White fur zipped by and I broke out of my state of shock, watching the two wolves roll around biting each other and growling loudly. Blood quickly splattered in the grass and I couldn't tell from who, they were moving so fast it made me dizzy.
Calix was suddenly thrown into the tree next to them and Axel snarled at him, watching as he rolled to his paws and shook off the debris, snarling right back.
I noticed many blood patches on Axel's once pure fur, but it didn't look like his so I averted my gaze to Calix, only able to see the blood on his blonde fur.
That's when he jumped, unsuccessfully latching his jaws onto Axel because he stepped aside, using his paw to push Calix's face into the dirt and making him take a huge chomp out of the ground.
This seemed to anger him because he shoved Axel's paw away with his own and spit the dirt out, unexpectedly whipping around and achieving what he was trying to do. His canines dug into Axel's neck and he threw him down, holding him against the ground with his jaws which forced him to lay belly up, kicking his hind legs wildly. Axel held onto his head with his claws as if he was trying to pull him off, yet Calix was unmoving.
That's when his flailing hind legs reached his side and he managed to kick him over, causing Calix to fall and drag Axel with him. The positions reversed so now Axel was pinning him to the grass, however, Calix kept his jaws on his neck despite being the one on his back.
Axel snarled, digging his paws into his neck until he yelped and finally released, flattening his ears and no longer trying to fight. This was the first time Calix didn't look terrifying, he just looked like a sad dog.
Blaine and Danny unexpectedly walked past me and I jumped in surprise, squeezing my hands and taking a step back next to the tree while I watched Axel step off Calix. He wasn't able to get up by the time Blaine held him down and Danny strapped something around his head, receiving a loud growl as he struggled against them to get free.
Blaine tightened his hold which stopped his squirming and Danny cursed, tightening the straps and making him whimper.
I frowned, hearing him snarl again in a way that sounded threatening. I felt slightly worried for their safety until they moved and revealed the silver muzzle they strapped over his snout, it was connected to leather straps that constricted around his skull. The metal around his jaws burned through his fur and the sight of his red, sizzling skin made me scrunch my face in disgust.
He snarled again and glared at Axel, whipping his head to face Blaine just as he clipped a collar around his neck. He jumped back as though he forgot about the muzzle and Calix seemed to have forgotten as well, yelping loudly from the silver cage applying more pressure onto his snout at his attempt to bite.
Axel snarled at his brother while Blaine and Danny began dragging him toward the houses by the leash. He fought back, but they ruthlessly yanked him each step.
I caught a glimpse of thick gloves over their hands that prevented skin contact with the silver chain then furrowed my eyebrows. However, my questions became blank after I heard footsteps and turned, frowning deeply at the forming pain in my heart.
Axel was walking away without any acknowledgment toward me.
He's leaving me.
I ran after him, thinking maybe he assumed I was following until I saw his ears flatten and his hackles raised when I reached his side.
This reaction stabbed into me and I slowed to a stop, a lump forming in my throat as he continued walking without even looking at me.
Did I do something wrong?
Is he angry with me?
Is it because I'm just a measly human?
𓃥
I stared down at my lap, fiddling with my hands nervously while I waited for Doctor Wayne to come back into the room. This is my first time doing something alone and I feel incredibly anxious.
A small knock thudded against the wooden door and he walked in a moment after, smiling sadly at me, then closing the door behind him, "I received results, and it appears the only issue you still somehow seem to be battling is infertility, Luna," he said, his eyebrows scrunching in thought, "Alpha Axel's blood should have healed everything wrong in your body, even the impossible, as you can see," he signaled from my neck up, making me remember how I didn't have a voice nor half my sight prior to meeting them.
"What is that? Does it make me weaker?" I frowned. He said nothing as he analyzed me, his lips slowly falling into a frown as well, and he shook his head.
"No, it does not affect your strength. It means you cannot get pregnant," he replied, causing relief to fill me.
"Pregnancy is a disease! It'll take your life!"
"You know what pregnancy is, correct?"
I blinked, focusing my attention on him once again, "a disease," I answered confidently, though I became skeptical at his horror filled face.
He started choking, coughing wickedly and fanning himself with the clipboard in his hand. His face darkened in redness and he cleared his throat, adjusting his coat and widening his eyes as he cleared his throat again.
"Who told you that?" He asked, clearing his throat for the third time then looking down at his clipboard and adjusting his glasses, "actually, that doesn't matter, just know pregnancy is not a disease."
I tilted my head and frowned deeper, my relief wilting, and I watched him set down the board and take a seat in the chair, turning to face me after pulling out a strange picture from the drawer.
He rolled his chair over to sit across from me and turned the image to face me, "this is a photograph of a pregnant woman," he informed, signaling to the entire photo with his hand and I analyzed the woman holding her very smooth, protruding stomach with a nod. He continued by flipping the photo over to reveal a layered chart of inside the woman.
