His Isolated Omega Luna

Chapter Eleven

“I really think it's best if I don’t see you anymore.” Cassandra whispered.

Axel inhaled a shaky breath. A tight knot of panic twisted inside his stomach and surprised him.

He had never known what fear felt like until that moment.

The threat of losing Cassandra forever made his heart pound against his ribs, and he was desperate to try and make it right.

“I didn’t lie...” Axel said quietly, edging his body closer. He tried to reach for Cassandra’s hand where it was resting on top of her thigh, but she pulled it away before their fingertips touched. “I just didn’t tell you. That’s not the same.” Cassandra still looked hurt and it almost broke his heart.

“I’m so sorry, Cas,” Axel followed the line of Cassandra’s gaze until she finally looked up again. “I thought I was doing it for the right reasons. I wanted to protect you.” Axel rarely admitted to failure, and certainly not unless he hid it in an attempt to laugh his f**k ups off as deliberate mistakes. “I was wrong, and I’m really sorry.”

***

I dragged my tongue slowly along my bottom lip while I studied Axel’s eyes. All I could see reflecting back was honesty and desperation and it made my heart flutter.

“I would never do anything to hurt you,” I blinked hard. I hadn’t taken a breath for quite some time. “Does that mean I’m forgiven?” Axel dared a hesitant smile.

I didn’t say anything, but the sparkle in my eyes when I gave a small dip of my head was the only confirmation Axel needed, and his insecure smile broke into a wide grin. “I swear, Cas. I never meant to mislead you. I was just waiting for the right moment ‘cause I knew how scared you were.”

“Axel, that’s the point. I am scared. All the time.”

I was trying to help Axel understand how hard life is for someone who has so much to be afraid of. How could a strong male alpha like him possibly know how damaging that was?

“I honestly suspected you might be, but everything about you made me feel so safe, I thought I must have made a mistake. I don’t feel scared when I’m with you.” Axel moved his hand up my thigh again, and this time he didn’t move until our thumbs were touching. I allowed Axel to curve his hand over mine when he leaned closer.

“The first time I saw you, I knew.” Axel breathed against my mouth. “I knew I found my heart.”

“Axel…” I gasped in astonishment. “Please don’t. Don’t say things like that.”

It didn’t matter what was said in that moment. Axel knew. He would wait for however long it took for Cassandra to realize he meant it to the very core of his soul.

***

“Can I stay with you a little while longer? Just, you know… to make sure you’re okay.” Axel smiled. I tensed. There were a hundred different reasons why I should say no, but I couldn’t seem to form one simple word of refusal when Axel was so close.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” I murmured.

The thought of being alone with him had new implications now I knew for sure Axel was an alpha. It left me with shameful images of being pressed up hard against Axel's body and it made my chest hurt.

Everything seemed to be closing in on me again and I was burning up so much that slick and sweat were starting to leak out of me at an alarming rate. I tried to stand but my legs threatened to give way.

I felt dizzy and sick, and desperate for air. All I could see was a blurry image of Axel reaching out a hand to steady me before everything else around me started to fade away.

I lifted one hand up to my head in panic. “Axel… I think I’m going to - ”

***

Cassandra’s whole body dropped before she got out whatever she was going to say, and Axel only just managed to catch her before she hit the floor. Her eyelids were closed but they were fluttering wildly and Axel had to circle one arm around her back to hold her up.

Her shirt was soaking wet down the line of her spine and Axel could feel her pulse throbbing hard against his hand as he called her name and shook her gently.

Cassandra was totally unresponsive, so he cupped her other arm under both knees and cradled Cassandra against his chest. Axel picked her up and ran back down the hall, shouting frantically for Lucas to help him.

“Axel! What the hell?” Lucas yelled in surprise, when the door was almost snapped from its hinges with the amount of force Axel kicked against it.

Lucas caught sight of his brother rushing past him with a very limp Cassandra in his arms. He shot up and practically fell through into the other room, just as Axel was setting Cassandra down carefully on top of his bed and looking at Lucas with fear shining through his eyes.

