Chapter Ten
It wasn't easy for Axel to see Deepa. Her room was locked up at night and Ryan kept Axel busy during the day, sending him on pointless errands to try and keep them apart as much as possible.
"Hey!" Axel called out as he knocked on Deepa’s door. "It's me. Open up."
"Go away!" she yelled back.
"Just let me in, we need to talk!"
"I told you to leave me alone!"
Axel growled, pushing the door but it refused to budge.
"Come on," he whined. "I just want to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about."
"But-"
"Just leave me alone!" she yelled.
Axel groaned. He was so close to her, yet so far. He just needed to get her to listen, just for a moment.
"Let me in," he hissed. "Don't make me break the door."
"Then don't," she said coldly. "Just go away."
Axel growled. "Open the fucking door!"
"Or what? What will you do, Axel?"
Axel grabbed the handle, trying to force the lock open, but it didn't give.
"Let me in," he snarled.
"No!" she yelled.
Axel threw his shoulder against the door, but it still wouldn't move. He was running out of time. Ryan was probably on his way up, coming to save the day like the fucking hero he always pretended to be.
Axel wasn't going to lose her, not to his brother.
"If you don't open this fucking door, I'm breaking it down," Axel threatened.
"Go ahead," she said. "See if I care."
Axel stepped back, slamming his boot into the lock. The wood splintered, but the lock remained intact.
He kicked the handle, this time sending the entire lock flying through the other side.
The door swung open, revealing Deepa sitting on her bed, wearing a loose fitting t-shirt and jeans.
"You asshole," she hissed. "You're a fucking asshole."
Axel stepped inside, slamming the door shut behind him. "We need to talk."
"We have nothing to talk about."
"You're wrong. We have everything to talk about."
Deepa glared at him, her dark eyes full of anger. "Why are you acting like this? It's not my fault that you can't control your urges."
"I'm not-" Axel took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "It's not like that."
"Then what's it like? You've done nothing but ruin my life since the moment I met you. You're a monster."
"You're the one who doesn't understand!"
"Explain it to me then. Help me understand why you think that you have the right to barge into my room, destroy the door and force yourself on me."
Axel took a step towards her, his chest tightening. "It's not like that."
"Then what's it like?" she demanded. "What could possibly make it okay for you to treat me like this?"
Axel clenched his jaw. "I'm a werewolf, Deepa. This is how it works. You can't just take suppressants and expect everything to magically fix itself."
"You're an asshole," she spat.
"Yeah, and?" Axel scoffed. "Do you think I'm just gonna sit back and watch while Ryan takes you away from me? You’re my mate!"
"Mate?" she spat. "Are you saying that the way that you treated me was because you think that we're fated to be together?"
"We are," he growled.
"Fuck that," she hissed. "I would rather die than be with you."
"You're not getting rid of me." He closed the distance between them. "You're my mate, and you're not leaving me."
Deepa glared at him, her eyes burning with anger. "Get out."
"No."
"Then I'll leave."
"You're not going anywhere."
"Try and stop me," she spat.
"I will," he growled.
Deepa lunged for the door, but Axel was too fast. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back, slamming her against the wall.
"Get the fuck off me!" she snarled, her nails digging into his wrist.
Axel grabbed her other arm, pinning her in place. "You're not going anywhere.”
Deepa glared at him, her eyes blazing.
"Let go of me," she hissed.
Axel's grip tightened. "I can't do that.”
"What's the matter?" she sneered. "Can't get off without my help?"
"I need you."
"You don't need shit."
"I need you. You're mine."
"Fuck you," she spat.
She tried to fight him, her fists hammering against his chest, her nails clawing at his face, but Axel refused to let her go.
He held her against the wall, his hands moving to her hips, his fingers digging into her flesh.
"You're not getting rid of me," he snarled, his nose pressing against her neck. "Not ever."
"Let go of me," she cried. "Right now."
"You're mine." His teeth grazed her throat. "You belong to me."
Axel contemplated biting down, until he was ripped from her body and hurled across the room.
Axel slammed against the wall, his breath leaving his lungs in a single painful burst. He hit the ground with a grunt, his head ringing, his vision blurring.
"Fuck," he hissed, struggling to his feet.
"Stay the fuck away from her," Ryan growled, his hands clenched into fists.
Axel looked at his brother, his vision slowly coming back into focus, until the bastard slammed a foot into Axel's ribs.
"You're a disgrace," Ryan hissed.
Axel coughed, his body doubling over as pain exploded through his torso.
Ryan didn't give him a chance to recover, his fist colliding with Axel's jaw, sending Axel sprawling to the carpet.
Axel groaned, blood filling his mouth. He coughed as Ryan landed several more punches on his body, knocking the wind from Axel’s lungs.
"Come on." Ryan took hold of Deepa's hand, quickly pulling her out of the room. “Let's go."
Axel watched helplessly as the two of them disappeared down the hall.
His body ached, his head throbbed, and it was a struggle to breathe.
He was angry, furious, livid, but also disappointed in himself. He had a chance to make things right with Deepa, but he only fucked himself over like always.
Axel rolled onto his back, gripping his torso.
Perhaps this was what he deserved.