77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77

J ackson watched the sleeping baby in his arms and blinked back his tears. He was leaving his precious little girl in chaos. All his efforts to find the witch had failed. She'd disappeared after Amber and Miss Roberts had failed. He assumed the witch knew there was no point now. She'd already achieved her goal of making the rest of his life miserable.

"I'm sorry, Hope," he whispered. "I know you'll become a better person than I was, even in any adversity. Do you know why? Because you also have your mother in you. You are going to be magnificent."

The more he said it, the more he would believe it. But it was hard to see any such future in a helpless three-month-old.

"What the fuck was I thinking?"

His chest squeezed as it had done all day.

"It's not your fault."

He looked up to see his mate in the bathroom doorway, a vision in a green, body-hugging dress. It had thin straps, so his mark was on show. For a second, he felt pride in it. But he remembered it was nothing but a death sentence for the love of his life. She smiled at him, but even with her mask on, she couldn't hide her emotions from him anymore. She was as cut up as he was.

He put Hope down in her car seat and stood.

"You look stunning," he said as he walked over to her and took her hands.

He had been with Layla for so long, but this was only the second time he'd asked her to dress up. If they hadn't been dying...

He pushed that thought aside and leaned over to kiss her. Tonight was not about that. Not yet, anyway.

"So do you," she smiled shyly.

Since the day she'd revealed herself to the Circle, Layla had been struggling with the thought that the pack would reject Hope simply because of what her mother was. She'd gone back to the days she'd pretended to be submissive, lowering her gaze and being respectful to everyone.

"Let's get going. The sooner we get that out of the way, the sooner we can get back here."

He led Layla back to the bed, and like the first time she had dressed up, he went down on his knees and helped her put her shoes on. And, like the first time, his mate's breath caught, and her body heated up. Marking her was supposed to have dampened some of their reactions to each other, and in a way, it had. But cementing their bond had brought all their emotions alive.

Ironic, really.

When he stood, he picked up the car seat before taking Layla's hand.

"Are you ready?"

Layla nodded. He took a deep breath to steel himself and then led his girls out of the house. The car was already waiting for them outside the packhouse. They stopped at the top step and looked up at the rising moon. The sun was still out, but he could already see the pinkish tinge forming on the moon as everything aligned for the lunar eclipse. The blood moon that had doomed him.

The drive out of the packhouse and into town was quicker than he wanted. The car stopped at the entrance to the town hall, and he had to take another breath. Everyone was already there. He'd put this off long enough; he had to do it. And he owed it to Layla.

Micah pulled the door open for him and bowed respectfully.

"Everything is ready for you, Alpha," Micah said.

He nodded and got out of the car. He helped Layla out while Micah went around to get Hope so he could take her to the room where a nursery had been set up for the younger children. Micah had spent a lot of time with the little girl lately. He knew it was because he missed his child. He'd given his Gamma the option to bring Cassie back, but his daughter had settled well with the other pack. And Micah probably wanted her out of the way in case the witch attacked again.

He hooked Layla's hand in his arm and walked towards the doors. The town hall was the only place big enough for the whole pack to sit comfortably. At the first dinner at the packhouse, he'd only introduced Layla to a few members. They all knew who she was now. She'd fought for them and had been willing to sacrifice herself to the Hunters to save them. And they had heard she had gone toe to toe with the Circle. It was only right that he made everything official.

They walked down the short entryway, and then the two young boys at the hall doors lowered their heads as they pulled them open.

The whole pack quietened as they rose and lowered their heads.

He looked around at the pack he had given up so much for and felt the knife through his heart again. They were in a good mood; it was his birthday party, after all. But he was about to rip that away from all of them.

He looked down at Layla, and she gave him another little smile. And then he walked down to the front with her on his arm, as he should have the first time. As he would have if they'd had more time so he could marry her.

Chase, Braxton and Dylan were already at the table set at the top. He helped Layla into her seat before they all sat down.

The chatter began again. The drinks were already flowing, and a space had been left in the middle for dancing.

"Happy birthday, Your Majesty," Chase said with a bow. "May the Goddess grant you what you truly desire."

Unlike most people in the room, Chase hadn't asked why he was celebrating his birthday a day early. And he, Dylan and Diedre were the only ones not celebrating like the others.

