Awakened at Last

Chapter 3

I put on my sneakers, ready to meet Valerie down at the pack's training center. I opened the back door to find Axel sitting on the back steps.

"Hey tattle tale" I teased Axel, before taking a seat next to him.

"Well if my best friend listened to me, I wouldn't have to resort to such things" he laughed lightly.

"I did listen to you, I just know what my body is capable of, even if you don't" I shrugged sounding indifferent. 

"It's not about what you are or aren't capable of Scar. You are damn near capable of anything with that stubborn ass of yours.  It's about how far you're willing to push yourself to obtain it" he challenged me.

"All the way. I will push myself all the way Ax, if it gives us any advantage, any chance, then I will pull it out of me" I gritted my teeth at him.

"At what cost Scar?!" he stood up angrily, fists closed at his sides.

"At whatever cost Axel! Whatever the damn cost is, I will fucking pay it! I have to Ax, don't you get that?" I felt anger rising deep inside of me.

"At whatever cost? God Scarlett do you hear yourself right now? Bryson may be okay with turning you into someone who doesn't value their life and Greyson may be blinded by his mate's pretty lies to see it, but me, I see through your bullshit Scar. I see you. I will always tell you the honest brutal truth. And right now, I think you are pushing too hard. This isn't just about you Scarlett! This war involves all of us. Stop putting it all on your shoulders, let us help you carry the weight. Let me help you. " he pleaded, anger leaving his body, instead a deep sense of desperation filled his eyes.

"What are you asking from me Axel? To stop training? I can't do that and you know it!"I replied coolly. 

"And Bryson isn't doing anything but giving me a chance at defending myself and the rest of you. I love you Axel, so damn much and I love Greyson more than life itself! I love Ryder, and I love Elena and Kaiden, Travis and and even Adam is fucking growing on me. But all of you, are  a damn liability to me. Something that can be used against me. And I am too weak to let any of you go! So instead every day I wake up at the ass crack of dawn to push myself beyond my limits because I couldn't stand to lose any of you Ax! It'd fucking kill me! My parent's death, Sebastian and Harper's death, that shit is on me Ax! I wake up every night covered in sweat, sick to my stomach after dreams of each one of you being tortured and killed the way they were . All because of me, because I wasn't able to stop them! Because of some bullshit prophet that I was never asked to be a part of! Because those bastards will use you to get to me! Don't you fucking get it?! I have to do this, I have to push myself! I have to become better, because when the Elders come for me, I need to be able to protect every single one of you!" I yelled. 

"And don't ever bring up my mate against me Ax! Greyson isn't blinded by anything. He believes in me, he knows what I am capable of." I snapped feeling annoyed with this conversation.

"Really, Grey knows then? That you broke your arm the other day during training and even though you healed it as quickly as you could,  you still don't have full mobility of the wrist? Does he know the extent of Bryson's cruel trainings that you begged for? The bindings? The drownings? The random attacks, that are leaving you in a constant stage of paranoia and anxiety? ? Does he know that Bryson set you on fire last week and the only reason you didn't burn to death was because you somehow tapped into our bond and I just so happened to be standing close enough to a body of water, you were able to draw from? Does he know that you fainted three times yesterday? Does he know that you go through an entire day without eating a thing?" Axel snapped back, throwing the last few months in my face.