70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

" J ax?"

He kept his back to her with fists clenched. Cain wasn't backing down. It felt like the time the beast had completely taken over when he killed Alpha Kendrick on his doorstep to protect Layla.

Now all he wanted was to sink his teeth into her neck and return what was lost.

"I'm sorry I don't have the endurance I used to have," Layla said as she came up behind him.

He sensed the pain in her words but didn't turn around to offer any comfort. If he'd needed proof that her wolf was well and truly gone, he had it now. Even before she had shifted, Layla could sense the danger in the air. She'd been able to feel when he was losing control.

‘She can't sense me at all.'

Cain's words caused an avalanche of pain that shoved him further into despair and buried him deep within it. He tried to focus so he could pull himself out, but it was pointless. He felt the same way his beast did. Cain couldn't live without his mate, either.

And if he tried to deny his mate, he would end up like his father, the Mad King. Forever longing for his mate but unable to have her.

"I don't feel right being here," Layla whispered when she finally stood in front of their rock and looked over their forest's darkest, most dangerous side. "It's not just the pack; it's everything else. I loved sitting here to watch and listen to everything, but now there's just silence. It's all gone."

The sadness in her tone pulled him out of his feelings. Cain looked over and felt her pain. The last thing he or Cain wanted was to hurt her. On that, they agreed.

"How can I even live like this?" she whispered again.

And that broke him. How could she live...? With him! She could live with him! Why did she keep acting as if she would be okay without him? How was she able to so easily cast him aside? To act as if only the bond had kept her with him?

Cain loosened his hold as he rushed around the rock and turned Layla to face him. She couldn't meet his eyes.

"Don't say things like that. Please," he whispered.

How the hell was he supposed to fix this? Chase had looked through all the paperwork but hadn't seen anything related to whatever the Hunters had done to Layla; there could still be hope. But she had already given up. He could feel it in his bones. She wasn't going to try, and she wasn't going to give him another chance.

"How can you think that we will work together? You're not thinking logically. I'm a liability now, and everyone will still be after me. Staying away from each other is the only thing we can do right now."

There was something else. He sensed it behind the words and in the set of her shoulders. He felt it in the waves of guilt that came from her. Why did she feel guilty? Nothing that had happened had been her fault.

"It wouldn't be the first time a human mated with a wolf. It can work," he urged.

He took her hands and noticed they felt cooler than usual, almost like a human's.

"But I'm not human anymore, Jax. We should end things here before we get hurt. You should..."

He dropped her hands and stepped back. Her unspoken words hit him like a swing from a sledgehammer. He should what? Reject her?

"What did you pack?" Layla asked, turning away from him to look at the picnic basket. "I'm suddenly starving."

A blatant change of subject. Jax bit his tongue and pulled the basket closer. He wasn't ready for where the conversation was heading. Layla wanted him to reject her; he was sure of that. Was it still a rejection if there was no bond between them? The heaviness of those words sat on his shoulders, draining him of the will to try anything else. And judging by the way Cain had let him go, the beast knew what was coming, too.

Fate broke their bond, but he and Cain were still drawn to her. Rejecting her would do nothing because nothing would ever change how he felt. He already knew that.

But she still didn't believe him.

It was his fault. He should have paid more attention to her needs. He'd failed his duty as a mate. It was why her wolf had been aggressive with him in the end. Nia never entirely accepted him as part of her little pack that included Hope and Britney.

He looked out at the darkening sky and fought the pain that realisation caused. But he wasn't going to give up.

He had promised her that he would prove his love. It was time he did.

Cain's tension eased when they came to the same conclusion, in sync with each other again.

"Have a seat," he said as he laid out their food.

Gerald's steaks were still hot when he opened up the containers. He fixed their plates and poured their wine before sitting next to her.

"I say we just forget everything else and just enjoy the company tonight," he suggested.

He lifted his glass and met her uncertain gaze.

"I thought we came here to talk?" Layla asked.

"There's not much point right now when you've made your mind up, is there?" he asked.

Her emotions flashed in her eyes, and she looked away.

"No, there isn't," she whispered.

Her admission cut him up inside.

"I haven't had a moment to slow down and think since we returned. Let's enjoy the food and the sunset tonight," he suggested, holding the glass up again.

Layla sighed, but seconds later, she lifted her wine glass and clinked it against his.