Layla slipped her hand into his under the table and gently squeezed. It was only mildly soothing.

"Thank you."

"And you look radiant, Ma'am," Chase said to Layla.

Chase and Brax had yet to ask him about what they had seen in Diedre's room. Brax, in particular, who'd been searching for the red wolf in the forest after the attack, was practically vibrating in his seat. Out of everyone he knew, Brax would probably have been the first one to accept Layla.

"Thank you," Layla smiled shyly.

Brax repeated the sentiment, then his gaze remained on Layla's neck. "And congratulations on finally getting mated."

Chase almost choked on his drink. He coughed and spluttered, drawing attention to himself before he leaned over to look at Layla's neck. And then the Alpha he'd made a blood oath with met his gaze with so many questions in his eyes. He'd made Chase go through the oath to protect Layla and Hope, only to turn around and mark her and kill her anyway. But he would still be bound to Hope, so that was enough for him.

He looked away from Chase to the dancefloor as the servers started to bring out the food. Between trying to stay alive and fighting the bond, he and Layla had only danced together once at Brit's party. They never had the chance to do things that people in love often did. Dinner. Movies. Travelling. It was too late now.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked his mate.

Layla bit her lip and blinked back some tears as she nodded. Maybe she'd had the same thoughts he had.

He led his mate to the dancefloor and pretended there was no one else in the world as he held her in his arms. Their last dance. When her tears started to flow, he held her tighter. The room had already quietened down. He couldn't hide how he was feeling anymore.

When the last note played, he released his mate and smiled at her.

‘Are you ready?'

‘Yes,' Layla replied in his head.

The one person he actually wanted in his head, and he hadn't been able to enjoy it.

He led her back to the table and pushed away their uneaten meal. And then he clinked his fork against his wine glass to get everyone's attention. With a breath, he stood and looked at all the faces he had protected even before he had become king.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight at such short notice; it means a lot to me. I know it hasn't been a good year, and most of that was my fault," he started. "I have something I need to confess."

He looked down at his mate and almost backed out of it. He didn't want to see her crying again. But Layla smiled and nodded for him to carry on. Looking back at his people, he saw all the worry on their faces. For the first time in his life, he couldn't look anyone in the eye.

"First, I would like to officially introduce you to your Luna, Her Majesty Layla Carlisle," he started. "She has been the light in my life for almost a year and has shown me compassion that I didn't deserve. I'm honoured to call her mine."

Faith was the first to clap. She had been indispensable the past few months, and he truly hoped the young Omega would go on to achieve great things.

"Five years ago, I was cursed to die on my birthday."

The applause died. Shock rippled through the room. There were gasps and murmurs. And from the ones that loved him the most, he felt their gut-wrenching pain.

"Diedre and I tried everything we could, but the spell can't be broken," he continued. "I invited you all here tonight on the eve of my birthday to tell you in person. And to apologise. I tried to keep you all safe but failed many times."

From her table at the front of the room, Diedre pursed her lips and didn't look at him. She was still under the impression that her plan would work.

"I don't want you to worry. You'll be in good hands. You know Alpha Dylan will look after you."

Dylan folded his arms and also kept his emotions to himself.

"And you'll have my little girl..." He swallowed. "When she's older, please don't tell her how much of an asshole I was. She will do a better job than I did."

His voice broke. He swallowed again but couldn't stop all his pain from tumbling out. He looked down at the drink, unable to carry on. He'd planned a whole speech to say goodbye, but all the words were stuck in his throat.

"I'm sorry. I will spend the rest of the evening with my mate and child. I'm confident that you'll all be okay without me."

He stopped speaking and took Layla's hand to help her up. And then he took his last walk among his people. At the door, he turned to look at them all one last time, and then he did something an Alpha would never do. He bowed. He showed them the respect they deserved for putting up with all his shit.

When they walked outside, the sun had set, and the moon was red. It looked darker than usual, a deep red resembling spilt blood. He supposed it was a fitting end to his reign.

"I made arrangements for Britney. Have you spoken to her yet?"

"No. I'll speak to her tomorrow," Layla said firmly.

He watched her strap Hope back into the car, her shoulder set and her emotions all over the place. She didn't believe they would have a tomorrow, either.