Chapter 4
Axel
“You always cook and serve dinner half naked? Or is this a special occasion?” There was a lilt of tease in her voice, and I was glad that Ella was starting to truly relax around me. I guess a good meal could do that.
“You complaining?”
She grinned. “Nope. A dinner and a show. What more could I ask for?”
The serving fork looked awkward in her hand, and she tried to use it to eat her pasta.
I regretfully didn’t stock any normal-sized cutlery in my home.
But after the initial shock, she seemed to take it in stride, just like she’d done earlier when I’d handed her a mug of hot cocoa the size of a soup bowl.
I leaned in and caught her gaze, a smile lifting the corner of my lips. “Is that your way of asking for a real date?”
Ella blinked, caught off guard by the question, but not in a bad way. Her grin faltered for half a second, replaced by something softer, more curious. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing just enough to show she was thinking about it.
“Depends,” she said, voice low and playful. “Does the real date come with dessert?”
“We’ve got dessert today too. Frozen brownies and whipped cream.”
She laughed, but there was a flicker of something else in her eyes: interest. She was tentative for sure, like she was afraid to trust.
“I’d love to take you out on an official date. There are all types of restaurants in Darlington, any type of cuisine you like, they’d have it.” I reached over to grab a piece of the toasty bread to sop up the sauce at the bottom of my plate.
“Really? I’ve actually never been.” She swirled her glass of wine. The Merlot was the only bottle I had on hand. I wasn’t a big wine drinker, preferring a good rum myself.
She’d hesitated when I first poured her a glass, but once she realized I was having a drink myself, she’d relaxed.
“Oh, you’re missing out! Darlington’s great. Very diverse. I guess it must be since it drew creatures of all sorts even before the fall of The Wall.”
“Yeah, it’s crazy what The Wall hid. I can’t believe I’ve lived right next to it most of my life and never knew about it. We must’ve driven past that turnoff a thousand times.” She took another sip of her wine. “Is that why you’re here? Because you are... other?”
So, she’d noticed the tells after all. Or was that a lucky guess simply because I lived outside of the magical city?
From what I could tell, Ella was human in every way.
I couldn’t detect any magic on her at all.
Usually, those who aren’t used to spotting the differences had trouble telling me apart from a regular human meathead type when I camouflaged myself in human guise.
Despite what some people thought, we weren’t shifters; we didn’t have another form. Instead, we had something akin to magical camouflage. It was why so many witnesses claimed we looked invisible in the trees, or believed that we used shadowing techniques, or whatever the newest theory was.
There was no technique; it was magic pure and simple.
But it wasn’t a glamour spell or anything like that.
Sure, I could turn it on at will, but that was about it.
On or off. Sometimes it makes me blend into the snow-covered hills.
But most of the time, it just makes me look human.
I mean, fully human. I guess technically we are a type of human after all.
If she could see through the magic, even a little, chances were she’d been around supernaturals, more commonly known as monsters, before. That could be a good or a bad thing, depending on her experience with them.
I wanted her to get to know me more first, and I meant me as a person, before she found out what I was. I didn’t want the potential problem of navigating our differences to come between us before I even had a chance to win her. And win her I would because she was my mate.
“Yeah. It helps. And I enjoy being able to head into town any time I like. There’s a great Tibetan restaurant with amazing momos if you want to go.”
For a moment, it looked like she was going to turn me down, maybe out of habit, as a way to protect herself after her divorce. A host of emotions crossed her face until finally, resolve.
“I do,” she said firmly. Then she paused. “But can I take a raincheck for after the holidays? I’m spending it with my family. Then I’m driving back this way. We can meet up again.”
I didn’t want her to leave. But I knew I couldn’t say that out loud. We’d just met, and Ella was human; she couldn’t feel the mate bond. So seeing her again would have to be the best option.
“That means I’m going to need your number.”
“It’s yours. Gimme your phone.”
We swapped phones and exchanged digits. It felt good knowing I had a way to get a hold of her now, even if she had to leave.
I ended up putting the frozen brownies in the oven anyway, and I poured Ella another glass. We were just getting comfy on the couch to wait for our dessert when a loud rapping at my front door interrupted us.
Ella stiffened immediately, and I instinctively put an arm around her to let her know it was okay.
“It’s the middle of a snowstorm, and no one’s getting out here unless they’ve got a beast to protect them. My cabin borders on pack territory. Every big storm, the local wolf shifter pack sends someone out to make sure everyone’s okay.”
I expected that to ease her nerves. Instead, Ella’s posture shifted. Her shoulders drew in, her arms wrapped around herself, and the spark in her eyes dimmed. She didn’t speak, but her silence said plenty.
The mention of the pack had unsettled her.
I watched her carefully, every protective instinct in me rising.
“Have you had a bad experience with the wolf shifters here?” I asked.
She’d mentioned that her family lived nearby. The wolf pack in the area hadn’t always been good neighbors. It used to be run by a mean and ruthless alpha. But the pack was a lot more mellow now that they’d changed leadership and gotten rid of the troublemakers.
She shook her head.
There was another knock on my door.
“Stay here. I’ll go let him know I’m all good.” I gave her shoulder one last squeeze.
I opened the door to find Levi standing there, snow crusted on his jacket and a cocky grin on his face. He hadn’t even gone into his wolf form despite the storm.
“Axel,” he said, brushing snow off his shoulders. “I know storms don’t bother your kind, but I’m still supposed to check in.”
“Got lots of food stocked up, and I’ve even got a fire going,” I said. “And I appreciate the check-in even if I don’t need it.”
This whole winter storm check-in thing started after an old couple died a few winters ago. Froze to death in their car just a mile away from home. So tragic, and it could’ve been easily prevented.
