17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

I t took them the rest of the day to ensure their guests were fed and settled. The children refused to be separated, so they settled in the packhouse hall. His Omegas spent the better part of the afternoon moving mattresses and other essentials for them, some of them donated from the pack because he couldn't risk anyone going out for a supply run.

The children were still scared, making everyone else around them anxious. The pack was still on edge since the scare with the Hunters.

But Layla seemed more anxious than the rest of them.

Jackson looked at his mate as they went up the last flight of stairs and gently squeezed her hand.

"Are you okay?"

"I... I'm not sure. Rebecca hasn't come back yet," she answered. "I'm probably just being a bit paranoid because of those children. She disappears all the time and comes back as if nothing's happened."

"It hasn't been that long since the memorial. The last person I'd worry about right now is your mother," he answered. "She can take care of herself better than most of us."

A wolf who could hide for months from his most experienced warriors would be able to tell if an enemy was approaching from miles away. He only had a glimpse of what a red wolf could do through his bond with Layla, but if she kept training, she would harness all her power like Rebecca.

"You're right," Layla said with a nod. "She'll turn up when she feels like it."

They reached their floor but Layla tensed. Her anxiety increased as she slowed down. He looked up the hall at Britney's door and sensed the young girl's fear.

"I can go in and apologise," he offered quietly. "I didn't mean to scare her."

"It wasn't you," Layla said with a sigh. "I messed up. I scared her."

He waited for Layla's explanation. He knew she was on the verge of telling him what she was hiding from him; the last thing he wanted to do was open his mouth and mess things up.

‘Don't get mad,' Layla said in his head.

Cain was instantly on alert because that meant this was something he would get mad about. Or someone he would have to kill. He reigned the over-emotional beast in and turned to face Layla, studying the look on her face. She looked guilty as fuck. As if they needed any more complications right now.

‘I won't get mad. Tell me what happened?'

‘Britney lied to me. I don't know what made her suspicious of her bodyguards and you, and I have no idea how she figured out that she just had to say she was hearing voices and I'd jump to help her.'

He took a step back from Layla to look at the locked door. So Britney put herself in this situation without knowing how dangerous it was. That was bad, especially considering how his pack felt about humans.

But was that really the reason Layla had gone for him? She should have known without him reminding her that he would never do anything to hurt her. Why couldn't she have just told him?

That hurt more than he wanted to admit.

‘We can't just take her back to college now; I've put everyone on lockdown.'

It was easier to deal with the facts than how Layla made him feel.

‘You're upset with me.' Layla said, stepping forward and taking his hand.

He looked down at their entwined fingers instead of her eyes.

‘You could have just told me instead of putting me through all that.'

‘You told me it was too soon to bring her over. I should have listened to you.'

He sighed and pulled her into his arms. What was done was done. He'd deal with his feelings and move on. There were so many other things to worry about now; having a human among them would complicate many things.

‘There's nothing we can do about Britney now except warn her to keep her mouth shut. Since she's new to our world, a certain amount of fear and surprise is expected; she won't look suspicious. But we have to keep her interactions to a minimum in case they figure it out while we're gone.'

Layla stepped out of his arms and met his gaze.

‘Gone where? I can't leave Britney now; they'll pounce on her.'

It was time to tell her the truth so they could start working on strengthening their bond. Being out of sync with her fucked everything else up; he couldn't do that anymore.

‘We've been summoned to stand before the Circle. We have to stand trial for what we've done.'

Layla took another step back.

"I physically assaulted one of them," she said out loud.

He nodded. Layla's anxiety ramped up.

"You killed one of them."

He nodded again.

Layla raked her fingers through her fiery red hair and turned away from him. Her anxiety turned to fear.

"You said they're more dangerous than Hunters. We might not come back from this," Layla whispered. "Hope and Britney..."

"We'll be back. I think they're more curious than anything because Finn has been dead and buried for a long time. They've probably heard what you did to the witch and want to see you. I won't let them hurt you. Layla," he said as he pulled her back into his arms. "I'll keep you safe. Okay?"

