Chapter 4

Axel

I made a reservation weeks ago for a private booth and the nicest room they had. We had the whole place to ourselves, the waiters only came when I pressed the call button on the tablet, leaving us alone until we called them. We just started on our main course, sitting side by side instead of across each other.

"How is school?"

"Boring," I said. I was taking economics and business as required for a future Alpha. "I grew up with all of that, so it's just repeat after repeat."

"Maybe you should take another subject, something you want to do."

I put my hand on her thigh. "I want to do you."

She snorted before laughing loudly, Lycaon, how I had missed her laugh. I just watched as she laughed, a smile tugging at my own lips. "And I'm the one with a dirty mind."

"Great minds think alike." I winked, and she laughed again. "How are your classes going?"

Her eyes brightened and she started talking about how her computing classes were going. How she loved all the new techniques she was learning. She was always a natural at computing and hacking and knew from a young age she wanted to get her degree in that. It was a career path we could use in the pack, so there were obviously no objections to her choice. Her choice of college was another story. It took a lot of convincing to let her go out of the country, but she did it. Of course, she did. When Spencer puts her mind to something, she gets it. She talked about the new people she had met, showing me pictures of English men and women. I tried to reel in the jealousy but that was nearly impossible. I was even jealous when Idris wrapped an arm around her, this was worse. A growl escaped my throat when I saw a picture of her and a guy who had wrapped an arm around her.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when she straddled my lap. I blinked up at her, she smiled softly. "There is nothing to be jealous of. They all know my heart belongs to another."

I leaned my head against her chest, nothing sexual about it. I sighed. "I just hate that you are so far away. I don't know how to handle three years of this."

She rested her cheek against my head. "I'm sorry."

"No," I pulled back and cupped her cheek. "Don't ever be sorry for chasing your dream. It will get better." I kissed her. "Once the bond is in place everyone will know we belong together."

"Thirty-three days." She whispered.

"Thirty-three days," I repeated before I captured her lips again.

For the past month, I've been feeling nauseous. I've been to the healer, but they couldn't find anything. They thought it was just stress, so maybe it was. The stress of school, of being without Spencer, of my future as Alpha. I didn't say anything to Spencer, I didn't want her to worry. We were back at my house, and it was almost time for Idris's celebration to start. Every eighteenth birthday was celebrated at our house, in our garden. But the birthday boy or girl could help organize it. Idris, to no one's surprise, chose the theme of rock 'n roll. I glanced to the side, Spencer was peacefully asleep next to me. Her hair obscured her beautiful face.

"Hey, sleepyhead." I pushed her hair aside and nudged my nose against hers. "Time to wake up."

She clutched my shirt and snuggled closer. "Five more minutes."

"I wish we could." I traced a finger over her side, she squirmed away.

"Stupid Alpha." She muttered in my chest. I laughed and her head bounced on my chest.

"You could be banished from saying things like that."

Her fingers trailed over my bicep. "Is that a threat, future Alpha?" She pinched my arm. I laughed and rolled over, caging her in between my arms.

"You could call me a fucking asshole of a bastard. You can even call my dad that, and still, we wouldn't banish you."

Her ocean-blue eyes were on me, she was just gazing up at me with a soft smile on her lips. She let her fingers run through my wavy hair, sending a shiver through my body. I loved it when she did that, and so did Astrix, he purred inside my mind.

"Axel!" My dad shouted from downstairs.

"Coming!" I called back, not taking my eyes off her. I leaned down to kiss her before I helped her off the bed. We dressed in silence, and I watched her as she slid her body into a silver, mini-dress. My mouth watered at the sight.

When we came down, I held my breath as Eveline looked Spencer over. Then she smiled, and Spencer frowned at me. Eveline had never smiled at her.

"Spencer, you look absolutely stunning."

Spencer and I both had the same expression on our faces, just blinking at her. She was up to something, that was for sure. But what? Even my father seemed confused by her behaviour.

"Right, uhm." I frowned, placing my hand on the small of her back. "We'll just go outside."

"No, you have to greet the guests."

"He doesn't," My father said, stepping forward. "Idris will greet his guests. Axel can wait outside with Spencer."

I send him a thank you through our mind link before guiding Spencer outside.

"That was weird, right? Eveline." She said.

I hummed as we stepped outside. I wrapped my arms around her and nestled my face in her neck, breathing in her scent. "Ignore her. I don't want to think about her right now."

She leaned into me, and we just stood there, her back leaning against my chest. My broad arms curled around her waist. As people started to come in, I gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked over to the dais with my father and brother. My stepmom was nowhere to be seen.

As the garden was filled with people, Idris walked in proudly with his chest puffed. His eyes scanned the crowd, hoping to find his mate. I watched him as he made his way through the crowd, his steps were unfaltering. I wondered if he had sensed his Mate. Miles and Lore were watching him too, Deacon was standing next to Spencer as they watched him weave through the crowd. But Deacon's back was stiff, I could see Spencer whispering to him, holding his hand.

