Alpha Axel

Ten

Night had fallen before we reached the cells where Lane was kept. The moon was full and it illuminated the entire clearing as we walked toward the dreaded place. It was humid, and sweat quickly covered my skin and I pulled my shirt off in a fanning motion to get some airflow beneath it.

It feels like a sauna right now. 

Axel and I had not spoken since our little heated argument, and the tension in the air was thick enough to be cut with a pair of scissors. I didn't mean to upset him, but I wasn't going to throw everything away that I had worked so hard for. I have my pack to look after and I wasn't going to let a mate stand in the way. I didn't need to be happy, I needed to be a leader. 

Tanner opened the door and lead us down the stairs. Jackson and I followed with Axel right behind me, his skin occasionally brushing against mine.  I glanced quickly in his direction but he was not looking at me. His face was stone as he stared forward, purposefully not meeting my eyes. It pained me to leave it, and I didn't understand why. Mates weren't common for hunters, so we normally just decided to have our own. It caused a few problems here and there, but overall it was just easier than to go and find them. 

We got down to the basement and I had prayed that it would be cooler, but the heat of the place only burned against my skin more. Jackson gave me a questioning look as sweat continued to cover my skin but he seemed completely unaffected. 

I brushed off his look and walked up to Lane's cell. My brother was fast asleep, the cot they provided too small for his tall frame, and his feet hung off the end by a few inches.  I pressed my face against the bars, the metal only providing a moment of cooling pleasure before my body once again heated up like an inferno. I looked back at the men behind me, and a whimper escaped my lips as a stabbing pain pierced my abdomen.

In an instant, both Jackson and Axel lunged forward, their bodies colliding as they neared me. Axel let out a feral growl but Jackson's eyes darkened as they met mine. They were at each other's throats almost instantly, Axel easily pummeling Jackson without hesitation. 

I wanted to scream out and to try and stop them, but it was almost impossible with the amount of pain I was in. Tanner helped me up, this whole thing did not seem to phase him. 

"What is happening to me?" I gasped out, the pain only worsening as Tanner's hands met my arms. I let out a hiss but he only rolled his eyes.

"You're going through heat, Skylar, it's what happens when an unmated female reaches a full moon without being mated. You let off a scent to every unmated male that is purely intoxicating." I gave him a look as we continued up the stairs, Axel's growls still ripping through the air. 

"It does nothing to you?" I stumbled slightly as we reached the top of the steps, but Tanner's grasp steadied me. He pushed open the door that led out to the clearing, and I was thankful that no one was around. 

"I'm mated, Skylar, so this does absolutely nothing to me. My mate's heat on the other hand, well-" I cut him off with another shout of pain as I fell to the ground. It felt as if a knife had been twisted through my gut and it only continued to cut deeper. 

"I've never heard of a hunter going through heat before, so I have no idea what to do." My voice was breathless as Tanner led me into the pack house and quickly up the steps before practically shoving me into Axel's room. 

"The more I touch you, the worse it is for you. Axel will be here and he knows exactly what to do, every male wolf does. I'll be right outside the door until he gets here, good luck." With that Tanner left me alone, and shut the door behind him, but I didn't hear him walk away. He was guarding me in a sense.