Chapter 12
Iwoke up to the smell of coffee and bacon. For a moment, I stared at the ceiling, at the patterns in the wood. Axel had built this place with his bare hands. He’d touched each beam above my head. Hand made the bed frame I was sleeping on. The wood furniture around the room.
I exhaled, settling more deeply into the mattress, reluctant to get up. It was warm and comfortable. Perfect to combat the chill in the air. October had arrived and you could feel it.
I loved this time of year, and while I appreciated Axel’s desire to keep me safe, I was bummed that I’d left my cute little bungalow that was already decorated for autumn.
It had taken hours to fall asleep last night. On my first night here, I’d blamed Ambrose and his appearance in Redding for my inability to sleep. But last night had been for an entirely different reason. Axel was being…weird.
I couldn’t put my finger on it.
He’d been overprotective yesterday morning, insisting he escort me to my first lecture.
He’d sent me texts throughout the day. Usually a picture of my bunnies accompanied by whatever activity they were doing.
It was endearing, really. And the irony wasn’t lost on me, that they were being babysat by a wolf.
When he picked me up yesterday evening, it was like he’d done a complete one-eighty.
Instead of the lingering looks, it was like he didn’t want to look at me at all.
He’d appeared outside my lab to escort me to his truck.
He’d asked about my day in a gruff, nonchalant way.
I’d asked about his and received a one word answer. Then we’d fallen into charged silence.
He was quiet the entire drive back.
I chalked it up to growing pains. It couldn’t be easy having a stranger in your space. Upending your carefully constructed routine.
The cabin was filled with a heavenly aroma when we returned. Venison stew. Which he’d simmered all afternoon.
“Already ate,” he informed me after I greeted Basil and Sage. “They did too.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“I’m going out. Don’t leave the house—the safety of the perimeter.” He didn’t look at me as he said any of this. Like he was avoiding me. But it was the simmering emotion I detected that confused me. Like he was fighting something and this was his best response to it.
“Out?”
“For a run.”
“Oh. Ohh. That kind of run.”
“Yes. That kind. Don’t wait up for me.”
“Fine. I can put everything away when I’m done.” I gestured to the pot on the stove and the bread he’d left for me. He merely grunted and turned. I just stood there, staring at his broad back as it disappeared down the hallway. Then the back door shut and silence fell.
I was tempted to creep after him. To watch him on the deck as he shed his clothes and let his wolf take over. Just the thought of seeing him naked before his shift had heat flushing my cheeks.
But I stood stock still for several minutes, until my stomach growled.
I’d gotten the distinct impression that he hadn’t wanted to be around me. That it was, perhaps, hard for him to be. Which made sense if you considered his dislike of other people. He’d already admitted to being a recluse. And here I was in his space.
Maybe he was just trying to cope?
Still, it felt like more of the hot and cold he’d given before. Were all wolves this confusing?
It kept me up half the night. He’d told me not to wait up, and I hadn’t. But I couldn’t stop myself from listening for the sounds of his return. For his footsteps past my door. They never came. And eventually I’d fallen asleep.
Which was why I felt so horribly exhausted.
But there was no room for exhaustion. It was Saturday. My bunnies had needs. I had more ground to cover if I was going to find an opening to the lunarium cave.
On the bright side, I was exactly where I needed to be. And since I was in a slightly different location than the turn-off where I usually parked, I could check off some other locations on my map. Win-win.
Groaning, I climbed out of bed and went through my morning routine, showering, drying my hair, and dressing in clothes ideal for a morning hike. I’d only brought enough for a few days, so I’d have to drop by my bungalow soon.
I emerged to find Axel sitting at the island, a pencil in hand, his head bowed over a notebook.
“Morning,” he greeted, his voice low and gruff.
He didn’t look up. Which had me curious.
I walked toward him. Only for him to snap the notebook shut and finally look at me.
“There’s coffee, bacon, and scrambled eggs on the stove. ”
“Whatcha working on?”
His hand was flat on the notebook’s cover. “New design.”
Curious, I caught my lower lip between my teeth. “Can I see?”
His gaze jumped to my mouth before finding my eyes again. “No.”
My stomach hollowed. “Okay.”
I pivoted directions and headed toward the living room to greet my buns.
“I fed the little snacks already.”
My steps froze. “Their salad?”
He grunted.
I turned, locking gazes with him. “You gave them their salad?”
