18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

L ayla didn't sleep a wink since Jackson ran out of the packhouse.

She looked back at the bed where her sister passed out, fully dressed. Britney had been too exhausted to take in anything she tried to tell her. Not that she'd made much sense. She'd been too worked up to say much more than ‘keep your damn mouth shut'. She didn't know if Britney understood anything.

Why the hell did Jackson keep something so important from her? The summons had nothing to do with the pack; he should have told her the moment he knew the Circle wanted to see her.

She'd almost choked one of them to death at the main gates! In the human world, that was similar to attacking someone high-ranked. Maybe even a president! Humans got life sentences for that.

She stopped pacing the room as dread filled her and rooted her to the spot.

She was probably going to die.

And she only had the night to process that she might have to leave Hope and Britney to fend for themselves.

If she had known about the trial when the message came, she could have made a plan. She could have tried harder to find her mother or sent Britney back to college.

But now she was supposed to do what? Stay quiet and let Jackson do the talking?

‘...there's nothing you can do...'

Jackson's words started to echo through her head.

Who's fault was it that she knew nothing about their world? Who's fault was it that she hardly ever trained properly and wasn't expected to do anything other than raise Hope?

Her fists clenched at her sides. Rage started to build up inside her but she pushed it back. It wasn't Jackson's fault. She'd known what she was up against but relaxed when the false sense of security settled over the pack.

She'd pushed what she did to the witch to the back of her mind and chose to live in the bubble Jackson provided for her. She'd enabled it.

And though it frustrated her that she wasn't training, wasn't yet strong enough, and the voice in her head disappeared, she admitted that a part of her felt a little relief.

It was all her fault. She should have been ready for anything instead of hiding behind Jackson because he was the strongest among them.

And now it was even too late to flee like she had intended to do.

She sensed Jackson returning and looked out of the window. Dawn had crept over the land without her realising she spent so much time in her head.

Anger. She felt so much anger inside her from her bond with her mate. Her heart started to pound before she saw the beast leap over the high gates and run up the driveway. And then it stopped and looked up at Britney's window.

The familiar red eyes glowed as they met hers. It wasn't the first time she'd met Cain, but her heart still raced every time she saw him. He was a king among beasts, and his huge, sharp teeth made all the other werewolves around him look like tame little puppies.

And that beast was mad at her?

What the fuck for? He was the one who'd kept vital information from her ‘to keep her safe'.

The beast shifted in the blink of an eye, and the man stood in his place, still red-eyed. In the rapidly increasing morning light, she saw the muscle in his jaw tick as he ground his teeth.

And then he looked away and marched up the steps of the house.

Her heart hammered some more in a mix of anger and fear when she heard the front door slam. And then she listened to the almost silent footsteps as Jackson came up the stairs. She looked at Britney and saw her still clutching her pillow as she slept in an uncomfortable position against the headboard. What was Jackson going to do? Barge into the room and argue with her in front of her sister?

The footsteps came up to their hallway, and she rushed to stand in front of the door. The thing inside her rose again as if it wasn't sure if she was dealing with a friend or foe. But this was Jackson. Of course, he wasn't her foe.

But her fists still clenched as her eyes went over to the key she left in the lock. Her anger started to overpower her anxiety and fear. Her future was uncertain, and according to Jackson, she could do nothing about it.

The footsteps stopped in front of Britney's door.

She heard the rapid breathing from the other side as if Jackson had been running since the moment he left. She heard his thundering heartbeat.

She felt his anger.

‘Come out before I break the fucking door down.'

An order. She felt it wash over her, rippling over her skin. What the... Did he think he could order her around like he did everyone else?

White hot fury washed through her as she rushed to unlock the door, and she almost ripped it off its hinges when she opened it and came face to face with the furious love of her life.

"You don't get to order me around," she hissed, stepping up to him until they were almost touching.

He was sweaty, and his natural scent wrapped around her, making her lightheaded as if it were an aphrodisiac. It was. Everything to do with Jax was an aphrodisiac as if she couldn't feel anything other than love and lust for him. She could see why Jackson fought the bond so much in the beginning. The bond would have forced her to want to be with him, to crave him, even if she wasn't in love.

Maybe that was what their bond was. Fake love. That thought sobered her up a little.