“What happened?” Lucas asked cautiously, turning to throw a half-eaten pizza slice back in the box. He hurriedly wiped the grease down his jeans.

“She just passed out cold. I don’t know… is she alright?”

Lucas shoved Axel out the way and touched the back of his hand against Cassandra’s forehead.

“s**t. She’s burning up. Help me get her into bed.” Lucas ordered, but Axel continued to stand motionless next to his side with such a blank expression that at any other time probably would have made him laugh.

Axel clearly had no idea what to do and his face was lined with concern.

“Axel.” Lucas pulled hard at his shirt. “Snap out of it. Help me.” Axel shook his head and helped Lucas to remove most of Cassandra’s outer clothes before covering her tenderly with the sheet. Axel had to consciously force himself not to stare at the beautifully soft planes of pale exposed skin that were now shimmering with pheromone-laden sweat.

“Something’s different.” Axel muttered, moving away from the bed. “I can smell her.”

“You can always smell her.” Lucas sighed. His expression soon grew serious when he saw how Axel had subconsciously positioned himself.

His brother was standing rigid against the wall with his arms pressed down at his sides. His fists were curled tightly inside his palms while he fought against every powerful instinct to bite into her. Axel had to force himself to stay back while he waited for the agonizing feeling of want to subside.

“Oh, God. Lucas, you need to keep me away from her.”

Cassandra was at the mercy of all the unchecked impulses Axel had unleashed when he marked her. Lucas’s first thought was that he must have misheard him. He was staring at Axel over one shoulder. His brother had spent every single minute since they met wanting Cassandra close, and now Axel was practically begging Lucas to keep them apart. It made no sense.

“What?”

Axel was staring at the shape of Cassandra’s body under the thin sheet, her chest hitching with short, fast breaths. Every line and curve was perfect, like she must have been skillfully carved by some unseen hand just for Axel to admire.

His eyes flicked over to Lucas but he was helpless, so Axel took one last yearning look at Cassandra and then with a determined effort, he tore himself away from the wall and hurtled out of the apartment.

Lucas heard a breathless, “I need a minute” before the front door slammed shut. He thought about going after Axel, but he wasn’t sure he should really leave Cassandra alone while she was still so fitful and shivery.

Lucas could feel the amount of heat that was coming off her so he decided to stay, and leave Axel to try and work off whatever the hell it was that had just taken such a crushing hold on him.

Lucas gently put his hand against Cassandra’s skin again and felt under her ear for a pulse. Her heartbeat was fast and erratic, but Lucas didn’t think she was sick. He just presumed she must have gone into a natural heat, but there was a persistent and annoying distraction in the back of his mind that wouldn’t go away.

Axel was no stranger to how exhausting that could be. His own ruts had diminished over the last few years because he never claimed a mate, but the reaction Lucas just witnessed was something he had never seen in him before. He was at a loss to understand what it all meant.

Lucas picked up Cassandra’s clothes and folded them with care. He deposited them on the end of the bed before he went to fetch a cloth he could dampen to try and bring down her fever. He let it run under the tap for a while to make sure it was cold when he heard a weak cry come from Axel’s bedroom.

Lucas rushed back in to see that Cassandra was awake. She was sitting up, eyes frantic as they darted into every unfamiliar corner. She seemed to relax slightly when she saw Lucas.

“What happened? Where am I?” Cassandra murmured, rubbing hard at her head. Lucas smiled softly and sat down next to her on the edge of the bed.

“Here,” Lucas said. He eased Cassandra back with a careful push against her shoulder. “Lie down.” Lucas rolled up the dripping cloth and placed it across Cassandra’s forehead. “You passed out. Axel carried you back here.”

***

I took in a deep breath when I closed my eyes and tipped my head back to wait for the compress to work. As soon as I inhaled however, I recognized an unmistakable aroma.

“Is this… Axel’s bed?” I asked quietly and Lucas nodded.

Axel’s scent was all over the sheets and I already guessed as much, but I was still trying to piece together what could have happened.

It was all just a clouded blur.

