His Isolated Omega Luna

Chapter Sixteen

Axel had no time to reply before he was staring up close at the familiar grain that ran down the entrance to Cassandra’s apartment. It took him a moment to catch up and he eventually managed a mumbled “f**k” before heading miserably back down the hall.

Axel couldn’t see her, but Cassandra was still resting her back up against the door while she listened to the heavy tread of Axel's boots retreat until they faded away altogether. She tipped her head back and took in a few deep breaths before moving through to her bedroom to see what it was exactly Axel had read in those letters.

***

“Come on!” Axel spat defensively, pacing backwards and forwards in front of Lucas less than five minutes later. He was shaking his head at the injustice of everything Cassandra had been subjected to since that fateful night when she had wandered out blindly into the storm.

“What kind of a douche leaves a fifteen year old kid to fend for herself like that?!” Axel yelled at no one in the room.

Lucas’ eyes twitched while he watched Axel parade around on his soap box. He knew it was only because he was now so fiercely protective. There was no longer any doubt in Lucas’ mind. Axel had convinced himself Cassandra was already his.

“He probably thought he was doing it for the right reasons,” Lucas said gently, but Axel made a weird noise in the back of his throat. Lucas frowned at his brother. He knew his brother would have done exactly the same thing if it had been him who was in danger, but Axel had always possessed a colorful supply of hypocritical crap when it suited whatever point he happened to be making at the time.

Lucas knew Axel had got it so bad for Cassandra, his judgement was probably clouded by lust and the desire to shelter her from the rest of the world. In his own inimitable way he was only doing his best to look out for her and that was actually kind of sweet.

Axel hadn’t told him about the content of the rest of the letters, but whatever he was still holding in must have deeply upset him.

“You should have seen the look in her eyes, Lucas...” Axel sighed. “There’s so much pain there, and I can't do a f*****g thing to make it better!” Axel cursed again and wandered through to his bedroom, dropping backwards on to the tangled sheets and covering his face with both hands.

He had messed everything up again.

Axel turned around restlessly only to find his bed now smelled of Cassandra and that made it so much worse. Maybe if he closed his eyes, he could pretend he was lying there next to her.

The hazy blue of her eyes and the plump pink curve of her lips shining and open, just waiting for Axel to taste her again. He clutched handfuls of the material and inhaled Cassandra’s scent until he couldn’t smell anything else.

***

Axel spent the best part of a fitful hour just staring up at the ceiling and wondering what he could do to get Cassandra to trust him again. He pushed his body up from the bed and marched back through to grab his phone, scanning it urgently to see if Cassandra had sent him a message.

There was nothing.

He shoved it into his back pocket and raised his arms in defeat.

“f**k it. I’m going back. I need her...” He mumbled.

Lucas looked up when he thought he misheard, but he could see Axel was still distracted, chewing aimlessly at his bottom lip.

Lucas encouraged his brother to sit with him and calm down before he went tearing back up the corridor. He was desperate to tell Axel there really was no reason to be so clingy, but he didn’t think he was even listening anymore. He reached aggressively for a pen and the writing pad Lucas had been working on the night before. He started to flick over the corners just to give himself something else to focus on.

“Don’t you mean she needs you?” Lucas asked hesitantly. Axel just looked at him like he was a total i***t.

“That’s what I said,” Axel frowned, scribbling meaningless doodles all over the paper.

Lucas didn’t bother pointing out the slip.

After a few attempts at amateur graffiti, he threw the pen across the room with a rumble of noise.

“No, something’s not right. I’m sorry, Lucas. I have to go back.” Axel grabbed his jacket and phone before almost running back down the hall to Cassandra’s apartment.

He knocked loudly a couple of times and called her name but there was no response, so Axel listened intently with his head c****d to one side. He couldn't hear anything at all. Even without his acute canine senses he would have known everything was deathly quiet.

Axel felt his stomach twist with unease.

Axel flinched at the sound of the click when he tried the door, surprised to find it still unlocked. He gave it a tentative nudge and crept inside.

He didn’t want to startle Cassandra, so he called out to her again but there was still no reply.