Levi wrinkled his nose and sniffed. At first, I thought he’d scented the brownies, but then his gaze flicked past me, landing on Ella, who had paused mid-sip of her wine. She froze like a deer in headlights, and I could feel the tension from across the room.
“Hey there. Didn’t know Axel had company.”
Ella managed a polite smile, but her fingers tightened around the glass.
“You look familiar.” He stepped into the cabin and peered at her more closely.
She shrank back against the couch as if willing herself to disappear into it. It had my beast gunning to protect her, even though I knew that Levi was harmless. I stepped in front of him, blocking his view, a low growl starting in my throat.
Levi put his hands up in surrender.
“S’okay, I mean no harm.” He stepped back. “Anyway, storm’s supposed to keep up through the night,” he said. “We’ve got eyes on the ridge and the creek. If you need anything, howl... or whatever.”
I gave him a nod. “Thanks, Levi.”
He turned to go, boots crunching through the snow again. I shut the door behind him and turned back to Ella.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah.” She put her glass down on the coffee table.
When I realized she wasn’t going to offer any answers on her own, I asked, “Is there any reason you don’t want to be recognized? Is someone after you? If you don’t tell me, I can’t protect you.”
She looked shocked for a moment. Then shook her head. “It’s not like that. Well, at least not exactly.”
I waited for her to continue as I took the brownies out of the oven.
“My ex is a wolf shifter. He used to live in Darlington.”
I frowned. Used to? Usually, wolf shifters lived in packs, and they tended to stay in the same territory unless they joined another pack through mating or other big life decisions.
“Did you have a bad experience with his current pack?” I asked.
“No. He’s a lone wolf.”
That was rare. There wasn’t necessarily anything wrong with lone wolves; some of them were decent folk who just happened to find their “pack” and family outside of the wolf shifter dynamic.
But some ended up alone because they’d been outcast from their pack and no other would take them in.
I thought of the troublemakers they’d had to deal with after the change in leadership.
“Was he exiled?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I guess. He never talked about it. I didn’t even know he was a wolf shifter until I kept asking to visit Darlington on our way to my parents’ every year, and I demanded to know why he kept avoiding it.”
I gawked at her. “And this was after the fall of The Wall?”
“Yeah.” She rubbed her arms.
“How the fuck could he keep such a secret from his wife? That’s ridiculous!”
She looked surprised at my outburst. Then, she scoffed. “The same way he kept all his other secrets. Like banging our neighbor and gambling away our savings.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I’m glad he’s out of my life now.” She turned her gaze away, looking at everything but me.
I reached for her before I could stop myself, gripping her gently by the chin and turning her to look at me. “Is he? Most wolves are very possessive, and I fail to believe that he just let you go like that.”
Her lip wobbled, and she tried to look away but failed. Then she deflated. “He came for me. Claimed that I would always be his, no matter what the courts say. I had to move. Chicago’s big. I moved to the other side of town.”
“And he knows you make this trip every year.”
She pushed my hand away and crossed her arms. “I took precautions. I left a week earlier than normal, and my family is ready to deal with him, wolf or not. Just because we’re human doesn’t mean we can’t hold our own.”
I put my hands up in surrender, much like Levi had. “I know, I know,” I said, trying to pacify her. “I’m sure you guys have it under control. I’m just saying, if you need another hand, I’m there. And I have huge hands.” I turned my hands so they were palms up.
Her shoulders eased, tension slipping away. “That you do.”
“And feet.” I scrunched my toes to bring her attention down to the rug. “And you know what they say about men with big feet?” I wiggled my brows playfully.
She rolled her eyes, then slapped the back of her hand on my pecs. “Oh, stop it, you,” she said, her face turning a most delightful shade of pink.
But she no longer had that worried look, which meant I had successfully distracted her from the thought of her ex showing up to ruin her holiday.
Then she took a deep breath. “Anyway, I’m free of him now. And I’m not going to let the thought of him ruin my night. Dinner was wonderful, and those brownies look even better.” She reached for one.
“They’re better once you let them cool a bit more,” I said.
“Speak for yourself,” she said with a mouth around a big bite. There was a smudge of chocolate on her cheek.
“You’ve got a little something...” I reached over and rubbed my thumb over the spot, but I only managed to smudge it.
The air between us changed, charged with something raw and magnetic. My pulse kicked up, and so did hers. Her breath stuttered, and her body swayed closer. Every instinct in me screamed to claim her, to pull her in and taste her.
I brushed my thumb over the spot again, this time softer. Her skin was warm and flushed. My hand lingered, cupping her jaw, and her lips parted in invitation.
I was done waiting. I leaned in and kissed her, claiming her mouth with a hunger I’d been holding back since the moment she stepped into my cabin.
She tasted like chocolate and heat, but it was the way she melted into me that made my restraint snap.
I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her flush against me, letting her feel exactly what she was doing to me.
She moaned into the kiss, and I took it deeper, sliding my tongue past her lips, tasting her slowly, thoroughly.
Her fingers traced my pecs, reminding me that I was still shirtless.
I explored her too, sliding my hand down her back and gripping her generous hips.
Her body responded to my every touch, and she gasped when I pulled her into my lap and she felt the hard bar of my arousal under her.
The air around us pulsed with energy. Her scent, her sounds, the way she clung to me.
Fuck! It all fed the fire roaring through my veins.
I didn’t want to stop. I wanted her under me, around me, tasting me the way I was tasting her.
I wanted to mark her with every kiss, every touch, until she couldn’t think of anything but me.
Everything felt so right. And I knew that I’d never be happy until she was all mine.