53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

L ayla had been standing by her window for hours.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't sense anyone else in the woods except Jackson and the men he had arrived with. She hadn't realised how much she had come to rely on her senses until Jackson had told her that Amber was somehow hiding in there. Her enhanced senses were useless in that situation.

But Jackson said he was stronger than the others. That meant he could find her, didn't it?

"You should rest."

She looked back at Faith, who was pretending to read a book. And she knew the girl was pretending. Faith couldn't hide her anxiety, even though she looked calm.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Why would we get an intruder so far away from anything?" Faith continued.

Even though Faith knew she had been involved in the fighting at the packhouse, the girl still didn't discuss pack business in front of her. Maybe they were all going to pretend she didn't know when they let her go after the baby was born, although she doubted it would be as simple as that. They all believed she was human, and humans didn't have the option of living with that knowledge.

"You're probably right," she answered.

"I am. Now sit down before your feet start swelling."

She took one last look outside, and a frightening thought started to gnaw at her. She'd only heard one set of footsteps, but what if there were many of them hiding in the woods? Would she ever feel safe in the house again?

Gavin came out of the woods in only his sweatpants, and a breath of relief left her. If they didn't find anything, maybe they could all just leave. She didn't want anyone else to die in the attacks that seemed to follow her. The pack had been right, after all. It was all her fault. They were trying to hurt Jackson, so they wanted to hurt his child. They didn't care who they hurt to make that happen.

She put her hand over her bump as if that would protect the precious little life in there. When Jackson had been in trouble during the last attack, her wolf side had told her she would protect the child and had pushed her to go out and fight. But now that voice had been silent for so long because she had pushed it to the back of her mind, she didn't know if she would still protect the child now.

Gavin looked up at the window. His eyes looked brighter in the sunlight as if his wolf was still controlling him. She sensed his anxiousness and a wave of fear. The witch was doing a number on all of them.

"I'm just going to... I'll make some food," Faith said quickly as she put her book down.

"Wait! You can't go out there," she said quickly.

Faith was only a child at the end of the day, even if she was also a wolf. She couldn't let her get involved in any of it. Jackson had asked her to protect Faith for a reason. Maybe she didn't know how to defend herself.

"I promise I'll be in the kitchen. I'm sure everyone will also be hungry when they return," Faith said with a little smile.

That was true. The warriors would have worked up an appetite with how many times they had crisscrossed the woods.

"Don't go outside for anything," she said sternly.

Faith nodded and then walked out of the room. The moment the door closed, the girl dropped her facade and raced downstairs. She heard the effort Faith took to be quiet, but she couldn't hide the beating of her heart or the fear radiating from her. Faith opened the backdoor quietly, and Gavin walked in. Did they lock it behind them? She wasn't sure.

There was silence, but they were probably speaking telepathically. Why couldn't they update her, too, since the whole situation involved her?

She had to ask. What if the witch could mask everything and make her believe nothing was happening in the woods? She wouldn't relax if she kept imagining all of them getting slaughtered.

She took a few steps towards the door, and a wave of cold air hit her. She tensed and looked back. The windows were still closed, and even though the air conditioner was on, it was blowing at a comfortable temperature.

Was this...?

She looked around the room and didn't sense anything. Downstairs was still quiet, and Faith's emotions hadn't changed.

But what if the witch was making her believe that?

She rushed to the door and wrenched it open. And came face to face with Amber. The beautiful brunette who wanted Jackson for herself. The one everyone was busy looking for.

She sucked in a breath and stepped back with both hands protectively over her stomach.

Amber's lips twisted into a sneer as she followed and closed the door behind her. Layla realised her mistake immediately. She should have shouted and shut the door in the wolf's face. Even if Amber had broken the door down, she would have alerted everyone of her presence.

"I see the rumours are true," Amber said. "With how you shamelessly threw yourself at my Alpha, I'm not surprised."

"He's not your Alpha."

Surely Faith and Gavin had heard that? The woman hadn't tried to lower her voice, and wolf ears could pick up even whispers.

"I doubt he'll be anyone's Alpha now," Amber laughed.

What did she mean by that? She could still sense Jackson in the woods, and his pack was moving in his direction. What did Amber know?

The last time she'd seen Amber, she'd beaten her to a pulp. What made her so confident now that she didn't show any fear? It wasn't just the attitude that was different; her physical appearance had changed, too.

She couldn't quite put a finger on it. Amber's hair was still immaculate, and her dress sense was the same. She still had all her assets on view and still looked sexy as hell. But there was something not right with the picture.

"Get out of my house, Amber, before I call them all back."

Amber laughed again and slowly walked towards her until she stood only feet away. That was when she realised she couldn't smell her. There was no scent. No emotions to scent. And her feet hadn't made a sound on the hardwood floor. If she'd hidden in a bush outside, everyone would have walked past her.

How strong was this witch to be able to do something like that?

"If you'd just learned your place in the beginning, we would have been fighting on the same side. But it doesn't matter. I'll get what I want in the end," Amber said. "I'll be the Luna, and you'll be dead. But don't worry. I'll raise that little bastard in your stomach like my own. That is, after all, what Jackson wants."

She had to be kidding! She'd suspected Jackson would choose someone like her to be the Queen, but he would never choose Amber! She'd found Amber in his bed when he had been recovering, but if Jackson had been strong enough, he would have kicked that bitch right out.

Wouldn't he?

"Jackson will never touch you. Not like he touches me," Layla said with a sneer. Her attitude was all she had to hide her insecurities. "And you will never come anywhere near our child. Jackson will never allow it."

The smile left Amber's face, and a cold, hard snarl replaced it.

"Do you actually believe the man has feelings for you?" Amber hissed. "Do you think you're the first woman he's fucked senseless? There are dozens out there, maybe even hundreds, who will tell you how great Jackson is in bed. How attentive he is. How he made love to them like they were the only women in the world. There's nothing special about you, Layla."

The words hurt because they were probably true.

"The only reason he's making all of this fuss is that you're carrying his child," Amber continued. "The moment you give him his heir, they will kill you. They already told you so when you got cornered in the garage."

Layla took a step back. How had Amber known about the incident in the garage? She had already been kicked out of the pack at that time.

"Aww. Did I hurt your feelings?" Amber laughed. "I feel so sorry for you, Layla. You let yourself be used and let yourself believe so many lies. But this is my world, not yours. You know too much, so this is where your story will end. We never let outsiders in."

And that was something Jackson already confirmed. They wouldn't let her in even if she shifted.

Amber wasn't telling her anything new. Jackson had already ended things with her when he'd brought her to this house. He had already shown her that she meant nothing to him.

But her heart still ached. All the pain she had been trying to hide started to push back up.

"Get out," she hissed.

"I'm just here to watch the show," Amber laughed.

What show?

A wave of pain hit her out of nowhere, and dread settled like lead in her stomach. She knew it was Jackson without having to concentrate. She sucked in a breath and rushed back to the window. Something was happening; someone was hurting him. She could sense chaos in the wind, but everyone was too far for her to figure out what was happening. It was only Jackson's emotions she could feel at that distance.

"It has started," Amber said.

"What? What are you doing to him?" she shouted.

And then the pain just stopped.

Blanked out as if Jackson was unconscious.

Or dead.

She sank to her knees as her heart ripped open and all the pain spilt out. He couldn't be dead. It couldn't be true.

The pain numbed her for a moment, and she didn't realise she was sitting in a puddle until a sharp pain in her stomach took her breath away.

"No," she cried, her voice cracked.

Amber laughed.

And then she disappeared as if she hadn't been there.