the conversation 48
2871 Words
chapter 48
Axel POV
All through training, my mind wasn’t on the drills or the warriors around me. It was on Ivory…On her leg.
On the way she tried to hide the pain…On whether it was actually healing the way she claimed it was…The second I walked through the front door, she nearly ran straight into me. I had to grab the frame to keep from knocking us both over. For a split second, all I saw was her..hair slightly wind-tangled, eyes bright, like she had been about to come looking for me…And just like that, every thought about training disappeared…But before I could even say her name, she spoke.
“Hey, I know you just came in, but after your shower can we talk about what happened yesterday?”..My smile faded.
Not because I was angry. I wasn’t. I just wasn’t expecting that the moment I walked in the door. My body was covered in sweat, my muscles tight from training. All I wanted was a hot shower…and if I was being honest…her in it with me…Before I could answer, she rushed to fill the silence.
“We can talk later if you want. I know you like your space when you get done training. Go up and take your shower and relax. I’m going to go on a run to get my leg completely healed.”
Oh h3ll no…She was not about to casually walk past me like that.
Space? From her?..I don’t need space from Ivory. She is my mate. My queen. If she wants to follow me around twenty-four seven, I’ll deal with it. I might get grumpy sometimes…that’s just how I am..but I would never push her away.
My “space” is training…Flying..When she’s at college or work.
That’s it.
I reached out gently and wrapped my hand around her arm before she could step around me.
“Ivory,” I said, keeping my voice calm but firm. “I never need space from you. You are my queen. Go for your run. Once you’re back, we will have that talk. And don’t try to get around it. We are going to talk.”
She searched my face for a second, then nodded.
I watched her walk out the door and disappear toward the woods. My chest tightened as she shifted and her wolf took over, racing between the trees…Only then did I head upstairs.
The shower helped clear my head, but not completely. When I finished, I dried off, got dressed, and went to the office. I sat down in my chair, closed my eyes, and reached for the bond.
She didn’t know I could do this…Didn’t know I could close my eyes and see where she was.
The forest came into view through her perspective..trees rushing by, earth beneath her paws, the wind slicing through her fur. She was running hard. Fast. Pushing herself…Too hard.
She ran for miles, hunting as she went, taking down rabbits with clean, precise strikes. Her wolf was strong. Determined. But I could feel the strain in her leg every time she landed wrong.
My jaw tightened…She says she’s healed.
She says she’s fine…But I don’t trust that she won’t push herself past her limits..And yesterday.. whatever she wants to talk about… I have a feeling it’s more than just words. The moment she steps back through that door, we’re going to have that conversation…And this time, I’m not letting her brush it off.
When she finally decided that she wanted to come back home, I was standing there with my arms crossed over my chest, she walked through the door, I was trying not to smile but i failed to do so, But i made her jump just a little when i started talking right when she walked into the door,
“So, since you took half the day running in the woods, do you want to talk now?”
my voice was light, teasing even, but I hadn’t moved from the doorway. Arms crossed. Watching her like i've been counting every second she was gone.I saw her swallowed.
I could tell she was talking to her wolf, i waited until she was done,
she was muttering under her breath, “No“ I’m okay.”
Axel raised a brow. “Talking to wolf?”
She forced a small smile. “Let’s just get this over with.”
We walked into the living room. she sat first. I sat beside me, close enough that our thighs touched. i didn’t leave space between us. I never did. I loved to touch her even if its just a light touch on the hand,
“So,” I said quietly. “What do you want to know?”
She stared at my hands, as if she looked at me she would loose her nerve,
“Why was she so determined to make you think I’m weak?” she asked. her voice sounded steadier. “Did you and her have something going on before you met me?”..There it was. ..My expression didn’t harden. It didn’t shift to guilt either. It softened.
“Ivory,” I said slowly, i turned toward her fully. “The only thing we ever did was kiss. Once. And I ended it.”
She looked up at me then. a hint of jelously was in her eyes but then she recovered quickly..
“She was my friend,” he continued. “She fought beside me during wars. She stayed by my side when I couldn’t find my mate. She cared about me. Maybe she thought it would turn into something more.”
“Did you?” She asked me, her fingers went to her lips like she should had thought of the question before she asked but didn't..
Silence filled the room.
“For a moment,” I admitted. “I considered it. Not because I loved her. But because I was tired of waiting. Tired of being alone.”