“As I said. Also cleaned up their mess and did their litter boxes.”
My lips parted. “You… But you didn’t have to…”
“It’s eight thirty. You put on your schedule that you do it between six and seven. Figured you wanted to sleep in, being Saturday and all.”
“Right.” A lump formed in my throat, replacing rejection with warmth. “Thank you that was… Thanks.”
He nodded and turned back to his coffee, opening his notebook again. I was tempted to creep closer, desperately curious to see what he was doing, but he would know. I’d already invaded his privacy enough.
Instead, I went over and greeted Basil and Sage, who were contentedly working through a grass meadow ball, leaving pieces all over the floor as they destroyed it.
I gave them a few pets, then headed back to the kitchen.
I spotted the empty mug left for me and poured a cup of coffee.
Then I helped myself to bacon and eggs—which were way more than just eggs.
I could feel Axel’s gaze on me the entire time.
Warmth rushed to my skin.
I simply didn’t know what to make of him. The way he stared at me when I wasn’t looking, and yet, acted dismissive when we interacted.
“So,” I said, filling the silence. “I thought I’d do some more exploration today.”
“Fine.”
“Did you want to come with me?” I tried to disguise the hope in my voice.
“Got a project I want to start on.”
“Oh.” Why did I sound so pathetically dejected? “You aren’t worried about me being out alone?”
“Don’t much like the idea. Might be best if you just stay here.”
My lips parted. “I am not just going to…to sit around so you can work on your project. Your whole selling point was that I’d have access to your property.”
He shrugged.
I sighed. “It’s unlikely that Ambrose will be looking for me here. Not yet, anyway. And if he does, he’ll have to go through the woods to find me.”
Axel studied me. “Fine. Stick to some of the closer areas. I can accompany you on some of the farther hikes.”
“All right.” I nodded, mostly to myself. “I can do that.”
He hesitated, his gaze studying my face. “I’ll come and find you around lunch, then we can work our way out a little more.”
And just like that, I immediately perked up. “Okay, that would be great. You’re more familiar with your land than I am, so it might help to have you there.”
Something in his expression closed off. “It’s a lot of land.”
“Right.” I set my meal on the island beside him. His notebook was closed again. Too bad.
I settled in, took a bite, then froze. Flavor exploded on my tongue. I chewed and swallowed. “What… What did you put in this? It’s delicious.”
He lifted a shoulder. “Bit of salt and garlic powder. Mushrooms, kale, tomatoes, and some feta cheese.”
“Oh. Wow. How much of that came from your greenhouse?”
“The kale and tomatoes.”
“It’s really good.”
He nodded and turned to stare at the kitchen sink, but not before I noticed a slight creep of pink on his cheeks. That was twice now. Go me!
“Where did you learn to cook?” I asked.
He shot to his feet, collecting his notebook and heading across the kitchen to place his mug in the sink. “Going to head out to the workshop and get started. Like I said, I’ll come find you around lunch.”
“Axel.”
He froze and his gaze finally met mine. Our gazes clashed for several heated moments. Then he sighed. “It’s something I’ve honed over the years.”
“Right.” I had a feeling there was more to it than that. He clearly didn’t want me to push. Cooking, gardening, woodworking—these were things he excelled at. It made me wonder just how old he was.
“And your tendency to avoid questions, push other people away? Is that something you’ve honed as well?”
“You would be right.” His throat bobbed. “May I go now, or did you have another question?”
A laugh burst from my chest. It seemed to startle him because his gaze sharpened. Something happened to his eyes. They contracted and turned golden. For just a moment, I was staring at a wolf. Then he blinked and they returned to normal. That had happened when I’d used magic on him, too.
“No more questions,” I croaked. God, he was so difficult. “You can go now. See you at lunch.”
He grunted and disappeared down the hallway.
I blew out a breath, then happily returned to my breakfast. It was just as delicious as last night’s dinner.
Something told me I’d be putting on some weight while here.
And I didn’t care.
It would be worth it.
True to his word, Axel appeared around midday. I’d expected him to come and escort me home. But instead, he was carrying a tote. “Brought food. Come and have a break.”
I pulled my lower lip between my teeth as I wiped sweat from my forehead and watched him remove a blanket. He spread it over the ground. Did he realize how endearing this was? Him setting out a picnic in the middle of the forest? The birdsong wrapping around us in the most enchanting way?