Chapter 15

Axel

"WHAT!?" I snapped. "One little fight and she runs off?"

"It wasn't a little fight, Axel." He bit back. "You basically told her she is your subordinate, that she answers to you. That she is not strong enough to hold her own. And we all know that she is none of the above."

All your fault. Astrix had come forward and was growling. At me!

"Where would she go?" I asked as I started pacing again. "She doesn't have any friends out of our community, and I doubt she ran off to London."

Idris looked out the window. A shadow fell over his face, it seemed like he struggled to say something or to not say something.

"Idris? What do you know?"

I was surprised my brother noticed the same thing as he asked that and stepped forward, placing a hand on my Beta's shoulder.

"I don't know if I should tell you. It's not my secret to tell."

"If it's about Spence, I deserve to know." I took in a deep breath, trying to reel in my anger.

"She doesn't know that I know." He locked his eyes with me. "She's pregnant, Ax."

My knees went weak and fell back on the couch. My hands were trembling as they rested on my knees. I knew why Idris knew before anyone else. He had a nose like a fucking bloodhound. He had the best nose of all the wolves in the pack, and probably in the generations before us too.

My voice shook when I asked. "D-does she know?"

"I believe so. I think she found out when we were in London. After the first day, her behaviour changed. She was nervous and on edge. She was afraid."

She was afraid of me, of my reaction. As I told her not two days before she found out that I didn't want kids at the moment. Or maybe ever. I didn't know how it was possible because we both took precautions, but still here she was. Pregnant with my child. With -

Our pup. Astrix whined. Our Mate and our pup are gone because of you. He snarled.

"Fuck, I need to find her!" I jumped up and clenched my hands into fists, trying to calm the tremble. "What way did she go?"

"North." He said, and then his eyes widened. "You - you don't think she went after him, do you?"

She would totally do that, even if she was pregnant. "Shit!" I cursed.

"After who?" Benjamin asked.

I wanted to wait until we knew more before I told him about everything, but from the look he gave me and Idris it was time to come clean. "Steven Pan, a wolf from the Northern pack. We think he might be involved with Mom's death."

Benjamin with unnaturally still. Then in a blink of an eye, he had turned into Jax, his wolf. With dark brown fur and golden locks intertwined.

That means, if she is going after him, she is in danger. I'm coming with you. He said through the mind link.

Benj- I started but he cut me off.

I'm coming and that's the end of it. Spencer is my friend, our Luna. I vowed to protect her, and I will do that until my dying breath.

I looked back to Idris, but he had already transformed into his wolf form. We don't have time to lose. He said. Spencer is crazy fast; it would be a miracle if we could catch up with her.

I changed into Astrix, the wolf who was still mad at me. I was mad at me. For more than one reason. But maybe his anger would come in handy. It would make him faster. He would run so fast to make sure our Mate was safe. Maybe, just maybe we can make it in time.

Let's go. I said and the three of us, charged out of the house and into the woods.

Spencer

I didn't know how much time passed before they noticed I was gone. An hour? Three hours? More, less. I had no idea. We never had a fight like this before. Not in our years of marriage or even the time before. I really thought he meant it, that we would be equals. But I guess I'm just another wolf to him, maybe in his eyes I'm still an Omega that ran away from the pack almost ten years ago. Kai had been running for hours on end. With her white fur, she stood out in the dark, but luckily, we didn't pass other wolves when we ran from forest to forest, to over the mountains. I knew there were other packs nearby, but apparently, they liked their sleep. Lucky me.

I did stop after a few hours, because of the baby, the pup that I was carrying in my womb. I wasn't that far along, a few weeks tops. I found out when I was in London. I didn't have morning sickness or something like the humans get. But how stupid it may sound; it came in a dream. A dream that came in flashes. Of me cradling my large tummy, to holding the baby in my arms. To watch him grow up to a feisty toddler with blue eyes like mine, but dark hair like Axel. The dream didn't show Axel there, and I was worried it was because he wouldn't want a baby, that he didn't want us.

It wasn't like I had time to tell him with everything going on. But I wasn't sure if I would have told him, not right away anyway. Not when he told me a few days before he didn't want a baby now, or maybe ever. But this was the baby I was carrying, and he didn't want to get involved with him. It would break my heart once again and I will probably be beyond prepared but I would leave the pack once more. For my baby, I would do anything.

I drank from a creek nearby before I crawled on a bawl of hay in a barn and slept. Not for long though. Two hours later, I was up again and started running to the Northern pack. To Steven Pan. To the possible murder of my mother-in-law, the kindest woman that ever lived.

