The Transplanted Mate

Unremarkable

Axel’s POV

He should have ignored it. That would have been the simplest solution. The cleanest. The most logical. Yet Axel stood at the window long after the corridor had gone quiet, his gaze fixed on nothing, his thoughts circling back to the same moment over and over again.

The sound of the strike. The way her body hit the stone. The blood.

His jaw tightened.

He had seen discipline before. He had done it himself when necessary. But that wasn't discipline. That had been control. And something about it sat wrong. Sure, an Alpha needs control, but you get it by doing it the right way, not that way.

Deep in his chest. Almost like a splinter he couldn’t remove. His fingers curled slightly at his sides.

She hadn’t fought back.

Hadn’t even tried.

Not out of weakness. Out of training. Repetition.

That was what unsettled him most. She had expected it.

Axel exhaled slowly, dragging a hand across his jaw.

A transplant.

That’s what Maddic had said.

A transplant shouldn't be on his mind this much. And still his mind returned, uninvited, to her face.

The split lip.

The blood along her cheek.

The way her dark brown hair had fallen loose around her shoulders, not styled, untouched by vanity.

And her eyes.

Gold.

Not soft.

Not warm.

Bright.

Sharp.

Entirely wrong.

His wolf stirred again at the memory.

Not aggressively. Not with dominance. But with something far more irritating. If he had to name it, possibly curiosity.

Axel’s brow furrowed. It made no sense. He had seen thousands of wolves. Stronger ones.

More beautiful ones.

More appropriate ones.

And yet his attention had not lingered on any of them.

Only her. A transplant.

The most ordinary girl in the room. And somehow the most out of place.

A knock sounded at the door. Axel didn’t turn. It could only be one of two people. “Come in.”

The door opened. Then closed.

“Ready?” his second, Colt, asked.

Axel straightened.

Duty.

Right.

“That’s why we’re here,” he said. With a muttered, "unfortunately" added to the end.

The "presentation" hall was already filled with all their eligible women. The un-mated ones. Females lined the space in careful formation, each one positioned with precision, dressed to impress, their posture controlled but expectant. After witnessing what he just did in the hall, no doubt Maddic has them all under lock and key.

Still, each one looked hopeful.

Maddic stood near the front. Watching.

Axel stepped forward, his presence shifting the entire room instantly, causing silence to fall.

Every eye turned to him. Every movement halted.

This was what he was used to.

He moved down the line slowly. One by one, he stopped before each female, meeting their gaze briefly assessing.

They all reacted the same way.

Nervous.

Eager.

Careful.

One of them stepped forward too quickly. “My King—”

Axel raised a hand and she stopped instantly. There was no need for conversation, the mating bond was a feeling. It didn't need words. So, not her.

Another held his gaze longer than most. She was more eager and confident than most. His wolf still didn’t react. Not her either.

A third smiled, very soft and inviting. Still, nothing.

A fourth—Nothing.

One after another.

Faces blurred. Voices meaningless. Energy flat. No spark.

Axel stepped back at the end of the line while silence stretched.

Expectation hung thick in the air.

Maddic spoke first. “Do any stand out?”

Axel didn’t look at him. “No.” The word landed harder than intended. But what an irrelevant thing to say. Maddic knew better. It didn't matter if they stood out. That had nothing to do with it.

A flicker of irritation crossed Maddic’s face. “They are among the strongest in this territory.”

Axel finally turned his gaze toward him. “And yet,” he said evenly, “none of them are mine.” Silence and tension followed his words.

Thick. Sharp. Unspoken.

Because that was what mattered. His mind, body, soul... his wolf. If any of them were his mate — were his, he would know.

Maddic’s jaw tightened slightly. “Perhaps you require more time.”

Axel held his gaze. “Perhaps.” But they both knew— Time wasn’t the issue.

It was everything else that followed. And Axel wasn't going to waste time anymore on the topic.

The room dismissed slowly. Females filtered out, disappointment carefully masked behind practiced composure.

Maddic remained. Of course he did. “You intervened earlier,” he said.

Axel didn’t respond immediately. “Yes. I did.”

“That was unnecessary.”

Axel turned slightly. “I disagree.”

Maddic’s eyes hardened. “She is beneath concern.”

Axel’s expression didn’t change. “Yet,” he said quietly, “you seem very concerned with her.”

Silence.

Maddic said nothing. But the look he gave Axel, well, it was noted. Mentally stored.

Later Axel stood alone again.

And despite everything he knew and didn't know his thoughts returned to her.

Unwanted and persistent. Why though?

She was nothing.

A servant.

A transplant.

Unremarkable.

Still his wolf did not agree.

His door opened again. Softer this time.

“Took you long enough,” Axel said without turning. He knew who it was.

Tally stepped inside. “I was busy.”

Axel glanced over his shoulder. There was something different in her expression. More serious.

“Is she alive?” he asked.

Tally’s lips pressed together. The beating was rough but it wasn't that rough. “Yes, she’s tougher than she looks.” Tally defended.

Axel turned fully now. “What did she say?” Knowing Tally, she definitely asked some of the questions that were on all of their minds.

Tally crossed her arms lightly. A tendril of her blonde hair falling over her shoulder. “Not much.”

That didn’t surprise him.

“She doesn’t know anything about her family,” Tally continued. “Was left at an orphanage. No names. No history.”

Axel frowned slightly. “And?”

Tally hesitated. Just briefly. “She has a photograph,” she said. “Of who she thinks are her parents.”

Axel’s interest sharpened. “And?”

“No names. No date.”

Useless. Axel exhaled.

“But,” Tally added quietly, “there were words written on the back.”

Something in her tone shifted.

Axel noticed.

“What words?”

Tally met his gaze. And for the first time since she entered she looked serious. “You are not just a wolf, child… you are what the moon left behind.”

Silence filled the room.

Axel stilled.

Something about that didn’t sit right with him. It didn’t feel like nothing.

His mind flickered briefly—

Gold eyes.

The way his wolf had surged then stopped. Still confused about it all.

Tally watched him carefully. “I like her,” she said again, softer this time.

Axel didn’t respond. Again, Tally liked everyone. Well, almost everyone. And Axel was still piecing together something he didn’t fully understand.

Tally took a step closer. “She may not be your mate,” she said. “But we are not leaving her here.”

Axel’s gaze snapped to hers. “That is not your decision.”

“No,” Tally said calmly. “But it should be yours.” She was right, Axel watched the way she was treated. “She won’t survive here,” Tally continued. “Not like this. Not under him.” Axel’s jaw tightened. “You saw it.” Not a question, a statement.

He had.

He had heard it.

Felt it.

“Take her,” Tally said quietly. “Call it service. Call it necessity. Call it whatever you need to.” Another step closer. “But do not leave her here.”

Axel held her gaze. Long and measured.

Because this wasn’t part of the plan. None of it was. His mind betrayed him again.

Golden eyes.

But also unremarkable.

And somehow she was impossible to ignore.

“Prepare for departure tomorrow,” Axel said finally.

Tally didn’t move. “And her?” she asked.

Axel turned back toward the window.

The moon hung high above the territory at this point.

His voice came quieter this time. “We’ll see.”

But something in his chest already knew.

The golden-eyed mystery would be leaving too.