Page 78 of Axel

“Loch?” My pulse doubles. “The one marrying Alena Allen?”

“Yes.”

He turns around and flips the omelet.

But here it is again.

That feeling.

The one that doesn’t have a name but wants answers.

“Why was Alena at your office a couple of weeks ago? She seemed upset.”

Is it my imagination, or did Axel’s broad shoulders just stiffen under his starched white shirt? Am I just new to this emotion, jealousy? Or does it normally make your stomach suddenly twist?

I don’t know why I keep getting this feeling about Alena Allen, but I do.

He keeps his back to me, taking two plates from the cabinet. Halving the omelet, he quietly prepares our breakfast, garnishing our plates with berries.

Axel has a habit of cooking for me now, especially since I told him it’s not really safe for people with epilepsy to do it, and I like his care. He seems to thrive doing it, but this feels unsettling, and I won’t break his weighted silence.

Setting our plates down, he sits across from me.

Sparky waddles over and rubs my legs like she can sense that his silence is killing me. I reach down and pet her. It soothes me while Axel’s fighting something tearing at his heart; it’s obvious.

It’s scaring me.

I stop petting Sparky, and it starts biting at the back of my eyes, making them prick with tears. Don’t ask me why; I just need to know. “Axel, what is it? What is it between you and Alena?”

He picks up his fork but doesn’t take a bite.

“She’s my goddaughter,” he answers, and I exhale. “And there’s more to tell you, but it’s trust, Ruby. It’s a lot of trust you can’t break, promise me.”

“Okay,” I murmur.

“Alena doesn’t know about our family, our father. Nothing.Herfather, Nash, joined us when he was eighteen. He became part of our family, and so did Alena when she was barely two.Then, her mother died years later, and my mom became like a grandmother to her. But we don’t tell Alena who we are or what we do. It’s for her safety.”

“I understand.” I do. It makes me feel better.

“She thinks I’m Michael Cummings, the lawyer, and her dad’s best friend, so he made me her godfather. But tomyfamily, she became our princess. Now, she’s older. She’s a queen and at risk, just as you are, should someone go after you, so we assigned Loch to her.”

“Assigned?”

“He was supposed to be her secret bodyguard. She’s a forest ranger, so he became one. To act like her colleague. To keep an eye on her … but then he fell in love with her. He’s going to be her king.”

“Aw.” A thousand pounds lift off my shoulders. “That’s so sweet.”

“It’s a fucking mess,” he grumbles. “Because Alena doesn’t know Loch is one of us. She doesn’t know he’s my little brother, and their marriage was arranged.”

“Arranged?” Cue pulse rising again. “Um, I’m Team Alena on this one because I’d go on a rampage if I found out my marriage had been arranged.”

“If it were you?” He quips, “We’d throw every gun in the ocean.”

“Can you blame a woman?” I’m feeling the rageforAlena. “How dare you arrange a marriage for her? She deserves love.”

“Lochdoeslove her,” he insists. “Trust me. I beat the shit out of him for defying our orders, and Nash had to pull us apart because Loch was willing to die for her. So, we said he had to marry her, but he said it was too late. He already had a ring for her.”

Puzzle pieces move quickly in my mind, putting the picture together. “So Nash is hiding this from Alena? ThatLoch’s mission became love? And you’re hiding it from her, too? That he’s your little brother?”

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