I ran for another two hours before I reached them. The pack was more open, not closed off like ours was. Small houses stood crisscross around the grounds. My eyes searched the silent grounds, looking, sniffing for anything that could direct me to – Something vile filled my nose and Kai growled softly.

Belladonna. She all but snarled. She was right, it was Belladonna. The plant that poisoned me and Axel for years. Kai bared her large teeth as we prowled through the small community silently. Kai's paws were large, but you didn't hear a single step she took. Avoiding loose stones or branches, while her nose followed the scent.

A few minutes later, she lay down in a patch of high grass, looking at a small, crooked house.

He's in there.

We shouldn't go in. His house is probably packed with different poisons.

What do you suggest? Kai asked.

We need to get him out of the house somehow, but it can't be something big because I don't want the rest of the pack to come out.

We could just play the damsel in distress part, where we are frail and injured.

I didn't like the idea because we weren't anything like that. But sometimes the best plans are because of their simplicity. Fine, but I'll do it in my human form. A wolf wouldn't go knock on a door. A wolf would-

Howl, I know. I'm the wolf, remember?

I chuckled. I remember. Watch my back, Kai.

Always, Spence.

I transformed back. I grabbed some dirt from the ground and rubbed it on my face and arms. Then in my hair before let it stick in different directions, like I had been running from someone, from something in the woods. It was luck that Steven's house was on the edge of another forest, so the excuse was perfect. Maybe there was a reason Steven lived more secluded from the rest of the pack. Maybe they weren't a fan of his poisons, or of him either. I placed my hand on my stomach and took in a deep breath.

I stumbled towards the door and took and few deep short breaths to make me hyperventilate before I knocked quickly on the door. A few seconds passed but nobody answered.

"Help." I said with a raspy voice and knocked again. "Help me, please."

The door opened and I fell on my knees in fake exhaustion. Before me stood a man who would have looked very handsome in his twenties. He had sandy blond hair but bright brown eyes. A scruffy beard hid a few of his wrinkles.

"Who-" His hard gaze snapped to me on the ground. "What happened to you?" He didn't seem concerned, he looked annoyed that I interrupted his sleep.

"Help me, please." I croaked. "I've been running through the woods for hours. I – I think I've lost him, but I hurt my leg." I said with a shaky voice and let tears stream down my face.

He looked over his shoulder into his house before turning back to me. "Fine." He came closer and went to pick me up to carry me inside. But the moment he touched my leg, I let out a soft scream in pain.

"Don't touch it, it hurts too much."

"Weak females." I heard him mutter. And that alone made my blood boil. When he placed both hands on my legs, I saw the opportunity I was waiting for. I needed to wait until I saw that his hands were free, not holding anything that may look like poison. I swivelled on the ground. My leg kicked his out from beneath him. He fell forward in surprise. I jumped on his back and pinned his hand behind him, taking the rope I found in the woods from my pocket and bound his hands. When he wanted to scream, I pushed his head down in the dirt. I leaned close to his ear.

"What did you say about weak females?" I felt anger radiate from him. "Are you Steven Pan?"

"What is it to you, bitch?!" He snarled against the dirt road.

I twisted his arm, and his shoulder popped out of its socket. I muffled his scream by pushing his face in the dirt again. "Do I really need to ask again?"

"Yes, alright. I'm Steven Pan." He grunted. "What did I ever do to you?"

I pulled on his hair. "Ever heard of Eveline Geton?" He fell silent. "That's what I thought."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"That's for me to decide."

I looked up when I heard a voice. His voice. Cold and commanding. Axel stood there flanked by Idris and... Benjamin. They all looked at me as I sat on Steven's back. Of course, he would decide what to do with him. He is the Alpha, he doesn't need to consult anything with me, his mere subject. Not equal. Barely a Luna.

I climbed off his back and pulled him from the ground. I pushed a dirty cloth in his mouth before he could call for help. I pushed him towards Axel. "You're welcome, -" I bowed mockingly again. "My Alpha." I bared my teeth.

I turned back into Kai, and we walked towards them, but instead of going to Axel, we nudged our heads against Idris and Benjamin's legs. They changed to their wolf forms and followed me into the woods. Leaving the alpha to deal with his freshly captured prisoner. I led them to an empty cabin a mile or so in the woods. I didn't change back. I didn't want to talk to anyone. Benjamin disappeared for five minutes before coming back in. Half an hour later, Axel came in with the bound and gagged Steven.

