Chapter Eleven
Iwake up, my eyes slowly drifting open. The room is still dark enough for me to rest even though it's morning.
I feel better than last night. I'm surprised I got to sleep.
Thankfully, the pain lessened enough for me to sleep through the worst of the healing process.
I look around and see alpha Axel asleep in the recliner, his head bent down and chin resting on his chest. My eyebrows crease in confusion as I stare at him.
He was nice to me last night. The mysterious fear-inducing alpha saved me.
I don't know why. Yeah, he has detached himself from the pack for quite a number of years but he must still know I'm the crossbred.
I don't know if I should wake him up and ask him the questions bothering me.
Maybe I shouldn't ask. I should just accept that not only did a pack member save me, but it was the ruler of the pack.
The freaking alpha saved me. Maybe if I knew he was nice, he could have saved me a long time ago.
“Alpha,” I call, knowing I can't make it through the next few days without him. He jolts awake and his eyes go wide when he sees me.
“Elora.” He comes over. “Are you okay?”
“Better,” I murmur. Relief flashes across his features. It's quiet while he just stares at me so I gesture to the ice packs. “I need new ones and more pills.”
“I'll be right back. Do you want the curtains open?” he asks, and I nod.
I may as well see the sunlight. To see brightness in a tough time might help.
He opens the curtains then leaves the room.
I look around the room. Judging by the colours, it's more feminine but it would pass for a fancy hotel suite with the browns, golds, and whites blended nicely.
This bed is for a queen. I can't believe the luxury in this room.
Alpha Axel comes back in holding a tray.
“You need to eat so let me help you up.” He places the tray down on the bedside table and then grabs me under my armpits and slowly lifts me up the bed.
He props up many pillows behind me that I sink into.
He replaces the ice packs then sets the tray on the bed beside me before handing me another four pills, which I take greedily.
I down them with the glass of juice he hands me.
“I hope you don't mind some buttered toast and fruit salad.
I don't really cook.” He bites his lip, looking embarrassed about this.
“Anything you give me, I'm thankful for.” I have a few bites of toast and some fruit. I don't eat it all because my body prevents me from eating too much. “Thank you, alpha Axel.”
“Call me Axe. I'm rarely an alpha.” His eyes glaze over like he's thinking hard.
Okay, I'm even more confused than before. People don't even think I'm worthy to talk to them. But the alpha is letting me address him by his name, his nickname at that, totally disregarding the title.
I look at him. He's young, only being twenty-nine, but you can tell stress has aged him.
He's got warm brown eyes, but they have glowing flecks in them; at least the way the sun is shining on them now makes it look like that.
His skin is actually quite tanned despite the fact I've never seen him out in the sun.
His body is incredibly muscular. He's definitely attractive, especially in a swimsuit model way.
I think there's more than meets the eye with him. When he was twenty-two, the accident happened which devastated the pack. He lost his mate in the blink of an eye. I was eleven when it happened. As a kid I remember the alpha and luna were always associating with the pack, hand in hand, happy.
But when she died, alpha Axel went ballistic. He went from an alpha everyone loved to an alpha everyone feared. He became untameable, violent, and acted out. He would hurt his own pack members without apparent reason. Everyone was in a frenzy being ruled by an unstable alpha.
The last time I saw him, I was fourteen.
I was going for a walk. He stormed through the pack's lands in a frightening way.
I watched him from afar and saw him brutally knock out a pack member.
It was scary to see someone so unhinged.
Alpha Axel's father, the previous alpha Manson along with the beta had to rip him off the pack member.
A scene broke out between Axel and Manson.
Not a lot of people saw it because the beta told everyone to go to their homes immediately.
But that was the last anyone saw of Axel.
Since then, stories have been made up about where he disappeared to.
That he lost himself and became deranged.
The beta took over most of the alpha's responsibilities.
I guess he's been hidden away in his house.
I wonder what he was doing out in the forest when he found me.
Remembering how he was makes me restless to be in the same room with him.
But he's been kind. Maybe all these solitary years, he somehow healed himself.
“Okay... Axe,” I try out his nickname.
He shakes his head as if clearing his thoughts and looks back at me.
“I'm going to do some stuff. I'll be back as soon as I can.
I want you to rest. Here's the remote.” Axe passes me the remote then picks up the tray and walks out of the room.
I notice a full bottle of water on the bedside table.
While he's gone, I take a few sips and rest while desperately pondering over the questions in my head.
Why did he save me?
Does he know who I am?
If he really were so black-hearted, what would make him do something nice for someone?
Why didn't he end my life when he found me, given most people wouldn't have tried to save me at that point?
Does he still have authority over the pack? Because that could help me out.
And the question I don't want to know the answer to, was this his mate's room?