We waited for the wolves to take position as the rest of my pack surrounded them. I was not taking anything for chance, Move fast and quiet. We don’t want to give up the element of surprise, Reid said in the pack link.
I was about to give the order to attack when one of the warriors behind me yelped out. Turning quickly, I saw rogues start to run past the trees we just came through. They led us into a trap, Behind us. Take them all. Reid, Walker, take the bunker.
Wolves charged into my warriors as I ran straight into a reddish-brown wolf. Pushing my wolf weight into the collision, I threw the wolf into a tree to my left as I heard the crack of his bones breaking on impact.
I let Knox take over completely as we ripped into every rogue in sight. I was not leaving these trees until every rogue out here was dead. No more surprises.
I felt the wolf’s neck snap between my teeth as I through his body to the ground, Alpha, we’ve cleared the bunker. Get Ellie, we can take it from here, Walker states.
I looked back to him and nod. As I head for the door, I see Reid to my right as three wolves jump on top of him.
Letting out a growl, I changed directions immediately and charged straight two of the wolves as Reid throws the third one off his back. I snap my teeth at the first one as the second tries to reach my neck. He was too slow as I twisted my head so to drag my claws into his side.
I looked over to Reid as he finished the third one and jumped onto the first one again, killing him. He nods to me in thanks, Go get El.
Giving him a nod again, I look around the field as my men kill the last of the rogues. Letting out another growl, I shift back before pulling the door open and entering the bunker.
The walls were musty as I moved down the corridors checking every room I came across. I tried to focus on Ellie’s scent, but I couldn’t smell anything over the rust covering the walls and doors.
I was about to go down a hall on my right when I heard a scream in pain as the pain I could feel from Ellie intensify. I growled as I charged towards the noise before bursting a door at the end of the hall.
Sitting, tied to a chair, was my beautiful mate. Blood and dirt soaked her clothes as her eyes connected to mine. I found her.
“Ellie,” I said as I moved further into the room. I cup her face in my hand as I use the other to untie the chain around her wrist.
“Axton,” her voice is barely above a whisper like she had been screaming for hours.
“It’s okay, baby. I’m here,” I tell her as I move to her other wrist.
“No,” her eyes widened in shock, “Behind you.”
Turning around, I felt the knife go into my side before I even saw him standing there. I looked straight into the eyes of the man who helped raise me, who had helped me lead the pack when I lost my parents, who has always been there for me, “Rolfe.”
He just smiled at me as he twisted the knife further into my side.
“Surprise.”
Chapter 32
Ellie POV
“Surprise,” Rolfe said as he twisted the knife he had stabbed Axton with.
I growled as he moved closer to my mate, but it came out as nothing more than a whimper, “Axton.”
Axton growled at Rolfe as he clutched Rolfe’s hand around the hilt of the knife and twisted the knife deeper into him but always twisting Rolfe’s arm until he was forced to let go.
Axton shoved him back into the wall as he pulled the knife out quickly, dropping it onto the floor.
“Traitor,” he growled out before shifting into his gigantic wolf. He stood protectively in front of me as Rolfe pushed himself off the wall and shifted too.
With one last growl from both of them, the charged at each other. The snapped at each other’s necks as Rolfe pushed his paw into Axton’s side. Axton let out a whine before twisting from the pain. Rolfe gained the upper hand as he chucked Axton into the wall he just got up from.
Axton immediately got up and jumped onto Rolfe’s back.
Using my free hand that Axton had untied, I freed my other arm, being careful not to yank the already broken bone. After I finally yanked the chain off, I moved to the clasps around my feet. I focused my attention on the trying to get free, I almost didn’t notice Rolfe as he threw Axton into me.
My head connected with the ground as everything became a little blurry for a few seconds. Axton growled out again as he whined next to me. He was laying on his side. I could feel that he had at least two broken ribs, or maybe those were my broken ribs, “Axton, get up.”
Luckily, when Axton slammed into my seat, the restraints around my ankles broke open. Wincing, I moved toward Axton as I watched him push himself back up off the ground. My hand hit the metal of the knife, cutting my palm as I tried to move closer to Axton.
His eyes looked directly at me as if he was soaking me in. For that split second, I was back at his birthday party, standing in his kitchen when our eyes first met.
