44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

J ax stood perfectly still behind some trees at the back of Irvine's house. It was almost noon but there was no sign of them. Some of Irvine's neighbours left for work, while others seemed elderly and content to potter around their little houses all day. He could sense them without moving from his spot.

It was something he had always been able to do. He'd taught Layla how to control and focus her senses, but everything seemed to have gone into overdrive. He could sense things that should have been too far for him. He could smell them, hear them from miles away. And somehow, he could form a complete mental picture of his surroundings, almost as if he could see it.

It was because of his bond with Layla. His red wolf.

Before all that shit started, he'd been excited to learn what his mate could do as she discovered herself. He never coveted her gifts, but now this link was the only thing keeping him sane. It meant she was still alive.

But for how long? They wanted Layla for a reason. Were they torturing her? Would they kill her, too?

He'd felt a bond breaking. The pain ripped through him so suddenly as he walked back to Irvine's house after hiding his car. His first thought was that someone had taken Layla away from him, so he'd fallen to his knees in the middle of a busy sidewalk, ready for that breaking bond to take him, too.

But some good Samaritans helped him to his feet, and the pain subsided. When he realised it was someone else in his pack who had died, he felt relief and only a second of guilt. Cain felt no guilt at all. Only Layla mattered to him now.

The second he found her, he would hunt them all down. The Hunters would become the hunted. There was no stopping this now.

His fists clenched but he maintained his focus. He couldn't afford to be distracted.

Samuel didn't visit his lover. He'd taken Irvine's phone, but it didn't ring. No one even went to borrow a cup of sugar. Fucking no one.

Either Irvine fed him bullshit, or he wasn't as important as he'd thought.

His phone vibrated again but he didn't bother looking at it. Dylan called him what felt like every minute since that morning.

It was his fault. The pack deserved better than him. He should have officially made his friend the Alpha before he'd left, but he hadn't been thinking straight. He still wasn't. His rage hadn't abated since he found out they had taken his mate.

After what felt like forever, he caught movement from someone other than human. He turned back and stiffened. This had to be it. Someone had to come and lead him to Layla before he lost his mind.

The person's steps were light. It was someone experienced, someone who knew how to stalk and hunt. He tilted his head in the direction they were coming from and sniffed the air. They were downwind, he couldn't catch their scent, but he sensed the danger around them.

He lowered to his haunches and waited. He wouldn't kill this one. He'd follow him and hope he led him in the right direction.

It took forever for the Hunter to come close enough to him, but when he did, his scent drifted towards him. It was familiar and unwelcome.

His fists clenched as he turned his attention back to Irvine's house. His next step would be to involve the human police. If they started a murder investigation, the news would reach the Hunters. They hated messes like this as much as wolves did.

‘Alpha?'

‘Go back home.'

‘I've come to keep watch while you go and deal with The Circle.'

He turned around to his Gamma, the red bleeding into his vision even though Gavin had his head lowered.

‘You should be at home helping Dylan deal with them. It's your job as my Gamma!'

‘Beta Dylan can't deal with this, Alpha. Things are...'

He turned back to the house without responding. The fact that they thought he could even worry about anything else showed how little they knew about what he was going through. Gavin had a mate, but she was his chosen one. He didn't know what a true bond was. He didn't know what it meant for his mate to be the only reason he lived.

He didn't know he would let the pack burn to save Layla.

Layla came first, no matter how possessive he and Cain were of the pack.

He was no good for them.

‘We have a plan, Alpha.'

‘I have a plan. Go home. You can't do anything here.'

‘I will keep watch. And when the Hunters come, I'll call you.'

"And what will you do when they take you, too?" he growled aloud, turning back to his Gamma.

"Then I will let them take me."

His angry words died on his lips as his Gamma lifted his head.

"I know why you haven't been able to look at me this past year," Gavin said softly. "Micah was my friend, too."

He turned away from his Gamma and looked back at the house. Micah had been more than a friend, and the last thing he wanted to do was talk about him with Gavin.