"This is pregnancy," he added, signaling to the baby curled fetal position inside the woman's stomach, "this is a possible outcome of having sex, which is where you and your partner create a life, making you parents to the child. It typically can only happen if you are fertile, otherwise your chances are very low."
I stared at the image, reaching down and placing my hand over my stomach with a burning, yet sharp, pain in my throat. It felt like my heart was ripped right off it's strings.
I wanted a child of my own someday.
"I'm sorry, Luna," he frowned upon seeing my reaction, sliding over and putting the image back in the drawer, then coming over and placing his hand on my knee, "if his blood couldn't change it, I'm afraid there is nothing I can do."
I guess it's for the best. I'd just be an unfit mother, too.
"Is this what you were talking to Axel about a few days ago?" I frowned, looking down at my hands and clenching my jaw in frustration as I furrowed my eyebrows, "he needs someone who can have children... doesn't he?"
He was quiet for a second, releasing a small sigh, "it's not necessary, but it's certainly advised. As Alpha, it's very important that he has at least one biological child for the sake of the pack if none of its future members qualify to take over after he steps down. It's a fall through plan we haven't had to use yet, but we like to be prepared because having an Alpha is required."
"I have a question," I felt water fill my eyes, my voice wobbling.
"I'll answer to the best of my ability," he replied, retracting his hand from my knee and I looked back up at him, rapidly blinking back the building tears that made his features morph into concern.
"How do you reject a mate?" I whimpered, wiping at my eyes to get rid of the tears at the mere thought of losing him.
He deserves better.
He deserves someone who can satisfy his needs, too.
I'm not her, and I can't be selfish. I'm unfit for him in many ways...
"What are you saying?" He asked cautiously, his eyes scanning my face for any signs of humor, but I continued to frown and he visibly began panicking.
"If it's what I said that day, I sincerely apologize. I didn't mean to upset you in any way. You're his mate and I was being inconsid—"
"I can't provide for him like he does for me!" I snapped uncontrollably, heat flushing my face and I lowered my head in shame right after, "he needs someone who's nothing like me... and I think he's starting to see that," I mumbled sadly, "I have to reject him."
He looked flushed, "I can't help you do that, I'm very sorry."
I got off the bed and walked over to the door, turning to Doctor Wayne with a deep frown, "I understand. I know who can," I responded, watching him whip around to look at me with wide eyes.
"You cannot go there! I will have no choice but to tell Alpha Axel if you try, it's unsafe and I can't condone such ridiculous behavior," he breathed in disbelief.
"Fine... then I won't," I muttered, hearing him sigh in relief as I left the room.
I've never lied before.
𓃥
I looked around at the many people around the front of the house, smiling sadly at the children playing, parents laughing, and the creepy men walking around wearing only shorts with multiple body scars and neutral expressions.
I averted my gaze to the building sitting alone a decent distance away and frowned knowing I shouldn't, but my feet already began dragging me that direction before I could put anymore thought into it.
I ran without looking back, stopping to hide behind a few thick trees, and when I heard nobody chasing me, I continued to close the distance between me and the building. That was until I heard a familiar voice, making me stop behind the closest tree and peek behind me.
"S-She went back!" Doctor Wayne stammered loudly and my eyes trailed down to the hand around his neck, up the muscular arm, and onto the man I was hoping to avoid—Axel.
"You're testing my patience, Wayne," he glared, shoving him into the concrete building and I flinched at the sound, "I'll ask one more time before this goes a horrible direction, where is my girl?"
"She is in the house! She just left!" He wailed, his body trembling, and I turned to proceed with my journey.
I quickened my pace, reaching the door and struggling to pull the heavy steel open. I successfully managed a moment later, pulling it closed behind me and latching it locked with an exhale of relief.
A deep, slow, spine-chilling chuckle bounced off the silent walls at my entry and made me freeze, the hairs on my arms sticking straight up as goosebumps covered my body.
"I get a visitor," his voice mused the way Jade's would whenever she was too drunk to function and I shivered.
Shaking away my fear, I walked deeper into the cold, eerie room while my eyes scanned the empty cells containing blood splatters and a terrible stench. I then looked ahead and spotted a cell at the end of the hallway facing the entrance.
I walked up to it but kept my distance, only seeing Calix's sheet covered body sitting in the corner whenever the light in his cell turned on. It kept flickering off and on and it did little to help my anxiousness.
"Why're you here, princess? I know my brother wouldn't let you come," he grinned darkly and I took a step back, squeezing my shirt.
"How do you reject a mate?" I swallowed harshly, keeping down my tears by taking a deep breath.
He chuckled, sucking his teeth and rolling the tip of his tongue over his lips as he scanned me up and down, "oh... that'd be stupid of you to do, you know, with Jade Curran after you and all..." he trailed off, smirking sinisterly.
"How do you know she's after me?" I bit my cheeks, wrapping my arms around myself and squeezing my sides instead.
"How do you think she found you in the first place?" He asked, his smirk never wavering, "she threatened torture, so I told her where this pack was and to look here. I was hoping for her to burn this place to the ground. I didn't know who the hell you were nor did I care, luck just happened to be on my side when she found you."