He turned again to face Rolfe as Axton let out another growl before charging straight at him. But instead of going for his throat, Axton shifted at the last second as swiped Rolfe with his claws along the side. Rolfe let out a small howl of pain they started circling each other.
I could feel my eyes lose focus as I felt blood seeping down my face.
I slammed my head against the ground, I thought to myself as I felt darkness coming for me.
A growl drew my attention to the door, but it wasn’t Rolfe or Axton.
Cortez stood there as he waited for Rolfe to win.
Rolfe moved to grab Axton’s back paw, but Axton was smarter than that. He shifted slightly, throwing Rolfe off balance before sinking his teeth into Rolfe’s neck. He bit harder before finally hearing the snap.
Grabbing the knife into my hands, I pushed myself off the ground as Cortez let out a growl towards Axton, “This wouldn’t have happened if your mate would have just given me what I wanted.”
Axton growled as he focused on Cortez. Rolfe’s blood and his own covered his coat.
Cortez just smiled at him, “I guess I will kill you first then.”
He went to step up to Axton, but I beat him there. He gave me a look of surprise as I pushed the knife into his chest. His face contorted in pain as he pulled back half a step.
Axton moved around me, growling lowly at Cortez. Cortez looked like he was about to shift, but Axton stopped him as his teeth sank into Cortez’s neck, killing him.
He’s finally dead, I told Raelynn, Cortez is finally gone.
Mate saved us, she said. I could almost see her wolfish smile.
I smiled at that as Axton stood in front of us. I lifted my hand to touch it, but my body collapsed beneath me.
I felt the cold ground before warmth flowed through my body as Axton picked me up and held him against me, “Baby, stay with me.”
“You found me,” I said smiling even though my voice barely broke a whisper.
He smiled back down at me, “I would find you anywhere.”
“I’m so tired,” I tell him as the torture and blood loss finally reach me.
“I know baby, but I need you to keep your eyes open,” he tells me, almost pleading.
“Zea,” I try to ask but the words don’t seem to be coming out.
“She’s fine, she’s safe with Sawyer and the pack,” Axton tells me.
I smile at him, “Keep her safe.”
“We will, together.”
“Axton,” I whimper as the pain in my body screams out, “I love you.”
“Ellie, look at me,” he tells me as he places one of his hands onto my cheek, “Stay awake, okay? You are not going anywhere.”
“Just say it back,” I plead to him.
He gives me a soft smile as he leans closer to me, “I love you, always.”
I give him as big of a smile as my body allows as I nod slightly. My eyes feel heavier as I start to see black specks at the outskirts of my vision, “Can we go home now? I just want to go home.”
He gives me a light smile a
s he pulls me closer to his chest, “We’re going home baby, don’t worry. I’m bringing you home.”
All I see is his beautiful eyes before the darkness finally takes me.
Chapter 33
Ellie POV
The only thing I felt as my eyes refused to open was the electricity of Axton’s touch as I could feel him hold my hand. I wanted to smile and squeeze his hand back, but my body refused to cooperate.
After trying to wiggle my fingers for what I think was twenty minutes, I started to focus on the sounds I could here in the room. The beeping of what I assume to be my heart monitor was constant in the background as I could hear mummers of noise coming from outside the room.
I was in the hospital, but I can’t remember why. I wanted to scrunch my face in annoyance as I tried to remember what happened to land me on a hospital bed.
I felt Axton play with my hair as he leaned over me. I could smell his perfect scent of honey and woods coming off him, “Please wake up, El. Please,” his voice cracked, “I need you to open your eyes, baby.”
I just wanted to tell him that I was trying. I was trying everything to get my body to respond but it wasn’t working. I was yelling at my body to squeeze his hand back, anything to show him I was fine.
I heard a creek, which I assume was the door opening.
“Is she awake yet?” Sawyer asked. I’m assuming Axton shook his head no as Sawyer continued, “She’ll wake up, Axton. Don’t worry, she’s strong.”
“Thank you, Sawyer.”
“Anytime,” she said, “Zea has been trying to see her for almost an hour, you know.”
“I know. I didn’t want to let her see El covered in blood after her last surgery. You can let her in.”
