Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Seven
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” Axel asked, and he was mad. I felt it in the bond we shared; I saw it in his eyes too,
“I am doing the right thing.”
He inhaled sharply; he knew I was right, yet he didn’t like this, not one bit. “You had to do that before all those people?” he questioned, even though he already knew why I had done that too.
“She would be safer this way.”
“You can’t let her go; we can’t–you would go in there and tell her it was all some kind of expensive joke, and you’ve changed your mind.
When Axel was mad, he seemed to forget who the Alpha was and where his place was, but I let it slide; he had the right to be angry.
“Axel, listen to me. She is no longer safe here; there are many who want to hurt her to get to
me
some of them are in this pack; You know that if there was any other way, I would have chosen that.”
“And do you think there wouldn’t be others out there who want her dead top? She can’t be on her own,” he says, and he might be right.
“She managed to stay alive all these while in the Windborne pack; she would survive.”
“Tell me that you would send soldiers along with her.”
“I can’t do that. They would figure it out that this was only an act; I would have to make them see that I’ve moved on completely from her,” I said to him, noticing he shook in anger; his wolf was on the verge.
Never once had Axel ever challenged me to a fight before, but now I could see that happening.
“So what? You find a new… girl?”
I didn’t want anyone; I could never look at any girl that wasn’t Riley the same way.
“I’m afraid so,” I said, and Axel lashed out. I had expected that, so I quickly dodged; I didn’t fight back. “Axel, do you remember what the elders did to Bailey?, They are dangerous; I killed their members and had been about to wipe them out of the face of this earth if they hadn’t escaped; think about what they would do to Riley if they ever got their hands on her.” I flinched; I didn’t want to think about it. Bailey was one of the most powerful elders I knew, and yet they had exploited her femininity. The tortures she had gone through, many she wouldn’t want to speak about. I couldn’t let that happen to Riley. Never.
Finally, Axel seized trying to attack me.
“It’s just…”
she
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Seven
“You love her,” I completed; my voice sounded harsher than I intended it to be.
“And what if I do love her?, What if I think you don’t and would never deserve her?” Axel asked challengingly.
“Then you would be right.”
+25 BONUS
(RILEY POV)
“Luna,” a slightly familiar voice called, but I didn’t turn back; I walked on.
It turned out to be Jake seeking my attention. I finally came to a stop.
“I just felt the need to thank you,” he says, sounding genuine. I said nothing, but that didn’t deter him; he spoke on. “You are a good person, and no matter what anyone thinks of you, to me, you will always remain my Luna and Queen.”
“You have nothing to thank me for, but I appreciate your very kind words,” I said to him, and he bowed before walking away.
The car waited outside the pack house just as Thane had said. My mother went ahead of us seemingly in a hurry to leave; she had simply pretended like Thane was completely invisible.
Axel stood by the car. Something in his eyes seemed so… broken. I knew that he wasn’t in on this; he couldn’t have been.
Axel took my stuff, along with my mother’s placing them in the boot. My mother slid into the car. I had been about to do the same when Axel’s grip on my hands stopped me.
He embraced me. “I am so sorry, I just can’t…” His voice broke, and he swallowed. A single tear dropped down my eyes. I had promised myself I wouldn’t cry, and now…
I had been bothered about the fact that I would no longer have Thane by my side; I hadn’t been thinking about Axel; I was going to lose the closest person I had to a friend.
“I guess this is goodbye,” I say, my voice trembling-
“I don’t like to say goodbyes.”
“Neither do I.”
We stared at each other long; we should have kissed right there; that would have been our one last kiss.
I drew away from him joining my mother in the car.
One last kiss would only make it harder to walk away.
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Eight