"You trusted me with the Queen's life when you hid her. I spent months with her, ready to give up my life for her. I want to get her back, too. Let me do this for you, Alpha."

"So how will that help her? You think everyone who got caught can't fight? They took some of our best warriors already. We have no idea what they're doing to them!" he hissed.

‘I had a tracker implanted in my tooth,' Gavin said in the mind link. ‘I want them to take me.'

What? Gavin had a mate and children. Why the hell would he do something so stupid? Had he not witnessed how much Micah's wife and daughter were suffering?

‘It was the Luna's idea when you met with the Alphas. Beta Dylan picked them up before we left town, and our dentist implanted it before I left,' Gavin continued.

‘That's stupid.'

‘It's the only way, Alpha. And I have faith in you.'

Faith? He ignored the pack's needs because he needed to find his mate, and this guy had faith in him?

‘That's even more stupid,' he growled.

‘I think you and the Queen are the only ones who can stop this. Both of you can do things the rest of us can't. But I know you can't do anything if you don't have her by your side,' Gavin said. ‘So please, Alpha. Go and meet with The Circle. There are people at home who won't let you do this alone, but you just need to go and get them.'

‘You could die! Have you thought of that? I already felt a bond break.'

Gavin lowered his head.

‘I know that. But I knew that when I chose to be a warrior. I knew that when you made me the Gamma. You know how we lived when your father was king. This life is all I know. But if we can stop them... Then my children will never have to become like me.'

His phone vibrated again, and this time he looked at it. There were over a hundred missed calls from Dylan. His best friend would never do that unless he was desperate.

‘You know this is the best way. You'll find me. Dead or alive, I will take you to the Queen.'

It was still stupid. He'd set himself up as bait for the Hunters, but he couldn't do that to someone else.

His phone vibrated again; this time, he answered it and brought it to his ear.

"They've taken over the pack. They've declared you unfit to rule and are rounding up all the people who are left. Our pack is being disbanded, and they'll burn everything down so they don't leave a trace for the Hunters. Come back, Jax."

The desperation in Dylan's voice nearly killed him. It was the reason he hadn't wanted to answer his phone. Layla and Hope were number one, but Dylan and Diedre were joint seconds.

The little bit of guilt he'd felt when he realised the scout died instead of Layla returned.

"You've sent Gavin on a mission he might not return from," he said.

"Jax, I don't think any of us will return from this. We've found ourselves in the middle of two wars," Dylan sighed. "But we have a better chance if we do it together. They're rounding up the other packs, too. Didn't you tell them all that we're one pack now? Come home. I'll be waiting."

The line went dead. He looked down at it briefly before looking back at Gavin.

‘I can do it, Alpha. I can share your burden.'

What if the Hunters returned the second he walked away? What if they found the tracker before they got to their base? He would never forgive himself if he missed his chance to save Layla.

But Dylan and Diedre were supposed to take care of Hope. If he could talk to Layla, she would tell him to go and save the others. She was a better person than he was.

"I'll head back the second I deal with this."

"I'll be waiting, Alpha."

He looked around one last time before he handed the phone to Gavin. He pulled Irvine's phone from his pocket and handed it over, too.

"Find my car and put these in there. I'll ask someone to get them to track the activity on this phone. Just in case."

Just in case Gavin didn't make it to the base.

He closed his eyes briefly before he looked back at his Gamma.

"Stay alive so I can beat the shit out of you for agreeing with Dylan's stupid decision."

Gavin smiled and lowered his head.

"Godspeed, Alpha."

Cain had remained quiet through the exchange and didn't try to stop him when he turned away from Gavin and ran into the woods. Was he making a mistake?

‘No,' Cain said. "They're right. We can't do this alone. We have to end this. For Layla. For Hope."

When he was far enough away from Beacon Falls, he shifted. Could they take down the Hunters and The Circle at the same time? He'd have to trust what Dylan and Gavin said. They were in it together. One pack.