Page 37 of His Impossible Elf Mate
The crowd hushed as Blake took his place at the front and explained the first part of why he had gathered them together: the partnership with the demon, Toth. There were the usual rumbles of descent, which Axel silenced with a glower. Then, Blake reminded them of how badly shifters werediscriminated against in the past. They still were in some places.
Anticipation grew between those in the know as Blake explained there was more, and allowed Hiroshi to take over the explanation.
The silence grew to almost deafening levels as Hiroshi outlined what I already knew. Hearing it a second time did not lessen the impact. There had to be a reason their goddess had done this at the same time as ours had taken our fertility away. Why had they done this?
Hiroshi made his explanation short, then answered questions. He and Blake reassured people they would not demand the betas change if they were not ready. Many looked curious, far more than those who were scared.
I was the one put in charge of the line telling the betas their potential new designation with a confidentiality spell to hide the result for others. It was an honor to tell them and see wonder on their faces. Each and every shifter was happy with the result, like they had chosen it for themselves.
By the time all the betas had been informed, there was a party atmosphere in the air. Only Axel seemed uncomfortable. I wanted to go to him, reassure him, though I was not sure I would be welcome. Instead, I gave him the space he needed. Likely, too much of it.
As the weeks passed and the testing began, the demons found their place, Axel grew distant. He wasstill loving. We spent time together, there was just a guardedness that had not been there before.
I felt I deserved it for my deception. My guilt prevented me from just asking, while I knew Axel wanted me to ask. He wasn’t ready to tell me. He wanted me to take control like I did in other aspects of our relationship. Axel wanted me to show I cared by demanding the truth from him.
It confounded his brother that I didn’t know. As I explained, the truth was only Axel’s to share when he was ready. As his Alpha, Blake could have ordered Axel to tell, but out of respect for him, he did not force it, either.
Shifters confused me. I would have expected them to be pleased about the possibility of more alphas and omegas in the world, but when the world discovered the cause of the beta sickness, the attacks on Sweetwater escalated. It got so bad the testing had to stop.
Blake had enough to contend with, but he also felt responsible for his pack mates and took Hakeem’s advice over the situation with Asher and Roan. They were stuck in Abrocaelum and, unfortunately; it opened their omegas up to an attack. They were stolen from their home and taken to the former betrothed of Hiroshi.
Omegas would continue to surprise me, though, really, with this pack, nothing should. They continually did the impossible. Hiroshi demonstrated greatstrength, going beyond what most shifters could do in order to get free and save his alpha’s life. Then, beyond all odds, he and Tate ended up being fated. Tate and Asher were fated. Betas could have fated mates.
Rather than improve things between me and Axel, the news appeared to break something in him. He became more withdrawn, coming to bed later at night, so even the intimacy we had once shared, suffered. He was nearing his breaking point.
I only hoped he knew I would be there to pick up the pieces.
Cutting ties with the council had been a surprise move from the Alpha Pair. While I understood their reasoning, it had left the elves in a precarious situation. The council had funded our presence with the pack. I was just grateful they had given Ívarr, as our supposed leader, a warning of what was to come, so we could discuss our plans.
Axel had stood close to me during the conversation with Blake. Perhaps he thought we were going to leave the pack. He had underestimated us. None of the elves in Sweetwater even considered leaving the pack to join the council. We saw the council for who they were: power hungry alphas unwilling to accept change. Yes, there were outliers, however, they were few and far between.
My lover relaxed when I took his hand, assuring him we were staying. Since the revelation of the beta gene, my mother and parliament had relaxed. Theyunderstood now that greater powers were at work, we just had to be patient, to help the shifters through this, then our reward would be granted.
By the time the babies were born, the family was mostly healed from their traumatic experiences. Roan had lost the use of his arm, but had gained a brother in Asher, and his father was back in his life. His father had gone one step further, by virtually adopting Asher and Tate as his sons.
They were proof, as if we needed it, that Sweetwater was favored by their goddess when she gave Roan and Hiroshi an alpha female daughter. She tied the family tightly together by each twin having a different father.
Ívarr had been beside himself to see Tate laying his egg and he talked of nothing but the egg for the weeks Tate was roosting. Then they went and made matters worse by allowing him to witness the birth of Hiroshi’s twins! My friend had been insufferable after.
The party to celebrate the three new lives mirrored the one where the beta gene was unveiled so much it left goosebumps over my flesh. This time I wasn’t sure just being around Axel was going to be enough. My love was hurting. His pain was etched so clearly in how he held his lean body I could almost feel it myself.
“Dear one,” I whispered, coming up behind him and wrapping myself around him once the blessing on the babies was finished. “Later, you will tell me what you have been hiding.” Axel shuddered, pushing back a sob. “It’s time for us to unburden ourselves. Let me ease your worries.”
“What if you can’t?”
“Then let me share the burden.”
Together we left the party after we had given our gifts and congratulations.
I felt the wall between me and Axel crumbling with each step we took to our new hut. It was a mini home, free of the mansion and the many bad memories there.
Axel had told me many stories, good and bad, of his time growing up in the mansion. It was a relief to escape those ghosts to a space untainted by anyone else. It was a temporary home. We hadn’t discussed it, but Axel had plans to build something better for us next to his brother and Roan’s family.
We entered, and I ensured the door was locked, then activated silencing wards. “Do you want to relax first? Perhaps have a bath?”
He shook his head. “No.” The silence went on for so long, I feared he would not speak. “Teárlach… I can’t… when I tell you this… it could end us.”
“Nothing in this life could do that, dear one. You are my heart. Please,” I implored him, reaching out a hand, “just tell me.”
