CHAPTER 8 – A FRIEND’S ADVICE

CHAPTER 8 – A FRIEND’S ADVICE
Sloane P.O.V.

A mistake. How could he call this a mistake? It was the perfect kiss, full of passion and love. My heart is still pounding a million beats an hour for the excitement. 
And it will never happen again. 
Now that I know the pull I have on him, it is definitely going to happen again, I will make sure of it. 
And all this farce about him coming to warn me about Axel’s bad intentions, I didn’t buy it for one minute; he was really here because he was jealous and wanted to test the waters. So predictable. At least it means that Daniel’s game is working, and I should keep up with it, although Axel’s flirting really makes me uncomfortable.
A loud bang pulls me out of my thoughts, someone has just broken the restroom’s door down, and a bunch of angry women are making their way inside.
“Alpha Moore, what happened? Did you lock the door?” one of them asks accusingly.
Bloody Nathan left me here alone to deal with this mess; he owes me big time.
 “Actually, the door got stuck, I tried to open it, but couldn’t, I was just planning on climbing out of the window, before you broke the door down,” I reply contemptuously, pointing at the opened window, and hoping that no one has seen Nathan climb out of there.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I say politely, before I hurriedly leave the scene, before anyone can start asking more questions. 
Instead of going back to the buffet, I go back to my room to shower, I have Nathan’s scent all over me, and I don’t want to make Axel or anyone else suspicious. 
I am just out of the shower, when someone knocks at my door. I’m only covered in a towel, and my hair are dripping wet, so I open the door only a fraction to see who it is. 
Axel’s sharp gaze immediately zeroes in on my attire, or better, my lack of any, and his jaw clenches hard like he’s in pain.
“Everything alright?” I ask him, a little concerned.
He immediately places his all-white teeth smile back in place and relaxes his features. 
“Yeah, you just took me by surprise, appearing at the door like this. You have no idea how sexy you look,” he says, while focusing on the droplets of water that run from the tips of my hair and disappear into my towel.
I mentally scold myself for opening the door in this state and giving him strange ideas. It’s true that I want to use him to get Nathan jealous, but at the same time I want to avoid getting to close to him, after all he’s not someone to be trifled with.
“Did you need anything?” I ask quickly, trying to wrap up this conversation fast.
“Actually, yes, I wanted to invite you to accompany me somewhere. I’ve noticed that you interact well with kids, and I wanted to show you a new project I am working on.”
Seems safe enough, if it is kid related.
“Ok. When do you plan to go?”
“Actually, now,” he replies with a wider smile.
“Oh, I see, would you mind giving me ten minutes to get ready?”
“Not at all. I’ll be waiting in my room, just call me if you need any help getting ready,” he says in a sexy voice, and even wiggles his eyebrows.
Sure, in your dreams, never happening!
Half an hour later we are on the road in Axel’s sports car. This lad likes to show off, but I am not really interested in this stuff, a car is just meant to bring me from one place to another, so brands don’t really matter to me, as long as the product can fulfil my needs. He’s trying to impress the wrong girl.
During the drive he asks me questions about my pack, my parents, my friends, he even asks me how many boyfriends I had in the past, question that I totally refuse to answer, because the truth is that I haven’t had any! If we don’t count that innocent kiss in primary school, although it was just a chaste innocent kiss. Admitting as much would just be too embarrassing, awfully lame and also a little dangerous. A playboy like him would definitely try taking advantage of my inexperience.
It's not my fault that my dad was too strict, and that men feel threatened by powerful women. Just like someone I know. 
An involuntary sigh escapes my lips, and it does not go unnoticed by Axel, who comments,
“Are you feeling bored? We are nearly there.”
“No, I’m not bored, I was just thinking about stuff,” I reply vaguely.
“If it is pack problems, you can confide in me, I might be able to give you some advice.”
“Mmm, no, more like girl problems. I’m not sure you are entitled to give this kind of advice,” I reply jokingly, finding that I’ve slipped in keeping my cold mask on.
  “Try me,” he replies, with a boyish smile that makes him look much younger and makes me want to keep this conversation going.
“Well, then, here goes nothing. I have a friend…”
“Yeah, sure, a friend. Go on.”
“Hey, no interruptions!” I admonish.
He mimics zipping his mouth shut, and I resume with my problem sharing.
“So, this friend of mine has found a guy she likes, but he ranks lower than her in the pack hierarchy, thus he feels that he’s not worthy of her, and that he would become the laughingstock of the werewolf community if he tried to claim the girl. My friend has tried to persuade this guy on many occasions, but he doesn’t give in. Do you think my friend should just give up? Or should she keep pushing until the guy understands that true love is more important than ranking?”
“First of all, I think that was a really big sigh for a problem related to someone else.”
He gives me a side glance to check my reaction, but I keep my expression neutral.
“Secondly, what true love? It doesn’t exist; it is just a fairy tale told to little girls to let them easily fall pray of the first handsome idiot they encounter. Ranking, power, status those are the important things in life; love is just something useless and volatile.”
“Wow, useless and volatile, really? I never knew Alpha Axel had such a bad opinion on love. Have you had your heart broken by some girl?” I ask, a little curious.
He smirks sadly and his eyes go a little out of focus, like he’s immersed in some memory.
“No, but my mother killed herself because of love, and I feel that it is just stupid and foolish.”
I remember my parents talking about this accident when I was little, they said that her husband fell out of love and that she couldn’t take the pain and the shame, so she jumped off a cliff; but I didn’t know it was Axel’s mother. 
He must have been what, maybe 10 at the time. I feel bad for him, no child should go through something like that. I can only imagine how he felt, abandoned and scared; at least those where my feelings when my mom left, and she didn’t go voluntarily, she died of illness. 
“I’m sorry about your mom,” I tell him, patting his arm gently.
He smirks crookedly, “I’ll play the dead mom card more often, if it means you get all touchy feely.”
Typical Alpha male reaction to hide their hurt and embarrassment; why can’t men just admit that sometimes they get heartbroken too? 
Whatever… I immediately took my hand off his arm and glared at him.
“Hey, I was enjoying your hands on me!” he whines.
“Yes, maybe a little too much; it’s better if you concentrate on driving,” I comment blandly.
“Actually, I still haven’t replied to your question. I’d say, that ‘your friend’ should give up on that lad and find someone more worthy of her. You’re too hot to be running after a guy, especially when you have a good-looking and powerful Alpha waiting for you to just say yes. I swear, Sloane, I will please you in any possible way. You won’t find anyone as perfect for you as I am.”
“I wasn’t talking about me! I told you it was a friend!” I say outraged. 
“Yes, sure. And would this friend be interested in giving me a chance?”
“I don’t know, I should ask her!” 
In my panic, I didn’t even notice that we had arrived at our destination, and Axel had already switched the engine off, until his now free hands suddenly cup my face and he leaned in, getting us incredibly close.
“Give me a chance, Sloane. I’ll be worthy,” he whispers huskily, his hot breath funning my lips.