24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

J ackson turned the moment someone somehow snuck up on him and grabbed his hand. His claws extended, ready to rip their throat out, but he slashed through... nothing.

A spotlight came on and blinded him for a moment before his eyes adjusted. Layla was not in his arms anymore.

Lead settled in his stomach when he realised what had happened. His rage ripped through him instantly, and Cain wrested control from him, half-shifting as he looked around the circular prison that was the main attraction in all Circle trials. It was a raised stage made of silver, surrounded by an invisible ward of dark magic to keep him inside it. And he knew from experience that the Circle's witches would have also warded the whole room.

His jacket and shirt started to rip at the seams, constricting him. It took him seconds to get rid of both as he met the gazes of the people who sat around the stage, only feet away from him.

"What are you doing?" he snarled. "Give my mate back to me."

It was no longer him talking. His voice was deeper and raspy. By the frisson of fear that he sensed in the air, they were all aware they had come face-to-face with the beast. The only beast among them that could half-shift to speak his mind. For the first time in his life, he was the one boiling in his anger, unable to control himself, while Cain contained his rage.

The Circle had many branches worldwide, but only the ones that represented the continent sat at the tables set around him in their groups of three. They had refreshments in front of them as if they had come to watch a show.

The lighting was dim outside his spotlight, but he could see the assassins and witches lined up along the walls. The witches were there to reinforce the magic and keep the wards in place.

"I'm afraid we can't do that yet, Your Majesty. You'll have to wait."

His eyes snapped to the man who'd spoken. Alpha Cole. The asshole who thought he ruled the world. He'd removed his sunglasses, revealing one green eye and the other blue, and he was looking directly into his, challenging the beast only because he thought he was safe.

His fur grew along his arms as the beast continued to shift. His face stretched, his jaws extending to accommodate his teeth. Cain had gone beyond his controlled rage. No one was coming out of this alive.

"Do you really want to do things this way?" Cain asked. "You know you can't touch what is mine. That's how it has always been."

"But you are not above the law!"

He snapped his head around to Lincoln, who had the good sense to lower his gaze.

"I don't care what you think I can and can't do. I'm giving you one chance to bring Layla to me."

"She's fine. She's alone, waiting for her turn," Hugo said quickly.

Hugo didn't lift his head a single time. Out of all the members of the Circle, Hugo and Lincoln knew Cain better. He didn't make empty threats.

But Hugo was right. He could sense Layla somewhere close, and she was alone. For now. If the Circle wanted to send an assassin to her, they'd get to her in seconds. He tried to reach her through their mindlink, but something was blocking him, probably the magic around the room. His fists balled at his sides as he fell deeper into his rage. Into the whirlpool of Cain's urges and thoughts. Nothing would pull him out again until Layla was back in his arms.

"Maybe we can begin the initial statements and get that out of the way?" Hugo continued. "We can take a break for you to see Her Majesty—"

"Don't bargain with him! And she's not our queen."

And this came from Cole again. He returned his focus to the arrogant Alpha as he undid his trousers. They had already burst at the seams and were no good to him. He rolled his neck and shoulders before slowly crossing the circle to stand directly in front of Alpha Cole.

He didn't take his eyes off Cole for a second, yet the Alpha still didn't look away. The challenge was so blatant, but that disrespect wasn't the reason he would rip that fucker apart. Cole had walked into the hotel with his eyes on Layla, unable to hide his distaste.

Before Cole had so openly shown his feelings towards Layla, he would have allowed them to put whatever shackles they wanted on both of them so that they could return to the pack.

But now? Never. Over his fucking dead body.

His gaze was still locked with Cole's when he brought his hand up towards the barrier. It was invisible to the eye but he could sense the dark magic all over it, so thick he could almost touch it. It was enough to seriously injure or kill someone.

But he didn't need to be out of his cage to show them who had the bigger balls. Perhaps it was time he reminded them why they wanted him under their thumb in the first place.

"You did this, didn't you?" he asked.

He ran the tip of one nail down the invisible barrier and felt the jolt through his body. The dark magic stuck to him, looking for a way in like Hailey's magic had when she'd infected him.

The corner of Cole's lips lifted in a smirk that made him want to punch that face in. But still, Cain remained in complete control of their rage.

"If you're asking if that's my magic keeping you there, then yes," Cole answered.

"Oh, nothing's keeping me here. I'm only in here because the second I step out, you'd have lost your chance to bring Layla to me," he growled.

Cole dared to laugh. He cocked his head to the side and watched the Alpha throw his head back even though the rest of the Circle had tensed at his words.

