Axelâs POV
Everything was annoying me! But I had to keep a firm hold on things, Aiden wasnât coping, and it was obvious and expected that Ayla wasnât. I loved how she needed me, and that was awesome. I wonât lie, but I feel for Aiden. He was feeling pushed out. Itâs not like he had even done anything wrong. If Iâm honest, I think itâs because he did have the strongest link to Ayla, and now that Archer was missing, she doesnât know what to do. I felt like I was the one having to hold everything together; I couldnât let anything crumble.
I felt her before I saw her. It was odd like we knew when she was near. I knew my brother could feel it too. Both of our heads whipped up as she drew closer. Suppressing the cheesy grin threatening to take over my face, I slowly turned to face her. I wish this werenât hard on Aiden, but I couldnât help it. I did love the attention I was getting from our girl right now.
âThere you are,â I say with a smile and pull her in for a cuddle; my hair flopped over my eye and tickled her face, but she didnât seem to mind. Breathing in her scent was like a drug; I never wanted to let go, but I also knew my brother needed to feel the love. Turning to him, I spun her around and planted her in his arms. He hid a small smile.
âHey beautiful, you, okay?â he muttered into her hair as he kissed the top of her head.
âBetter nowâ, she sighed; it was precisely what Aiden needed right now.
âDid Michael have anything to tell you?â he asked as he ran his finger down the small of her back. Shifting, she leaned her head back to meet his gaze; she looked tired but stunning as always. Her eyes had taken on their original golden hue, and the violet of Alune was rapidly fading. We had no idea what this meant and if we should be worried. The thought had run through my mind lately, but I refused to bring it up. Alune made Ayla bolder, more our spoken and fearless, like she didnât need us; I wonât lie, I loved how she needed us, and I wouldnât mind Alune taking a break for a while, not that we donât like Ayla when sheâs infused to Alune! We do; she becomes a whole new version of herself, one we havenât gotten to know yet, and right now, we are still learning everything to do with Ayla, and Iâd like to know every inch of her first before we meet Alune again.
âNothing really; he said he had heard a few rumours but will send for me if they come of anythingâ, she mumbled.
âWe have had an ideaâ, I began to say, her head turned to look at me, but she stayed firmly in Aidenâs arms. She looked relaxed for the first time in ages. She wasnât holding us at armâs length, I donât think she was aware of it, and I was about to point it out. Aiden needed this right now.
âGo on?â she probed
âWe are going to leave you here with Archer for a bit, and we are going to visit Aleenaâ, I began, but her eyes dropped, filled with sadness.
âohâ was all she said
âHey, whatâs the sad face for babe,â I said, reaching for her, and Aiden released her to me. I put my arm around her waist and tipped her chin up so I could look into her eyes. Unshed tears lay then, and it all but killed me.
âWoah, Ayla, whatâs wrongâ my heart beat faster; I hated being the cause of her tears.
âIâm so awful to be around you would rather spend your time with another woman, and elf no lessâ the unshed tears spilt down her cheeks, breaking my heart in two.
âSweetheart, no. You are the only one we want to be with, but we need to ask Aleena a few questions we think she might be able to help Archer in some way.â the words rushed out my mouth; I had to stop her tears and take her pain away, I hate this.
âOh,â she sniffed, trying to hide her face; we were both hit with her emotions and the overwhelming feeling of silliness. I smiled and locked eyes with Aiden; his face held a smile like mine.
âNever think anything like that again, okayâ my tone was laced with mock anger, and she choked on a sob mixed with a laugh.
âDonât make me come down thereâ, Aiden chimed in; Ayla hid her head in my chest and chucked for the first time in ages.
âYes, bossâ, she answered and sniffed.
âAnyway, we thought if you stay with Archer, maybe you couldnât take a nap with himâ I ran my fingers through her long Auburn hair.
âIâm fineâ, she tried to protest.
âSure you are; just do as we say for once, yeahâ, I chucked. She really was miss independent laity.
âBut I am.â
âAyla, youâre exhausted, and I know he will want you with him; I would if it was meâ I tried to get her to agree, but I knew she wouldnât once she set her eyes on him. Nodding at Aiden, he knew what I intended. He reached for the Handel and opened the door to our brotherâs room. I turned our mate around and let her into the room.
Just as I expected, Ayla saw Archer peacefully sleeping, or so he looked to be. His silver hair was messy, not in its signature top knot. Perfectly unmoving.
âOkay, Iâll stay with Archer; please donât be too long, though, yeahâ she looked at us both in turn before she made her way over to our brother. And climbed up onto the bed. She ran her fingers along her jaw and kissed his lips before laying her head on his chest. She radiated sadness.
âWe wonâtâ, Aiden answered as I quietly shut the door behind us.
âDamn, I hope Aleena can help us even a little; Ayla needs some answers no matter how smallâ I knew Aiden would agree with me; I could feel it.
âI hate this; I feel useless; how do we help him and stop Ayla from dying inside. I can feel her broken heart every second of the dayâ Aiden sighed; I knew exactly what he meant.
âCome on, the sooner we get there, the sooner we might have a few answers.