The door at the end of the narrow hallway was closed shut and he cautiously headed towards it. He could hear the unmistakable sound of running water as he approached and there was a thin trail of stream seeping out from the gap at the bottom.

Nothing could have prepared him for the tragic scene he walked in on.

Cassandra was curled up in one corner of the shower with her arms wrapped tightly around her fragile body. Her head was dropped low and resting on her knees. Axel just watched in stunned silence at the way the water seemed to flow over her, completely unaware of anything else that was going on around her.

The hidden pain of Cassandra’s fractured childhood memories had suddenly been set free and the rush of emotion was just too much after a restless night. The overpowering want she was starting to feel for Axel had splintered her already crumbling resolve to stay unclaimed and delivered from submission.

Cassandra suddenly looked up.

“Oh, God. Please... don’t!” Cassandra cried in alarm. She realized Axel was standing over her, horrified concern etched into every feature.

“Don’t look at me….” Cassandra begged, burying her face in her hands and watching the rivers of water run down her chest and trickle between her legs.

She was completely naked and shivering, probably terrified she was as good as prize bait to an unmated alpha who already had a hard-on for her.

Axel couldn’t stop himself from gazing longingly at the perfect pale canvas of untouched skin, but all he really wanted to do was comfort her.

“Everything’s falling apart…” Cassandra cried, through the gaps between her fingers and Axel felt his heart ache for the omega. Her shoulders were shaking and Axel just wanted to touch her and take away all her pain. “I don’t want to be alone anymore…”

Axel quickly shed his jacket and climbed into the cramped space to be next to Cassandra. He dropped to his knees between Cassandra’s legs and felt the water cascade over him, dripping down his shoulders and over his thighs.

“C’mere,” Axel breathed gently. He reached for Cassandra and wrapped his arms around her back to pull her in close. Cassandra pushed her face into Axel’s neck and snuffled against the damp skin.

“It’s okay. I got you...” Axel whispered into her hair. Hot streams continued to run down his face while he held her. His clothes were completely soaked through but Axel didn’t care. He swept the wet strands from Cassandra’s eyes and said it again.

“I got you, Cas...” He squeezed her tight and held her like a baby while Cassandra sobbed uncontrollably against his shoulder. Axel smothered her in a desperate embrace while she wept. “And you’ve got me... for as long as you want me.”

Axel kissed the top of Cassandra's head before tilting up her face with a gentle press of one fingertip.

Blue eyes were blinking up at him like stars burning their way through a void of oblivion.

Cassandra’s body was drenched and Axel wasn’t sure where the tears stopped and the water started. It all melted seamlessly together while it fell down her face, cheeks glistening where it coated the surface of her skin. Neither of them could remember how long they stayed there just holding on to each other while the water tumbled over them.

***

It might have only been seconds or minutes, or possibly even hours they sat there so close together. Axel couldn’t be sure anymore. Time always seemed to pass differently when he was touching Cassandra, and Axel would have stayed there forever but the water soon turned cold and Cassandra was starting to tremble under his touch. All his senses were quickly brought back into focus.

“Come on, Cas,” Axel encouraged, carefully sliding one arm around Cassandra’s slippery back and helping her to stand. “Let’s get you into bed and warm you up.”

***

I just wrapped both arms around Axel’s neck and leaned into him. I pulled myself shakily to my feet but my legs felt weak and I just wanted Axel to hold me up while I forced back many emotions that kept flooding in.

The memory of my brother’s fateful decision had swamped me when I thought about what was in those letters, and now Axel knew it all too.

I had always been so independent and I was angry with myself for letting my mask slip, even for a moment.

It was Axel. He made me feel all those things I believed had been locked away forever the night I left Gabriel standing alone in the dark, never once looking back to see if he was still there.

Perhaps I never really wanted to know the answer to that after all.

I knew in my heart Axel was the one I might one day give myself to completely, but I was still pushing through years of denial that I needed someone to love me. I didn’t need anybody. Never had. I had proved that so many times, but all these thoughts sounded hollow and meaningless now.

Maybe I wasn’t really as strong as I thought I was.