I felt a rush of heat inside me when I drew in another perfumed breath and I was powerless to stop the spread of warmth that slid out of me and soaked into the sheet. The humiliation of being so unexpectedly aroused in the presence of a man I hardly knew was overwhelming and I covered my face with my hands.

I just hoped Lucas didn't have the same natural alpha senses as his brother and thus had no idea why I was so upset.

***

“What’s the matter?” Lucas asked innocently. “Do you feel sick?”

Cassandra shook her head and reached for Lucas’s arm to stop him from fetching a bowl for her to throw up in. Lucas was still trying to calm her when he noticed Cassandra had soiled the bed with a thick release of slippery oil.

Any thread of doubt he still had about Cassandra being a true omega was unraveled in an instant. Lucas pulled a face before he could manage to consciously stop it. Cassandra’s cheeks burned red.

“I’m so sorry...” She muttered into her hands. “I couldn’t help it.”

Lucas felt bad for her. She looked so scared and defenseless.

“It’s fine, Cas. Don’t worry about it.” Lucas said kindly, stroking her arm where it was lying motionless on top of the bed. Cassandra still flinched at his touch. “I’ll go get some fresh sheets.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me...” Cassandra whispered. She turned her face away and buried it in the pillow.

Lucas really wanted to tell her what he thought about it all out of kindness alone. It seemed cruel to let her suffer without giving her some idea of what might be happening to her body. Cassandra must have been through a heat before, but this was obviously something more intense than she was used to and Lucas was lost for answers. He would have bet his last dollar that as unintentional as it may have been, Axel was responsible. Maybe there was much more value to his pursuit of a lifelong obsession than he imagined.

***

It was almost twenty minutes before Axel felt calm enough to even come back to the building at all.

He had taken a walk around the block to let the cool evening air subdue the fire that burned inside him.

Lucas was waiting for him at the door when he strode back down the hall. Axel had no idea what to say. How could he possibly even start to explain something he didn’t understand himself?

Lucas had positioned himself so Axel wouldn’t be able to get past him until he was certain the moment had passed. Cassandra kept drifting in and out of consciousness in Axel’s absence, so Lucas had changed the bedding and turned the light out. He left the room in darkness to try and encourage her to sleep. He folded his arms across his chest as Axel approached.

“Alright?” Lucas asked uneasily. He would never be a match for Axel in strength, but his hazel eyes scanned the length of Axel’s body anyway to assess the level of potential threat he might present.

Axel nodded passively without looking up at him. His breathing was certainly calmer but he still seemed restless and was rubbing at the back of his neck with one hand.

Lucas wasn’t sure if it was because he was too warm or because he had absolutely no idea what was going on. Maybe both.

“How is she?”

Lucas moved slowly to one side and let his brother in.

“Sleeping, I think. Leave her, Axel.”

Axel walked cautiously towards his bedroom and waited silently on the threshold to see if Cassandra was alright.

She could hear the soft whimpers of desperation spill from her lips while she shifted around in bed. Axel stumbled mindlessly forward, only just having enough sense to wrap his hands around the door frame to physically stop himself from getting any closer.

His alpha eyes were keen in the shadows, and he could see the soft lines of Cassandra’s silhouette when she arched her back and lifted her hips to relief herself against the sheet draped over the top of her. Most of it had slipped down in her restlessness, and she seemed to be totally unaware of what she was doing. Axel almost lost control again when he heard Cassandra breathe his name in the darkness.

Lucas had been staying close to make sure Axel kept his distance when he heard Cassandra asking for water, he quickly dipped under his brother’s arm and hurried to her side. He flicked on the night light and carefully picked up the glass he had set by the side of the bed.

“Here, Cas,” Lucas said gently, helping her to lift her head from the damp pillow and take a small sip from one edge.

Cassandra tried to guide the glass to her own mouth, but she was so weak and disoriented that most of it just spilled over her face and down her chin. She swallowed one token mouthful before her eyes closed again.

She fell back with a thud and Lucas could see how hard she was fighting to stay awake. Her lips were moving, but her voice was so quiet Lucas had to lean over her just to hear what she was desperately trying to say. Lucas inhaled a tight breath when he caught the whispered demand.

“I want Axel.”