“But I never let it go further,” he said firmly. “Because if she was meant to have a true mate, I would’ve taken that from her. And if I was meant to have mine…” My fingers lifted her chin. “I didn’t want to ruin that chance either.”.
“She doesn’t hate you because you’re weak,” he continued. “She hates you because you’re mine.”
Chapter 48
“So should I be scared of her?” I asked quietly. “She looks at me like I stole something that belonged to her.”
Axel’s jaw tightened slightly now.
“You didn’t steal anything. I chose you. The bond chose you. She needs to accept that.”
“And if she doesn’t?”.His eyes darkened…not angry at me, but protective.
“Then she won’t be anywhere near you.”
I searched his face. “You don’t think I’m weak?”
A slow smile curved his lips.
“You are far from weak, baby.” He leaned in, pressing his forehead against mine. “You ran miles on a healing leg. You hunt. You fight. And you challenge me when you think I’m wrong.” His arms wrapped around my waist. “You are my queen.”
The word settled deep in my bones..Then his tone shifted..more serious now.
“Come on,” he said, standing and offering me his hand. “Let’s go to the office. There are things you need to see. It’s time you learn what really goes on around here.”
My stomach flipped..This wasn’t just about jealousy anymore.
This was about power..And whatever he was about to show me… it meant he wasn’t just protecting me..He was preparing me.
If you'd like, we can make the woman (the former friend) more dangerous..maybe she’s not just jealous but plotting something.
That wasn’t just some room with papers and maps. That was where decisions were made. Where plans were drawn. Where threats were handled…Where queens sat.
Axel stood, holding his hand out to me. I stared at it for half a second before placing mine in his. His grip was warm, steady.. grounding. He wasn’t hiding anything. He wasn’t pulling away.
If anything, he was pulling me closer into his world.
We walked down the long hallway toward the office. The guards at the doors straightened when we passed. Not just for him.
For us…For me.
When we stepped inside, he shut the door behind us. The large wooden desk sat near the windows, maps pinned along the wall. Territory lines. Patrol routes. Marked areas in red.
He walked to one of the maps and motioned me over.
“That,” he said, pointing to a shaded section near the river line, “is where she was spotted weeks ago.”.My stomach tightened.
“So she’s been around longer than yesterday,” I said quietly.
He nodded. “Yes. We just didn’t know it was her.”
I folded my arms. “What is she, Axel? I looked something up this morning… serpent women. Some of them are poisonous.”
His jaw tightened slightly. “She’s part of an ancient bloodline. Not fully wolf. Not fully something else either. They’re rare. They bond through obsession more than fate.”
That sent a chill through me.
“Obsession?” I repeated.
“Yes,” he said firmly. “They choose. And when they choose, they don’t like being replaced.”..I swallowed.
“So she chose you.”
He walked back to me, lifting my chin gently so I’d look at him.
“No. She thought she did. There’s a difference.”
I searched his eyes for hesitation. For regret…There was none.
“You waited for me?” I asked softly…He smiled. “I’d wait a lifetime for you.”
I leaned into him, but my mind wasn’t fully settled yet.
“She bit me,” I said quietly. “If you hadn’t been there…”
His expression darkened instantly.
“I won’t let that happen again.”
“That’s not what I mean,” I replied, stepping back slightly so he could see I was serious. “I don’t want to just be protected, Axel. I want to know. I want to be prepared. If she comes back, I don’t want to be the weak link she thinks I am.”
A slow, proud smile formed on his face.
“You’re not the weak link,” he said. “But if you want to learn everything .. the patrol rotations, the alliances, the enemies … then you’ll sit in this office with me from now on.”
My breath caught.
“From now on?”
“Yes. You are my queen. Not just in title. In power.”
Something shifted inside me then…This wasn’t about jealousy anymore…This was about stepping into who I was meant to be.
“Alright,” I said, lifting my chin slightly. “Teach me.”
He walked back to the desk, pulling out a thick folder and placing it in front of me.
“First lesson,” he said. “We don’t wait for enemies to strike twice.”
And as I opened the folder, I knew one thing for certain..
The serpent woman might have chosen him…But I was chosen by fate…And fate always wins.
The folder had held so many things inside…records of enemies who had tried to strike first, only to be met with fire and fury. There were reports of old wars, battles fought long before I ever stepped into his world. Some were against rogues. Some were against rival kingdoms. A few were even against other dragons.