They ate in silence as the stars started to appear. The forest around them was dense, but in this spot, they had a clear view of the sky and the dangerous forest in front of them. What was once his favourite place was probably going to become his worst. He should have stayed home instead of listening to the others at the trailer park. It was the most uncomfortable meal he'd ever had, and that made his heart heavy. Layla wasn't supposed to feel like that with him.

Layla hardly touched the food on her plate, confirming that she'd used food as an excuse to escape an uncomfortable subject. But she drank the wine. He refilled her glass several times as the woods became darker.

"When Hope is a little older, bring her here. I'm sure she'll love it," Layla said.

Her voice was already a little slurred. He'd forgotten that the alcohol would affect her differently without her wolf to burn it all off.

"Hope would prefer to run around down there with all the other monsters," he snorted.

Layla giggled, and the sound shot straight through him. His body warmed up as if he wasn't trying to deal with Layla's rejection or accept the consequences of his and Cain's decision.

"That's true. I bet she will be the only wolf around here who can play in that forest without fear," Layla laughed. "I can already see her bossing around whatever lives in there."

"She is bossy," he agreed. "Just like her mum."

He poured her more to drink. And then more. Somehow, Layla kept talking about everything and nothing. Everything except what mattered.

And then there was silence.

When he looked at her, he saw the tears falling down her face.

"We should go. I won't be able to see anything," Layla said.

"You're safe with me. I'll lead you back," he said, taking the empty glass from Layla's hand.

He should have taken it back at least three drinks earlier, but if he'd stopped pouring, he'd have had no excuse to keep Layla next to him.

Besides, it was the last time he would be with Layla like this. The next time they were together, things would be very different.

He packed the basket again and stood up to offer his hand to Layla. He realised she probably couldn't see it when she didn't immediately take it. The difference hit him again. What would it be like to suddenly lose everything that made him who he was? The very thing that had ensured he survived all this time? His senses, his strength. Cain.

His chest tightened, but he forced the emotions away.

"Take my hand, Layla," he said.

His voice was low and husky with the weight of his emotions.

Layla reached out, and he took her hand to help her off the rock. She stumbled into his arms and giggled against his chest. His whole body stiffened, and fire flowed through his veins. She wasn't his mate anymore, but a simple touch twisted his insides as if she still was. How could Fate be so cruel to them once again?

Layla lifted her head and looked up at him, but he could tell she couldn't see him.

"Kiss me, Jackson. Kiss me one last time," she whispered.

It wouldn't be the last, not if he could help it. But knowing that didn't stop the crack in his heart at her words. And it didn't stop his body from reacting to the need in her voice.

He lowered his head without hesitation and met her soft lips again for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. The fire in his veins instantly consumed him. It wasn't the same, but she still brought every cell in his body to life. She still made his heart race.

Layla moaned against his lips, exactly how she used to. Her scent wrapped around him, and white-hot lust surged through every part of him. Layla tasted like wine and temptation. So much temptation. Something in his mind told him to resist for a bit longer, but he'd missed her touch. Her scent. He'd missed the softness of her skin and the heat of her mouth. Resistance was futile.

His arms tightened around her as he backed her up against the rock and deepened the kiss. Layla wrapped her legs around him as she always did when he picked her up, allowing him access between her legs. He groaned into her mouth as he ground into her. If only he could take her jeans off. If only he could rip them off her and sink into her.

Without another thought, he reached between them and unzipped her. Layla's throaty moans fueled him like he was under her spell, under some trance. His fingers found their way where he desperately wanted to be, and Layla's breath caught. Her body trembled in his arms, and he sensed nothing but need coming off her in waves.

"Ride me, Layla," he whispered against her lips.

And as she always did in the bedroom, she followed his lead without question. She rolled her hips, tipped her head back and whispered his name. It didn't take long for him to bring her to the edge and watch her beautiful face as she tumbled down. Every moan, every scream, every little move she made, made him harder.

He wanted more. He wanted it all.

His head went down to her neck as he always did when Layla was ready for it, and his teeth scraped against her skin.

He froze.

What the hell was he doing? He had already decided his path.

He released her and stepped back from her, ignoring her protests.

"I'm sorry, Layla," he whispered. "I shouldn't have touched you. Take my hand, and I'll lead you back to your trailer. This was a bad idea."

When her pain and disappointment replaced her lust, he bit down on his jaw and turned away. It was better that way. Fuck fate. He would decide how his story ended.