Chapter Fifty-Two

Axel

Axel left Claire so she could speak to her father. They had tons to talk about, considering they hadn't spoken since Claire found out about her bloodline. Axel found his way out of the castle into the aftermath of the chaos outside.

Most of his father's pack were dealing with the wounded and resting amongst the havoc of the kingdom. Axel's dad stood in the midst of a group of wolves, directing them on where to check for any injured pack members.

"Dad," Axel said, stopping beside him.

He turned to face Axel. Placing his palms on Axel's shoulders, he stared at him. "Are you okay? You're in one piece. That's good. Where is Claire?" he asked, glancing around the courtyard.

He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "Upstairs with her dad. They have some stuff to talk about. Is everyone accounted for down here?"

"Mostly, yes. Besides some lycans that made a run for it."

Axel looked at the wooded area surrounding them. "Yeah, Jaxton—my roommate—was one of them. Do you think he'll come back and get his stuff out of the dorm room?"

His dad cracked a grin. "Probably not. Looks like you have some free stuff." He shoved his shoulder into Axel's. "Claire did amazing out there. She's beautiful, son. I know it's messed up, but in a twisted way, I understood Tristan's want to build an army with her. She's perfect. The perfect blend of lycan and wolf."

Axel scratched the back of his head. "I know. It's unreal to think that was hiding inside of her all these years. Just a few days ago, she didn't even know she was anything other than human, and now, she's a freaking queen."

"It is surreal," his dad said, his gaze traveling across the quad. "What's going on over there?"

Axel followed his line of sight to Kerry and Demetria in the midst of what looked like an argument. "Ah, hell. Who knows," Axel mumbled. "I'm not sure she's down for the mate thing."

"That sucks for Kerry," he mumbled. "Especially due to his luck with mates. What about the witch? The other one. Where is she?"

"Here."

His dad turned on his heel, coming face-to-face with her. She looked sicklier up close, with hollowed cheeks and the eyes of someone one hundred plus years old. "Don't let the skin and bones fool you. I've been denying any food to keep from having to do Tristan's bidding." She glanced at the castle. "But since he's gone now, I'll be on my way—"

"Wait," Axel's dad said. "Why did he have you imprisoned?"

She clutched the sides of her ratted dress. "He'd been planning on taking Claire for years now. He wanted her to bare his mark and his alone. This isn't something new for him. He just didn't realize he wasn't as powerful as he thought."

"Do you think his brother will come back?" Axel asked.

She chuckled. "Yes. Not now, but one day, I do. He loved his brother deeply and will hold a grudge against Claire for this."

Axel's stomach dropped at the thought of anyone seeking revenge against Claire. He'd kill anyone that thought twice about hurting her again.

"But …" she said, eyeing Kerry and Demetria behind them. "I'd say those two will cause you problems before Jaxton will."

"Those two?" Axel asked, looking at his dad before looking back at them. "What do they—"

When he turned toward Cynthia, she was gone. "Super witchy," his dad mumbled. "That gave me chills."

Axel watched as Demetria pulled from Kerry and stormed toward the castle. She wouldn't leave without Claire, but it didn't look like she wanted to leave with Kerry. Kerry tugged on his long blonde hair that had fallen from its holder and stalked over toward the two of them.

Axel pretended he didn't notice their argument, but his dad wasn't as subtle. "What the hell was that about?" he asked.

Kerry grumbled beneath his breath. "Nothing. Just one hard-headed woman. You'd think my second chance would at least like me. She borders the line of wanting to kill me at any moment and kiss me. She's very exhausting, as if I'm not already tired. Are we ready to leave now? I want to go take a shower and rid myself of her dramatics for the night."

"We're waiting on Claire to finish talking to her dad," Axel said. "Are all the wolves ready to go? We probably should rally them up."

Kerry took it upon himself to do it, leaving Axel with his dad once again. "What are we going to do with Cash and Tibbs?" his dad asked.

Axel hadn't completely forgotten about them, but they'd slipped his mind. Especially due to the fact someone wanted his mate so badly. "I don't know, Dad. We can't let Cash go freely. We'll have to train him to control himself. Maybe Demetria can come up with something for Tibbs. Dude is traumatized, for sure."

"What about Delia?" his dad sighed. "She's back at the pack house, and I'm sure she'll be heartbroken her king is dead."

Axel glanced at the castle and the top room where Claire was with her father. "I don't know. Maybe Demetria can help with her, too. I'd hate to wipe her mind, but I don't see another way out of this. She was obviously some sort of human pawn to him. I don't know if she grew up here or just fell into his trap. Either way, we need to figure something out. But not tonight. Tonight, I want to go back to my house and be with Claire.”

Without any chaos or threat of destruction over them.

His dad wrapped his arm around his shoulder and tugged him into a hug. "You're going to make a great alpha, son. And Claire is going to make a perfect luna. But I want you both to enjoy college first. Enjoy yourselves. Get to know your relationship and each other. Now there is nothing standing in your way of moving forward with her."

Axel's wolf spun circles of excitement inside of him. They'd been through so much together. From their destructive past, to being ripped apart, and tossed one curve ball after the other, it finally looked like destiny was on the horizon.

The front doors to the kingdom opened, and Claire walked down the steps with her father on her heels. She looked distressed, but Axel could sense she was just frustrated at her father.

He lied to me for so long.

Axel smiled to himself, realizing she'd learned how to communicate with him via their mind link.

He thought he was protecting you, Axel answered.

She eyed him from the distance, rolling her eyes at his comment. He was sure her dad said the same thing.

Not you, too, she mumbled.

She stopped in front of him, her blonde hair blowing in the humid wind. "I don't know about y'all, but I'm ready to go home. Can we deal with the drama of everything else tomorrow?"

His dad chuckled. "Sure thing. Kerry is gathering the wolves. Dan … you're more than welcomed to spend the night at the pack house."

Dan looked dirty and worn. The random clothes he wore were too small, and by the grim look on his face, Axel could tell he didn't want to leave Claire.

"Yeah," Axel said. "Come on home with us tonight. We'll regroup in the morning."

He nodded. "I think I will. Where is Demetria?" he asked. "I saw her sulking in the castle. Can she ride with y'all? Because I'm not in the mood for her mouth tonight."

Claire sighed. "She can ride with Axel and me. The truck is back through the woods. I wouldn’t mind a midnight run through the trees."

Axel smiled, never realizing that he would love to hear her say that. "Beat you there."