I heard a light patter of my little girl as she came rushing into the room, “Is mommy awake?”
“Not yet, sweetheart,” Axton answers her.
“Will she wake up soon?”
“I don’t know,” he says, “That’s up to her.”
“Can I help her?”
I can feel Axton’s hesitation, but I know he gave in as I could feel Zea’s hand rest on my arm. I felt warmth for a few seconds before she stopped, “Did it work?” Axton asked.
“It worked,” I answered him before even realizes my mouth actually opened. I peeled my eyes open slightly as I stared at both of their bright blue eyes as I gave them both a small smile.
“Mommy, you’re awake!” Zea screamed as she jumped onto the bed and gave me a hug. I winced as I squeezed her back as hard as I could. My entire body was still sore, “I thought you were gone.”
“Never,” I tell her as Axton moves to hold both of us. I melt into his embrace as I focus on his heartbeat.
When he pulled back, Zea moved to sit at my side on the bed instead of on top of me as Axton held onto my hand, “Thank you for waking up.”
“How long was I asleep for?” I asked, noticing the dark circles under his eyes.
“Two days,” he tells me.
I squeeze his hand as he tells me that. I have been out for two days, “What happened, Axton?”
His eyebrows moved closer together as he gave me a confused look, “Do you not remember what happened?”
I shake my head as I tell him what I know, “I remember being taken by Cortez and I remember him and Rolfe tor-” I stop mid-word as I notice Zea is listening intensely, “I remember both of them. Then something happened.”
Axton nodded his head slightly, “I found you Ellie. The pack and I took the bunker and I found you in one of the rooms. We got you back.”
“You found me?”
“I just got you back. Do you think I would honestly let you go that easily?” Axton asked as he leaned forward and kissed me.
“Daddy defeated the bad guys,” Zea stated confidently.
I smiled at her, “Because that’s what mates do.”
After Jade examined me, I was finally released from the hospital. Axton practically carried me all the way home. I watched Zea run into the house, screaming about getting her snow stuff together as more flurries fall.
“You know, Jade said that I was fine,” I told him as we walked into the house and he placed me on the couch, “I could have walked.”
He just shook his head at me, “I am not taking any chances.”
“But-”
“I’m going to make you some tea or coffee or something. Just stay there,” he says as he starts to leave, but I grab his wrist before he could get too far.
“Axton, I am fine,” I tell him.
He lets out a deep breath before bending down in front of me, “I almost lost you, Ellie. I could feel every ounce of pain when you were gone. Just the idea that you were hurt is driving me and Knox crazy. So, can you please just indulge me and let me take care of you?”
The look he gave me was so cute and pleading, I just nodded my head. His smile lit up his face as he ran into the kitchen before coming out five minutes later with a cup of hot chocolate. He handed me the mug before joining me on the couch, pulling my legs over his.
He rubbed his hand up and down my leg in deep thought before finally asking what I knew was on his mind, “Ellie, you said that you remembered Rolfe. Did he tell you why he would do this? Why he betrayed his own family.”
I gave him a sad look as I reached one of my hands to hold his, “He did it because he had lost his mate,” I tell him before retelling the story that Rolfe told me, “Everything he did, he did out of heartbreak.”
“I trusted him. I told him everything growing up,” Axton says.
“I know,” I tell him. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I asked him how he found me.
“Well, it turns out that your brother’s mate and Michael are siblings.”
“Wait, what?” I almost scream, “Aurora never told me she had a brother. Wait, why was Aurora here?”
“She and Michael did a spell to track Cortez. Since she was the one who cursed him, they were able to track the curse, so I could find you,” he tells me as he pulls me closer to him, “But there was a cost.”
“What do you mean?” I ask him.
“In order for the spell to work, apparently Michael had to give up his magic.”
“He gave up being a warlock?”
“I talked to him after we got back. He knew what he was doing and what the cost would be. He wanted to fix the mistakes he made,” Axton tells me as he leaned closer to me, “And he wanted to make things right with Jade. He needed to earn her trust back.”
“And did he?” I ask him, fully aware of his closeness.
“I think everything will work out with them,” he says.
“So, what about us?” I ask him, unsure of what happens now. I have been running and hiding from Cortez for so long, I don’t know what comes next.
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