Chapter 49: Bad Timing

AXEL

~If you have chemistry, you only need one other thing: timing. But timing’s a bitch.~

I slumped into my seat beside my best friend, Arlo. We’d known each other since we were pups. His father, Jordan, was my Dad’s beta. We spent a lot of time around the pack house together growing up.

His mom was also a witch, but she was a common one, so Arlo didn’t get any gifts. He just had a strange way of predicting things. He kinda sensed them, like a sixth sense. It was weird.

But then, I was far from normal, so who was I to judge?

“You all right, man?” He looked up from his notepad.

After what happened at the human hospital when I was born, my parents suggested my generation of wolves make more of an effort to blend in with the humans.

Apparently, my dad and Uncle Diego scared the shit out of everyone when they burst through the doors and shifted in front of everyone. After that, they agreed we should blend in more.

I didn’t exactly know how they intended it to work, but I did as I was told.

“Yeah, got called to Pops’s last night. Apparently, some rogue wolves from the Blood Moon Pack are planning to make a claim for the throne.” I twirled my pen in my hand, staring ahead of me.

~That’s not why I’m on edge. I miss my mate. I need to see her~

“Seriously? Shit! Guess Dad will mention that later. How did you guys find out?” He leaned back in his seat, his gaze on mine, a knowing smile creeping onto his lips.

“A girl stopped by the castle. A wandering witch. Said they attacked a coven she was visiting a few months back.”

“And?” There was that damned sixth sense again.

“And she’s my mate.”

He clapped my back. “Knew it! Congratulations, brother! I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, man.”

The lecturer came in, so we sat in silence for the class.

My phone buzzed in my pocket

Mom

hi sweetface everyone coming over for dinner tonight. Mom said Storm is coming;) x

I shuffled in my seat, suddenly excited to go home. “Take it you got some good news then?” Arlo whispered, smirking at me.

“You really need to stop that, you know? And yes, as a matter of fact, I did. Storm is coming to dinner at my house later.” I smiled over at him.

He raised his eyebrows at me. “Man, you are hooked! Happy for you, brother.”

I decided to ditch the rest of the day’s classes and head home. I was too excited to focus on my classes. I practically skipped in my front door. I heard Mom cooking in the kitchen. “Hi, Mom!”

“Hi, sweetie! How was your day?” I walked into the kitchen. She was at the stove stirring the sauce. “It was all right, thanks. I, uh, ditched the rest of my classes. Kinda just wanted to be home.” I bounced on the balls of my feet, stuffing my hands into my pockets.

“Mmmhmm. You feeling okay, sweetie?” Mom winked at me.

I felt my cheeks burn. “Well, uh, with this rogue wolf attack looming, I guess, how do I, um? I mean, how did you and Dad? How did?”

“How did we protect each other while respecting the others’ wishes?”

Mom smiled knowingly. I nodded, sinking into a nearby chair.

My parents had never been shy about including us in major decisions and making sure we were trained for anything should we be caught alone.

But how do I defend someone who wasn’t a part of our training?

“Honestly, Storm is a very powerful witch. She got past Father’s guards undetected and managed to make her way to the castle unharmed.

“She is a lot stronger than we think, and she’s obviously used to navigating dangers alone. You need to trust in her abilities.

“But if you’re unsure, then just communicate with her. It’ll make everything so much easier going forward. That’s what your father and I did.” She blinked over the salad bowl at me before smiling.

“Honestly, sweetie, you just need to explain it to her. You’re an alpha wolf, so it is your duty to protect others.” She snapped some lettuce into a salad bowl, looking at me.

I nodded, sitting down on a stool. “What time is dinner? Mom, I’m kinda nervous.”

She patted my hand gently. “Dinner is in thirty, sweetie, and don’t be. As I recall, she made it very clear you’re just as much hers as she is yours last night.”

I wandered off to my room to shower and change before dinner. About twenty minutes later, I heard everyone chatting downstairs.

“Axel! Storm is here!” Reign sang up the stairs to me.

My stomach flipped. I ran toward the stairs and caught myself at the top, forcing myself to appear cool and collected, not like a nervous teenage pup.

She stood at the bottom of the stairs in a navy blue knee-length dress. “Hi.” She blushed, playing with her jacket.

