Reckoning
1182 Words
“Axel, wake up!”
“Uggh” Axel groaned as the voice yelled in his ear .”What is it? Why have you come in here and disturbed the princess and I?”
He rolled over to put his arm around Layla, but she wasn’t there. Instead, he found a cold bed sheet.
“s**t!” He jolted up out of the bed to find Alex standing over him. He looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was two in the morning, and Layla was nowhere in sight.
“What the hell is going on,” he barked, “Where the hell is Layla and...Chalci…”
Axel looked down at the foot of the bed-Armour was there, sleeping peacefully, but no Chalci!”
“That’s why I woke you, alpha, “ Alex said, his eyes darting to the floor .,”She’s gone.”
Axel jumped to his feet and started pacing the floor. ”After all the promises we made to each other, and the things we’ve been through…”
He glared at Alex, whose eyes were trained on the floor.
“Wait, how did you know?’
Alex sighed. He knew how irrational Axel was when it came to Layla. Silently, he cursed her. Why was it always him that got caught in the middle of their lover’s quarrels, or whatever this was. Damn her for running off into the night like the kitten she was...always rescuing somebody..
“Jax’s mate came to me crying. She said Chalci had come to Jax in the middle of the night. Jax jumped up at the ready, and headed for the door. When Kelly asked him where he was going, all he said was Layla had to save her brother, and they had to go talk to the King.”
“Roan,” Axel growled. He headed to the dresser, and pulled out a pair of faded blue jeans and an old black t-shirt. As he shut the drawer, he noticed a piece of paper with his name written on it. He jerked it open, his eyes turning to a glowing amber as he read it..
“Axel, I am so sorry, but I had to leave. I can’t explain right now, but I can tell you to meet me at Madden’s castle. I know you can make a portal, so bring whoever you deem necessary, but I have to go. I only hope you can forgive me,
Love Layla
P.S. My mother is alive.”
“Shite!”
“What’s going on?” Alex asked.
Axel handed him the note, “Here, read it for yourself.”
Alex took a look at the note, then threw it to the floor and took in a deep breath.
“I don’t think she’s talking about Roan, my friend.”
“I know, which means, without Madden’s help, she is in big trouble. We’ve got to get to the castle before anything happens to her or Jax.” he growled, the light of the moon in his eyes.
‘Well,” Alex smirked, “Now’s as good a time as any to test out your powers, oh wolf prince.”
Axel continued to pace the floor. By now, Armour was awake, and growling, wanting to know where his mate was. He wasn’t too happy when Axel explained the situation to him.
Axel rubbed his scruffy chin. He had just shaved the night before, but when he became upset
his beard only grew faster. Let it grow, for a plan was forming in his head.
“Alex, wake Miyo and a few of our best guards. Let them know what is going on, then meet me in the front of the pack house with them.
‘You’ve got it Axel,” Alex bowed lightly, then turned to walk out of the room.
“Should I grab Kelly and Lacey?”
“If you want, but they’ll have to stay out of the way.
Thirty minutes later, everyone was gathered outside on the pack house steps.
Miyo yawned, stretching his arms over his head. Ever the ninja, he was dressed head to toe in black, his sword slung over his shoulder. He had dragged a sleepy Papa Bear with him, and the others were ready to go.
“Follow me,” Axel started into a jog, heading into the woods, with the whole crew following suit.
They stopped in the middle of a clearing, where a lone oak tree stood, the place he and Layla had practiced using their otherworldly powers.
He motioned for everyone to stand back, and with Armour at his side, he closed his eyes, summoning his power.
Light surrounded him, as he morphed into the wolf prince, the avatar Layla had bestowed upon him.
His fangs and claws came out, his long copper hair flowing in the wind. Dressed in a white loincloth with a club in his hand, his eyes glowed white, a feathered crown atop his head.
“I am the wolf prince”, he said, his toned abs on full display, ”Mate to the jaguar princess, and alpha to this pack. Your princess is in need of our help. We will go to the Highlander Castle, to meet with King Madden and his lovely Queen, to help them however we can.”
“Yes, alpha, I mean prince Axtotl,” Lacey said with all seriousness, “But what are we getting ourselves into?”
“Layla and Jax have gone to rescue her brother and mother, from whom I don’t know, but we must be ready to fight, if need be,” he said in his booming alpha voice, which no one else dared to question.
“I will attempt to make a portal to the Highlander Castle, and we will step through, if I can hold it, Alex, Miyo, and I will step through first, then the rest of you. In case I can’t hold it, the rest of you can drive to the castle. The road is fixed now, so it will take about thirty minutes.”
The whole group bowed their heads to their alpha, who held his hands out wide, summoning the light. Within seconds, a portal opened into a different land. Much to Axel’s surprise, he was able to hold it open for everyone to step through, but when they came out they weren’t exactly where they wanted to be.
“Dammit,” Axel muttered, as he turned back into his human form. Instead of standing at the castle gates, they were all cramped inside a dingy cell in the dungeon.
“Deja Vous,” grumbled Alex.
To their left, in the cell next to them, stood Layla in her jaguar princess form, staring at Axel’s most hated adversary, his half brother, Nix.
- Writer
