Chapter Thirty-Four

Axel

Great. Way to go, Axel. You mess everything up, his wolf growled.

He hurried to stuff the last mozzarella bite into his mouth to buy himself some time. He hadn't known that her dad knew anything about the bullying. Claire didn't seem the type to run home and tell her dad, but somehow, he knew.

Claire made a soft sound beneath her breath and nudged her knee against Axel's. "Dad, where did you hear that—"

He dug something from the waistband of his shorts and tossed it onto the table. It looked like a diary or journal, but Claire immediately recognized it. She gasped. "You read my diary, Dad?"

"Not cool," Aunt Demetria mumbled, taking a bite of her food. "And the bad dad award goes to …"

"Can it, Demetria," her dad hissed. He shifted his gaze toward Axel and narrowed his eyes to slits. "I want to know why you're suddenly interested in my daughter and why she thinks dating the boy that tormented her for years is a good idea. There are tons of boys on campus to consider."

Kill him, his wolf growled.

"Dad—"

"No, Claire. He's right. It looks really bad," Axel said. "And I get it if you don't trust me—"

"You bet your ass I don't trust you. I always knew something was wrong with Claire because I would catch her crying, but she would never tell me. But it'd been bugging me, something about you that I didn't like, and when I read this, all my gut feelings became justified."

"Dad!" Claire screamed, her voice laced with frustration. "You stop it right now. I can't believe you went and read that. The gut feeling you have is because I've never dated before, and you don't like it. This has nothing to do with Axel. It could have been any boy, and you would feel the same way. Yes, Axel was mean to me growing up, but I've forgiven him. He's not the same, but I know there is nothing that can change your perspective about it."

Her dad scoffed and roughly slid his palm down his face. "I raised you better than to date an abuser, a bully, Claire. You deserve so much more than that—"

"She does," Axel said. "And I've realized that. When I saw Claire this year, everything changed for me. I saw her, and I realized how beautiful and kind she was. She was reluctant to even speak to me. But I'm proving myself … one day at a time."

Her dad shook his head and chuckled humorlessly. "This is a mistake, but you're eighteen, attending classes, and I can't control you. Do what you want with who you want but be careful."

Claire tucked her hands underneath the table and stared at her untouched plate of food.

After several minutes of silence, Demetria sighed. "Way to come in and ruin an evening," she mumbled.

"Do you want to leave?" Claire leaned in and whispered.

Axel shook his head and grabbed her hand. "No. We're not leaving."

Claire grimaced but turned her attention back to the table. They ate mostly in the quiet, their silverware scraping across their plates, filling the silence.

Axel felt his wolf pacing in frustration of not winning over her father. Demetria tried to chitchat about his work and Claire's classes, but nothing seemed to really drag him into the conversation.

Claire cleared her throat. "So, I see Jeremy got rid of all his belongings."

Demetria snorted. "More or less. I shattered his TV when I realized he took all of my savings."

Claire's mouth popped open. Axel hadn't even realized Demetria had been married prior. Claire mentioned her not being a relationship-type person, and by the way the rest of the conversation went, Axel understood she wasn't married long, and his job required him to travel out of town frequently.

It was the complete opposite of having a mate. Mates were together every day, and the thought of not being with them caused a knot in their chests.

Which made Axel sad for Kerry.

He deserved his second chance. Maybe Claire could talk Demetria into giving him a chance.

"Thanks for dinner," Claire's dad said. "I need to get going. I have work in the morning."

He stood up and abruptly walked toward the door. Claire gave Axel a glance before following after him. Axel leaned back in his chair and glanced at Demetria.

"Don't worry. He'll come around," she said.

"How about you? Will you come around?" he asked.

She looked confused. "I'm already around. I'm totally down for Claire finding her mate—"

"Yeah, but what about your mate," he said bluntly. "I know you’re mates with Kerry."

Demetria sighed heavily and rubbed the back of her neck. "That's different. I'm not like Claire. Claire is sweet and needs a relationship. I've just broke off a marriage—"

"That seems you never wanted in the first place," he said.

"Axel, it's complicated. I did like Jeremy, and I'd hoped—it doesn't matter. I'm not looking for a relationship; obviously, it was a mistake. I'm sorry for Kerry, but it's not going to happen."

Axel watched as she grabbed the dishes and took them to the kitchen. The front door opened, and Claire walked back inside. "How'd that go?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't disown me or anything, but he seemed disappointed in me. I hate that."

Demetria walked over and patted her back. "He'll get over it. Plus, he'll soon see that Axel is your protector, and you two are meant to be."

"Speaking of—" Claire said.

She scowled. "Not you, too. You have a big mouth," she said to Axel.

Claire grabbed a glass from her hand. "You cooked, I clean. Why don't you tell Kerry he can come have some desert?"

Demetria's eyes widened. "Someone has turned into a naughty minx. Are you sure he hasn't marked you yet? Are you hiding it somewhere?"

Claire's cheeks turned a bright red. The thought of marking her never left his mind; his wolf reminded him constantly, and he knew that it would help their chances with the lycan.

Maybe if he smelled Axel's scent on her, he would disappear, but something told Axel it wouldn't be that easy.

"Not yet," Axel said, standing up. "Whenever Claire gives the go, I'll be happy to fulfill her wishes. I'm her mate after all. It would be un-mate-like to not give a lady what she wants."

Demetria smirked, while Claire rolled her eyes and tried her best to hide behind her hair. "Can we talk about anything else?"

Axel smiled. "I’m going to check on Kerry."

He left them in the kitchen and exited the back door, finding Kerry sitting on the back porch steps, his elbows rested against his knees, both hands curled into fists.

"Are you okay?" Axel asked.

Kerry chuckled. "No, I'm not. I want to go inside and rip her clothes off."

"I get it," he said. "My mate hated me at first too."

Kerry glanced up. "Yeah, but I haven't done anything to her. She doesn't want a mate for too many reasons. It's going to take a decade to touch the woman. She's … irritating."

"Her cooking alone is irritating to me."

Kerry shook his head and swiped his palm over his ponytail, not offering up any more conversation, so he took the hint. The wind howled into the trees, causing shivers against Axel's skin.

Nighttime normally put him at ease, but something felt off. Kerry reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

"It's a text from your dad. He says he saw the lycan, but a group of kids came out of nowhere with flashlights and beer. Something about a hunt. The lycan is loose around them. Your dad is calling for backup, now."

Axel cursed. "Great. I forgot to call the chancellor and warn him. I heard about the kids wanting to hunt the beast. What do we need to do?"

Kerry pulled out his phone and typed in something while Axel checked on Demetria and Claire in the kitchen through the back window.

"Your dad wants both of us to stay with Claire. He has twelve wolves on their way. He'll call if he needs us. Go inside," he said.

"I'm not leaving you out here for the night."

The back door opened, and Demetria poked her head out. "Come on in, boys. I'm making up your beds. And don't worry, Axel. Claire told me you're staying in separate rooms at the pack house. I'm not traditional by any means. You two can sleep in the spare room, and you can crash on the couch, Kerry."

Axel's wolf laughed, and it sent goosebumps down his spine.

One night alone … finally.