"Why are you so full of hate? Whatever happened to you here was your fault, why are you so angry at everyone else when you brought it on yourself?" I balled my fists and pressed them into my ribs, feeling a heat wave of anger flush through me.
"Yeah, it was my fault and I'll admit it, because I'd rather be alone with nobody to care about me than be around people who don't care about me. At least then I won't be constantly reminded," he snapped, narrowing his eyes at me through the bars.
"What?" I faltered, sorrow filling me the more I let his words sink in.
"Axel was always the favorite, and Gabbie being the only daughter automatically made her favorited also. I was always placed on the back burner," he growled, clenching his jaw and looking down at the sheet covering his lap.
"But... what about your soulmate?" I asked quietly, taking a seat right outside the cell door and he watched my movements intently. His eyes were nearly glowing under the flickering light and he looked horrifying, except I didn't feel afraid.
"She rejected me because of my scars," he answered with a scoff and my heart clenched in sadness, "she couldn't even look at me."
I was speechless and he looked pained as if he was reliving the memory, causing my throat to swell while I stared at him, "screw a mate," I stated firmly.
Surprise struck his face and he lifted his gaze onto me, his eyebrows shooting up and I shook my head, "you deserve someone who will accept all your flaws, and if a soulmate isn't capable of doing so then screw them, there are others out there who will, like Carly."
He grimaced at the name and I couldn't help but smile, holding down a small laugh and fiddling with one of the bars on the door, "okay, you don't like Carly," I noted, pursing my lips in thought, "I don't know anybody else," I realized, lifting my line of sight onto him only to see he was staring at me with an indecipherable expression.
"Tell him you reject him," he said randomly. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and he went on, "you reject a mate by telling them to their face that you reject them. It's that simple, and since you're human, you don't need his acceptance—the bond will sever once the words leave your mouth."
"Actually, I changed my mind... I can't do it. You made me realize something," I released a small breath, frowning at him, "I have flaws and he accepts them, not everyone will."
I stood up and gave him a small nod, "thank you," I smiled, "and I meant what I said before, so I'll try my best to come here every day to talk to you," I added, watching his eyes widen in shock.
"Goodbye," I waved at him and smiled wider when I noticed he slowly lifted his hand and gave a tiny, confused wave back.
I started walking toward the exit no longer feeling uneasy about him and left the building, closing the door behind me as quietly as I could, but it still made a loud creaking noise.
I ran over to the house after checking if the coast was clear then entered, my eyes darting around trying to find Axel until my gaze landed on him standing by the stairs talking to the woman and man I ran from earlier.
Frowning, I rushed into the nearest room and peeked out from behind the doorway to eavesdrop.
"She is human, Axel," the man said in a sigh.
"Really? I haven't noticed."
"This isn't a joke. She can't do anything, the best she can possibly do is give you children!" The woman sounded livid and I frowned.
"What is it with everyone so worried about what she can and can't do? Why can't I just have a mate that I love like everyone else without people pointing out her flaws and everything she can't offer me! I don't fucking care and you shouldn't either!"
"She can't even give you pups, can she?" The woman asked bitterly.
"No," he answered flatly, "but she can hold me when I'm having a rough day, she can look at me in a way that tells me how much I mean to her, she can smile at me and light up any gloomy day, she can lay with me to let me know I'm not alone. So no, she can't provide what you need, but she can provide what I need."
"That doesn't make her anymore qualified! Emotional needs aren't enough for an Alpha!" The woman snapped.
"Calm down, honey, there is no need to fight with him. It's his life, and he became Alpha for a reason. If he wasn't going to make the right choices, he wouldn't have passed the trials."
"If she means that much to you, where is she?" She scoffed.
"She would be with Gabbie if you hadn't shown up and acted like a—" he cut himself off with an angry growl, sighing loudly after, "if you weren't so insensitive, I'd know," he added calmly, though his tone came out harsh and said all the things his words didn't.
"I-I'm right here," I chimed in shyly, stepping into view with a blush as the three of them turned to look at me.
"Angelica," he breathed in heavy relief, his features softening, and he didn't hesitate rushing up and embracing me in a warm, tight hug.
I smiled, squeezing his arms and inhaling the scent from his bare chest, "I thought you didn't want me anymore," I mumbled.
"Oh, beautiful," he exhaled, leaning back and cupping my cheek, so I lifted my eyes to meet with his, "I was just frustrated. Calix is dangerous. If Gabbie didn't mind-link me, he would've killed you."
I frowned, "I'm sorry."
"No, you don't have to apologize. It's my mother's fault," he clenched his jaw, glaring over at her as she walked up to us with his father right next to her.
"You're going to choose this over me?" She gasped in offense, reaching out to grab me and I flinched into Axel. He shot his hand up and grabbed her wrist, preventing it from touching me, which earned a small wince from her.
"You may be my mother, but if you do not respect my mate, I will banish you," he threatened icily.