"And you don't get to say that shit and then walk away from me," Jax growled.

His eyes flashed, and a feeling of danger passed through her. Jackson wouldn't hurt her, but she hadn't seen him that angry with her since she tried to escape when he'd caught her and Dylan outside the boundary.

If he thought he could lock her away in the basement again, he could think again.

She turned back to Britney's door and locked it before she gripped the key.

‘I'm not the one who ran away!'

She turned away from him and marched towards their bedroom. Maybe going down to the conference room would have been better, but she was too worked up to make it that far without speaking her mind, and the last thing she wanted to do was scare the little children who were sleeping in the hall by arguing with him out in the open.

Once in the room, she turned around just as Jackson slammed the door and started advancing.

"I didn't run away," Jackson growled. "I had to calm down, but I see you have no fucking idea what you're doing to me. Is this a fucking joke to you, Layla? Do you enjoy watching me suffer?"

What the hell was he talking about?

"You upset me! How the hell is this about you? You're the one who kept me in the dark about a life-threatening situation like I mean nothing to you," she snarled, her earlier rage returning.

She didn't step back when Jax stepped up to her, and she held his gaze even though his eyes were still blood red. It was a challenge, and she had no desire to stop herself.

"Everything about you is about me! Do you not get that yet? Do you not understand what we share? You're a part of me," Jax snarled. "I feel everything, and this fucking rollercoaster of unreasonable emotions is no good for anyone."

Her eyes widened.

"Unreasonable? Really? You mean like what I put up with for a whole fucking year because you'd rather bottle everything in than talk to me? Are you kidding me right now?"

"Yes, unreasonable! I've dealt with these fuckers in the Circle my whole life; I know how to keep you safe. But you're upset with that as if I've said something wrong. Have you shifted since that last battle? No. Have you spoken to your wolf? No. All facts. I've trained you as often as I could, but it all means shit if you can't do those very basic things. I'm not the problem here, Layla. You are."

Her palm connected with his cheek before she could think. Jax's face turned to the side with the force. Silence filled the room.

And as she watched the bruising appearing on his perfect skin, her anger completely disappeared. The thing inside her died down, leaving her to deal with the consequences alone.

How could she have done that? How could she have raised her hand to the man she loved?

Her hands covered her mouth as the horror of her actions sunk in. Jax turned his head back to face her, his eyes still red and his anger intact.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what... I'll never do that again."

The anthem of every abusive person, she was sure.

Jax moved quickly and pulled her against his sweaty body. While she was still processing how low she sank, he crashed his lips against hers and demanded entry. Her mind was stunned while her body reacted to him as it always did. In seconds she was up in flames.

Her back slammed against the wall as Jax ravaged her mouth and pushed himself between his legs. But she could still see how hard she struck him. She could still see her palm print on his cheek. She could still feel his shock through their bond.

Contradicting emotions fought within her as she wrapped her legs around him.

She'd hit him. She had to stop.

But he tasted so good.

She didn't deserve this.

But she needed him.

Jax released her mouth and trailed kisses down her neck to the mark he was so proud of. And then he scraped his teeth on it.

"Jax," she moaned.

It was completely involuntary. She'd done something terrible and shouldn't have been grinding on Jackson's naked body.

She felt a slight breeze a second later and realised he had ripped her workout leggings and panties. He was inside her before she could protest.

And like all the other times, protesting became the last thing on her mind.

Overwhelming feelings flooded her body as Jackson gripped her ass and positioned her just right before he started ramming into her. He hit the spot over and over again, bringing her to the edge before she knew what was happening. Her mind fractured as the pure ecstasy shoved over, calling his name continuously as the force of her reaction ripped through her.

Jackson tensed and growled as he started to pulse inside her, sending her tumbling again.

Her limbs were shaky when he finally slipped out of her and put her down.

And his eyes were still red when he stepped away from her and met her gaze.

"Pack a bag. We leave in a couple of hours," he said before turning away and walking towards the bathroom.

"Jackson..." Her voice was hoarse, and her lips swollen.

Jackson didn't turn back to her. It hurt, but she deserved it. She was a horrible mate.

"You don't get to leave me, Layla. I've told you that before."

And then he walked into the bathroom and closed the door, leaving her leaning against the wall, dripping, full of cum and self-loathing.