"I've checked every inch of him and got rid of any poison or plants on him. He's clear."

Benjamin transformed back. "Here. Make him eat these." He handed his brother two different leaves. "It would keep him in a deep sleep for a few hours."

"Good." He nodded. "Miles and Deacon are on the way with the van. We can stay here until they get here. Should take a few hours."

As Benjamin sat down, Axel shoved the leaves into his mouth and closed his nose and mouth until he swallowed it. Steven let out a ragged breath from the forced feeding and within seconds he fell to the floor, asleep. Idris, still in wolf form walked over to Steven and sat beside him to guard, just in case.

Kai and I had watched it all from our place on the ground, her head on her big furry paws. We stilled as Axel came closer.

"Spencer." We growled, baring our teeth at him. "Baby, please. Talk to me."

We stood and Kai's head almost reached his shoulders. Our teeth were still bare. And a warning rumbled through us. I knew Idris and Benjamin were watching us, I didn't care.

I'm sorry. He used the mind-link and reached his hand over. We stepped back. I know, Spence. I know about the baby.

Kai and I froze. I wasn't even sure if we were breathing. How? My eyes shifted to Malakai. Of course, that damn nose. He may have known before me. So, you only came to apologize because of the baby? I snorted. Not interested.

I blocked our minds and walked into the only bedroom in the cabin and shut the door. I changed back and locked it. I leaned against it and slid down to the ground, holding back my tears.

A soft thud sounded on the other side of the door and Axel's voice was a bit muffled. Like he had pressed his head against the wood. "Spencer, please open the door. I handled it all wrong earlier. I'm just so afraid to lose you. I've lost you once and I can't lose you again. I wouldn't survive that. You are in every way my equal and you were absolutely right to disobey my order."

I swear I heard a small gasp coming from Benjamin. I guess he never thought his brother would order me to do anything.

"You stood beside me for the past four years. You've stood beside me for the first eighteen years of my life. Beside me, Spence. Not behind me, always beside me. The place you were meant to be the moment our eyes connected. I promise to never tell you what to do again. I promise to consult with you in every decision in our lives. From picking the right toothpaste to overseeing the peace decrees with the other packs."

That made me chuckle just a little. I heard his nails scrape against the door. "And you were right."

"She's always right." The two other wolves said in the room behind the door.

"Oh, shut up." Axel snapped, but I heard the teasing in his voice. "You were right when you told me you could take care of yourself, you proved it again just now. You proved it by moving to a foreign country to study and to live. You were right when you said we would be stronger together. Because you make me stronger, Spence. And I would do anything to get back to you. Even if I have to claw myself through a horde of zombies."

Axel had an irrational fear of zombies. He couldn't watch a show or movie with just one in it or he barely slept for days. The things weren't even real, but he saying that. What he would do to get to me, that was real.

"I love you. With everything in me. You are not just my wife, my Mate or my Luna. You are my soulmate. And I won't give up on you, not ever."

I stood up and placed my head against the door. "I love you too," I said and I heard him let out a breath of relief. "I want us to be a team, Ax. A real team. Because together we can defeat anything."

"You are the only one I need in my team, Spencer. You and nobody else."

"HEY!" Idris shouted.

Axel groaned. "Can you just shut the fuck up!" I laughed and I could hear the three wolves chuckle in return. "I was so afraid I wouldn't hear that sound ever again. Can you please open the door?" He pleaded.

"Ax -" I breathed.

"Yeah?"

"Before I open the door -" I stopped. "I love you. I never loved anyone like I loved you, you know that. But-" I could hear his breath hitch. "I know you don't want this baby, that's why I didn't tell you the moment I stepped into the house. And I will keep our baby, Axel. Even if you don't want any part of it. I will have this baby even if I have to -" Tears rolled down my cheeks. "Even if I have to cut myself loose from you again. I love you, but this baby." I cradled my stomach. "This baby is ours. A part of you and me and I can't-"

The window behind me burst into a thousand tiny pieces. I whirled around, I just saw the black of the night through the window, nothing else.

"SPENCER? SPENCER! OPEN THE DOOR!" Axel screamed. He jiggled the doorknob.

I walked closer to the window, slowly. There wasn't a storm, there wasn't even a gust of wind.

"WHAT HAPPENED!? SPENCER!!!"

Suddenly arms appeared through the window and grabbed me. I screamed. The door burst open, and Axel and Idris stood in the doorway, their eyes wide.

"AXEL!" I tried to reach for him just as those arms pulled me into the darkness.