He had survived all of it..He had scars to prove it.
And standing there, looking at those pages, I couldn’t stop the thought from creeping in…I was just another piece added to his life. Another responsibility. Another thing he felt he needed to protect.
But I don’t need to be protected…At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
He showed me the map next. A red mark circled the last place she had been spotted. It wasn’t far. Too close. Close enough that my stomach twisted.
“She’s been watching,” he had said quietly.
Watching us…Watching me.
Like she was waiting for the perfect moment to get me alone. Waiting for him to step away. Waiting for me to be vulnerable. If he hadn’t shown up when he did… she wouldn’t have stopped. She would have kept going until she finished whatever twisted plan she had in mind..The thought made my chest tighten.
I hate that she saw fear in me…Because predators…human or dragon…feed on fear. They thrive on it. If she senses it again, she’ll come harder next time. Smarter…I can’t let that happen.
I can’t keep shrinking every time I think about her shadow in the trees or the way her eyes locked onto mine. I need to stand my ground. I need to stop acting like prey.
I may not have fought in ancient wars. I may not have scorch marks on my skin or victories written in some guarded file. But I am not weak…And the next time she watches me?...She’s going to realize I’m watching back.
‘Is this what you’re wanting to show and teach me?” I asked, raising a brow at him.
He looked at me for a second, slow and deliberate, then a low chuckle rumbled out of his chest. It wasn’t mocking … it was confident. Dangerous.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he murmured, stepping closer, “this?” His fingers brushed lightly over mine, sending a shiver straight up my arm. “This is just the beginning.”
My heart betrayed me, pounding harder the closer he got. I refused to step back. I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.
“Then maybe you should stop laughing and start teaching,” I shot back, tilting my chin up in defiance.
His eyes darkened at that … not with anger, but with something far more heated.
“Careful,” he said softly. “You might learn more than you’re ready for.”
The air between us shifted, thick and charged. And suddenly I wasn’t so sure who was teaching who anymore.
He leaned back in his chair, those ancient eyes studying me like I was something far more complicated than any war strategy laid out across that desk.
“You think this is about teaching you to fight?” he asked quietly.
I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to ignore the way the map still burned into my mind…the red mark where she’d been seen last. Too close. Always too close.
“You’re showing me enemies,” I said. “Old wars. Dragon blood spilled by dragon claws. You’re showing me her watching us. So yeah… I assumed this was some kind of lesson.”
He chuckled again, softer this time. Not amused… almost impressed.
“This,” he tapped the folder, “is history. It’s mistakes. It’s power. It’s the cost of underestimating someone who is waiting for you to blink.”
His eyes lifted back to mine.
“What I’m teaching you,” he continued, voice lowering, “is that fear is louder than footsteps.”
That made my stomach tighten.
“She can smell it?” I whispered.
“She can feel it,” he corrected. “Predators don’t just hunt flesh. They hunt weakness. Doubt. Hesitation.”
I hated that word…Weakness.
“I’m not weak,” I said quickly.
“I know,” he replied instantly … no hesitation, no question.
That caught me off guard more than anything else tonight.
He stood then, walking around the desk slowly, stopping just in front of me. Close enough that I could feel the heat of him, the power humming under his skin. Power that had survived wars. Betrayals. Dragon against dragon.
“You think I’m protecting you because you’re fragile,” he murmured.
A lump formed in my throat.
“Aren’t you?”
His hand lifted… not to cage me, not to control me .. but to tilt my chin so I had no choice but to look at him.
“I protect what is mine,” he said. “Not because it’s weak. But because it is valuable.”
The words settled somewhere deep inside me.
“I don’t want to be just another thing you guard,” I admitted. “I don’t want to sit behind walls while you fight.”
His jaw flexed slightly.
“Then stop thinking like prey.”..Silence fell between us.
The map. The red mark. Her watching. Waiting for me to be alone.
If she thought I was afraid… if she believed I would run…
“She won’t feed on my fear,” I said, more to myself than to him.
His thumb brushed lightly along my jaw… grounding, steady.
“Good,” he replied. “Because the next time she comes close…”
His eyes darkened, something dangerous flickering there.
“…I won’t be the only one ready.”
And for the first time since seeing that map, I didn’t feel like something that needed saving…I felt like something that could burn back.
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