9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

J ax stood on the patio and looked out at the woods, completely relaxed for the first time since they killed the witch. It was the first time he had so much time to make love to his mate properly. It felt like a honeymoon, although when the time came for that, he intended to stretch that out as long as he could. Fucking Layla was an addiction that could never be equalled. Perhaps it was all he needed to focus on so he could heal his mind.

If he could keep up with her, that was. His thighs and other parts of his body were still shaking from the exertion.

A smile stretched his lips as he sipped his coffee. He needed to sit down and rest, but as always, fucking Layla wrecked him and energised him at the same time.

Everything was going to be okay now. He'd fucked up with Gerald, and the incident with the Hunters ruffled their feathers, but they could put all of it behind them now.

Once they got home, he'd train her ass off if that was what she wanted. He'd stop interfering with Gerald and Britney. As long as Layla was happy, that was all that mattered.

He'd always thought becoming mates would mean everything about their relationship would be perfect. But it just meant they were stuck together whether they got along or not. He could see how other people rejected their chosen mates, but true mates were different. Rejecting Layla was impossible because she was a part of him, more so now with his mark on her neck.

Cain unfurled and growled in his head, but he shoved the beast back to the back of his mind. He'd already sensed the intruder while he'd made his coffee, and Cain had been too busy rolling around like a druggie in the dopamine caused by making love to their mate.

‘If the Hunters had come for us, you'd have got us killed,' he teased his beast.

‘Hunters are like cubs with no teeth. I don't know why you never let me kill them.'

He rolled his eyes and didn't bother responding. You never killed a Hunter. It was something taught to every wolf.

A few minutes later, a naked man walked out of the woods, his dick swinging everywhere with each step.

"Fuck, Ryker," he said, looking back into the house through the window. Layla was up, but she wasn't downstairs yet, thankfully. "You know my mate is here. Why the fuck are you letting that thing blow around in the wind?"

Ryker put his hands on his waist and continued walking, ignoring his reaction to his naked body.

"How is she?" the Alpha asked.

He frowned at the scarred face before him and then took another sip of his coffee. Over a year ago, Ryker strung him up and thought the game the witch played had been fun. Now he felt he could just drop by.

"How she is is none of your business. What do you want?"

Ryker looked back at the woods where a few of his people hid.

"I was told you'd been spotted in the area a few days ago," Ryker said.

"If you're going to ask why I didn't tell you again, I'll confirm right now that I'll never fucking do that."

Ryker snorted and turned back to him. Though he didn't lower his head, he didn't look directly at him anymore. It appeased Cain enough not to take it as a challenge. Ryker was the one person he'd rip apart if he ever looked him in the eyes again, even if Layla didn't want him to.

"I came to ask if you saw my boys; they haven't checked in since they saw your car heading this way."

He frowned. He hadn't sensed anyone else for days.

"That was three days ago."

"I'd have come sooner, but you've been stuck in your house for days. I didn't think you'd appreciate the disturbance," Ryker said.

"You're the first person who's come this close since we arrived."

He stretched his senses further, wondering if he indeed missed anything while he'd been lost in his mate. He'd teased Cain about it, but the beast would have been the first to react to any threat on Layla's life.

This was the second group of scouts missing. Was it a coincidence?

"They're probably in town, stuck in a whore house again," Ryker said, turning around. "I'll send someone—"

"Don't," he cut in. "Didn't you get a phone call?"

Ryker turned back to him, a frown on his face.

"We don't have much use for phones here. The signal is shit," Ryker said.

Shit.

Despite all the stuff that happened, Ryker was a part of them now. It meant Dylan hadn't gotten a hold of him to warn him.

"There were Hunters in town."

Ryker stiffened.

"They were just passing through, but we're taking precautions anyway. Don't go into town; lock everyone down for a while."

"If they have my boys, I can't just sit down and twiddle my fingers," Ryker said gruffly.

He hadn't expected a man like Ryker to take his Alpha duties seriously. It surprised him.

"Are your bonds with them still intact?" he asked.

"Yeah. They're somewhere; I just can't tell where. I think they went too far."

"Then maybe you're right, and they ended up in town. But your scouts know how to handle themselves better than anyone. They'd have sensed the Hunters miles away."

Ryker's shoulders relaxed.

"You're right. They're good boys, but sometimes they like to unwind."

"Then let's not worry yet. Once I verify that the Hunters are gone, you can look for them," he said as he set his mug down on the table next to him. "Wait."

He walked back into the house just as Layla came into the kitchen.

"What's going on," she asked, looking out of the window to the patio.

When he looked back, Ryker had come up onto the patio, looking back at the woods while he helped himself to the coffee. He could see his big, scarred ass as if the Alpha was displaying it on purpose.

"Nothing," he said, stepping in front of the window to block Layla's view. "We have to leave right away, so go and get ready."

Layla frowned as she tried to look around him.

"I know Ryker is out there. Let me go and say hello—"

"He's naked," he said through his teeth.

"I've seen him naked before when he..."

A growl came from the depths of his throat. Cain wasn't pleased with the direction of the conversation either.

"Right, okay, I'll go and get ready," Layla said with a grin.

When he heard her footsteps upstairs, he walked over to one of the drawers and took a set of keys out of it. By the time he went back outside, Ryker had finished his coffee.

"I was thirsty," he shrugged. "Most people offer visitors a cup of tea when they arrive."

He shoved the keys in Ryker's hand and glowered at him until he jumped off the patio.

"I have a room through the pantry with some equipment you can use to contact me if there's an emergency. If you have people who know how to set it up, move it to your packhouse."

"That's very generous of you, Your Majesty, but most of them haven't been exposed to anything like that out here."

"Just take it. I'll send someone over when it's all clear."

He picked up his empty coffee mug and headed back inside. The Night Walkers were isolated, but they chose that for themselves. They preferred to live without any modern comforts. But it was damn inconvenient for emergencies. While Layla got ready, he wrote simple instructions on a notepad and his secure number before wiping any sensitive information off his computers.

When they were ready to leave, Ryker's scouts were still playing on his mind. One time was a coincidence. Two times? Not so much. He'd have to look into this. It looked like the honeymoon was well and truly over.

"Brit's going to be so pissed at me," Layla sighed.

Right. He'd forgotten they'd left a teenager locked in her room all that time.

"I'm sorry; I got caught up and didn't think about her," he said. "I'll help you tell her tonight. After that scare tonight, we have to be ready for anything, and that includes Britney, too. She'll start training with the others."

A smile formed on his mate's lips that grew wider with each second. It felt like she was handing him a ray of sunshine in the palm of her hand, and all of a sudden, everything felt better. The birds were chirping; the sun was out; his heart was whole. It had to mean that everything would be alright, that he would have redemption after all and do something to deserve Layla's love.

"I love you, Layla Carlisle."

"I love you, Jackson King."

The smile didn't leave his face as he drove out of the safe house. He'd solve the mystery of the missing scouts and then marry Layla as soon as possible.