Chapter 72: All Fun and Games

AXEL

~Travel as much as you can, as far as you can, as long as you can. Life’s not meant to be lived in one place.~

The bond between us was weakening. I could sense it.

She’d used magic that made us question the level of trust bestowed onto her, and I felt like I didn’t know her as well as I should.

At this point in our mating bond, we should have been an unstoppable force. We should have known every inch of each other. And yet I got the sense that she was ready to leave the first chance she got.

Maybe it was just because she was a wanderer? She wasn’t exactly a normal witch. Maybe that’s what was confusing me.

I watched her from a distance as she and Reign spoke with my family. It bothered me that we always had to include them in every little thing, but I guess it was a sign of respect.

I mean, we were a close family, but sometimes it just got old that Pops had to know and had to have his final say on everything.

That’s why I decided to step out of the meeting. To be honest, I’d just had enough with it all.

Oftentimes I thought about just packing my things and leaving everything behind and starting again, but that would have meant going rogue, and that is never good.

I sighed heavily, still watching my sister and mate, allowing the sun to warm my face and the breeze to blow around my shoulders.

I thought we needed to get away for a while, get away from my family and their overbearingness. As much as I loved them, it was becoming stifling.

They had good intentions. Of that I was sure. But I needed to be away from them for a while.

~A long while.~

I watched Storm make her way toward me, her shoulders slumped and heavy.

They attacked her while I was taken. They abused and insulted her. They threw her in the cells when they didn’t understand her power.

How much more would she take from them before she snapped?

She kept her eyes on the ground, only speaking in response to whatever Reign was saying.

~That’s it. We’re leaving. Now.~

I stood up and walked briskly, meeting Storm and Reign halfway.

“Pack your bags,” I barked at her a little too harshly.

She looked up at me, hurt clear in her eyes. “What? Why?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Because we’re leaving.” I ignored Reign’s shocked expression as I marched past them toward my family.

“I’ve had enough of your bullshit, all of you!” I exploded at them, coming to a stop in front of them.

I didn’t give them time to interrupt as I ranted. “You attacked her and you abused her while she just tried to help!

“You threw her in the cells when she killed the men who murdered her family, as if you wouldn’t do the same if you came face-to-face with Keir! How much more do you expect her to tolerate from you?”

“But sweetie,” Mom began to interrupt me.

“Enough!” I bellowed at them. “We are leaving, and we will come back when we want to, not when you want us to, and don’t even think about stopping us!”

I pointed a finger at them, my face wild with rage.

They stood in silence, not really sure what to say probably.

I’d never spoken like that before in my life. I was always laid-back and always went with whatever. But something in me snapped, and I couldn’t take it anymore.

I’d never left the borders of my pack before Keir kidnapped me. Maybe that’s why my mate was a wanderer: because I needed to wander and actually put some miles onto my soul.

Mom opened her mouth to speak. I shot her a glare, and she shut her mouth, just nodding instead.

Without saying another word, I turned on my heels and stomped back up to our home, where Storm was packing her things.

Once I made it back to the house, she was standing sheepishly in the entranceway with one solitary suitcase by her feet. She smiled nervously as I approached her.

Grabbing her face, I planted a claiming kiss on her lips. She clutched my wrists in her hands as she leaned into the kiss.

“I’m sorry about everything,” I hushed out after we broke apart, resting my forehead on hers.

“Me too,” she replied.

We stood like that for a moment before I separated us, rushing to our room to pack some things. In a matter of minutes, I was back downstairs, where she was still waiting patiently for me.

“So where do you want to go first?” she asked with a shy grin.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Not really sure. How about you decide first?” I smiled back at her.

With a loud crack, a portal popped open behind us, very similar to the one we first leapt through as Keir attacked my parents’ home many, many months ago.

We held hands tightly as we grabbed our suitcases and made our way through the portal, it shutting quickly behind us.

I had no idea how long we would stay away from the pack for. Truth be told, I didn’t really care either. Was I considered a rogue now?

Or was I just traveling the world? This pack was still mine. It was still my home, still my family.

I just needed a break, to connect with my mate properly without my actual family butting their noses in every five seconds.

The thought of traveling the world with Storm, seeing the life she once lived before we met, excited me. Maybe if I was lucky, I’d learn some new magic myself on my travels.