Chapter Three
Axel's chest was tight with anxiety as he sat in the van, watching the city fly past. Usually he'd relish the opportunity to cause havoc, but his thoughts constantly strayed back to Deepa and the look on her face when he left.
He hadn't even said goodbye.
He'd been too afraid.
Too much of a coward to face what was going on between them. At least she was safe with Luke. Axel's cousin was trustworthy and simple, unlike the rest of their shitty family.
"You seem anxious," Reese muttered, breaking Axel out of his thoughts.
"I'm fine," Axel growled.
"Right," Reese sighed. "And I'm the King of the Werewolves."
"Where's your girlfriend?" Bruno kept his eyes on the road as he drove them through the dark city streets.
"I don't have a girlfriend," Axel huffed.
"Then why do you keep smelling like a girl's crotch?"
Axel rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the fourth man in the van, a silent teenager who looked ready to wet himself.
Bruno caught Axel's stare. "You can't have him. Sammy is my new lackey."
"You don't have lackeys," Axel muttered.
"That's because he's usually the one being lackeyed," Reese grinned.
Bruno flipped him off, turning his attention back to lankey teenager.
"This is your last chance," Bruno said to Sammy. "Run back to the academy, get tons of pussy, and have a bunch of werewolf babies."
Sammy shook his head. "No. I can do this."
"If you say so." Bruno shrugged.
"That reminds me," said Axel. "Which one of you blabbed about what happened outside the bar?"
"Don't look at me," said Reese. "It was Sammy."
"Huh?" Sammy scratched his shaved head.
Axel bit his lip. As friendly as Bruno and Reese were, they were still part of his family's pack, and their loyalties lay with his brother and elders more than him.
They pulled up outside a fancy Yacht club surrounded by tall trees. Loud laughter and music spilled from inside. A couple of men staggered down the path towards the parking lot, singing at the top of their lungs.
"This is it." Bruno tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Whenever you're ready."
Axel scanned the grounds, taking in the few security guards and staff. There were obviously werewolves planted amongst them, but it was hard to tell without getting close. His brother hadn't been kind enough to tell him more than necessary.
"Let's move." Axel slipped out of the car, making his way towards the building.
Bruno and Reese flanked him, their movements synchronized as Sammy nervously trailed behind.
The music grew louder, the air heavy with alcohol and sweat. Inside were senators and donors, filthy rich men and women who poured money and resources into trying to eliminate all werewolves.
It was disgusting.
Axel pushed open the door, allowing himself to be engulfed by the heat, noise and smells. There were at least two hundred people seated around the dining room, gorging themselves on expensive food and wine. All living like their precious money could keep them safe from what was coming.
With a nod of his head, Bruno and Reese shed their clothes and transformed, their large wolf forms stalking into the crowd.
Axel took a deep breath and followed, pulling off his clothes and allowing the transformation to wash over him.
It was as natural as breathing.
His vision shifted, his body elongating, his nails turning into claws.
Chaos erupted instantly. Screams filled the room as everyone ran to the doors, only to find them blocked off or closed. Several of the staff and security also transformed, rushing forward to attack.
Axel lunged forward, his jaws clamping around a security guard's throat as the human tried to pull out a gun.
Blood dripped down Axel's fur, his pulse racing, basking in the thrill of battle.
The screams intensified. The humans' frantic footsteps echoed around him, the stench of their fear filling his nostrils.
It was intoxicating.
A gun fired, narrowly missing Reese.
Axel's gaze locked on the shooter, a large woman, her face streaked with tears and smudged make up. Her hands trembled as she tried to aim her gun again.
Axel didn't hesitate.
He lunged forward, his fangs sinking into her neck, tearing into the flesh. Blood spurted out, her body twitching and convulsing as it fell to the floor.
It was a bloodbath.
After ten minutes of slaughter, they got the remaining crowd under control, tying them to chairs as they wept and begged for their lives.
Axel returned to his human form, wiping the blood from his hands with a tablecloth.
The others remained in their wolf forms, circling the hostages with low growls.
"You are the lucky ones!" Axel boomed as he paced back and forth. "We've decided to give you a choice. You can either join us, or die in an Infection Control cell. It's entirely up to you."
"Please," a woman sobbed, shaking with fear. "I don't want to turn into a monster!"
