Axel Summer Shifters Season 2

by Raines, Harmony

  Don’t be too hard on them, his cougar warned. We don’t know what kind of a threat the Hell Fire MC made. His cougar was just happy there would be a child in the family.

  Axel was more determined to make sure everything worked out so that Tyler and Colleen could raise their child in peace and safety.

  “Colleen, this is my sister.” Tyler held Jenessa’s hand as he led her back toward the tent.

  “And who is this?” Colleen looked mutinous as she nodded toward Axel.

  Tyler immediately bristled and Axel could sense the young man preparing to shift. But Jenessa placed her hand on his arm and reassured him, “This is Axel, he’s my mate. He’s the one who brought me here. We’ve been searching for you for days. I’ve been worried about you for weeks.”

  Guilt crept over Tyler’s face as he placed his hand over Jenessa’s. “Sorry, we didn’t know what to do so we ran. I figured if Colleen’s dad couldn’t find us, he’d eventually let us go.”

  “He came to our house, Tyler. They threatened Dad.” Her voice had a sharp edge to it, but she was trying not to accuse Tyler of anything, she didn’t want to alienate him. Jenessa had the situation under control and Axel relaxed a little, the imminent danger had passed.

  “Is Dad okay?” Tyler’s face paled and his jaw tensed as he took a step away from Jenessa and turned toward his mate.

  “Yes, he’s fine but it shook him up. You know he’s not in the best of health. Why didn’t you tell us what was happening?” Jenessa crossed her arms over her body as she maintained eye contact with her brother.

  “Everything spiraled out of control.” Tyler ran his hand through his hair and Colleen leaned into him as if trying to give him comfort.

  “My dad went crazy when he found out I was seeing Tyler. We had to run.” Colleen straightened her shoulders as if she was ready to take the blame for what happened. She was strong, but then she’d have to be to grow up with a father like Hogg and still have the courage to run from him.

  “You couldn’t have contacted us first?” Jenessa asked.

  “We figured the less you knew the better.” Tyler looked down at the ground. “I didn’t think they would come after you. I’d told the guys in Orion MC that I didn’t speak to Dad anymore.”

  “I’m confused,” Axel said. “Why join a rival gang? You must have known how pissed off Hogg would be.”

  “I joined the Orion MC before I met Colleen.” He looked at his sister as he spoke, “You know what Dad was, you know what he did. Didn’t you ever want to know more? I thought if I rode with them for a while, I’d be able to understand him better.”

  “He left that life behind. He didn’t want us to know about his old life.” She chewed the inside of her cheek. “He always thought it was his fault Mom got sick. He blamed himself for the stress and worry he put her through. Never knowing if he would get hurt or injured, never knowing if they’d be able to afford the rent. We only ever saw them happy, he loved her more than anything in the world. But underneath, she hated the life. She just never told him until she got sick.”

  “I didn’t know that.” Tyler’s eyes misted with tears. “He never spoke about it.”

  “I know. It’s one of our family’s failings, lack of communication.”

  “You are not unique in that,” Colleen said sadly. “My family doesn’t communicate well either. My father would rather talk with his fists than with words.”

  “Somehow we have to solve this.” Axel glanced at Colleen’s belly. “For all of our sakes.”

  “You can tell I’m pregnant. That might just make my Dad sit up and pay attention.” Colleen covered her belly with her hands.

  “You’re pregnant?” Shock covered Jenessa’s face as she stared open-mouthed at Colleen and then her brother. “And still you didn’t get in contact with us?”

  “We’ve only just found out.” Tyler’s eyes misted with tears as he went to Jenessa. “I didn’t know what to do when we ran off and I still don’t.” He looked up at the trees and a tear rolled down his cheek. “I thought if we came here, I’d get some answers. We’ve spent days and nights roaming the hills and forests trying to clear our heads and make a plan of what to do.”

  “I wanted to leave the country and never look back,” Colleen confessed. “But Tyler wouldn’t agree. He hoped we could resolve all of this, but I told him there’s nothing anyone can say to my dad to make him change his mind. He wanted his bloodline to stay pure. The fact Tyler is a bear means he will never let us be together.”

  “What year does he think this is?” Jenessa asked.

  “What century does he think this is?” Axel shook his head. “It’s crazy. If you two are mates, then there’s nothing he can do. Colleen is not going to suddenly pick a new mate.”

  “He does have several candidates lined up for me.” She covered her mouth with her hand and sobbed loudly. Tyler went to her and held her in his arms, cradling her against his chest while she cried.

  “What about your mom, does she have any say in this?” Jenessa asked a still weeping Colleen.

  “She just wants me to be happy. My dad worships her, but doesn’t listen to her.” Colleen wiped her eyes. “I know I said I’d leave the country and never look back, but I hate the idea of having a baby without my mom there.”

  “Oh, honey, we can work this out.” Jenessa went to her brother and his mate and hugged them both while Axel stared off into the distance. Families were complicated beasts, but they were supposed to stick together.

  “If you have any idea of how to make my dad see sense, I’m all ears.” Colleen wiped her eyes. “I don’t want to have this baby in a tiny tent.”

