Axl’s P.O.V

“Are you sure everyone is still asleep?” I asked, my heart doing summersaults and backflips in my ribcage.

Jenny snickered, tugged on my wrist, and pulled me along with her—I still lagged behind a bit though. “Anyone ever told you that you worry too much? Look around you Axl, it’s literally still dark.”

I did as she asked and technically, she was right. It looked like it was still very early in the morning but… “Doesn’t your brother train in the private fields by the gate at dawn?”

“Yeah and?” I could literally hear Jenny roll her eyes as we continued trudging through the bush path that led to her home.

But I kept silent. Other than Future Alpha Kael ratting me out to my pack, there was something else I discovered a few weeks ago and it fucking scared me. The discovery flooded me with a mix of heady happiness, fear, and anxiety, and until I gathered the courage to talk to him about it, I was avoiding Kael at all costs. The man was incredibly intimidating.

Suddenly, she stopped walking, almost making me slam right into her. Then she turned to face me with a raised brow. “Seriously Axl. You’re being a chicken right now. I’ve got my maid looking out for us and she would have alerted us to take the back gates if my brother was already training.”

Her words were convincing…but not enough to dispel the butterflies strumming about in my belly. Besides, the crazy wind blowing about us, making the trees and branches whistle is a tell-tale sign of an impending storm. If there was a storm coming in, then we couldn’t really tell the time of the day by just looking at how bright or dark the sky is. It could be seven am for all we know while the gathering dark clouds made it seem like it was still early.

I glanced beyond her shoulders at the daunting gates of the Moon-Wolf Kingdom and swallowed hard. “Look, maybe I should just return to my pack. If anyone sees me here and discovers I snuck off to the…pub with you, I’m dead meat.” My eyes watered despite how strong I wanted to seem. “You know how my father is.”

“Which is why you need to stay here until mid-day.” She nudged my shoulders and that playful glint I’d known since we were both little girls appeared in her hazel-green eyes. “Everyone in your pack thinks you’re having a sleepover here and if you just go back home right now, it would be more suspicious. You trust me, don’t you?”

“I do, Jen.” My voice came out whiny. “You know I do but…”

She raised a hand to shut me up midsentence and then pushed her bright hair away from her face. “No more buts. Let’s go in or someone might actually see us now. If you didn’t stop us, we would have gotten inside already.” She pursed her lips. “Besides, stop acting like I forced you to come with me. You could have said no, you know? And back at the pub, you looked like you were having the best night of your life.”

What? Jennifer didn’t just say that! She’d literally blackmailed me into accompanying her to that human pub that was forbidden by the council to be visited by any wolf from our Kingdom.

My mouth fell open in shock and just as I got over my surprise, a bone-rattling CRACK split the sky. A yelp tore through my lips and I slammed a hand over my mouth to stifle the next scream.

“Oh goddess Axl, Shush!” Jenny hissed, yanking me closer. “We’ll wake the whole damn castle.”

My heart had never beaten so loudly in my chest as I could only muster a nod. She resumed walking, this time her steps brisk as she literally dragged me with her. But instead of the gates, she dragged me towards a wall. What the hell…? My sandals suddenly caught on a jagged rock and I stumbled forward, a cry leaving my lips. Jenny caught me with a glare and pressed her palm on the ivy-covered wall, leaving me shocked as the walls parted into a passageway.

Finally, we stepped into the hallway leading up to the stairwell where we’d take to the third floor, then to Jennifer’s room. I was just scared for nothing. We were safe inside and no one found us.

As we began ascending the stairs, a sigh of relief pushed to my lungs, only for me to choke on it as my darkest fear emerged from the shadows.

“What do we have here?”

The voice, deep and laced with cold amusement sent ice down my spine and the blood drained from my face.

“Fuck.” Jenny muttered next to me and I watched her bravado melt away like ice under hot sun. but I couldn’t be the one to face him! Remember I was avoiding him right?! I immediately shrank behind Jennifer, my heart swooping right out of my chest into my stomach.

With me behind her, she spun around, trembling like a leaf left outside. Peeking out from behind her, I saw him standing on the bottom of the staircase. Bathed in an eerie glow coming from a nearby lantern, every line in his body was outlined, his face etched with cynicism. Crap, even while shirtless, he was carved stone wall of terror, as potent as the storm preparing to rage outside.

