Page 6 of The Alpha King's Fate

“I’ve had enough to eat now,” Britney said. “May I be excused?”

“Brit...”

“I think I just need to rest, Layla. I’m too wound up,” Britney said.

She was. She could sense her sister was ready to unravel at any moment. Was Jackson right after all? Was she taking the wrong approach to this?

“Yes, of course,” she answered. “I’ll see you at breakfast.”

And by then, the place would be crawling with trainees. Brit would have the shock of her life before she’d explained anything. Her eyes widened as she watched her sister walk out of the dining room.

“That went well,” Jax drawled.

“You could have helped me.”

“It was fun to watch,” Jax laughed.

“This is serious, Jax. I remember how I felt when I first got here. This place is scary, and everyone is intimidating,” she sighed, throwing her napkin onto the table. “I remember thinking I was going crazy and all my emotions were too much for me. I don’t want Brit to feel like that.”

The smile left Jackson’s lips. Though he’d had his reasons, Jackson was the biggest reason she had felt like that.

“Give it time, Layla. Wolves are suspicious by nature. It’s why we’re dining alone and why Britney will think you’re lying until she’s open to the truth. And she is not ready for the whole truth yet.”

She sighed. No one could prepare for the whole truth. What would Britney say when she learned that her big sister killed people?

“We’ll tell the guys on patrol to stay on the lookout in case she goes out of the house, but you will have to keep her inside, Layla.”

She sighed. Maybe for one day. Maybe until she told Brit the rules.

“Let’s go to bed. We’ll figure it all out in the morning,” Jax said with a small smile as he pushed his chair back and stood.

She’d lost her appetite, anyway. She’d expected the big revelation to end differently, yet she hadn’t been able to even utter the word ‘werewolf’ without feeling like Brit would freak out.

Jax helped her out of her chair and then snaked his arm around her waist as he led her out of the room.

“I’d never have been able to tell her everything anyway,” she said.

Maybe she didn’t need to. All the drama was over now, and no one was out to hurt her. There hadn’t even been a Hunter sighting in town for over a year.

They were about to start walking up the stairs when the front door opened and Gavin walked in. Though Jax kept his face neutral, she didn’t miss the tension in his arm.

“Alpha. Luna,” Gavin said, his head bowed.

“Hi, Gavin,” she answered with a smile.

She needed to take that pressure off Jax.

“All done for the night?”

“Yes. I was just coming to give my report before I go home for the night,” the Gamma said. “There have been some questions about your sister, but I wasn’t sure how to address them.”

“If anyone asks, tell them we will introduce her properly when she’s ready,” she answered, her smile losing its shine.

What sort of questions? The same they’d had about her? The pack accepted her even though she was different, but now she was asking them to accept someone else. And there wasn’t even a guarantee that Brit would shift.

“Yes, Luna. Goodnight,” Gavin said.

Jackson only started walking again when Gavin walked back out of the house. His tension eased, but he didn’t say a word.

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