10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

L ayla felt a sense of relief when the main gates of their compound finally came into view. She didn't know when the city became so scary, but she felt safer within those walls and Diedre's protection wards.

"We'll take her for a walk to our lookout point," Jax said. "It will be okay; you'll see."

Jax seemed to have pulled himself out of his depression, so at least the time alone had been helpful to both of them.

But there were hundreds of missed calls on her phone. When she put it on, it dinged and vibrated with message notifications for quite some time. Brit could be dramatic sometimes but she couldn't blame her sister for this. She'd stuck her with some strangers when she was feeling scared and then abandoned her.

The town wasn't as busy as it usually was, and that brought back memories of when they all lived in fear and constantly camped on the packhouse grounds. The whole pack was more relaxed since the incident with the witch, and part of her believed it was because they all thought she could help protect them again if anything happened. They were relying on their beast of an Alpha and their red Queen.

But she was the weak link.

If she died, then Jax died. Then there would be no one to protect them at all.

The anxiety started gnawing at her again as Jax stopped the car in front of the packhouse. Dylan was already waiting on the front steps. Though he looked serious, she didn't sense any anxiety from him when he came to open her door.

"The Hunters seemed to have been rookies," Dylan told them. "They had a room for the weekend but checked out quickly; we think somebody called them to work. Our scouts followed them out of town to make sure, then headed back."

"We still have to up the training," Jax said as he took her hand and led her up the steps. "And make sure everyone is clear on the evacuation plans."

"Yes, Alpha."

"I need to speak to you about something, but we're going to talk to Britney first," Jax said.

He probably wanted to speak about whatever Ryker saw him about that morning. She'd been trying to be respectful by not eavesdropping, but she hoped Jax would talk to her about it, too. He separated that part of his life from her as if she was just a trophy mate. Just good for sharing his bed and nothing else. After their time alone, she hoped that would change. They were a team, and there was a lot to do to prepare for an invasion. She couldn't shift on command yet, but she could at least be useful in other ways.

"Yes, she's... Britney's been very upset."

The way he said it made her believe that was an understatement.

"She seems more comfortable with the warriors she lived with, so maybe you can arrange a companion for her?" Dylan continued as they walked into the packhouse.

"Not Josh," Jax added immediately.

"Why? You sent him home so she wouldn't get attached to him when we didn't know if she had a wolf. Surely it's okay if they start talking again?"

"I don't think it's the right time. Josh is a promising warrior and we need everyone focused right now."

She stopped and turned to look at him.

"I'm not suggesting they get married. How would talking to Britney derail him from the plans you have for his life?"

Jax paused, the confusion clear on his face. How was that in any way confusing? She understood he was the Alpha, but surely he had no say in matters like that, especially considering Britney and Josh were adults.

"Are you sure she even wants to see him?" Jax asked.

"That's not the point. You're stopping it before they have a chance to decide for themselves. You can't control things like that."

"I'm not trying to control any relationships. But we agreed on this, Layla. Britney has a lot to learn. Both of you are going to be training hard—"

"Well, I guess I have to focus on my training and not my relationship, too."

Jax's mouth dropped open, and then he looked back at Dylan as if he was asking for help.

"What's happening here?" Jax asked.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing, Alpha," she sighed and continued to the stairs.

"I hate to bring this up now, but there was a messenger at the gate this morning," Dylan said.

She turned back to ask what the message was about, but Jax was already walking with Dylan towards the offices. Her curiosity disappeared at the sight of her mate walking away before he even attempted to do what he said he would do.

"Aren't we going to talk to Brit?"

"I'll come up later, Layla. This is important."

And then he was gone.

Her heart squeezed in her chest as his words hit hard. It probably was more important than her family dramas; she got that. She had no right to feel hurt that she was not a priority when he was an Alpha, the King. He made decisions that affected everyone, not just his little family.

Before she'd taken another step forward, Jax came back out into the lobby. She met his gaze and felt his remorse.

"I didn't mean for it to come out like that," Jax said. "You're important to me, too."

"I know. It's okay; get back to work," she said with a little smile.