“Hi.” I ruffled my hair. “Did you, uh, sleep okay?”

She nodded, biting her lip. “Yeah, I did, thanks. Your family has been really welcoming. I can’t thank you all enough.”

I wiped the tear from her cheek with my thumb, her midnight eyes gazing into mine. “You are family now.”

“Dinner!”

I wrapped my arm around her waist. “Come on. My uncle gets impatient.”

She giggled, leaning in closer. Everyone sat around the table, tucking into the dinner Mom had made.

“Daddy, can you stop sending warriors to follow me, please? It’s embarrassing. Everyone in school is whispering about me. They think I have a weird stalker!” Reign huffed over her salad.

I rolled my eyes. Dad glared at her over his beer.

“No, I will not, Reign. You are my little girl, and I will not have you in harm’s way until we have dealt with this threat.” He placed his beer down matter-of-factly.

“Moooom!” Reign whined. “Mom, tell Daddy he’s being unreasonable!” I swear I heard her stomp her foot.

Pops tore up some bread. “Well, actually, Reign, dear, I think your father has every right to protect his girl. I had Diego follow your mother everywhere.”

Diego winked at Reign, sipping his beer. She slumped back in her chair, huffing. Everyone else ate in silence. I noticed Storm shuffling in her chair.

“You okay?”

“Something is happening,” she whispered. We all looked at her, wondering what she was talking about, when it hit.

~Holy shit. Fuck. What the hell is that?~

We all inhaled sharply, snapping our eyes shut. I gripped the table so hard I almost cracked it in half. “Ooooh fuck.”

Milly and Reign looked uncomfortable in their chairs. Clutching their heads, they winced in pain.

Mom fell to the floor, crying out, clutching her head. “What is this?!” Dad shouted, landing beside her.

Grams held Pops close, trying to keep him calm.

Storm crawled over to Mom. Reaching out, she grabbed her hand. “Draw power from me. Put up a forcefield outside the walls.” She threw her right hand out. “Levi, Lucas, close our minds. ~Hurry~!”

I sat and watched helplessly, the table cracking with the strength of my grip. Levi grabbed Storm’s hand, holding hands with Lucas. Everyone closed their eyes.

Storm glowed a bright purple. Mom threw up a forcefield surrounding the house. One by one, we regained control over our minds. Everyone sat panting, looking around.

“Everyone all right?” Mom sat up.

We all nodded silently.

“Mom, what was that?” Reign whimpered

“It would seem, darling, that the rogues have indeed crossed the borders. And by the looks of it, they have a powerful witch on their side.” Grams stroked Reign’s hair softly.

“We need to get back to the castle. We’re not safe here.” Storm sat up and dusted herself off. “That was powerful magic. Not from one witch, but several.

“Your defenses at the castle are much stronger. I recognize the signature, but until I decode it, no one is safe here.” She stood up matter-of-factly.

“While I’m all for battening down the hatches, how exactly do we get all of us into the castle safely in one go?” Diego looked at the twins, who shook their heads.

“We don’t have the power to block our signatures. Even teleportation will leave a trace behind. They’ll know exactly where, when, and how we got back to the castle.

“Right now, they think we are trapped in here.” Levi looked around.

Lucas nodded. “The longer we have them believe we are here, the more time we have, if I’m honest.

“But that’s magic we haven’t fully explored yet. It’s very difficult to mask yourself from others to avoid detection.”

“Actually, it’s not. Not if you know what you’re doing, that is. I can teach you, but right now, we must leave.” Storm swirled her hands in an entwining motion, opening up a portal.

“I’ll set up a false signature that will send them on a goose chase. But right now, you all need to head back to the castle, and I’ll follow once I’ve shaken them off.”

I opened my mouth, ready to argue my point. Storm shook her head. Mom grabbed my arm, a knowing look on her face. “Let’s go, Axel.”

Storm pointed to the portal. “~Hurry!~ I’ll catch up!”

Without further arguing, we all ran through the portal, free-falling into a deep purple abyss until we landed with a thump in the royal castle.

I looked back at where the portal had closed, a tight knot forming in my stomach.

~Please be safe, Storm. Please. Come home safe.~