Chapter Forty

Axel

"He's scared to death," Axel's dad said. "He's shaking."

Axel watched Tibbs as he glanced around the room, jumping at every little sound. The lycan had definitely done a number with him, and sadly, they weren't any closer to finding him since Tibbs couldn’t remember anything.

He also didn't know how to communicate with the lycan. The lycan communicated with him, which wasn't helpful in the least. Axel sat down across the table from Tibbs. "Where were you when he attacked you? I know you went on the hunt."

Tibbs’s brows furrowed in concentration, and his fingers clutched around the edge of the table. "He—he came out of nowhere." His gaze shifted toward Axel. "He says you're a wolf," he whispered. "Do you turn into a wolf, too?"

Axel glanced at his father who looked deeply worried.

"Did he turn into a human?" Axel asked. "Or did he stay a wolf?"

"Red eyes," Tibbs whispered to himself.

Axel's dad gestured for Axel to follow him toward the corner of the room. "I don't think we're going to get any information that the lycan doesn't want us to know out of Tibbs."

"I agree," Axel said, digging his cell phone from his pocket. "Hello?"

"Get down to here," Kerry said. "We got the little hunter to talk."

Axel shoved his phone back into his pocket. "I'm heading down to the cells. You got this under control?"

"Go."

Axel jogged down to the infirmary, finding Delia standing at the bars, staring daggers at him. "What's going on?"

Claire turned toward him. "Delia said Mark, Sydney's boyfriend is her dad, and we need to contact him because they know where the lycan keeps the kids."

"And we're supposed to just believe her?" he asked.

Delia chuckled. "Looks to me like you have no other option."

"No?" Axel asked, walking closer. "We could cast a protection spell over the place to keep your family from tracking us here and keep you as a pet. We'll eventually find the lycan without your help."

Delia pressed her lips into a thin line, and she narrowed her eyes to slits. "And how many students are you willing to sacrifice to the lycan before you find him, hmm?"

"I'd guess the same amount that you have."

Delia scoffed and stormed back over to her seat, cursing the entire way. Axel turned toward Aunt Demetria. "Are you willing to cast a protection spell over the pack house?"

She cracked her knuckles and swung her hair dramatically. "Aunt D to the rescue."

Kerry rolled his eyes, and Axel fought the urge to laugh. They were obviously over their make-out session in the kitchen, but Claire called it. Demetria didn't seem interested in being bond to anyone on a serious level.

He just hoped that Kerry could break her down.

Axel's mom walked over and put her hand on Axel's shoulder. "We can't keep these kids locked up here. They're kids, Axel."

He frowned. "Mom, that little girl would put an arrow through you in a heartbeat. And Cash is a lycan."

"He was turned against his will, Axel."

"He was an ass before he was turned," he mumbled, kicking at a crack in the concrete floor.

She narrowed her eyes to slits. "I'm going to speak to your dad about this. We have to let those babies go soon. We can't keep them locked up."

She walked up the stairs, leaving Claire and Axel alone in the room. "Hey," he said, walking over and kissing her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she said, shoving her blonde hair from her face. "A little tired and hungry, but fine."

He jerked his head toward the stairs. "Let's go. We'll get something to eat and shower."

Claire glanced over her shoulder at Delia but followed Axel up the stairs. Axel interlaced his fingers with hers, tugging her close since the night had become quiet. Something about the silence slid underneath his skin like nails.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, why do you ask?"

She shrugged and twirled a piece of hair around her finger. "Sometimes I get the sense that you're nervous or excited. Ya know, just at random times."

That wasn't something a human usually had, but Axel expected there to be some magic in Claire's bloodline for the lycan to want her so badly.

"The silence," he said truthfully. "I don't like it. There are no cicadas or crickets. Something feels off."

Claire looked around at the dark woods and up at the full moon. "I've always heard the crazies come out on a full moon," she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Axel chuckled humorlessly, his fingers curled tightly around her thin waist, keeping her close to him. Aunt D sat in the front yard in the middle of a rock circle that Axel didn't pretend to know anything about.

"Turns out all those rocks in her house weren't for decoration," she mumbled. Axel noticed Kerry watching her from the tree line; for just a brief moment, longing crossed his features.

It made Axel thankful Claire had come around and forgiven him.

He guided her up the stairs and into the pack house. "You can go start your shower if you want. I'll grab us something to eat."

"Sure. I'd love some water, too."

Axel winked at her and reached forward once more to kiss her mouth. "We're going to figure this out, Claire. I think we can get Delia to tell us where the lycan is hiding the kids when he turns them."

"We have to let her go afterwards," Claire said. "We can't keep her here, and we need to help Cash. I know we're against lycans, but we can't let him go and run the streets, killing people."

Axel stepped closer to Claire. "Don't worry about that now. We're going to get a shower, eat, and rest. It's been a crazy day."

"Okay," she said.

Claire walked up the stairs and toward the shower, shutting the door behind her. She looked forward to sleeping in the same bed with him since he'd marked her. The night before she'd passed out shortly after their time together in the truck, and she longed to touch him.

To feel the strength in his biceps and explore his body in a way she hadn't the night before. A smile tugged at the side of her mouth as she grabbed her clothes from her bag sitting on the bed and walked toward the shower.

The stream of hot water felt like liquid sin on her body, washing away all of the turmoil and angst from the day. She dried off, got dressed, and ran a comb through her hair, staring at her new mark on her neck, and the detail it entailed.

The magic surrounding it still surprised her. Even though she'd seen Axel turn into a wolf, a beast chased her twice, and her Aunt D was currently casting a protection spell over the house, it all felt so new.

Claire never felt special, but something in her—something deep down—had to be worth something if this lycan wanted her so badly.

Sighing, she put the comb down on the cabinet and brushed her teeth. She heard Axel walk into the room, and her heartbeat thumped wildly against her chest. She wasn't even sure she would make it through her plate before pouncing on him.

She chuckled and walked out of the bathroom into darkness, and dread filled her. She glanced around the room expecting to see Axel, but with only the moon as her light, she couldn’t see anything.

A slight breeze brushed against her skin from the opened bedroom window. She was sure it wasn't open before. The familiar chills raced up her spine, spinning her nerves on end. Something had come through the window, and she couldn’t see it or hear it.

Slowly, she walked with her arms outward, praying she didn't run into any furniture. "Oh God," she mumbled. Fumbling onto the floor, she searched for the door.

The presence of someone behind her filled her with terror, the sound of breathing too close for comfort.

There was no warning, no snarky comment like in the movies, just the feel of something pulled over her head, and her body being hauled over someone's shoulder.

A person … not a lycan.