  “That isn’t going to happen,” Jenessa said. “I have an idea. One that might just work.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six – Jenessa

  “Are you going to tell me your idea?” Axel asked as he got into the passenger seat of her smart red car.

  “I am, once we’re on the road back to Cougar Ridge.” She waved at Cooper as they drove away, glad to be heading out of the city.

  Axel glanced at his phone. “I just got an update from O’Malley, your dad and my mom are doing just fine. They get along really well.”

  Jenessa brushed the back of her hand across her eyes as she steered the car through the industrial site. She still had plans for these warehouses. If they were transformed, then there would be work for the people who lived locally as well as new homes which would give the people hope and aspirations. Injecting new life into an area should help with crime and new recreational areas gave people somewhere to go and meet, while green spaces helped with mental health as communities worked together to grow produce and tend the parks. But all that had to wait until she sorted out her family.

  “Tell me.”

  “I don’t know if it’s a crazy idea,” she confessed. “When it first came to me, I thought it would work but the more I think about it, the less confident I am.”

  “Tyler and Colleen are on their way to Cougar Ridge, so we’re going to have to come up with something.”

  “I want my dad to talk to Hogg.” She gave Axel a sidelong glance. “It’s a terrible idea, right?”

  Axel turned away and looked out of the window, which did nothing for her confidence in the plan. Damn it, she’d gotten it wrong and put her brother and his mate in danger.

  “No, I think it might work.” Axel sighed and leaned back in his seat. “You’re hoping that your dad can make Hogg see that his behavior is tearing the family apart and that his mate, Colleen’s mom, will never forgive him and never be happy if her daughter is estranged.”

  “That’s just about it.” Her jaw tensed. “But this puts my dad in danger. It means he has to dredge up all of the pain and suffering he went through when my mom died.”

  “He’d do it for Tyler. He’d do it to make sure his children were safe.” Axel reached out and covered her hand with his. It was a brief touch, but the warmth of his skin gave her comfort.

  “What if it backfires?”


  “What if it doesn’t?”

  “There’s no easy answer, is there?” Jenessa stared at the road ahead as the car ate up the miles, taking them closer to Cougar Ridge and her dad. How was she even going to broach the subject with him?

  “We’ll keep him safe,” Axel assured her. “I’ll round up enough people to protect your dad.”

  “A fire-breathing dragon should do the trick. I suppose we could just lure the Hell Fire MC up to Cougar Ridge and get Kelos to threaten to burn all their bikes unless they agree to back off and leave Tyler and Colleen alone.”

  “That would work. These guys probably love their bikes as if they were family.” Axel chuckled and switched on the radio. “Let’s talk about something else for now. When we get back, we can speak to your dad and then make a plan of action. There’s no point speculating right now.”

  “It all keeps going around and around in my head.” Jenessa accepted a candy bar from Axel, which he’d unwrapped for her. She took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. “I can’t believe my little brother is going to become a dad.”

  “He’s not so little and not so young.” Axel chewed slowly and then took out a bottle of water. After taking a drink, he offered it to her. “It would be good to have a child about the same age as your brother’s.”

  “It would.” She smiled at him, her heart aching. What if she was too old to conceive?

  “We could look into adopting a child. Even if we’re lucky to have one of our own, I would love to give a good home to a child who is alone in the world.” He was the sweetest man and she loved him for it.

  “I like that idea. I like it a lot.”

  They sat in silence listening to the radio as they drove back to his hometown. Both of them were lost in thought, Jenessa’s were a mixture of good thoughts and unrealized fears. Her plan might work, but at what cost to her father?

  “Home,” he said as they reached the road that wound its way up to Cougar Ridge.

  “Is this where we’re going to make our home?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, I haven’t given it much thought. I loved growing up here.”

  “And yet you felt compelled to leave.”

  “There aren’t a lot of job opportunities in Cougar Ridge. And then I discovered motorcycles.” He smiled sadly. “It was a downward spiral from there.”

  “Wherever we live, I want to be close to my dad and Tyler. And your mom will always have a home with us, too. If that’s what she wants.”

  “I doubt my mom will ever leave Cougar Ridge.” He chuckled. “Hey, you have enough money for two homes, don’t you? We can have one here and one wherever else we need.”

  “Are you spending my money, Axel?”

  “I could.” He chuckled as they reached Paula’s house and parked the car outside. It seemed as if it was a lifetime ago since they had left to go find Tyler. In a way it was. Her life had changed forever thanks to meeting Axel.

  “Are my dad and your mom still at the sawmill?”

  “They are. Kelos is going to drive them back here once I let him know we are home.” He leaned forward and looked in the wing mirror. “I think we have company.”

  “We’ve been followed?” Jenessa asked in alarm.

  “No, I think the house has been watched for days. We moved our parents just in time.” Axel took out his phone and tapped the screen. “I’ll tell Kelos to keep our parents away for now.”

  Jenessa nodded and got out. Trying not to look around and stare at the person watching the house, she went to the trunk and lifted her bags from the car. Axel joined her and carried his bags to the house, then followed her inside. Jenessa shut the door and leaned against it for a moment, fighting a wave of panic. “Did we do the right thing coming back here?”

