30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

T he planes were in a part of the forest that Layla hadn't dared go into before. She'd only seen the vast, endless sea of green from Jax's lookout spot. The cars could only go so far into it, and the rest of the journey was made on foot.

The trees were thicker and the canopy denser. And the animals around them didn't seem to scurry away as they did on the other side. She could sense they were the intruders there. The animals were used to being the kings in the forest and were taking their time deciding if the children were their next meal. She knew only the presence of the adults who already had their wolves were keeping them at bay. She held Hope tighter against her chest and pulled Britney to her.

Britney stumbled, as she had already done several times. It made her panic a little. The children could easily see where they were going because they were born with superior senses. Even she'd had excellent eyesight, though she hadn't known why then.

What if this meant Britney had no wolf at all?

Panic shot through her again as she followed the line of children through the dense underbrush. The warriors had marked a path for them to follow, but if Britney got separated from everyone, she'd get lost.

As they walked down a part that was a little steeper, Brit lost her footing and slid into her. She let go of her sister's hand to steady herself on a tree trunk so she wouldn't fall over and hurt Hope. The bark was rough and thorny, and it pieced her palm. She could smell her blood when she took her hand off it.

"I'm sorry," Britney whispered.

Her voice was small and shaky, but she wasn't alone in being scared. All the children and their parents were terrified.

"I'm okay," she answered, reaching down to help Britney. "Just keep going."

When she had Britney's hand firmly in her uninjured one and started to walk forward, she saw the bulking figures coming back past the children in front of her. Even in the darkness, she saw where Jax's gaze was and the red flash in his eyes. He would have caught the scent of her blood from miles away.

"I'm okay," she repeated.

Jax reached over and took Hope from her without a word. She wanted to protest because she didn't know when or if she would see Hope again, but she was Jax's baby, too. She couldn't deny him a chance to hold the baby he had gone through so much to have.

"Hop on my back, Britney."

Only when Josh spoke did she realise he had come back with Jax.

"I'm fine," Britney said.

"It's not a negotiation. You're slowing us down," Josh said, taking her sister's hand from her and lowering in front of her.

He sounded irritated, and that pushed her anxiety even more. She had no idea what had happened when Josh had been Britney's bodyguard. Had she been mistaken that there had been some romantic feelings between them? Would Josh still protect her as he had done back then?

Jax took her hand and pulled her forward before she could protest, and she realised that they had indeed been slowing everyone down. By the time they reached the clearing, the children from the other packs had already arrived with their Alphas and were getting onto the first plane. The sound of waves crashing into the cliffs ahead and the scent of the salty water filled the air. There would be a whole ocean between her and her child...

She sucked in a breath and shoved the pain away. Now wasn't the time to break down.

Jax kissed Hope before handing her back, and Josh lowered Britney before both men walked away to help. Alpha Chase gave her a little nod before he turned back to the children from his pack. She had no idea if all the packs would have to live together or if they were going to separate houses, but once again, her anxiety flared up.

And at that moment, it all became real.

The children sniffled as they said goodbye to their parents or guardians. The Omegas and warriors held onto their families before they got on the plane to take care of the children at the safehouses. They were all trying to be strong, but their emotions pressed down on her. Was this the last time they would see each other?

She pulled Britney into her arms and held both girls as the weight of all the emotions settled on her shoulders. Why did they have to go through this when they hadn't hurt anyone? It wasn't fair. It wasn't right.

Max, the kid who'd taken care of his baby sister during the first attack, was holding Jade's hand, doing the same thing he had done back then. Being brave and taking care of his little sister. How many times was the poor boy supposed to endure something like this? Their mother stood beside them, blinking back tears.

"I'll see you very soon," their mother said. "I promise."

But none of them could make a promise like that.

The children Jax had rescued were standing alone, with the older boy holding the younger kids' hands like Max was doing. But they had no parents promising them that they would see them soon. Her heart broke that they had been placed in that situation, and the adults in their lives didn't seem to care.

By the time Jax returned to them, almost everyone else was safely on the plane. Her arms tightened around her girls when she saw Josh and Diedre walking behind him. She wasn't ready. Maybe there was another way. Perhaps she was supposed to go with them.

