Axel's Flower (Discontinued)

Chapter Fifteen

When I wake up my first thought is Axel. I worry about Elliot, Faye, and the rest of the pack. When I finally muster the strength to open my eyes I recognize the hospital ward of the pack house. Relief washes over me when I see Axel's sleeping figure in a chair next to my bed. Then I panic. If I'm still alive that means Ashton has taken control of the pack. My gasping breathes and pained whimpers awaken Axel.

"Hey, everything is all right. You're safe and the pack is safe," Axel assures me, stand up and taking my face into his hands.

"B-but Ashton! He's going to take over the pack and-" Axel interrupts me.

"Ashton didn't take over the pack and everyone is fine. Calm down. Take a few deep breaths," He instructs me. I listen to him and try to calm myself down. Soon my breathing is under control and I can think clearly.

"Axel, I was so scared. I thought I would never see you again," I tell, my voice breaking at the end.

"I was scared too, love. I'm just so happy that you're safe now," Axel places a gentle, lingering kiss on my lips. We stay like that for a while before I ask the burning question.

"What happened to Ashton's pack? If I'm still alive and He hasn't taken over..." I trail off.

"He tried to use you to get me to hand over my pack. When it didn't work he ordered Sebastion to kill you. I got there just in time to save you. If I had been a second late," Axel trails off with a pained look. "I killed Sebastion and two of Ashton's pack warriors. Lee and our pack warriors killed Colden but Ashton got away," He finishes.

"What now?" I ask him.

"We'll talk about that later. I have to contact Beck's pack," He plants a kiss on my forehead before getting up to leave. As he walks out the door, Faye, Elliot, and Lee step in. Faye and Elliot quickly rush over to my bedside.

"We were so worried, Mae!" Elliot says, grabbing my hand.

"I'm fine now. You guys don't need to worry about me," I assure them.

"Fine!? You almost died. If Axel hadn't killed Sebastion I would have myself," Faye growls.

"I was worried about you guys too. If Ashton had taken over the pack..." I trail off, horrified.

"Don't worry about that, Mae. We're going to take care of Ashton," Lee says with a serious look on his face.

"Doesn't this mean we're at war now? I mean, He took the Alpha's mate," I say.

"I'm afraid so. Ashton doesn't have a good chance at winning. With our alliance with Beck, we have more warriors than him," Lee tells me.

"I don't want anybody to get hurt over me. If there's any way we could avoid war..."

"This isn't your fault, It's Ashton's. Harming a pack's Luna is the worst thing you can do to an Alpha. There is no way to avoid war with him now," Lee tells me with a grave look on his face.

"Everything will be fine, Mae. Axel will do his best to protect the pack," Elliot assures me. His words do give me some hope but the fear of what is to come still lingers

~~~

Throughout the day I could tell that the pack was very on edge about the conflict between Ashton and Axel's pack. The pack doctor, Lisa, let me leave the hospital ward with some pain meds earlier today. At her advice, I've been staying in bed and not overworking myself. My body still aches and I have many bruises covering my body. The wost is the bruised Ashton's hands left around my throat. When I look at them I remember the crazed look in his eyes as he tried to kill me.

Now, Elliot and I are helping Faye get ready for a date with Lee.

"Knee high boots or Black pumps?" Faye asks, holding up the two Items.

"Black pumps. They bring more attention to those killer legs," Elliot tells her.

"You're right," Faye replies, sitting on the bed and putting them on. When she's done she grabs her clutch and does a little twirl for us.

"What do you guys think?" She asks confidently.

"You look gorgeous," I tell her truthfully. Her navy blue sweater dress hugs her curves just right and Elliot was right, the pumps do accentuate her long legs. Her hair is out and straightened, falling in thick, black waves.

"Lee is gonna have a stroke when he sees you," Elliot says.

"He better. These shoes cost a fortune." Elliot and walk to the door where Lee is waiting for her. Eliot is right again because Lee does have a stroke when he sees Faye. I giggle at the look of shock and admiration on his face.

"See you guys later," Tell them waving. Faye gives me a smile and Lee is too busy admiring Faye to acknowledge me.

"That guy is whipped," Elliot tells me when we're out of earshot.

"So are you. You haven't stopped talking about Lucas since you met him." I tease.

"I can't help it. He's gorgeous, funny, and an amazing bed. The way he touches me-" I slap my hands over my ears to block him out.

"Gross! Too much information, Elliot. You're corrupting my innocent mind," I tell him.

"It's not my fault Axel hasn't popped your cherry yet," He says with a smirk.

"Okay, this conversation is officially over," I say when we reach Axel and I's room. I can hear Elliot's loud chuckles when I close the door behind me.

"What was that about," I hear Axel's voice ask. I jump, not expecting him to be here.

"I wasn't expecting you back so early," I say, clutching my chest.

"I didn't mean to scare you. Beck, Sophie, and Lucas are coming over for a meeting about our alliance today," He informs me.

"I'll get ready then," I tell him heading towards the closet. I'm not really sure how should dress for the meeting so I settle on a sweater and jeans. I put my hair in a messy bun and decide not to waste time on makeup.

"They'll be here shortly," Axel says, leading me to the door. We go arrive downstairs to greet them just as they arrive.

"It's nice to meet with you again. I wish it was under better circumstances," Beck says, shaking Axel's hand. Sophie, looking elegant as always in a black turtle neck sweater and black wide-legged black slacks, greets me. I can see her baby bump is starting to show more and I feel bad for worrying her.

"You must be so shaken up by what happened, dear," Sophie says, pulling me into her arms.

"I'm fine. Just glad that everyone left the situation unharmed," I tell her with a smile.

"Let's go to my office. We have many things to discuss," Axel says, leading us up to his office. We all sit on the sofas on the far side of Axel's office.

"We all know we're here about the recent events that transpired between my pack and Ashton's," Axel says. "He harmed my mate and tried to put my pack in danger. There is no doubt that our packs will go to war. The only question is if you will join us in defeating Ashton," Axel finishes and we all digest his words. Anxiety coils in the pit of my stomach at the fact that war is now unavoidable between our pack. Now, we only need to worry about how much damage will be caused by this war.

"I will send my warriors to assist you in this fight and in return, I expect your future assistance if my pack is ever in need," Beck replies. I release a breath of relief. With Becks help, we have a better chance of beating Ashton.

"You have my word, Beck," Ashton promises. For the next few hours, they discuss how to go about defeating him. I don't understand most of what they are talking about but I do catch the fact that they are going to wait until Ashton makes the next move. Until then pack warriors will be guarding both of are territories 24/7.

Afterwards, we walk them to the door and say our goodbyes. Axel and make our way up to our rooms for the night. We both do our nightly routines and get in bed, exhausted. Axel pulls me into his arms and I snuggle into his chest.

"I can't stop thinking about him taking you. I shouldn't have let you out of my sight that night," Axel said, guilt lacing his voice. He traces the bruises on my neck, a painful look in his eyes.

"It's not your fault, Axel. There was no way you could have prevented it," I tell him, cupping the scarred side of his face.

"I could have lost you that day. It got me thinking about things. I should have been more open with you about my past... how I got my scars. You were open with me about everything and it's time I do the same," He says seriously.

"Are you sure? You don't have to do anything you don't want to," I tell him.

"I'm sure, Maebry. I'm ready to tell you everything now."