  “Yes, this is the safest place for us to confront Hogg. We have the numbers to beat him if it comes down to a fight.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the kitchen. “Let’s get some coffee on. Tyler and Colleen will be here soon.”

  “They’re going to walk right into a trap.” This was all her fault, she should have thought this through before persuading her brother to trust her and bring his mate to Cougar Ridge.

  “Text Colleen and get her to tell her mom where she is and that she wants to meet her here.” Axel nodded when she opened her mouth to protest. “Hogg will be coming here himself, I’m sure of that. So we need Colleen’s mom here, too. Your dad needs to tell them his story. How his behavior affected your mom. For it to have a real impact, Hogg and his mate need to hear it together. That way when he sees she’s sad, he’ll have to do the right thing and welcome Tyler into their lives.”

  “Okay.”

  “You know, I should be worried. This is a very emotionally manipulative plan.”

  Her cheeks flushed pink and she covered her face with her hands. “That wasn’t why I came up with the plan. I just didn’t want Colleen’s mom to go through the pain my mom did.”

  “I understand.” He hugged her close and she rested her head on his chest, welcoming the warmth of his arms. “It’s a very good idea and the only way we’re going to get through this without a fight.”

  “Do you think Hogg will stop his mate from coming here?”

  “It’s hard to deny your mate anything.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Text Colleen.”

  Jenessa did as Axel suggested. A couple of minutes later, Colleen texted back to say she’d done it. Now they just had to wait.

  “I hope this is the right thing to do.”

  “It is. I trust your instinct. And it’s time we all got on with our lives. So it has to work.”

  Her mouth turned up at one corner. “I like your logic.”

  “Hey, I am a simple man with simple logic.” He winked and left the kitchen and went to the living room window that looked out onto the street.

  “Is he still alone?” Jenessa carried two cups of coffee into the room and handed one to Axel.

  “Yes, this could be a long waiting game.” He took a sip of his coffee and closed his eyes briefly. “Oh, that is good.”

  “A man of simple tastes, too.”

  “And simple needs. As long as you are by my side, I’m happy.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and hugged her.

  “I second the vote for a simple life. I’ve had enough drama before I met you to last me a lifetime. I would love to buy a house in the hills and just raise kids.”

  “Really?” he asked. “I thought you liked business.”

  “Oh, I do.” She nudged him. “But most of what I do can be done virtually. A good internet connection and a few visits to the projects I’m working on would leave a lot of time for other things.”

  “We agreed that I would be the househusband. You can’t take that back,” he teased.

  “I don’t intend to. I’d love to spend time with you and our children.” She looked up at him. “You can teach me all about the simple pleasures in life.”

  “I think you already know about them. That’s how you came up with this plan. Love is what will heal the rift between Colleen and her family. And you know all about love.”

  “If only it was that simple.” Jenessa didn’t believe Hogg would back down over Tyler’s relationship with his daughter just because of love. Even though she had seen love change her father. Seen the pain and regret on his face as his wife slipped away. “But we don’t have any other choice right now. Do we?”

  “Not that I can see,” Axel agreed. “If we can get them all together, including Colleen’s mom, then there’s a chance we can work it out. They don’t have to welcome Tyler as their favorite son, they just need to accept him as a part of Colleen’s life and let them live in peace.”

  “That sounds so simple, so plausible.” She placed her hand on her stomach as nerves kicked in. “I guess in a few hours we’ll find out.”

  “I guess we will.” Axel stared out at the guy in the street. He hadn’t even bothered to hide himself, it was as if he were spoiling fo
r a fight. As if he was trying to tempt Axel to go out there and start something.

  Jenessa reached out and placed her arm on Axel’s. “Those days really are behind you, aren’t they?”

  He gave a low laugh. “I’m clinging onto control of my cougar who wants to go out there and rip the guy’s face off. But we both know that won’t solve anything and will only make things worse. So I guess you could say those days are behind me. Because I want there to be many days with you in front of me and that will not happen if we are at war with the Hell Fire MC.”

  Jenessa hoped that when the families finally came together that they could find a way toward lasting peace. If not, she might do some face ripping off of her own. At least vocally. She had a few things to say to Hogg. Things he might not like to hear, but he would hear them all the same.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven – Axel

  “How are you doing there, Ralph?” Axel placed his hand on the old man’s shoulder as they waited for Colleen and Tyler to arrive. They had agreed to meet outside of town since no one wanted to bring trouble into Cougar Ridge.

  Not because the people there might get hurt but because they would no doubt come to Axel’s aid if they thought he was in trouble. The resulting fight was not something the town needed. Most of the time, although certain elements of the townsfolk enjoyed a good brawl on a Friday night to let off some steam, they were a peace-loving folk who shared a common interest in the freedom to shift at will. To do that they kept a low profile.

  “I’m happy Tyler is okay. Still sore the boy didn’t tell me of his plans before he left but I can see his reasons.” Ralph looked tired and old as he sat on a fallen tree trunk.

  I expect he could still shift and take down a couple of Hogg’s men if he had to, Axel’s cougar said. It’s surprising what a shifter is capable of when there’s a threat to his family.