Marked Twice by the Alpha King novel Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Blake’s POV

The tribal council had sucked the life out of me. I kicked the manor door shut behind me, savoring the heavy thud.

My shoulders dropped an inch. Here, at least, I didn’t have to be the unshakable Alpha King. Just tired, cranky Blake Morgan with a pounding headache.

I closed my eyes, letting my senses map the house. Lucas was probably in the training room, Sophia likely out or perhaps in her room preparing for the wedding. And Ava… I wondered if her back had healed.

My eyes snapped open and I felt confused, agitated. Why did I care?

“Everything satisfactory, Alpha King?”

Wilson stood at the foot of the stairs, spine rigid as a silver pole, eyes carefully bland.

“Fine,” I muttered, the word clipped. “Lucas still training?”

N

“Indeed, sir. With Miss Rivers.” The way he said her name–like picking up something distasteful–made my jaw tighten.

I’d deal with Wilson’s attitude later. Right now, checking on Lucas seemed as good an excuse as any to stretch my legs. Just routine Alpha business, making sure the heir was progressing.

That’s what I told myself, anyway.

Halfway down the corridor, my hackles rose. The air changed–tension, anger, fear. My pace quickened automatically, instincts shifting into high alert. Through the heavy oak door came muffled sounds: harsh whispers, the thud of bodies, a breathless “let go.”

And smells–Ava’s scent spiked with adrenaline and fury. And intertwined with it, a scent that had no business being here.

Jackson Hayes.

The door slammed open under my hand.

Jackson had Ava pinned against the stone wall, one hand clamped around her wrists, the other gripping her jaw, forcing her head to the side. His mouth hovered over her neck where I knew her mark sat, his body pressed against hers. She was twisting, fighting, but caught at the wrong angle.

My vision washed red.

“What the fuck is happening here?” The words came out barely human.

Jackson froze like prey in headlights. The pressure of my Alpha energy hit him physically, making him stumble back from Ava. His face went slack with terror as his knees buckled, body responding to primal instinct. Head down, neck exposed–submission

Too little, too late.

I crossed the room in three strides, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him into the wall hard enough that mortar dust rained down. The stone cracked behind him with a satisfying crunch.

“I warned you.” Each word dripped from my mouth like venom.

Jackson dangled from my grip, choking, his feet scrabbling against the wall. His face purpled as he fought for air, eyes bulging. The wolf in me howled for blood. Break his neck. Tear him apart. Show him what happens when he touches what’s mine–

“Blake, stop. Ava’s voice cut through the red fog. He’s not worth it.”

I tightened my grip, feeling Jackson’s pulse flutter under my fingers.

“Sophia would be devastated,” Ava added softly. “Don’t make her pay for his stupidity.”