the middle of the night, but he stopped short as he was about to walk past the front desk.

Miss Roberts.

She sat behind the woman at the desk with a book on her lap. He met her gaze, and the woman lowered hers. He sensed the fear in the air.

Andrea was the Housekeeping supervisor. She should have gone home hours ago. Why the hell was she there?

He'd pulled all his men out of the hotel, but someone still monitored her movements and calls. Why hadn't he been told?

He walked to the elevators and pressed the button before looking back at her. She was reading her book as if there was nothing wrong.

The woman had met with a Hunter the last time he'd seen her, and she knew Costas and his men had disappeared. She didn't know what he had done to them but knew he was involved.

Yet she was still working in his hotel.

When the doors started to close, Miss Roberts lifted her head and met his gaze. And there was no fear in her eyes. There was nothing.

He would have gladly added to the body count if he hadn't already killed all those humans. But since he didn't know her link with the Hunters, he couldn't make her disappear like the others.

He was still thinking about her when he walked to his suite and swiped his card to open the door. Perhaps it was time to fire everyone and start again. He didn't know how deep Miss Roberts' influence ran. They could all be as clueless as the employee who had given him details about Costas, but he couldn't take the chance. There had been no other Hunter sightings, so at some point, wolves would begin to return to the hotel because it was still neutral territory.

Faith stood as he entered. She was fully dressed and waiting as he had instructed. An older man stood by the windows, probably assessing the area, as was his job as a warrior. He knew the man's name was Gavin, and he had his chosen mate and a few kids. He'd always been steady. Gavin had been among the first to stand with him when he'd taken over from his father. He was a great warrior, but there were no other teams close by to back them up if they needed it. He had to get them to safety as soon as possible.

"Alpha," they both said, lowering their heads.

"Can I trust you with this?" he asked immediately.

"Of course, Alpha. It will be my honour," Faith answered.

"Yes, Alpha," the warrior replied.

He sensed the truth in their words and prayed that Micah was right about the man in front of him. Protecting his future king was a huge responsibility, especially when they were close to the border of one of their enemies' land.

It was something he should have done himself. But he had a witch to hunt down and the Circle's revenge to wait for.

"This is the address," he said, handing Faith a piece of paper. "You have to stay on your toes because she's a runner."

Faith pocketed the paper and picked up a suitcase beside the sofa.

"Call me if you need anything. You'll see our boundary marked clearly, and there are protective wards over it. Make sure you all stay inside it."

The warrior bowed and picked his case up before he walked forward to take Faith's from her hand.

"If you... If you see or hear anything different or something that doesn't add up about Layla, keep it to yourselves," he ordered, and the command rippled through the room.

He had to. His command would protect Layla, even when he was dead.

Faith raised her eyes a little, and the confusion was clear on her face. But he would never reveal Layla's secrets. It was bad enough that two other people knew she was a half-blood, but if Layla struggled with her emotions at any time while with Faith, they would figure out that she was more than just a half-blood.

"Is there anything we should know, Alpha?" Faith asked.

"Nothing. Just make sure she eats, and both mother and child are healthy," he said. "And once the baby is born, I hope you'll reconsider attending university at the next intake. Taking care of people is your calling."

"I'll consider it, Alpha," Faith nodded before they both walked to the door.

He waited until he sensed them go straight down to the basement parking lot, bypassing the lobby as he had instructed them on their arrival. Once they were leaving the hotel, he walked out of the room and headed for the lobby.

Even though he couldn't directly ask Miss Roberts about the Hunter, a conversation with her was necessary. Sacking her wouldn't stop her if she was in league with Hunters; it would make it harder to keep close tabs on her. But it had to be done. He needed a new group of people who hadn't been tainted by whatever lies Andrea told to get them to do her dirty work.

Only the girl remained at the desk when he walked out of the elevator, but he could sense Andrea was still in the building. He walked over to the desk, and the girl stood and smiled at him brightly.

"Where's Miss Roberts?"

"She had to make a phone call. Shall I call her back, or is there something I can help you with?" the girl asked.

She was young and maybe new. Waves of lust rolled off her and made his skin crawl. Perhaps it was a good thing he was dying because he would never be able to enjoy other women again.

"No, thank you. Why is she behind the desk with you?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Miss Roberts said she's doing some sort of audit," the girl shrugged.

His ears pricked as he tried to locate Andrea and listen to her conversation, but she seemed to have gone to the soundproofed function room. He had never publicised the fact that that room was secure, so he had no idea how Andrea had figured it out.

And what sort of audit did a Housekeeper do by herself in the middle of the night?

‘We should just kill her,' Cain suggested.

‘Not until we know it won't bring Hunters into town.'

That was the only problem. One dead Hunter caused an infestation. It was always better to hide from them than to fight.

"When she comes back, tell her I told her to go home," he said before walking towards the entrance.

He'd just walked out when he caught a scent he had hoped never to smell again. It was just a hint and quickly dissipated in the breeze, but he knew he wasn't mistaken.

Amber.

What the hell was she doing in town?

He opened his senses and tried to locate her, but he couldn't sense her anywhere. The hotel was for anyone from any pack or even rogues if they so chose, but surely Amber knew how dangerous it was to be in town so soon after a Hunter sighting? She should have stayed wherever she had gone to hide after spreading the rumours about Layla.

He sniffed the air again as the valet returned his car to the front. There was nothing. Maybe Amber had sensed him there and then ran away. It was a possibility, considering she, more than anyone else, knew that Layla was more than she appeared to be. And she knew he would kill her if she tried to find a way around his command.

‘She's not here,' Cain said.

No, she wasn't. But still, something wasn't right. He looked back at the desk that he could see through the doors and saw Andrea still hadn't returned to the desk. He would have to keep an eye on those two somehow. As if he didn't already have enough on his plate.

Why were they both at his hotel?