Jax crossed the lobby in long, easy strides and pulled her into his arms before he lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was gentle, nothing more than a caress, and it soothed her aching heart.

"I'll come up as soon as I can, and we'll tell her everything together, like we planned," Jax said when he lifted his head. "Don't get upset with me."

She went on her toes and pecked his lips.

"I'm okay. I already kept you away for days; you go and catch up," she said. "I need time to apologise to Brit first, anyway."

Jax nodded and then released her before he walked back towards his office.

She sighed and started going up the stairs. There was a lot she was unhappy with lately. Her training, how Jax wanted to treat Brit, how he kept everything to himself and suffered silently. A few days of sex wasn't going to fix that. They needed to sit down and talk about it so he could understand where she was coming from.

But first, she'd talk to Brit.

As she came to the top floor, she saw a warrior sitting on a chair outside Brit's room as if she was a prisoner.

"What's going on?"

The man stood and lowered his head.

"Beta Dylan asked to guard her, Luna," the man answered. "She tried to run away."

What?

The thought of her sister going out into the world without a clue of who and what she was pushed everything else out of her mind. The warrior unlocked the door, and when she pushed it open, Brit was sitting by a window, hugging her knees with a knife gripped in her hand.

"Brit."

Her sister didn't turn away from the window. She remembered how often she'd sat there herself, trying to find escape routes.

"You said you'd be back days ago, but you disappeared with your boyfriend and left me locked up in this room surrounded by strangers."

"I know. I'm sorry. We couldn't come back until we knew it was safe."

"You say things like that as if that doesn't make the situation worse," Brit said through her teeth. Her sister whipped her head around to face her, forcing her to step back.

There was anger on the young girl's face, understandably, but there was so much fear. Brit's eyes were puffy and red, and she looked like she hadn't slept in days. Her hair was usually in a neat ponytail, but now it was loose and tangled.

Nothing but the truth was going to fix this mess now.

"I'm sorry, honey. I'm here now. Let me tell you everything," she said, walking further into the room. "I know how you're feeling. I know you're scared. I should have stayed home with you and Hope, but I had to go and talk to Dad."

"Without me?" Brit shouted, standing and facing her fully. She still had the knife gripped at her side, and her eyes twinkled with all the anger radiating from her.

"He was drunk and in no state—"

"He's a piece of crap, but he's still my father," Brit snapped.

She wondered how much of the anger had to do with the wolf trying to push its way out. Her mother told her about the mood swings and insomnia on Brit's eighteenth birthday, but that was over a year before, and Brit's issues settled down after that.

"I know. But you have to stay here for a while, Brit. You're going through some changes that could put the people around you at risk."

"Because you think I'm going crazy? I'm only holding this knife because there's a strange man outside the door. I'm not going through any changes; I already hit puberty a while ago, in case you've been too busy with your boyfriend to notice."

She sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to her. Brit dropped the knife on a side table and then folded her arms defiantly.

"Okay, you can stand if that makes you more comfortable. But those voices in your head? The dreams you have when you finally fall asleep? The urges you can't explain? I know what's happening."

Brit's head cocked to the side as the anger slowly disappeared to be replaced by confusion.

"I only told you about the voices," Brit said.

"I know everything else because I went through it, too. I tried to tell you the other night, Brit. We're different. And this place is the only safe place for us until we know how to control ourselves."

Brit sat back in her chair, her gaze not leaving her for a second. She could hear her sister's heart pounding and feel the fear that started to increase again.

"We're like my bodyguards, aren't we?" Brit whispered. "The glowing eyes?"

She nodded.

"You made me feel like I was seeing things. I thought I was going crazy," Brit said.

"I'm sorry. But I couldn't say anything until I knew you would go through all this. I'll help you now, Brit. I'll teach you everything you need to know so you won't be in danger when you go back out there."

"Help me to do what? Say it, Layla, because everything I've thought of so far sounds insane."

"We're werewolves."

Brit rushed to her feet, and her hazel eyes turned cold.

"That's exactly what I thought you'd say," Brit growled. "I knew they'd brainwashed you, Layla. I'm nothing like you. Take me back home. You can stay here with the new family you've chosen."