Jackson King, the Alpha King, is desperate to secure his legacy and save his pack from extinction. He needs a surrogate to carry his child, and he's willing to pay handsomely for it. However, his chosen candidate, Layla Carlisle, a half-human and half-wolf, refuses his offer. Despite her initial rejection, Jackson is determined to make her change her mind, using any means necessary. As he struggles with his own darkness and the demands of his beast, Cain, Jackson must confront the consequences of his own cursed fate and the truth about his mate. Will Layla eventually agree to carry his child, or will Jackson's secrets and lies tear them apart?
Chapter 1 Pilot
I will be direct. I require your assistance in bearing my child.
Jackson King observed the girl's expression shift as she glanced between him and his Beta, Dylan.
"I beg your pardon, but I must have misheard you. Did you just say you need me to bear your child?" she laughed lightly.
He could perceive her discomfort just as acutely as he could detect her attraction. She was completely captivated. Even without the influence of a wolf indicating she belonged to him, her body instinctively recognized it, and he despised that reality. He loathed the struggle he faced with his primal instincts to prevent them from claiming what was inherently his. He resented the necessity of resorting to this approach. She was half-human! Why had the Moon Goddess chosen to burden him with this on top of everything else?
He had caught her scent long before entering the hotel days earlier, and now it permeated the entire suite, mocking him and serving as a reminder of how complicated everything had become.
"I did indeed," he confirmed. "I require a surrogate, and I am prepared to offer you a substantial compensation."
"Um... I just entered this room to clean. You are unfamiliar with me; you do not even know my name," she replied.
"Layla Carlisle."
Layla glanced down at the name tag on her uniform. She briefly covered it before likely realizing it was futile and lowered her hand. However, he did not need her name tag to identify her.
"Twenty-one years old. High school dropout. You reside in a trailer with your father and sister."
Layla's eyes widened, and for a fleeting moment, he sensed her fury.
"Have you been following me?" she spat.
Dylan chuckled softly. Jackson shot his Beta a look that silenced him before redirecting his focus to the human.
"I have not been following you," he stated, but he could tell he had already lost the upper hand. Layla's anger had escalated rapidly, overshadowing even the enticing aroma of her attraction.
The human stood, smoothing her uniform before raising her gaze to meet his. His beast stirred, excitement coursing through him at the prospect of accepting his mate's challenge.
"I do not understand why you two would seek a stranger to bear your child, but I do not believe I am suitable for the task. I wish you all the best, though," Layla said.
It took him a moment to realize what she meant as she walked over to her cleaning cart and started pulling it out of the room.
This was the problem with humans. Feeling the pull of their bond wouldn't have been an issue if she'd had a wolf. He would have marked her the moment he had found her, and she would have been carrying his pup already.
"Miss Carlisle, can we talk about this? You haven't even heard what I'm willing to pay."
"It doesn't matter. I don't want to be your surrogate," she answered firmly. "I'll return later to clean your suite."
When she closed the door, he heard her mutter, "It's always the handsome ones."
She thought he was crazy. And she was right-he lost more of his mind the longer he went without a child and the shorter his time on this earth got.
"She thinks we're gay, Jax," Dylan pointed out as he sat in the spot she had vacated.
"I got that," he growled.
"I don't think she will change her mind," Dylan said. "I don't understand why you can't pick someone from the pack and be done with it."
He would have had many children already if it had been that easy. Goddess knew how much he had tried. But Fate had messed that up for him, too, and made sure only one woman could carry his children. Only one woman could save them all-his mate.
"I told you why."
At least as much as he could. Dylan was not only his Beta; he was also his only friend. Keeping the truth from him was essential. Keeping it from everyone was crucial. It was bad enough that they would have to accept his heir from a woman who was as useless as a human, but he could deal with that better than the panic that the truth would cause. He had no time to soothe anyone or deal with the packs that would circle his territory when they realized he was about to die.
As the Alpha King, the repercussions would be astronomical.
"I doubt any of our pack would assume they are the Queen just because they have your child. They can do a blood oath-"
"Dylan, please," he sighed as he stood and walked towards the drinks cabinet.
It was still morning, but fuck it. He needed something to calm and stop himself from going after the human. To prevent himself from pinning her down and marking her while he buried himself deep inside her body.
He closed his eyes as he tried not to imagine what that would feel like, but it was all his wolf wanted and all he could see.
Every wolf he'd ever come across dreamed of being lucky enough to one day meet their mate, but he couldn't understand why anyone would think this was a blessing. It was torture!
"Okay. Pick another one if that girl doesn't want to do it."
Cain growled in his head, ready to attack Dylan for even suggesting that, but he shoved his wolf back and focused on his drink.
And just like that, his mind returned to a place he didn't want to be. He didn't want to think of touching Layla or tasting her. He didn't want to remember the scent of her arousal.
Four days since he first caught Layla's sweet scent, he was already acting like a lunatic.
The first day felt like a gift from the Goddess. He was almost out of time, so finding his mate had given him hope. And then he had seen her. A half-blood. Half-human and cleaning up after everyone else. It felt like a punch in the nuts; he'd wanted to kill someone for this cruel joke. She was not worthy to carry his child; she was not worthy to be the one who saved them all.
But there they were.
There was no other choice.
"Jax-"
"Get more information on her. She's human. You'll find many weaknesses I can use," he ordered. "She's the one I've picked, so she's the one I'll have."
Layla would have his child one way or another, and then he could finally have some peace.
Dylan felt the command in his words and stood up to do as he had ordered. When he sensed his Beta was far enough away from their suite, he picked up his glass and threw it against the wall, smashing it into pieces.
If he told Dylan the truth, he would tie the girl up and offer her to him on a silver platter. But then his child would be a product of rape; that was the last thing he wanted. The child would be his legacy, the only thing left of him on this earth, and would carry his blood. He couldn't taint the child before he had even conceived them. He was a bastard, but not that much. His child would be the best part of him.
Layla would change her mind. Humans loved money, and this one, in particular, was drowning in debt. Why hadn't she wanted to know how much he was offering her? He could solve all her problems in a day if she took his offer. That meant Dylan had to find something else he could use.
Something she couldn't refuse.
The growl came louder in his head as his beast showed his displeasure. But he was in charge here, not Cain. They would do things his way, and at the end of it all, Layla could go back to her life because there was no future for them, even if she wasn't a half-blood.
'Find her. Mark her,' Cain growled.
'Be patient! She hasn't got a wolf; she doesn't even know we exist,' he snapped as he picked up an entire bottle of alcohol and walked toward his bedroom.
And marking her was out of the question.
He didn't stay at the Royal Hotel often even though he owned it and it was in his territory, but he was sure Layla hadn't been around the last time he had been there. Her scent was all over the hotel as if she had marked it. Could anyone else smell it? Did they have that sweet, intoxicating scent turning them inside out? Making them drool? Making them think of nothing else except to claim her?
One thing was certain now. If-no, when-Layla agreed to this, he would get her pregnant and then stay the hell away from her. He'd been hard for days, and her scent had made Cain unstable. He didn't need that complication on top of everything else. Not when he had less than a year left to live.
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