Layla nodded but she was growing more anxious by the second.

"We only have tonight to teach Britney the rules. The Circle gave us seven days to present ourselves, so we leave tomorrow morning."

Layla stepped out of his arms again, and this time there was a frown on her face when she looked up at him.

"How long have you known about this, Jax?"

He sensed disappointment through their bond as if she already knew the answer.

"I was just trying to protect you."

Layla's eyes flashed and her body tensed.

"And you thought giving me one day to prepare to meet an organisation that can make me disappear is the best way to protect me?" Layla snarled.

"You won't have to say anything. I'll—"

"I'm not a fucking child, Jackson," she hissed. "It's one thing for you to keep all your secrets, but if they involve me, you can't decide what's best for me."

"You don't know the Circle," he said. "You'd have spent the week getting more anxious. You can't defend yourself from them because you don't know what they're capable of yet; you haven't even been able to talk to your wolf or shift for over a year. There's nothing you can do."

He knew the moment he finished speaking that he'd fucked up.

But he was only stating the truth. Layla was still a new wolf; it would take her some time to figure herself out, even though she was more powerful than most wolves would ever become.

Layla sucked in a breath and her eyes became watery as she held his gaze. And then she turned and walked to her sister's door.

"Layla..."

"Tell me what time to be ready. I'll spend the night with my sister teaching her what to do so she doesn't get trapped here, too."

And that was the most significant blow to his heart.

Trapped?

Did his mate feel trapped with him?

Layla walked into Britney's room, and the loud click as the key turned in the lock, echoed in the hallway. It felt like someone threw a tonne of bricks at him as his mate cut herself off from him once again.

How the fuck was this happening again? They'd just spoken about this. They'd just agreed to tell each other the truth and start afresh. She'd said she knew what he was like and loved him anyway! But now she was walking away. Was he the only one who felt like everything he did depended on the state of their bond? Was she not as invested in their relationship because they were different?

Was he the only one who felt like his whole fucking world was ending?

If Layla's truth was that she felt trapped in his home, in his world, then...

Cain whined in his head. His fists clenched as he tried to hold everything in. He turned back and marched down the stairs.

The lobby was still busy as the Omegas went above and beyond their duties to care for their young guests, and a few warriors gathered near the door to discuss extra security measures. They all stepped out of his way as he pulled his t-shirt off. They all lowered their heads and didn't dare breathe.

It had been a while since anyone reacted to him like that. It was like he'd gone back to being the monster who'd rip their heads off or string them up in his dungeon if they even looked at him. Maybe he would. Too much was going on in his head that he felt ready to explode. He ignored them as he stepped out of the packhouse.

Dylan was coming up the steps with Gavin, but they stopped as he marched past them.

"Alpha, what happened?" Dylan called out.

He was the only one brave enough to speak to him when he could see Cain so close to the surface. The beast surged within him, ready to head back and break Britney's door down. Ready to drag his mate to his room and not let her go until she understood that there was no getting out of this bond.

Not with either of them alive.

He kicked his shoes off and commanded the gatehouse guard to let him through. And then he started running. There was no escape; he was well aware of that. But he still ran until he was in the forest outside his compound. Until the darkness in the forest ate him up. He ran even as the sweat started to drip down his body, and his heartbeat accelerated. Even as the sharp stones and pebbles cut into his feet.

But it didn't help with the pain or stop the beast thrashing inside him.

It was almost dawn when he gave up and kicked off his sweatpants. Cain took over immediately as he shifted and started racing back to his mate. The beast's emotions swallowed him up. The pain. The anger. The fear and anxiousness. It dragged him under until he drowned in emotions he'd fought to hold at bay.

The closer they got to the packhouse, the more determined Cain got to get his mate back by whatever means necessary.

Maybe it was time he let his beast do that because he was so damn tired of walking on eggshells.

Layla said she loved him.

This was him, warts and all.

And ‘till death do us part' wasn't just a phrase. Cain was going to make sure she understood that.