"You're the one changing things," he said as the realisation dawned on him. "You're the one pushing your weight around, trying to prove to everyone that you're stronger. That you can cage a king and queen."

He stepped back from the protective ward and looked down at the silver beneath his feet.

"She's not a queen," Cole snarled before he shuffled some papers. "Trial procedures have always been at the Circle's discretion. We don't owe you anything, Mr King. Now, shall we get on with this?"

Dropping his title was another blatant act of disrespect. There was a red haze over his vision when he looked back up at Cole. He took a deep breath, cataloguing every scent in the room in seconds until he settled on the one he wanted. The one he would hunt first.

"I promise you, she's safe, Your Majesty," Hugo said, rising from his chair. "There's no need..."

"I said don't bargain with him." Cole snarled at Hugo as if he had no idea what had just happened. Cain had that fucker's scent; he could hunt him down anywhere. He was on Cain's shit list now. No one got off it alive. A member of the Circle, or a Hunter, it didn't matter to Cain. And it didn't matter to him now, either. Every second Layla was alone sealed the Circle's fate.

"Now for the first matter we're here to discuss—the murder of Circle Member Alpha Finn Gideon," Alpha Cole stated.

He looked back at the shoes that had tightened on his feet. His nails had ripped through the front of his dress shoes. He'd liked those shoes, but he supposed they would have been ruined anyway. Slowly, he kicked one shoe off and put his bare foot directly on the cold, silver floor. He sensed the spike of fear in the air without having to look up.

He did the same with the other shoe before tearing his useless trousers off his body. When he stood in front of them in nothing but his boxers, he lifted his head and met Cole's gaze again.

The Circle leader was no longer amused.

"Do you even know why I'm your King, Cole?"

He dropped the title the same way the arrogant Alpha had done, and the slight frown that appeared on Cole's face revealed he was unhappy about that.

There was no sizzling beneath his feet as he stepped back to the ward. Cole's gaze lowered to his feet and then back to his eyes.

"Regardless, your family is bound to the same laws as all of us," Cole said. "You have to answer for what you did."

"I didn't want to kill Finn, but he threatened my mate just as you're doing right now," he growled. "Now, I'll ask you one last time. Where is my mate?"

Cole chuckled, but not as confidently as he had done before.

"What will you do, Mr King? You're in a room full of the strongest Alphas, vampires and witches on this side of the world," Cole said. "The moment you kill anyone, we'll automatically rule in favour of your death."

True. The odds were stacked against him even though the fear in the room was starting to grow. He closed his eyes and breathed in, allowing that fear to push him deeper into Cain's mind—where even demons feared to tread.

And when he opened them again, he put his whole hand through the ward and tensed as the magic gripped him. Fire and ice combined as it started to seep into him. The last time he'd been infected, he had healed at rocket speed, and that was before he had officially marked Layla. He hoped to the Goddess that whatever had caused it had been enhanced like everything else. He'd be no good to Layla if he collapsed before he could save her.

Several chairs scraped backwards as Circle members rose to their feet. He wasn't sure whether they were ready to attack him or leave the room. But Cole remained seated. Though he had looked worried for a brief moment, he showed no fear.

"Are you choosing to die, then?" Cole asked.

And then Layla would die, too. That always held him back, but Cain had more confidence in their bond than he did. He was about to step through when he sensed Layla's fear.

Her terror.

"Layla's in trouble," he said out loud.

"You're still linked to her?" Lincoln asked.

He stepped through without responding and was about to run towards the door when the vampires that had been along the wall zoomed up and surrounded him, forming a barrier between him and the Circle.

"I'm glad we're doing it this way. Honestly, I was dreading all the paperwork I was going to have to do after going through a full trial," Cole chuckled.

He could see Cole still in his seat behind the vampires, smirking as if he had won. He should have snapped that fucker's neck first.

But Layla needed him. Nothing else mattered now.

"Sit down," he growled.

A command from the king. It rippled through the room, forcing the wolves back into their seats. Cain launched into the first vampire, ripping his throat out before anyone could react. He was stronger since he'd marked Layla. Faster. Though not as fast as the vampires, he could tell he took them by surprise.

Cain revelled in the bloodshed. Fed on the screams and fear. By the time he ripped the spine out of the last vampire and turned to face Cole, he was bloody, injured and still hungry. Starving. It had been too long since he had fought like that, and Cain wanted nothing more than to rid the world of everything that threatened his mate.

"You'll not leave this room alive," Cole hissed.

But his tone was laced with fear.

"Kill him!" Cole snarled.