“Cas…” Axel said gently, stroking his fingertips tenderly along the rise of my back.

I was on my feet at least, but I didn’t seem to be capable of anything more than a few shuddering attempts at trying to climb out.

***

Axel was determined to be patient but Cassandra was a dead weight against him and her skin now felt clammy, so Axel was anxious to get her out of the water. He also had no idea how long Cassandra had been curled up in there before he found her.

There was something about the blue tinge to her skin that suggested it might have been some considerable time.

“Cas, we need to get out.”

The way Cassandra refused to let go of him warmed Axel to his very core. She was almost hanging from his shoulders. Her hands were clasped together and Axel could feel the pressure digging hard into the back of his neck.

Cassandra didn’t reply and made no further attempts to move, so Axel hoped she wouldn’t panic when he reached down and slipped his other arm behind her knees to pick her up.

Axel had to jerk her up his body a couple of times to make sure she wouldn’t fall, and Axel held her close against his chest. Cassandra just melted into him, and tightened the grip around Axel's neck. Her head was resting limply on one shoulder and Axel could feel the wetness soaking his hair and brushing against his cheek. Her scent was now so powerful it was leaking freely from her skin and slinking up Axel's nostrils that he could almost taste her.

Axel tilted his head to one side so he could navigate the low step at the bottom of the shower and carried Cassandra out of the bathroom and down the hall with water still dripping from her naked body.

Axel kicked open the bedroom door and backed into the room.

He noticed he had left the cabinet drawer slightly open and felt a brief rush of guilt, but that would have to wait. Cassandra needed him right now and Axel had no intention of leaving her until she asked him to.

Axel laid her carefully on the bed and forced himself to look away while he waited for Cassandra to cover her modesty with the sheet, but she didn’t move either. She was lying listlessly on her back, arms splayed out at each side of her head and her legs unintentionally spread apart.

Axel swallowed loudly and he could feel a ragged breath catch in his throat while he struggled to keep both arms by his sides. He pressed his fingers into his palms to stop his hands from reaching out and grabbing handfuls of unblemished omega.

“Cas. Can you cover up? Do you need my help?” Axel questioned. He tried to keep his voice level through the urgency pulling at every part of him in his need for such delicious temptation to be gone.

Cassandra’s eyes were still closed, and she didn't seem to hear him while she drew in heavy shuddering breaths. Her sobs slowly subsided, then faded away altogether.

The omega was so peaceful and quiet Axel thought she might have actually fallen asleep again.

Cassandra’s eyes suddenly flickered open. She was watching Axel intently from underneath seductive dark lashes. Axel could feel a blush creep up his neck at the intensity of it, trying to shake himself free of amazement while he stumbled to explain why he had been caught staring.

“Sorry, Cas. I just… I’ve never seen one before - an omega one, I mean.” Axel whispered quietly. Cassandra looked down before she realized what he meant.

Cassandra nodded slowly with a half-smile that was more curious than anything else at how easily she managed to make Axel speechless. She never really thought about it before, but imagined she must have looked very different from a big alpha like Axel.

Cassandra blinked slowly and pulled the sheet across her lower body.

Axel breathe out a sigh of relief before walking over to the window. He lifted his arms and held on to the edge, trying to hide his hitching chest and flushed cheeks. He dug his fingers in hard, forcing himself to watch events unfold on the street below while his arousal went down.

“Axel?” Cassandra ventured hesitantly. Her voice rasped from sobbing.

Axel turned to look at her over one shoulder, keeping his body facing away. He really didn’t want Cassandra to think he'd been deliberately perving on her while she was in such a vulnerable emotional state.

Axel made a point of keeping his eyes above Cassandra’s waist while he watched her try to prop herself up on her elbows. She took in the lines of Axel’s silhouette where the sunlight was pushing through the glass and washing his face with a golden glow. The hazy outline picked out the bright green of his eyes and the sprinkling of sandy freckles that dotted flushed skin. He really was breathtaking.

“I don’t know what to say.” Cassandra let out.

Axel shook his head.

“Hush up, Cas,” He smiled softly. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”