Chapter 98: Chapter 98

Alpha On The Hunt Chapter 23 It is late by the time we return to the packhouse, just like Axton predicted. News of a possible Strigoi has caused city- wide panic. Families requesting to leave the city, and others wanting to hunt it down.

But exactly how do you catch a ghost when it could be anyone, people accusing their neigh- bors, their friends, their rivals? It was utter chaos, and I could tell Axton didn’t know how to cope with this added stress.

“I need to shower,” Axton mumbles. After helping me get the boys tucked into their crib, I watch him move toward the bathroom, locking himself in, and I sigh. Yet it makes me won- der how my father is coping with the chaos in our pack. While Axton is showering, I check in with my mother, video-calling her to ensure everything is okay back home.

She took the news of Alisha’s parents and Tieriny pretty hard, as expected. “When are you coming home?”

“Tomorrow afternoon, unless you need me back there now?” I tell her, and she shakes her head. “No, it won’t change anything. I really thought they left when the others did. And Tierney…”

“I’m sorry, mom,” I tell her, chewing my lip, and I hear Luke call out to her. She looks away from the screen for a second.

“I need to go. I will see you tomorrow night. Give the boys a kiss for me.”

“Love you.” I hang up the phone just as Axton comes out with his towel around his waist. Tension rolls off him in waves as he wanders into the walk-in closet and returns a few min-

utes later with some boxer shorts on.

“Couch or bed?” Axton asks me, and my brows furrow.

“The bed, but I forgot your poncho,” I tell him, and he half smiles.

“Damn it, we can build a pillow barrier then,” he chuckles, climbing into bed. I yawn before quickly ducking into the bathroom to change, having showered quickly before we left. Coming out, Axton is watching the news, a deep frown on his face.

“One of Osiris’s journalists accused me of being the Strigoi,” he laughs, shaking his head, and I look at the news anchor who is reporting knowing exactly whose pack she is a part of. I move toward the bed and tug the blankets back. Climbing into the bed beside him, I take the remote and shut the TV off.

“I expect to wake up with my blood still in my veins,” I tell him, and he chuckles.

“No promises,” he laughs before he tenses when I move, putting my head on his chest and arm across his waist.

“Ah….Elena? You’re voluntarily touching me?” he asks.

“Shut up. It’s the bond!”

“Sure it is.” He rolls, flipping me on my side and snuggling into my back as he slides his arm beneath my head.

“I was comfortable.” I snarl at him.

“Yeah, I don’t want a repeat of yesterday. These are my fa- vorite boxers!” He laughs, and I elbow him.

Axton grunts, tug- ging me closer, and his warm breath sweeps my neck as he presses closer.

“Stop fighting the bond.” He purrs behind me.

“Stop being an asshole, and I’ll think about it.” I chuckle.

“Deal. But I need to ask a favor first?” Axton says, making me look at him over my shoulder, and he sits up, rolling me onto my back. A line creases between his eyes, and a frown settles on his face before he sighs.

“You don’t want to merge packs or lose your packs,” he says, then glances away.

“You already know that. What do you want?” I ask him, slightly confused about where he is taking this conversation, and he looks back down at me.

“You heard my pack tonight. We are outmatched severely right now. Osiris wanted your father’s pack because it’s the second largest. You have an army behind you if you’d use it. That is why Osiris went after you. He knows the power you hold once you take over. At the restaurant, he was talking about challenging your father for your title, saying if we had control of your pack, we could better prepare the city.”

“But my father has been allowing access?” I ask him. Ax- ton shakes his head.

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“Kind of, He will only let his men patrol his borders, but you have 300 warriors more than any of the packs in this city, more than me.”

“But your pack is the strongest.”

“Yes, because all my pack members are trained, not just my men. But we are running double and some triple patrols. My pack is tired, and your father won’t help out. Osiris has his own agenda, and the other packs won’t fall in line while me and Osiris are at each other’s throats. They won’t step in until there is officially a clear display of sides.”

“So you want to challenge my father, in turn, challenge me?” I ask, and Axton shakes his head.

“No, and I don’t want you to, but-”

“You want me to take my title..”

“I can run your pack until it merges, but they won’t listen to me wholly. They’re loyal to your father.”

“But a change of power won’t make them either, Axton.”

“They will if you claim me.”

“That would make you their Alpha, giving you control over not only your pack but mine,” I growl. Axton sighs and drops his head to my shoulder.

“They’d still be yours,” he mumbles against my skin.

“Yeah, but only on paper.” I shake my head and he growls, lifting his head.

“Then you aren’t going to leave me much choice but to challenge your father and take your pack, Elena. I don’t want to do that, but right now, we need help. If the human govern- ments get involved, they will tear this city apart and dismantle the packs.” I sigh because it has been happening everywhere. As soon as a city turns into a problem, the government steps “I’m not marking you,” I growl at him.

Axton growls at me.

“You’ll have to eventually, anyway. What happens when you go into heat?” I shake my head.

“Not yet. Let me think about how to deal with that when it happens, but I..”

“Elena, we aren’t ready to challenge him yet? We’ve barely trained,” Lexa worries. My plan originally was to force him to submit, but I haven’t got enough evidence against him yet to make my father do that.

“We have no choice,” I tell her, and her mind instantly goes back to the night he nearly killed us, then the night we went to help mom and Luke.

“I’ll challenge him and temporarily hand the pack over to you,” I tell him, yet my mind is plagued with what if I lose?

“You won’t.” Axton suddenly says, picking up on my thoughts.

“But if I do, I lose everything all over again,” I whisper.

“You won’t,” he says positively, yet I felt sick just at the thought.

“Besides, even if you did somehow lose, he won’t beat the six-foot monster coming up behind you.”

Axton growls, his eyes flickering as Khan presses forward.

“Challenge him; worst-case scenario, I take your pack back for you. But I won’t have to. You’ll kick his dusty old ass.” Khan assures me, making me chuckle before he gives Axton back control.

“Set the challenge for your title; I’ll be right behind you. I know you don’t trust me, but you can trust I will be there to back you up if you need it.”

Sighing, I chew my lip when another thought occurs to me. “If I take my pack back, what is stopping Osiris from chal- lenging me once it’s official?”

Axton smiles, leaning down and brushing his lips against mine gently. “He won’t. If he challenges my mate, he chal- lenges me. It would be suicide, and he knows it. Your father he’ll challenge to steal the title out from under you before it becomes yours. Your father is old. Osiris knows he can beat him, but you?” Axton chuckles.

“He would want to have his funeral arrangements prepaid and his eulogy ready if he comes after my mate,” Axton growls before kissing me.

His lips move hesitantly against mine at first, gently like he fears I’ll shove him away, but when I kiss him back. He growls, delving his tongue between my lips and tangling his fingers in my hair.

Sparks rush everywhere, and my stomach clenches as heat invades me when I pull away, feeling him move, pressing his body between my legs.

“What’s wrong?” he groans.

“Are you forgetting something?” He looks at me question- ably.

“Poncho!” I hiss at him. He looks at me funny, then his eyes widen slightly, and he laughs.

“No, I haven’t forgotten, but your mind went to the gutter quickly. I was only kissing you.” He snickers, and my face heats.

Axton presses his forehead against mine. “Although blood never fazed me.” He chuckles, rocking his hips against me. His erection presses against me, and I growl at him, shov- ing him off.

“Fine, but come here and let me hug your butt!” He purrs, tugging me back against him.