78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78

A ngelic singing. It drifted in and out of his ears and tried to force him from his peaceful slumber. It was beautiful but it was pissing him off. Why did anyone have to sing so much when people were trying to fucking sleep?

His eyes shot open.

His heart slammed in his chest.

Could it be?

He turned and saw the face he had fallen asleep next to because it was the last face he wanted to see before he died. Layla's mouth was slightly open and she was snoring softly.

He sat up with a jolt and listened to the singing. Those weren't angels. That should have been his first clue. His soul had been damned long ago; there were no angels in his afterlife.

"What are you doing? Come back to sleep," Layla mumbled.

It took her a few more seconds, but Layla jolted awake and her eyes widened as she looked at him. She sucked in a breath, her heart hammering to match his.

Maybe he was dreaming. Perhaps he wanted this so much that he was dreaming about it just before the curse snatched his life away.

'Is this real?' Layla asked in his head.

He slowly raised his hand to her face. She was warm and felt real. But she always felt real in his dreams. All the dreams of the future he longed for always felt real. And he could always feel their bond, unhindered by curses, burning brightly as they grew old together.

He looked around and saw Hope sleeping in her crib, right where they had put her before they held each other on the bed. The sun was shining through their windows, and the soft singing outside continued.

He hadn't meant to fall asleep. He'd wanted to look at Layla until the last second.

His heart was still hammering when he slid off the bed and walked to the window. Hundreds of people were all over the front lawn, some lying down, others seated and swaying as they sang. They had candles and tea lights burning like they had been holding a vigil.

He looked back at Layla. Was it real? He had no fucking clue. He could smell them. He could hear them. And his heart... It twisted as it filled with all the hope he had denied for five years.

‘Did the witch say on the eve of your birthday or the evening of your birthday?' Layla asked.

His budding hope crashed. Those words had been burned in his memory for years, going around and around in his head almost every moment of every day. But as he tried to recall them now, he had to wonder. He could see the witch's mouth moving. He could hear the sound of her voice. But was it eve or evening?

Fuck.

His hope completely disappeared.

He sighed and pulled his mate into his arms. They were still fully dressed, but their clothes were wrinkled, and Layla hadn't bothered to wash her makeup off. They looked a mess, but there were people outside already mourning them. They had to go out and tell them to go home.

He released her and took her hand to lead her out of the bedroom. When he opened the door, Dylan fell back into the room. The impact of his hitting his head on the floor startled him awake, and he jumped to his feet in a fighting stance. Dylan blinked the sleep from his eyes and then slowly lowered his fists.

"Holy shit," Dylan said, then he rushed forward and put his arms around him. "It worked!"

Dylan released him and moved on to Layla, picking her up and twirling her around. He wanted to do that. He wanted to celebrate being given a second chance to live his life with Layla. He wanted to celebrate that Layla hadn't given up her life for him. But the fear that he would either wake up or die that night instead had already settled in his heart.

"I don't know if it did," he answered honestly.

Dylan stepped back from Layla and frowned.

"Of course it did," Diedre said from the doorway. Micah and Faith stood behind her, and he realised the four of them had all slept on the floor in the hallway.

"I don't know, Dee. Did she say the eve or the evening? I don't even know if I'm dreaming right now," he said hoarsely.

"You know the blood moon only lasts for a few hours," Diedre said, tears running down her cheeks. "So it can't be tonight, Jax. It's over. You're free."

And his heart filled again. He released a breath as Diedre's words echoed in his head. It was over. He was free.

His heart pounded again as he turned to Layla and pulled her back into his arms. His body started to tremble as reality set in. His limbs weakened.

He could have this. He could love Layla for the rest of his life. And Hope.

He looked back at the crib and the sleeping baby. For the first time in years, he could make real plans. He could do all the travelling he wanted with Layla. They could have more children. He would be the one to teach them not to be assholes.

And he could watch his mate shift whenever that happened.

When he let go of Layla, Micah pulled him into a hug. The man who always did things properly and refused to call him anything other than Alpha or His Majesty bent his principles for the first time in his life.

"I wish you had told me sooner. I wouldn't have rested until I'd found that witch for you," Micah said.

"And that's the reason I stayed quiet," he smiled.

Faith came next, the little Omega who'd always been his biggest fan.

"You really shouldn't have suffered alone, Alpha," Faith said with her head lowered. And somehow, he felt thoroughly scolded. Faith had that way about her.

"I'm sorry, Faith. I'll make it up to you."

Dee came last. The witch tightened her arms around him, and her tears continued to fall.

"I told you, you stubborn child. I knew she was the one," Diedre sobbed.

"Hush now. You'll make the others think I'm dead."

He took a little time to appreciate them before taking Layla's hand again and leading her down the hall. On the second-floor landing, he saw Chase and Brax. Of all the Alphas he knew, he never thought these two would end up being there for him in the end. Brax preferred his own company, and Chase disapproved of him as the King. But they still stayed.

They both nodded at him as he continued down the stairs. And when he finally opened the doors, his whole pack was on their feet, heads bowed. The air was full of emotions he had never had from them before. Or perhaps it was Layla they were bowed to.

He looked at his mate and brought her hand to his mouth. She had the biggest smile on her lips, and her eyes kept flashing as all the emotions overwhelmed them.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"I don't know. I never imagined I'd see this day."

"You should probably get ready for a fight."

He turned back to Brax, who had come out with everyone else behind him.

"I don't know about you, but if I was the witch who'd been fucking with you, I'd be very pissed off right now."

Right. Fuck.

"Can't I have one day to just enjoy this?" he muttered as he turned back to the sea of people outside the packhouse.

But he knew Brax was right. The witch would be livid, and there was nothing worse than an angry witch.