But the other parents already stood back, waiting for the plane to take off. She knew they wanted to be with their children, too. She couldn't be that selfish. And there was still that thing inside her telling her this was the best way. She had to stay for Faith and Rebecca.

She expected Jax to take Hope, but when he reached them, he put his arms around all three of them.

"When all this is over, we're going to take that vacation we've been talking about. All four of us," Jax whispered.

He looked down at Brit and smiled, possibly for the first time.

"I know you won't believe me, little one, but I promise you that you'll be okay," he told her. "I've briefed Josh and Diedre. You won't be alone. Just do everything Layla told you."

Brit swallowed and then nodded. Then Jax did something else she'd never thought she would see. He kissed the top of Brit's head before he kissed Hope. When their gazes met above the girls' heads, the tears she'd held back pooled in her eyes.

"Shall I take them in?" Jax whispered.

She nodded. If she went in to help them, she wouldn't come back out.

She kissed the girls as Jax had done and whispered, "I love you, girls. Take care of each other."

Jax took Hope from her arms and held his hand out to Brit. Her sister already had tears falling down her cheeks when she looked up at her.

"You'll be fine," she whispered. Her voice was shaky from the effort it took to hold everything in, but she couldn't break down in front of Brit.

Her sister looked at Jax and then took his hand. As she watched her mate lead the girls onto the plane, she swallowed back the lumps in her throat, but that didn't stop the pain in her chest. Britney looked back, and she raised her hand to wave at the scared little girl who'd not yet realised the danger her lie had put her in.

"I'll take care of them, Your Majesty."

She looked back at the young man beside her.

"I'm counting on you, Josh."

Josh bowed without meeting her gaze and followed Jax and the girls onto the plane.

"You're worrying too much. You know I won't let anything happen to them," Diedre said.

"I want to go with them, but..."

"But your place is here, fighting for everyone," Diedre finished.

The older woman smiled and took both her hands. She turned her injured palm over and inspected her wounds.

"You've already healed," Diedre stated. "I know you've been frustrated lately, but if anyone can help us finally get free of the Hunters and the Circle, it's you and Jackson. It's not the lack of training holding you back."

She looked up into the witch's violet eyes. She hadn't spoken to Diedre about what was bothering her because she was close to Jax but maybe she had been projecting it. How else would Diedre figure it out?

"Trust yourself. Trust your wolf. I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for you and your wolf. That's not something to be scared of, Layla. Embrace who you are; it's the only thing that will get you through this fight."

Diedre pulled her into a hug and said, "I'll see you soon, Your Majesty."

And then the witch released her and walked to the plane. She was the only one out of the whole pack who didn't feel anxious or scared. It was easy for her; she was the strongest witch alive.

Jax came to stand beside her as the plane prepared for take-off. Little lights came on along the runway to guide it to the cliff, and then the powerful engines came on. When it started moving, she couldn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. When the wheel lifted off the ground, she couldn't stop the sobs.

Jax pulled her into his arms as they watched the plane take off at the end of the runway and soar into the sky. Around her, the sobs of the parents and guardians filled the air, and her anger mixed with her grief. This would be the last time. Whatever fate had in store for them, this would be the last time anyone would force her to separate from her child. She would not live with this fear over her head for the rest of her life. Her beast was right—this was a fight she had to go through. She hoped Diedre was right, too.

She was still looking up at the empty sky when Jax picked her up and started walking back into the woods. His pain mixed with hers as if he could not hold it back any longer. Her mate carried her back to the cars waiting for them, but instead of putting her down, he started to jog. He headed deeper into the forest until they reached a little clearing where he set her down.

For the first time since she had known Jackson, the grown man fell to his knees, and she felt everything through their bond. The pain, the helplessness...

"We'll see them again," he whispered.

But it sounded as if he was trying to convince himself.

She fell to her knees in front of her mate and put her arms around him. They were heading into war with organisations strong enough to level their whole pack. A big part of her knew this would be the end of everything, even if they gave their all.