82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

J ackson grinned when Dylan rolled his eyes at him as Hope led him by the finger to the tea party she had set up in the garden.

"Enjoy your party," he called to them before he turned and walked toward the packhouse.

The trainees had the day off today, but he was pleased that most of them took their training seriously and were sparring in the fields. All the kids had to grow up quickly after the last war. In a few days, they would all hold a memorial honouring all the people they had lost.

Gavin walked up to him before he reached the door.

"Everything is all set, Alpha," he said.

Gavin was the most prominent reminder of what the war had cost him. He'd had to fill Micah's big shoes. Though it wasn't his fault, his heart cracked whenever he saw Micah's replacement as the Gamma.

"Thank you. We'll be ready in time," he said with a nod.

The packhouse was spotless as usual, awaiting all the guests he had invited. As he walked toward the stairs, Faith's mother walked in, a huge smile on her face.

"Is she here?" he asked with a smile.

"They're picking her up at the airport now," the excited woman said.

"Great. I can't wait to see her and hear how her classes are going."

Faith was coming home for his birthday party and the memorial. He couldn't believe a year had passed, and he would celebrate his birthday without the curse hanging over him for the first time in years. Sadness flittered through his mind. His birthday would always remind him of the things and the people he had lost.

As he approached the bedroom door, he heard Layla laughing as she spoke to someone on the phone. He focused on his footsteps and called on his wife's gifts. He opened the door as silently as possible and walked in. Layla stood next to the bed, looking at some outfits she had laid down on as she spoke on the phone. He knew she hadn't heard him and couldn't smell him, either. His mate still had a long way to go to be able to control all the things she was capable of, but he had shared some of it when they had bonded. It had been fun to learn his new limits.

Layla hung up the phone and threw it on the bed before she picked an outfit. When she turned in his direction, she dropped the dress and clutched her chest.

"What the fuck, Jax! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Layla shouted.

"Rule number five. Always be aware of your surroundings," he grinned as he walked toward his mate.

She would be his wife soon. He had the ring ready to ask, but he knew it was just a formality. Layla would say yes. And he would watch her walk down the aisle towards him and finally be legally recognised as Mrs King.

"With the security that Diedre and Mum have set up around this place, I don't think anyone can get to me," Layla said with an eye roll as she picked up the dress.

He took the dress from her and threw it with the others on the bed.

"You don't need that yet."

"Chase is already on his way," Layla protested, picking the dress up again.

"Oh, Chase is coming, is he? I don't remember sending an invitation," he teased.

But Chase and his pack members had been part of the family since the attack. The blood oath had stopped him from hurting Layla, and for that, he would forever be grateful. Chase had lost people, too, in that war. The memorial would be held for all of them, even Ryker's people.

His face twisted when he thought of that man. But Layla claimed including them was the only way everyone would learn to live peacefully.

Ryker had been quick to accept. Some of the rooms that had been prepared were, unfortunately, for him and some of his pack members. Even though it was his birthday, Ryker had sent a big bunch of flowers over for Layla.

It might have had something to do with the fact that the fucker practically shit himself when Layla told him to do something.

Layla scared everybody.

He'd sensed it when his mate stood before them with the witch's blood dripping from her red fur.

She was dangerous and powerful, and he was probably the only one turned on by that. She was the unknown. The tale they were all told as children of the ghost that lurked in the shadows. The spirit that could slit your throat in your sleep or rip you limb from limb without leaving a trace.

And she just happened to have an overprotective mother who was just like her.

The Circle had completely backed off. The Hunters hadn't returned to town, though he knew that was just a matter of time. But if they did, everyone believed their Queen would protect them again. Once she became more confident, he knew she could do it.

He took the dress from her fingers again and held it behind him.

"I won't take long," he said with a grin.

"We will have plenty of time later. There's so much to do, and I have to get Hope ready," she insisted as she tried to reach for the dress again.

"I'll trade it," he said.

"For what?"

He lowered his gaze and watched how she bit her bottom lip. The heat was already simmering in his body, and that small action set everything off.

He threw the dress somewhere behind him and crashed his lips to hers. It was just over a year since he had put his mark on her, but every single time he touched his mate, he went up in flames.

He released her only to pull her t-shirt off over her head, and then her workout gear went next. When she was completely naked, he met her gaze. Her eyes were glowing. Excitement ripped through him when he felt Cain call for her wolf. He had figured out that was the reason sex was always off the charts. Their wolves were nymphomaniacs.

He whipped his clothes off quickly and then picked Layla up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and crashed her lips against his, her dress and the birthday party forgotten. When she reached between their bodies and guided him, she was already drenched. He groaned as she slowly lowered herself until he was balls deep. Layla didn't wait for him to put her on the bed, floor or against the wall.

She took him where he stood.

He threw his head back and gripped her hips as she moved on him. She'd accused him of trying to give him a heart attack, but it was the other way around. His heart raced, and his head swam with all the combined emotions. She didn't let him catch his breath as she took everything from him. Everything.

And when he started to spill into her, she called out his name as she wrung every single drop of pleasure out of him.

His knees trembled when he set her down again.

"You were right," Layla said breathlessly. "You didn't take long at all."

He laughed as he sat down on the edge of the bed and willed his heart to stop racing.

"Wait till I catch my breath. I'll show you," he said.

Layla picked her dress off the floor and was about to say something when her phone rang. It was the ringtone she used for her sister.

"Brit, hi," she answered. "I was about to call you."

"Something's wrong with me," Brit said on the other end.

He frowned as he heard the fear in the young girl's voice.

"What happened? Are you home?" Layla asked.

"I think I'm going crazy. I keep hearing voices in my head."

Layla's worry disappeared. The biggest smile formed on her lips. For months she had prayed for this day.

"Calm down, Brit. It's okay," Layla said calmly. "I have something I have to tell you. I'll tell the guys to bring you over."

A smile formed on his lips as he lay back on the bed.

Despite the heartache he had to live with, life was good. For the first time ever, it was good. No witches. No enemies circling him. And a mate who would lay down her life for the people she loved. He never thought he could have any of that.

He had never wanted a mate in the first place. He'd always considered it a weakness. But he would forever be grateful for the day he'd caught her scent at the hotel and made a deal with her. Layla was his redemption. His everything. And they had their whole lives ahead of them.

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Continue Jax and Layla's story in Bloodlines Book 3, The Alpha King's Fate