A blade of regret cuts through my muscles and bones, leaving me raw and bloody. I should never have made him stay and see that I’m someone else’s mate. His wolf will never believe it.
The coffee doesn’t even taste good, even though it’s filled with cream and all the flavors of syrup that I want. I only drink half of it before I ask Callan to take me home.
The next week passes the same way. I’m happy that the brothers are sharing me, that there’s no secrets between us. We’re our own little family, closer than ever. We eat together every night. We joke around as usual. During the day, they head out and do whatever boys do. At night, I fuck Warrick and sometimes Callan, too. It feels as good as it always did, but something’s different.
Sometimes they ask me if I want to go out somewhere, but I politely decline. I need to stay close in case Axel stops by, and to guard my house. My wolf feels strangely, jealously possessive of it, even though no one has tried to mess it up, and Axel hasn’t said he wants it back.
When another week has passed with no sign of Axel, I can hardly stand it.
Warrick tromps in one morning and says, “We’re going hunting for
deer today. Real deer, not those puny Key deer. Why don’t you come with us, Luna? It’d be good for you to get out and hunt.”
“Yeah, come with us,” Ethan says, winding his arms around me. “It’s a blast to take down a big deer. And I’m in the mood for venison.”
“That sounds nice,” I admit. “But I might stay in one more day.”
“You gotta let Axel go, pup,” he says, ruffling the top of my head. “It’s for the best. He finally got the message and is leaving you to live your life on your terms. Just like you wanted.”
“Maybe,” I say, adding a sad smile. “Or maybe I crushed his heart.”
“More like his ego,” Callan says. “An Alpha’s got a lot of pride, and you shoved a red-hot poker right up the ass of it. He ain’t comin’ around here after that.”
The realization of how much I miss Axel bobs to the surface. “But I liked having him around,” I cry.
Warrick shakes his head and strides toward the front door. “A little late for that, baby girl,” he calls back. “Now come and hunt with us and take your mind off it.”
But my wolf refuses to come out. She’s as mad at me as Axel must be.
A few minutes later, the guys get tired of trying to convince me, and they take off on their own. Three motorcycle engines roar and zoom off down the street, and I sit in the stew of misery I cooked up for myself. But I’m tired of moping and dwelling in that misery, so I decide to pull up my big girl britches and do something about it. I put on my shoes and head over to confront Axel. Enough’s enough.
As I stride up the sidewalk toward his house, a gusty wind whips my hair in a tangle around my head. The palm trees sway back and forth with a backdrop of dark clouds. A storm that’s been taking its time in arriving has finally decided to make its presence known.
Seagulls struggle for purchase in the airwaves overhead. I feel sorry for birds when the weather’s bad-their delicate wings can’t compete with gale-force winds. Even I have to put my head down and force my way up the street. When I arrive at Axel’s house, I’m completely winded.
I stride up his porch stairs and rap on the front door. After a minute, he opens up. When he sees me, his expression becomes dead and lifeless.
“Hey, Axel,” I say, my heart hammering in my chest. “Hey, Luna,” he says, his voice cool. “Help you?”
My wolf whines at his cold treatment. I chew on my lip before saying, “Can I come in? I need to talk to you.”
“Suit yourself,” he says. “But I don’t have much time, so make it quick.”
He moves away from the door and disappears into the house. I enter but stand stiffly just inside the door.
A pile of puffy orange things that look like small pants filled with foam sits on the floor next to the sofa. Axel taps away at his phone. Then, he holds it up to his ear and says, “Hey. Do you have the supplies I asked you to get?… Great. Meet me at Adolfa’s house. She’ll be our coordinator… Uh- huh… Yeah… Okay. See you there.”
“Who was that?” I ask when he sets down the phone. “My Second in Command.”
He could have just said Ama. Or he could have just walked over and punched me in the gut because that’s what I feel at the friendly tone he used with her and the wooden voice he’s using with me.
“What are you and Ama doing?” I can’t keep the jealousy from my voice.
“Working to keep our pack safe. A hurricane’s coming, and we’re responsible for the entire pack’s safety.” He moves about his kitchen, opening doors, retrieving items, and tossing them into boxes.
“You think it’s a hurricane?”
“I know it is. Now, what did you want to talk about?” He strides toward the pile of orange things, scoops them up, and heads outside.
I follow him. “What are those?” “Life jackets.”
The wind pushes us down the walkway from his house. Axel dumps the whole pile in his truck bed and heads back inside, with me continuing to follow.
“Anything I can do to help?” I say, grabbing the screen door before it whacks me in the head.
“Nope.” He strides down the hall, opens a hall closet, and retrieves several lanterns and a box that says “flashlights” on the side.
“Are you sure?” I ask hopefully. “What do you need done? I can carry things even if I don’t know what they are. I won’t ask you questions and slow you down.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he says. “Ama’s helping. That’s her job. We’ve got it covered.”
Another stab of jealousy tears at my stomach. I could have been his Second, but I chose the triplets instead. “I see.”
“Do you?” he says, finally looking at me with a world of hurt in his eyes.
It makes my wolf twist up tight inside me with her head and tail down.
“Can I just explain what happened that night?” I ask, my tone pleading.
“I know exactly what happened,” he growls. “Though I’m trying my damnedest to forget it by any means necessary.”
I race to catch up with him. “What does that mean?”
“You made it real fucking clear that you can do whatever you want with whomever you want,” he says, opening the cab and placing the lanterns inside. “That street goes two ways, Luna.”
“What street?” I ask, misery and confusion rising inside me.
“I don’t have time for this,” he says, rounding the bumper and heading toward the driver’s side.
“You’re leaving?” I call over the howling wind.
“I told you. There’s another goddamned hurricane coming. It’s my job to keep the pack safe-a job you rejected. Good thing Ama’s stepping up, like she always does.”
If I hear her name one more time, I’m going to bleed to death, right here on the sidewalk.
“Let me come and help you. I can explain everything in the truck.” He gives me a sour look. “You made yourself perfectly clear, Luna.”
He opens the driver’s side door and clambers inside. I race around the truck and grab the handle before he can slam it shut. “Wait!”
He huffs out a sigh. “Let go of my door, Luna.”
“I don’t want to. I want you to stay and let me explain. Or let me come with you. I-I’ll make it up to you. I was stupid and hurting and wrong, and I don’t know how to do this thing people call relationships. I’m sorry.”
His mouth bunches up and scoots to one side. “It’s for the best, Luna,” he finally says in a flat tone. “Let it go and move on. I did. You can, too. I want you to be happy, and clearly, you can’t be happy with me. So, go be happy with them.”
Angry tears track down my cheeks. “You can’t mean that.”
“I can, and I do. You made it clear who’s important to you, and it isn’t me.” His expression softens, no longer the carved granite of a minute ago. “Now, please let go of my truck. My pack needs me.”
“You mean they need you and Ama,” I wail.
He sighs. “Head inside and put your house on the list for weatherproofing. We’re doing all we can before the hurricane arrives. That way we won’t lose as many homes.”
I step away from his truck and stand there as he drives away without a backwards glance. What have I done? I suddenly wish the triplets had never found me.