Michael had now given us unlimited access to the archive, which was helpful in times like this. It would take us about ten minutes to walk there as the archives are deep underground. Nerves settled in my belly as we walked. I wasnât the biggest fan of the archives, they unnerved me, and the fact we had to move via magic made my bones itch; I would never admit it, though.
âDeep breaths, brother, Iâll hold your hand if you likeâ, Aiden mocked me
âFuck of Aidenâ, I punched in the arm, rewarding myself with a loud grown in response, he laughed, though, and it was nice to hear that neither of us had laughed really since our brother was taken from us.
Aleenaâs POV
Something felt different today, something not quite right. I couldnât put my finger on it. Lately, the world felt out of place, and it was irritating me. I needed to work out what was happening before it drove me insane. Nothing had felt right since the fight between the sun valley and the winter moon packs. Alune had radiated power through Ayla in waves on that day, leaving its mark on the world. But her presence wasnât strong anymore, and it was concerning. I knew I should have gone to the surface to see what was happening, but it had been years since I had set foot up there. I didnât feel ready to face the waking world again, not just yet.
Michael is amazing, and I couldnât thank him enough for the life he had to provide for me; I would forever be in his debt; I loved living down here away from prying eyes, no longer the centre of attention; I never wanted to claim my birth-right, but that didnât seem to matter to a few of my people. I had explained some of my old life to Michael, but not everything; I didnât want him to treat me differently. He knew my power was strong, and thatâs all he needed to know. If he ever found out I was destined to be my villageâs seer, their mystic healer, he would realise Iâm of royal blood, and I donât want that. I like our friendship how it is. I donât want that to change.
Now and then, my old life would flash through my mind; I missed my family at times, but not enough to give up the peaceful life I had now. My power granted to me via my royal bloodline benefitted the pack. Thatâs all I needed right now, and all Michael needed to know. He couldnât find out who I truly was. It would ruin everything.
The rooms I had made for myself down here were perfect for what I needed. No one could enter them unless I wanted them to, as they couldnât find them without me; thatâs the beauty of living in the in-between. Flicking my hair over my shoulder, the swirling tattoos that covered my arms were moving; something was up. They were always the first indication something was going on, and I knew never to ignore them. I knew today would be different from when I woke up. Elfâs never slept much, and it was not for long when we did.
Tying my hair back and throwing on a tight-fitting crop top and yoga trousers â I like humans clothes on occasions; they are so comfortable. I had a strong feeling I would need to move freely today. I stepped from my room and stood before the archive door. I heard the chase brothers before seeing them, but there were only two instead of three.
âHello, you two, what do I owe the pleaser?â I asked with a smile, but dread was in my belly.
âAleena, we need to speak with you; we need your help!â the tallest dark-haired one said; I couldnât tell them apart, so I didnât bother to guess their name; I didnât want to seem rude.
âI have a feeling this isnât going to be goodâ, I replied. Stepping aside, I waved my hand over the door granting access to the archive.
âWhere to?â
âAnywhere as long as we can talk, it wonât matter whereâ the other bother said.
âYou know the drill. Stay close and donât stray,â I warned them as I stepped over the threshold.
Axels POV
I wouldnât say I liked this part. The feeling in my stomach was horrible, necessary, but horrible. Aleena looked uneasy when we approached. Like she knew something was up and that our hopes lay with her.
âGoddess, I hope she can help usâ, Aiden sent to my mind. I just looked at him and nodded; what was I meant to say to that? We were both hoping for the same thing.
It didnât take long to get to the room Aleena had picked for us. It wasnât a room we had been in before. It was small with a few chairs. Nothing fancy, just armchairs, a rug and a coffee table. It felt like a waiting room of sorts.
âSo, boys, tell me what is on your mind,â she said; she barely looked older than we did, but we knew she was; elfâs aged differently from us.
âOut with it, I know something is pressing on you, so letâs get talkingâ her sing-song voice didnât quite hold the carefree tone it used to.
My heart slammed into my chest; as soon as the words left my mouth, it was all in her hands, and it terrified us that she may not be able to help us; everything was riding on the idea that she would have an answer.
âOur brother Archer, heâs still not woken upâ, I started to tell her. But she held her hand up to stop us.
âheâs still not awake, but itâs been just over two weeks now, hasnât it!â she said more to herself than to us.
âYes, and he isnât showing any sign of waking any time soonâ, Aiden piped in.
âHas his situation changed? Does he seem any different?â she quizzed
âWell, not really, sometimes he looks like he is screwing his face up, but it doesnât last long,â I tell her.
âIs he cold to the touch?â
âYes, he is getting colder; werewolves are always warmer than humans, well, any race reallyâ, I mused âhe does seem to be cooling down though, now I think about it.â
Aleenaâs face twisted in thought as she mused over what we had told her. she was so interesting to watch; I wish we could get to know her better, but right now wasnât the time to learn about legendary races. We needed her expertise more than her friendship right now.
âRight, I think we better go and see your brother donât you,â she said with a sigh.
âMy stomach hadnât even settled yetâ, Aiden moaned but pushed himself up from the armchair he collapsed into. I donât think he will ever get used to travelling between realms, even if it was just in between or not.
âSorry young man, it does get easier the more you do it; letâs go before I change my mindâ Aleena shot them a nervous smile before leading the way again.