Chapter 21: Chapter Twenty-One

Claire watched the fire dance across Axel's gaze and the sly smirk that tugged at the side of his mouth. Everything about him, at the moment, sent goosebumps up her spine.

His chuckle slid against her skin and warmed her blood. "My mother has the guest bedroom across the hallway ready for me. I'll be close, but not too close. She's oddly traditional."

Claire respected that. "What do werewolves do for fun?" she asked. "Besides play football?"

Axel thought about it. "On a normal night, I'd take a run, but truth be told, I've had enough of my wolf these last few days. Saving you—twice, I might add—has done me in. Plus, he's driving me crazy with his antics to get you naked."

Claire's cheeks turned a bright red, and she smiled. "Sounds like a classy guy."

Axel chuckled. "He's a desperate one. He'll get over it. I actually have something that I want to show you," he said, offering his hand to her.

She took it, letting him lead her down the staircase and out the backdoor. The evening sun settled over the far wooded area next to the house, a pinch of pink and yellow painted the afternoon sky. Axel led her toward the woods and into what looked like a trail that parted through it.

"Is this where you off me?" she asked into the silence.

He chuckled and pulled her closer as the cicadas sang in the distance. "This is where I show my mate what I've been working on for years."

Claire glanced up at his dark eyes shining in the setting sun. "Is it a fort?" she teased. "Or a clubhouse?"

Axel narrowed his gaze at her. "Wait and see. I think you'll like it."

They continued their walk through the woods until the trees became scarce, and an opening appeared. The newly risen moonlight shined against a cabin, sitting back into an alcove of willowy trees.

"This is an impressive clubhouse," she said into the silence.

Axel laughed and tugged her over the stone pathway and toward the wraparound porch. She had no idea what this house was, or why he wanted to show it to her, but once he opened the front door and turned on the light, her heart began to race.

It was modern, sleek with new appliances, and had a sectional that looked like it'd mimic laying on a cloud.

"I'm—wow, Axel. This is beautiful."

She made a slow semi-circle around the living room and roamed into the hallway. The wooden floor shined in the lighting, and each room looked better than the last.

The master bedroom at the end opened with a set of double doors. She walked into a room that reminded her of a woodsy summer day. The four-post bed had wolves engraved into the wooden post and a down comforter the color of coal.

Everything about the house screamed Axel, and something tickled the back of her neck. This was his house?

By himself?

She didn't think so.

She turned to look at him with wide eyes. "Did you build this house?"

Axel rolled up the sleeves of his T-shirt and nodded, nervously biting his lower lip. "I did. When I found out I would be the next alpha, I found a spot and started building it. My dad helped some, but I spent most of my free time in the summers building it."

She swallowed. "That's why you were MIA to Stephanie's pool parties every year?" she asked.

He smiled. "Sometimes."

"So," she cleared her throat, "you built this for you? It's kind of a big house for one person—"

Axel took a step forward. "I built it for me and my future mate."

His mate.

Which was her.

She swallowed the fear in her throat. A house? She'd just started college. All of it seemed too much, too fast. Her heartbeat began to beat quickly, and an anxiety attack—that she had buried a long time ago—started up her throat.

Axel clasped his palms around her shoulders and smiled. "Calm down, Claire. We're not moving in now. This is for when we graduate, and I become alpha. Not a minute before you're ready, I promise."

She sighed and took a deep breath. "Sorry. I—commitment makes me nervous."

Axel rubbed small circles against her skin. "That's okay. We have plenty of time to get over that."

She smiled. "This place is beautiful. And I'm sure when the time is right, we'll be happy here."

"I'll do whatever I need to make that happen." He tugged her toward the room across the hallway and into a small library. "I know you read a lot in school, so I wanted to build a reading nook for you over there."

Claire bounced on her toes. "I'd love that."

He squeezed her hand. "I'll do whatever you need me to do," he whispered. "To make you comfortable here with me."

She turned to face him when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She dug it out and answered Cat's call.

"Hello?"

"Uh, where are you? It's about time you answered your phone. I've been beating on your apartment door for an hour and went to check the coffee shop. I'm thinking frozen yogurt at the mall."

Claire shifted. "I don't have the best signal here. I'm not on campus right now. I went home for the weekend."

It was a small lie. She did plan to go home tomorrow to see her dad.

"Boo," Cat said, with a huge sigh. "I guess I'll have to knock someone over the head and force them to come with me."

Claire chuckled. "You'll live, I'm sure. Did you ever hear anything about the party last night?"

Cat gasped. "I forgot you haven't been here. Yes, supposedly a student is missing this time. They can't find him."

Axel tilted his head to the side to get a better hearing angle.

Claire swallowed the fear in her throat. "Oh yeah? Who did they take? Do we know him?"

"I bet your little friend Axel does. He's the quarterback … Cash something."

Claire's stomach bottomed out, and she turned to meet Axel's gaze. She willed her mouth to move, her brain to think. "Do they know what happened?" Claire finally asked.

She listened to Cat's shuffling on the other end and then a door shut. "Yes and no. His friend, Tibbs or something, said they got to the party, and he went looking for someone, and when he didn't come back, they started searching for him. Then the lights happened, and you know the rest. He never came back to his dorm room, and his cell phone is off. They don't know where he went. They've been searching the woods and the rivers, but he hadn't been drinking."

"That's terrible," she whispered.

"Yeah, they are holding a huge mandatory meeting Monday morning. I'm sure you got an email about it."

"I'll have to check it for details. I'll be back on campus Sunday afternoon. Maybe we can get together for dinner at the café."

"Sure thing. Are you going to bring your little boyfriend with you?"

Axel narrowed his eyes.

"Maybe," Claire said with a laugh. "I'll text you tomorrow."

Cat blew a raspberry into the phone. "See you then."

Claire hung up her phone and slid it back into her pocket, looking over at Axel's worried face. "Looks like the lycan took Cash. Do you think he killed him or turned him?"

Axel shrugged. "It's hard to say, but the pack will start hunting the lycan Monday. We'll figure this out before it has a chance to hurt anyone else."

Claire smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She felt well-guarded in a house full of wolves, but it scared her for the rest of the campus. "Don't worry," Axel whispered, tucking her blonde hair behind her ears. "Everything will be okay. You're safe here, and we'll do whatever we can to keep the campus safe, too."

She nodded. "Okay."

Axel slid his palm down her arm and interlaced their fingers. "I need to get back to tell my dad about Cash. Come on, it's getting late anyway. We have a trip to make tomorrow. Does your dad know I’m coming?"

She cringed. "Not yet. I'm thinking we can just show up. I won't have to hear about moving too fast if we do it that way."

Axel shoved his shoulder into hers and locked the door on his way out. "You think he'll give me the third degree?"

"Oh yeah," she said. "He's going to grill you. I'm not sure about Aunt Demetria just yet. She's very observant. Kind of into new age stuff that I don't agree with."

Axel led her toward the darkened trail and the pack house. "I can handle them, Claire. Don't worry about that either. Everything is going to be fine. I promise."

Claire walked blindly into the trail with Axel, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, guiding her with a sight she wished she had.

It felt a lot like the last few weeks at school. Axel leading her blindly into the night—a night where her nightmares were waiting in the shadows.