Page 48 of Pack Rivals: Part Two
We’re quiet. The wind whistles through the grass and rustles the trees. In the distance the lake winks at us and right at the horizon a sliver of sea glimmers in the bright sun.
“Remember when you fell out of that tree,” Axel says, lifting his arm from his lap and pointing to the large oak on the edge of the copse, its branches full to brimming with leaves, “and broke your fucking ass?”
How long has it been since he asked me something as simple as this? Since we talked about the past? It must be an entire lifetime ago.
“It wasn’t my ass, it was my coccyx, and it wasn’t the oak, it was the beech.” I point to the red tree standing right in the center of my mom’s flowers. “And I didn’t fall, you pushed me.”
“Nah, we were racing up to the top, and you threw a paddy because I beat you, tried to hit me, lost your grip and fell.”
“It’s funny how our recollection of things is always so fucking different,” I mutter.
He turns his head from the view to look at me but I keep my gaze trained straight ahead.
We put our differences aside to find Bea. It was a temporary truce. One I’m not prepared to extend just because Axel here is feeling nostalgic.
“Mom was hopping mad about you flattening all her dahlias until she realized you couldn’t actually sit to eat your dinner.”
A chuckle breaks free of my mouth. “It was so freaking painful. I couldn’t sit for like a month.”
From the corner of my eye, I see him turn his head back out to the land.
Clouds pass over the face of the sun and we watch as shadows skip across the grass.
“Angel,” he says. “It was … it was good working with you again … you and the others … to rescue Bea. Even if it didn’t work out the way I wanted.”
“She’s safe, man. That’s the main thing.” I scrape my nails through my beard and consider his words. Fuck, it’s been a long time since he said anything that positive to me. It feels … nice. “It was good working with you too.”
“Made me realize how much I’ve missed it.”
I exhale, my chest suddenly tight.
“Yeah,” I say.
Axel swallows. Hesitates. It’s like that phone call he made to tell me Bea was missing. I always know when he has something important to say because he always takes his merry time spitting it out.
I wonder what it’ll be this time. More bargaining over Bea, over the land? A scheme to win the girl back? A discussion about what we’re going to do as mom gets sicker?
“Angel.” I can’t take any more of his games. I can’t take any more of this bullshit. Whatever he has to say, I wish he’d damn well say it. “I’m sorry.” My eyes flick to him. Did I hear him right? “I’m sorry for what happened ten years ago. I’m sorry for my part in it. Most of all,” he pauses, “I’m sorry I was an asshole and didn’t apologize a hell of a lot sooner.”
I’m quiet.
I’m still so angry at him. So fucking angry.
“You stole her from me, Ax. And you know, there was no fucking need. I was always going to share her, introduce her to the pack, make her ours. But you couldn’t … you couldn’t stand that I had something you didn’t.”
Axel sighs like he’s just as tired as I am. I see the lines around his eyes. New lines, ones that weren’t there before. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Then how was it?” I growl.
“Celia wasn’t the girl you thought she was.”
Celia – this sparkly beautiful omega. She smelled like daisies. She made my head spin.
“She was playing you,” he says.
“Axel–”
“No, hear me out, Angel. For once just hear me out.” He stands up and walks to the rail, leaning his forearms against it. “She was seeing a string of alphas – stringing them along as well as you – ensuring she had a rich crop to pick from.”