Ours. Astrix growled territorial at the sight of Deacon and Spencer.

Shh, this is something else.

Idris walked straight up to Deacon and Spencer, he winked at her before he cupped Deacon's cheeks and kissed him. Deacon growled so loudly it vibrated on the ground. Spencer stepped aside when they started to rip at each other clothes. I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the two men. Spencer said something to them, both looked at her, blinking in unison before they turned and leapt into the woods. Spencer turned to look at me with a beaming smile. Who would have thought?

Suddenly, a smell filled my nostrils. A scent of cinnamon and roses, nothing like my favourite smell of Spencer, vanilla and jasmine. My head snapped towards the crowd, trying to find the one who smelled like that, and why it hit me so forcefully.

I stepped down the dais as I followed the scent blindly.

Mate? Astrix asked, confused by the smell too.

No, can't be. Spencer is our Mate.

The scent hit me even harder when I saw the girl who the scent belonged to. She appeared a little older than me, with black long hair and brown eyes. She was petite and I've never seen her in my life. She was cute.

Mate. Astrix growled.

No, no, no! I screamed in my head. This couldn't be possible, but still, I couldn't take my eyes off her. I just wanted to rub my nose in the crook of her neck and mark her. I knew everyone around us went silent, there was not a sound to be heard. So, it was clear to everyone when I growled,

"Mate!"

A sharp inhale of breath made me look away from the unknown girl. I turned to look and saw Spencer. She was clutching the necklace I gave her in her hand, her knuckles were white. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. I made a move to go to her when a hand touched my shoulder. I looked back to see Eveline, a beaming smile on her face.

"Oh, this is just wonderful. Your Mate is my niece Marianne." She smiled at her niece. "Marianne, your Mate and future Alpha, Axel."

"It's nice to meet you." She smiled. Her smile was beautiful, and her dark eyes sparkled but still, there was a need in me to look back, to look at the girl I loved. Even Astrix didn't object as I turned away from Marianne to look for Spencer. But she was gone. The spot where she had been standing looked like a black hole. I sought out Miles and Lore, but they were gone too.

"Let's head inside so you two can get acquainted." Eveline started to usher us inside. Marianne's scent hit me again and I followed her. With a scent like that, I would follow her to the end of the world. Eveline left us alone in the living room.

Marianne walked up to me, tossing her black hair over her shoulder. I backed up until I hit the wall, she caged me in between her small arms.

"You are delicious." She purred. "My wolf wants to ravish yours very, very soon." She stood on her toes and rubbed her nose against my neck. A growl left my throat, and I turned us around, pinning her against the wall.

"Where did you come from?"

"I live in the Northern pack. Aunt Eveline invited me to stay for a bit, who would have thought I would find my Mate." Her hands caressed my arms. "Kiss me, Alpha."

The human part of me didn't want to, wanted Spencer but Astrix, he growled. Mate. I slanted my mouth over hers. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled her up, so she could wrap her legs around my waist.

"Ax."

I pulled away from my Mate and glared at the interruption. I had never seen Spencer look so small, but right now Astrix didn't particularly care and I was still so intoxicated by my Mate's smell.

"We were in the middle of something," Marianne said with an icy voice. "Leave."

Spencer's eyes shifted between me and my Mate. When I didn't contradict her, Spencer snapped the necklace from her neck and tossed it at my feet. Then she stormed out of the room.

"Spencer? Spencer!" I heard my father call after her, and then a door slammed shut, making the photographs on the wall shake. I had Marianne still wrapped around me, she was kissing my neck when my father stormed in. "Marianne, leave."

"Excuse me?" She raised an eyebrow at my father. She looked at me. "Axel, my Mate?"

"You heard the Alpha, leave." I dropped her legs and pushed away from her. She huffed and walked out, probably going to complain to Eveline. She was my Mate and my body reacted to her, but I didn't care about her petty complaints.

"Did you mark her yet?"

"No. You interrupted."

"Good." He murmured to himself. He was pacing, the Alpha was pacing in front of me. I had never seen him do that in my life.

"Good? I have found my Mate and you are happy I didn't mark her?" I snapped.

"What about Spencer?"

"What?" I blinked. "Whatever was going on between me and Spencer was over the moment I found my Mate. She knew it was a possibility and she knew the consequences."

My father walked past me and picked up the discarded necklace. "You gave this to her!" He shoved the necklace in my hand. "Your mother's necklace, you wouldn't give this to anyone."

"I loved her. But now I have my Mate and I love her." I and Astrix growled, shoving the necklace into my pocket. An incense was burning in the room. It was something Eveline persisted in having one in every room in this house ever since the start of the summer.

My father glared at me, then took in a few deep breaths. He clapped my shoulder. "As long as you're happy, I'm happy." But he didn't sound happy at all.

I could smell her heavenly scent and Astrix and I purred from it, I wanted to grab her, toss her over my shoulder and ravish her until dawn. I'd found my Mate, why in the world wouldn't I be happy?

The next part will have a major time jump. Thank you for taking the time to read this ;)