Chapter 176: Book 2. Aksel - Lady Ivy

“Aksel!”

Someone kicked him in the ribs. Not hard enough to hurt him, but it hurt nonetheless. Ever since Eoin had fallen into the hands of the Necromancer, Aksel has almost destroyed himself by trying to free the one that was like a brother to him. However, the price that the Necromancer asked of him in exchange for freeing Eoin was too much. He could not let the Necromancer know where the bastards were hiding, not when his soulmate was one of those hiding in the old ruins.

Lady Ivy De Bellisle.

If only he had not taken the life of his father on that cold winter day, all would be different for him. He would not be shunned by his tribe. Not only had he no rank, but on the night of his wedding, he would not be allowed to take his soulmate to one of the caves used by his people when mating for the first time with the ones that were meant for them. How would he stand in front of his mate, his soulmate—for Lady Ivy was not only the other half of his human side, but of his animal side as well—and not be able to prove to her he was not only a good hunter, but also a good male that would love and protect her? How would he make her fall in love with him?

There had been a  time when o’cxoas females were few, and the males would not only hunt the best game in the forest, fish the biggest fish in the river, or find the best den to raise a family, but they would fight between themselves if that meant they would be chosen by females as mates.

During that time, the ocxoas were more beasts than humans, living in caves, and they ran on four legs in packs and howled at the full moon. Some of them still did that. The Sons and Daughters of the Lands, born from the union of the Great Wolf of the Night and the First Handmaiden—Uzgaia and Andarra. When the males started finding mates between the females of other races, they started spending more time in their human forms and building houses to live in.

Aksel had never thought the Gods would give him a mate, not after attacking his father from behind, like a coward. Sure, his father had been an abusive piece of shit, but Aksel should have never killed him. Though, if he hadn't, his mother would still be beaten by the one who was supposed to love and protect her. It had cost Aksel everything, but he had never once regretted picking up that knife on that cold winter day. And now, he would do everything to save Eoin.

“Aksel! Wake up!”

Was that Hugo talking to him?

Aksel tried to open his eyes, but the beatings he received daily from Caesar and Shaun left bruises all over his body, especially his face.  When others asked why he was always full of cuts and beaten, he would say that he either ran into demons or some undead creature. Lady Ivy never looked convinced by his explanations, but since he rejected her, she stopped talking to him.

“Where are the women?” The one who asked wasn’t Hugo but Marty, Essy’s lover.

Essy was not only friends with Lady Mina and Lady Ivy, but became friends with Kara very quickly. Aksel was responsible for Caesar’s death. If not for his betrayal, the Necromancer would still be locked in the tower. He had decided to take care of Kara until she found a mate to take care of her and her baby. Essy spent a lot of time gossiping with Lady Ivy and Kara, and Aksel knew more than he wanted about Essy and Marty—not that Aksel wanted to spy on the women, but when he was not looking for food or in his room, waiting for his animal form to heal his wounds, he found himself going where Lady Ivy was. She was like …the Sun and he could not stop himself from basking in the rays of her presence, despite his rejection. He wished he was stronger, but his father had been right, he was weak.

“What women?” Aksel groaned. Why were Hugo and Marty in his room?

“What do you mean by ‘what women?’” asked Hugo. “You should really learn how to fight. I am not sure if you are trying to be a punching bag for the demons or if you have no love for living.”

Aksel snorted. Hugo wasn’t wrong. He was a punching bag, not for the demons but for Caesar and Shaun, and he was tired of living. Once Eoin and Lady Mina were safe….

He finally managed to open his right eye, which was less swollen than the left one. Why were his eyes swollen so badly? The last beating he received in the Royal Palace hadn’t been as harsh as the previous ones. He tried to sit and look around, but his body hurt so badly. He remained lying on…. Was that cold stone beneath his palms?

Why was he in the sewers and not in his room? Ignoring the sharp pain coming from his ribs and from the back of his head, Aksel sat, leaning his back against a door. The few magic crystals on the wall above him cast a ghostly light. Those who had been living in the sewers for a long time were already used to the dark, and after almost a month of being down there, Hugo, Marty, and many others were getting used to being in the tunnels.

Marty crouched next to Aksel. “Where are Essy and Lady Ivy?”

Hugo went to look around the tunnel.

The fog around Aksel’s mind started to clear. Had he been with Essy and Lady Ivy in the tunnels? If so, then why?

“I don’t know,” Aksel replied. His voice was hoarse like he had been screaming for a long time.

Marty balled his right fist, and for a moment, Aksel thought Marty would hit him. “What do you mean you don’t know? You left with them to find food. That was hours ago.”

Did he? His head pounded so badly he could barely think.

Hugo stopped next to a far corner of the tunnel and looked at something that was in the shadows. A moment later, he turned on his heels. “Aksel, where are Ivy and Essy?”

Aksel furrowed his brows, trying to remember.

When Hugo’s next question reached his ears, Aksel rose to his feet fast. “Why is there a demon with Mina’s dagger in his throat?”

Ever since the Necromancer let Caesar and Shaun beat him regularly, Aksel was most of the time in too much pain to go out of the sewers and look for food. Kara had been especially hungry, and Lady Ivy and Essy had said they were going to bring something to eat. Aksel went with them, not wanting something to happen to them. He had kept his distance, listening to them talking, when three demons attacked them. Not wanting to reveal his beast side, he fought in his human form, even if it put him at a disadvantage. To his surprise, Lady Ivy and Essy also fought.

He had killed one of the demons when one of the two remaining hit Lady Ivy across the face. Anger like he had never felt before rose inside him and rushed to his soulmate, leaving the dagger buried in the neck of the dead demon. Stupid! He was overpowered before he reached the women, with one of the demons attacking him from behind. The irony.

Aksel said nothing as he went to where the dead demon lay and retrieved the dagger, cleaning the blade on his pants before putting it in the scabbard. So, it belonged to Lady Mina. He would keep it safe for her, and when she was found, he would return it to her. Maybe she would stab him to death with it, just as he had stabbed Commander Jayden in the back. Betrayers like him deserved to die in the most cruel way.

“Where are you going?” Hugo asked when Aksel started walking in the palace’s direction.

He had a clue about where the demons took Lady Ivy and Essy, but not why. No one, except him and Lady Ivy, knew that they were soulmates. Hugo, who knew about the ocxoas, suspected they were mates. Askel never confirmed it, but he never denied it either. Maybe Lady Ivy has said something to Essy or Kara.

“To get my f—”

He almost said his female, his woman. He wanted that, to have Lady Ivy in his arms, in his bed. There had been nights when he touched himself thinking—imagining—it was her fingers wrapped around him.

“Don’t follow me. I might be gone for a while. And Hugo? Find a way out of the sewers before the demons find our hiding place,” Aksel said as he turned left in the tunnel.

“Beliar take you!” Marty yelled. “Where is Essy?”

“I will return with her and Lady Ivy,” Aksel assured Marty and Hugo before stepping into the shadows and letting his wolf form take over.

The two men tried to follow him, but he was much faster than them, and losing them inside the sewer was easier than it seemed.