Jax looked down at Layla’s sleeping form. Her hair sprawled out on her pillow, and she was tangled up in his sheets, something he hadn’t thought he would see again. She looked just the same, despite what she had been through. But something had changed. Was she blocking him the way she used to do in the beginning? He’d felt all her pain in the forest, and it broke him. Was she trying to protect him? He pushed back strands of hair from her face and put his head down next to hers on the pillow. Cain retreated after they consoled his mate in the forest, but he didn’t need that beast to know something was wrong. His alarm bells were ringing despite how exhausted he still was. He couldn’t feel her. Layla could never shield herself well in her sleep, but now she was completely shut off. Was it because of her trauma? Layla had been involved in the pack wars but never to such an extent. Taking someone’s life took a toll on anybody with even an ounce of empathy. Layla had a shitload of

The sun was setting when Layla’s taxi stopped at the top of the road that led into her old neighbourhood. The storm clouds were completely black now, and she could smell the rain in the air. Finding someone willing to drive to that side of the tracks from Jackson’s hotel had taken a long time. That was as far as she allowed Jax to go. If he had come all the way to the trailer, she might not have had the strength to let him leave. “Thank you,” she whispered as she paid the fare. She’d only hastily packed a single bag. She slung that over her shoulder as she watched the taxi peel away. She didn’t blame him. There were many desperate people in her neighbourhood, and even though they didn’t steal from their own, taxis were fair game. With a sigh, she started the walk home. The trailers looked more run-down in the two years she’d been away. Or maybe she’d just gotten used to living in luxury that she saw everything differently. The same tired people sat outside the trailers drinking a

It felt like hours had passed since she hid in her bedroom, but she didn’t cry for that long before the raging storm caught her attention. Gerald must have gone to lower the window shutters outside at some point because the room was dark. She couldn’t see a thing when she usually wouldn’t have needed to put a light on. When they were kids, Brit joked that she had supervision. She did. Back then, anyway. Her chest squeezed, and the tears threatened to fall again but she blinked them back. The storm sounded worse than she’d expected. She needed to stop feeling sorry for herself and make sure everything was secure. Lightning flashed outside and illuminated the bedroom as if it was still daytime. Shock rippled through her when she realised the shutters weren’t down after all. Her eyes just weren’t what they used to be. Surely humans saw things clearer than that? Or maybe that was what the Commander meant when he’d said she would be neither wolf nor human. The trailer rattled and sho

Was Layla completely human? Her pulse was weak, and she felt like a furnace, even against Jax’s naturally higher body temperature. But she was shivering as if she was stuck in the snow naked in winter. He pulled the blankets higher and tucked them under her chin even though she would likely start sweating again, and he’d have to take them off. She hadn’t even stirred since she’d fallen, even though the trailer was shaking and the storm was still raging outside. Was the Hunters’ poison still in her system? Was it killing her? He shoved that thought out of his mind the moment it popped into his head. There was no room in his head for thoughts that would break him. He pushed a strand of her fiery red hair out of her face and put his hand under the covers to hold on to one of hers. “This isn’t how things were supposed to go tonight,” he whispered. “Wake up, Layla.” The door opened, and Gerald walked in with another bowl of water and a battery-operated camping light. He placed the t

Jax counted some notes into the handyman’s palm and then a few more. The guy did a great job at short notice while considerably swamped with other repair jobs after the storm. He deserved the tip. “Thank you,” he smiled toothily before jumping into his truck, where his team was already waiting. Jax waved them off before he looked at the side of the trailer. The dent was gone, and the whole exterior had a facelift. “That will last a good few years.” He looked over at the man who’d introduced himself as Adam. He and Dylan sat on some old garden chairs, drinking beers while Gerald manned the barbeque. Gerald didn’t grumble about cooking for them. “You think so?” he asked. “I didn’t like how much it shook during the storm. I think I should have someone come and look at that.” Or he could convince Layla to move out of the trailer park to somewhere safer. But Layla wasn’t open to that conversation yet. He looked at the door and saw the love of his life standing in the doorway with