"We're not monsters," Axel grinned. "We're the true rulers of this planet."
With a nod of his head, the wolves pounced, sinking their teeth into the hostages one by one.
Men and women sobbed and screamed as the infection began to take hold, consuming their minds and forcing them to change.
Their bodies contorted, bones snapping, muscles tearing, as their human forms gave way to the primal beast that now lived inside them.
Axel had seen it plenty of times before. The strong ones would learn to change back, but others wouldn't, living out the rest of their lives as savage wolves unless Infection Control tracked them down.
"This one isn't changing," said Sammy as he hovered over the body of one young man.
The guy's pants were soaked with piss, and his arm was covered with bite marks, but there were no signs of transformation.
"Shit," Axel muttered. "He's immune."
"Immune?"
"Some humans with werewolf ancestors can't be turned."
Reese returned to his human form. "What do you want to do with him?"
"Kill him." Axel turned away. "It's better if he doesn't fall into Infection Control's hands."
Axel ran off his remaining adrenaline in the woods, his white wolf form bounding over logs and bushes.
His heart hammered in his chest, his mind consumed by the thrill of the hunt, the need for violence.
He didn't feel any guilt about what happened. Humanity declared war against them centuries earlier, forcing them to live in the shadows. They were simply fighting back to take their place as the rightful rulers of the planet.
Axel soon found himself back at Luke's house.
It was stupid, and a risk, but the need to see her overwhelmed all rational thought.
He shifted back into a human and slipped through the backdoor, making his way through the dark and silent house.
Her scent filled the halls.
Axel found her asleep in his bed, dried tears staining her face as she tightly hugged a pillow.
Axel carefully climbed into bed next to Deepa, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against his chest.
She sighed softly, her body relaxing against him.
Axel nuzzled her hair, inhaling her sweet scent, the tightness in his chest easing.
I'm so sorry, he wanted to say, but he couldn't form the words.
He pressed his lips to her throat, feeling her pulse. Her skin was warm, her heart beating strong and steady.
Deepa’s eyes fluttered open, a frown forming on her lips.
"You're back," she murmured, her voice husky with sleep.
"Yeah." His hand rubbed slow circles on her hip.
She shifted slightly, her ass pressing against his rapidly growing cock.
Axel bit back a groan.
He should get up, put some distance between them before they ended up having sex again, but her scent was intoxicating, and she let out a small moan, her ass grinding against his crotch.
Axel bit his lip, his hands roaming over her hips and up her torso. He was a slave to his instincts, and there was nothing he could do to fight it.
Deepa whimpered, her eyes squeezing shut, her hands gripping his wrists.
He needed to taste her, to hear her moan his name, to feel her body quivering beneath his touch.
Axel slid his hand between her thighs, finding her already soaked.
"Did you miss me?" he whispered, his lips brushing her ear.
"Shut up," she mumbled, her hips jerking towards his fingers.
He gently stroked her, drawing circles around her clit, teasing her opening.
She squirmed, her legs spreading, her back arching.
Axel couldn't draw it out any longer, his cock was rock hard and throbbing, the need for release overwhelming.
He pulled his hand away and positioned himself between her legs, his erection pressing against her entrance.
"Fuck," he groaned, his hips jerking forward.
She gasped, her eyes flying open.
"Please." His lips trailed along her neck. "I need you."
He thrust into her, burying himself inside her warm, wet heat.
Her walls clenched around his cock, her hips rolling to meet his.
Axel shuddered, his length pulsing inside her, her scent filling his lungs.
"So good." His hands cupped her breasts, his lips sucking at her neck.
Deepa cried out, her nails digging into his skin, her muscles spasming around him.
"Fuck," he grunted, his hips bucking, his balls aching.
He couldn't stop.
It was too much.
He needed more.
More of her.
All of her.
Axel growled, his fingers digging into her skin, his body shaking with the effort to hold back his climax.
Deepa whimpered, her walls convulsing, her back arching.
Axel lost control.
His cock unleashed, his seed exploding inside her in several long spurts.
Deepa's eyes widened, her pussy spasming, her own orgasm washing over her.
Axel held her close, his forehead pressed to the back of her head, their breaths mingling.
It felt good, more than good, but he was fucked if he didn't figure out a way to separate himself from her.
Because there was no way he'd survive if something happened to her.