“Kai…” she squeaked, her voice barely a whisper. “We, uh…”

The air around Kael cackled with unspoken fury. I was hidden behind Jenny, yet I could feel the hatred of his gaze like a physical weight. It made my eyes hot with unshed tears. Why did he hate me so much?

“You what?” he asked quietly, yet the words made me faint.

“We went for a walk.” She whispered again.

Kael narrowed his eyes. “A walk outside at this ungodly hour?” his voice was a low growl.

I opened my mouth to say something to buttress Jenny’s words, but the ground trembled beneath another thunderous clap. I squeezed my eyes shut, the terror silencing me.

“Kai…”

“To your room, Jennifer Anna Thorn. Now” He said through his teeth, cutting her off with a sharp movement of his hand. “You are grounded for a month.”

I felt Jennifer blanch against me as she stuttered. “But I’m 18, Xavier. You can’t ground me because I…”

“Do you want father to learn of your escapade?” he arched a brow, his words soft but their intent very clear.

A strangled sound escaped her and she screamed. “Fine. Damn you Kael.” Shooting me an apologetic glance, Jenny stormed up the stairs, leaving me to HIM, the silence broken only by the distant rumble of thunder. Oh lord.

My legs turned to jelly and instinctively, I took a step back only for Kael’s hand to shoot out and wrap around my arm like a vise. I gasped as he yanked me closer, the spot his fingers connected to my skin burning like a pyre and before I could say anything, he was tugging me down the hallway.

Suddenly we stopped and he roughly jostled me through a door that I distantly knew led into his study. Before I could comprehend what was going on, Kael shoved me against the heavy oak door, causing a jolt of pain to shoot through me.

My eyes welled up with tears, but as I looked up at him, my stomach twisted and hundreds of butterflies invaded my tummy. Slowly, I recognized that feeling as desire. It came in waves that crippled me and had me sagging weakly against the door as I remained captive beneath his arms that pinned me to the door. His scent, clean male sweat, and soil wrapped around my head and I wondered if he was going to kiss me. Maybe my dream was finally coming true. I’ve had a crush on Kael for as long as I’d became friends with his sister and discovering what I did those weeks ago, made me hope….hope for the impossible. Could it really make Kael love me back once I tell him?

I was jerked out of my thoughts when callused fingers roughly grabbed my chin. “Have you told them?” he bit out, his breath fanning my face.

My breath hitched in my throat and I mumbled. “Tell them what?”

His eyes flashed red and the heat pouring out of his shirtless body seared me. “Don’t play games with me, Kitten.”

Suddenly, the implications of his words dawned on me and my mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. “You know…?” I stuttered. “You already know we are mates?”

“Shut the hell up!” He gritted, clenching my jaw harder, enough to hurt. I whimpered. “Don’t ever fucking call me that.”

My heart stung and tremors blasted through me. “Why? What did I do?”

He scoffed, his green eyes burning into mine with hatred and revulsion. “You think I would ever agree to be mated to someone like you? TELL ME WHO THE FUCK YOU HAVE TOLD!” why didn’t he want me to tell anyone? Was he disgusted by me?

Tears burnt a path down my cheeks. “No one yet. I figured I’d talk to you about it first.”

The grip on my chin finally relaxed and tension drained from his bunched shoulders. “Better. I will rip your fucking head if another soul hears of this. Now, get the fuck out of my study and quit coming to my pack.”

“But… but I’m your mate and Jenny is my best friend.” I cried between sobs like that would change anything.

“A fact that’s still bizarre to me to this day. What my sister sees in a gutless, wolfless mutton like you is beyond me.” He shook his head, strolling away from me to his desk. “But I’m not my sister and I don’t want a spineless mere mortal for a mate.”

“But…” I choked out, pain spiking through my chest. “Please Kael, you can’t—”

“You’d be surprised at the things I can and would do to you if you don’t fuck off right now.” His breath was suddenly in my face. “you know what? I Kael Thorne, future Alpha of the hallow pack, reject you.”

Next thing I knew, I was knocked on my ass in front of his study and the door slammed hard in my face.