The Mark of a Beta

twenty- two

After Grayson told me about Axel's plans, he invited me to have lunch with the pack to properly introduce myself. I definitely did not make the best first impression, but I made up for it. I told jokes and gave hilarious insight to Axel's personality and the pack was eating it up. They especially enjoyed my stories of the pranks I already pulled on Axel.

Apparently, some of the wolves saw the aftermath of the glitter prank but didn't know the full story. Every single werewolf in the place was hanging on to my every word and choking on laughter. Madelyn, Cole's mate, even snorted up her soda.

I played off my emotions well, but I was secretly miserable. I had no idea where Axel went off to and I had no way to contact him because he left without his phone. It's a bit difficult to hold a phone when you're in wolf form.

Grayson made sure to give me updates on where Axel was. Grayson wouldn't give me details on his location, but he made sure I knew he was safe and unharmed as Axel went on his "hunting" trip. Grayson was still able to contact my mate through mindlinking which is really fucking annoying because I should be able to do that!

I guess it's a good sign that Grayson can still reach him- it means he's not too far away. Wolves can only mindlink when in a certain range. Since Axel and I haven't completed the mate bond- a.k.a. we haven't boned yet- we can't mindlink one another, which is fairly annoying right now.

As I lay awake thinking about how the day went, I hear the air shifting in my new room. I look to the right as a large, blurry figure comes through the doorway and silently shuts the door behind him. I don't need great eyesight to know that it's my mate slinking in at whatever-the-fuck o'clock. Honestly, I'm fucking pissed at him.

He left me while I was bawling my eyes out. I got vulnerable and shit, and he just left with no explanation, and he left for the rest of the day!

I roll over on my side and turn away from the door. I feel a pressure building behind my eyelids and I know that it's possible that I'll start crying again if I look at Axel. I'm sure he knows exactly how I feel right now because of our bond. I'm not skilled at hiding my emotions like he is.

The sinking of the mattress and the smell of the woods tells me that Axel sits right next to me. I keep my eyes closed and hope he'll leave me alone. I don't want to fucking talk to him right now.

We sit in silence for a while. Axel doesn't make a move to touch me and I sure as shit don't try to touch him. After what feels like hours but is probably only five minutes, Axel sighs.

I guess I have a lot to say because my anger spikes with that small sound. He has the fucking audacity to feel frustrated with me while I'm the one who was left behind?

I rip the sheets off of me, slam the glasses on my face from the night stand, and march over to the door. I turn the light on and don't turn back around until my eyes have adjusted to the bright room. When I finally look at Axel, he looks... emotionless. His face is neutral with his furrowed eyebrows, his mouth set in a thin line.

He changed his outfit from this morning. Now he wears what seems to be his version of pajamas- black boxers and a soft grey cotton t-shirt. I've never seen him this dressed down- well, I guess I've seen him naked, but that doesn't count.

"What?" I say, tired and annoyed that he's back so late. I was trying to sleep before he came in here. It's not like I was close to falling asleep. I was up thinking about my stubborn mate who ran out the door to "fix" a situation that had no fix in sight.

Axel doesn't take his green eyes off of me as he stands and walks over to my place by the door. His hands flex at his sides the closer he gets to me, but he thankfully doesn't touch me. If he did, I'm afraid I would forget why I'm mad and beg him to fuck me.