Runaway Mate

Chapter 15

Axel

The car drove smoothly along the long, dark road ahead. Axel sat in the back with his arms crossed over his chest and his face staring through the front window, his ears always listening for some sign of trouble.

In the driver’s seat sat his Delta Ray, a quiet and observant soul. He tended to keep to himself and wasn’t much for idle chitchat, which frankly, Axel enjoyed compared to the other person in the car.

Up front next to Ray was Oscar, who just couldn’t shut up! He was constantly talking and if he wasn’t getting any response from the others, he annoyingly talked out loud to himself. More than once, Axel had gotten irritated by the constant blabber and ordered him to shut up, and for a few minutes they had blissful peace and quiet, but it never lasted long and, before he knew it, Oscar was talking or complaining about something else.

Axel did his best to zone out his Beta’s nonsense and instead concentrated on their business they were heading out for. They were heading north to a pack called Warrior Harpe, which housed a large number of warriors, like the name suggested, but was also one of the largest packs on the continent. Its numbers were very close to Orion Valley, which had grown larger and more prosperous in recent years under Axel’s leadership.

Axel had a close partnership and friendship with the Alpha of Warrior Harpe; Duncan, and instead of working as rivals, they had a mutual agreement to aid one another when in need. Warrior Harpe was having a bad rogue issue recently and the monsters didn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. In the midst of this infestation, Duncan had asked Axel to come and help him evaluate the issue and lend him aid should they require it.

So, they were driving the incredibly long and tedious drive towards Warrior Harpe to lend Duncan their knowledge and strength. While Axel was away, his mother and father were watching over Orion Valley.

Despite his plight, Duncan still seemed in good spirits when he was on the phone with Axel. He had even vaguely joked that maybe while Axel was in Warrior Harpe he might find his mate from one of the she-wolves there. This made Axel laugh because he knew that was impossible. He already knew who his mate was, though he felt a painful tug at his heart when he thought about her. He hadn’t seen her in five years, the day he had foolishly locked her away and then let her slip through his fingers. His mate and his Luna…

He hadn’t spent the last five years wallowing in self-pity, however; he put all of his energy into making Orion Valley one of the most substantial and powerful packs in the country and continent. He had also started various business ventures and had succeeded in increasing his personal wealth tenfold as well as his pack's wealth too. He wanted to make Orion Valley the perfect pack for her to return to. Everything he had achieved was all for her. For his Luna…

“Boss, you okay?” Oscar asked, glancing back at him and he caught Ray catching a worried glimpse of him in the rear-view mirror.

At first, Axel didn’t know why he was asking, until he caught a glimpse of himself in the windows' reflection and realised his eyes had gone black from thinking about her. He quickly took a deep breath and they faded back to their emerald green colour.

“You were thinking about her again, weren’t you?” Oscar asked, still looking back at him with sad eyes.

Axel felt himself sigh and he rubbed his temples soothingly. There was no point hiding it, they both knew exactly who his mate was; they had filled Ray in a few weeks after Oscar had found out. It made sense, they were his second and third in command and they needed to know why they were searching for one, seemingly human, woman. They also knew that she was doing her best to run from him and all he wanted was to have her safe and by his side and, preferably, in his bed.

“We’ll find her Alpha!” Ray announced, confidently glancing at him in the rear-view mirror again.

Axel smiled, but it soon fell. He liked his Delta’s enthusiasm but the results of their fruitless search were making him feel a bit crest-fallen.

“We haven’t seen any trace of her in two years…” He exhaled sadly, keeping his gaze trained forward.

He still had the last picture he had of her, from two years ago. She had been sighted in the West. She looked beautiful, her hair was starting to get long again and she had dyed it a darker blonde colour this time. In the picture with her was a silver-haired woman that Axel didn’t know or recognise and it made him nervous, not knowing who his mate was associating herself with. What if she was involved with dangerous people and couldn’t get away from them, or what if they were blackmailing her or using her powers or…

He rubbed his eyes and shook the dark thoughts from his head. He had to believe that she was safe or he would breakdown and he couldn’t afford to have a breakdown when he had a pack to run.

“Ray’s right!” Oscar chimed in. “So what if it’s been two years? That just means we have to up our game and get one step ahead of her.” He winked, and Axel had to commend them both on their enthusiasm and positive attitude when it came to finding their future Luna.

“And if you ever get too lonely, I’m sure Jade would be more than happy to keep you company!” He burst out laughing and even Ray smirked at him.

“Don’t!” Axel groaned, running his hand through his hair. “If she even thought she had a chance she’d never leave me alone again!” He moaned, making Oscar laugh harder. “Besides, I don’t want her! I want my Luna!” He sighed.

“We’ll find her.” Ray smiled and Oscar nodded in agreement.

Axel didn’t know what he’d do without his two friends. His pack definitely wouldn’t be nearly as grand and prosperous as it was now without them to back him up and help him when he was down. He owed them a lot.

“How much longer until we get there?” Oscar moaned, while Ray checked the built-in sat-nav.

“Still at least eight hours.” He answered, turning his attention back on the road.

“We should have some fun while we’re away…” Oscar trailed off, but Axel interrupted him.

“We’re here on important business!” He reminded his Beta.

“Yeah, I know!” Oscar moaned, throwing his head back dramatically. “But surely when there’s like a lull or something we could take a break and let our hair down…” He looked pleadingly over at Axel, pouting and batting his eyes like he was a chick or something.

“We’ll see.” Axel murmured, but of course Oscar heard him.

“That’s not a no!” He cheered. “Hey, maybe we could head into that city that’s nearby…the one Duncan is always talking about!” He exclaimed.

Axel raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. He vaguely recalled Duncan mentioning the nearby city and some weirdo guy who pulled the strings behind everything that went on in the city. It didn’t sound like too nice a place and Axel had never particularly been interested in seeing it.

“Andromeda City.” Ray answered Oscar’s not a question.

“Yeah that’s it! We could go get a drink or something and just enjoy a taste of the big city for once!” He said excitedly, like he was still a pup or something. It made Axel chuckle.

“If we do a good job and Duncan is satisfied to let us go for one night, then maybe.” Axel told his friend and waited for his reaction.

“Yes! Big city, here I come!” He hollered, making Axel laugh at him more.

‘Andromeda city…’ Axel mused to himself, as he closed his eyes and considered getting some rest before they arrived in Warrior Harpe. ‘Maybe it’ll surprise me…’