11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

J ax walked into the conference room where Dylan was waiting and went straight for the drinks cabinet.

"A little too early for that, isn't it?" Dylan said.

He threw his head back and downed the shot before he poured another. And that still wasn't enough fortification. He turned around and looked at the envelope Dylan placed on the table. There was only one group of people so full of themselves that they still sent messengers when they could easily have called.

The little envelope had its official seal, a raised circle stamped in red wax, and it stank of dark magic.

"It's been over a year since that incident at the gate and longer since Alpha Finn. Why would they do this now?" Dylan asked.

"Because they're assholes," he growled.

He'd started to believe that the Circle accepted his declaration that they were breaking away because he hadn't heard from them since their last visit. Since Layla grabbed Hugo by his throat. He should have known better. They would never let him go that easily when they coveted his bloodline. And with Layla in the mix, the Circle members were probably getting hard-ons every day, imagining what they could make his little family do.

Whatever was in that envelope was about to mess up his life.

"Putting it off won't solve anything," Dylan said. "Open it. Let's get this over and done with."

He grabbed the whole bottle of alcohol and an extra glass before walking over to the sofas, completely ignoring the envelope.

"I've been trying to put everything behind me. The curse, the witch. Micah. But I have a feeling it's all about to come back and bite me in my ass," he said as he poured shots for both of them.

"You went through a lot, so it's normal," Dylan said, picking up the envelope before sitting opposite him. "The Circle probably just wants to finalise things. Open it."

Jax ignored the envelope and downed his shot.

"Have you heard anything else about the missing scouts?" he asked.

"No. We were on standby for an emergency evacuation; I didn't follow up on that."

"Ryker's scouts are missing," he stated. "That can't be a coincidence."

Maybe Hailey had a sibling, or her coven was looking for revenge. He couldn't ignore that possibility anymore.

"Whatever is happening in the packs, you have to deal with the Circle first," Dylan insisted, holding out the envelope.

He sighed and put his glass down before taking the envelope. The magic in it sizzled and rippled over his skin when he touched the seal. As the recipient, he was the only one who could break it open, but he always wondered why the Circle used dark magic for that when light magic could have worked as well. They were so used to doing things in the darkness that they weren't bothered by having it in every aspect of their dealings.

He pulled out the paper inside and took a moment before opening it.

A summons.

He was being summoned to stand trial.

"What do they want?" Dylan asked.

"Jackson King, you are being summoned to stand before The Circle to answer for the following transgressions. The murder of Circle Member Alpha Finn Gideon. The assault of Circle Members Alpha Hugo Byron and Alpha Lincoln Byrd. The refusal to follow the set laws that apply to all," he read out loud.

"Shit," Dylan said.

Indeed. When the Circle summoned someone, it never ended well. He couldn't remember hearing of anyone returning from such meetings. They tended to disappear the way whole packs disappeared when Hunters discovered their location.

But the summons did not mention Hunters, which was odd. He'd come closer than anyone in leading those Hunters almost to their doorstep, which should at least have been stated as his biggest crime.

"We hereby summon the human called Layla Carlisle, who is under your protection," he continued.

They knew she wasn't human and was more than under his protection. What the fuck were they playing at?

Cain unfurled inside him when he recognised the threat to his mate. His beast knew what this was as well as he did. It was an attempt to control him through his mate.

"Disrespect toward any Circle Member is not tolerated and is punishable to the full extent of our laws. Present yourselves at the given address and time or face the consequences."

The consequences would involve his whole pack, perhaps even all the packs he ruled over as King.

He threw the paper on the table and grabbed the bottle before sitting back and resting his head on the back of the couch. They wanted to talk about disrespect but had not addressed him by rank. They knew Cain hated that. Anyone else could get away with it, but not the Circle.

"I think they just want to look at her," Dylan said. "She's the Queen; they know they can't touch her."

His gut told him otherwise.

They were going to try to clip his wings. To punish him because they could not get him to bow to them as the others did. From the moment he'd met Layla, he'd known his enemies would try to get to him through her. He'd known he'd put a target on her back.

"Something big is coming, Dylan. I feel it in my bones."

"There's nothing bigger than you and Layla together. Just have faith in that."

Everyone assumed they could face anything because they stopped the Hunters and ended the witch's reign of terror. But that had been just dumb luck. They hadn't even begun to test the limits of what they could do together.

"Layla and I will be training from tomorrow. I need you to train her sister and keep her occupied so Layla can give all her attention to this. We need to be ready."

"You really won't consider Josh training Britney?" Dylan asked.

"I can smell the lust on him a mile away. That boy will not train her, at least not in what matters," he grunted as he stood up. "Make the arrangements. I'll see a few packs along the way to the meeting with the Circle and introduce Layla."

He looked down at the paper on the table again and felt his chest tighten. The Circle was a bigger threat than the Hunters because they had access to everything he held dear. And they wore the face of a friend when, underneath, they were the biggest monster out there. He couldn't trust them with his mate.

"Where's Diedre?"

"She and Hope went on a picnic. I think Diedre was picking herbs."

"I want to see her when she returns. We need to fortify the wards."

"Our wards are the strongest they have ever been," Dylan said. "Before Layla, Dee was only strong enough to ward the packhouse, but she can easily manage the whole territory now. I don't think we need to worr—"

"Do it, Dylan."

He couldn't ignore his gut feelings or how restless Cain became since they read the summons.

"I have to see Layla and make up for whatever I did wrong."

He left the room and closed the door on Dylan's laughter. One day Dylan would find a mate and realise it wasn't all fun and games. He still had to put all the work in to keep his mate happy.

By the time he walked up to their floor, he'd put the summons to the back of his mind. There was no point in worrying Layla now. They would train a little first until she felt more confident in herself, and he'd work his way to that just before they left for the meeting. She was already on edge because of the Hunters. His gut told him she'd been ready to flee; the last thing he wanted to do was make her feel like she should run from him again.

He slowed down when he saw the warrior outside Britney's room. Why did she need a guard? Did something happen while they'd been away?

Layla came out of her sister's room and turned the lock quickly. He stopped in his tracks when he sensed her panic, and when the pounding started on the other side of the door, everything made sense. Layla went ahead and tried to explain the situation to Britney without him. She'd not taken his advice to do things a little bit differently.

"Open the door, Layla! You can't keep me locked up in here!"

"What's going on?" he asked.

Layla turned around to face him, her guilt clear on her face.

"Nothing. Nothing," Layla repeated. "Let's go and find Hope."

"I know you're there! Let me out! What are you going to do? Are you going to kill me, Layla?" Britney screamed.

He sensed a lot of anger and agitation from the young girl instead of the fear and anxiety he expected after such a revelation.

Layla linked her arm through his and turned him to head back down the stairs. Her panic ramped up a lot.

"Let's hurry," she said.

"I take it the talk didn't go as planned?" he asked, allowing her to lead him away.

"She... You were right. I should have waited," Layla said.

He paused on the steps to look at her face. She was keeping something from him. He could sense it in their bond and see it in the guilty look on her face.

"What happened, Layla?"

"Nothing," she said again with a bright smile.

And it occurred to him that it was the same smile she gave him only days before when she promised not to leave him. Was that a lie, too?

He couldn't stop the lead that settled in his stomach as his mate led him to see their daughter.