Chapter 12

Rogue in the picture.

Axel pov

That asshole Lewis keeps staring at her! Ok, so Lewis isn't really an asshole, but he keeps staring at her. Asshole!

When she joins him on the blanket and strips down to her bikini I can see the lust filled stare he gives her, and when she proceeds to sit next to him touching him I cant hold back a growl. Don't get me wrong, I don't want her, but I don't want anyone else to have her either. Maybe that makes me the asshole? Leila looks around when she hears the growl and as she understands it's me I send her a hard look.

Lewis is looking at me too so I decide to scare him a little, "whatever body part of yours that touches that tiger I will cut off and shove up your ass!" He goes rigid and mutters something to her and runs off, making me laugh silently, that should show you not to touch my woman.

What the hell? My woman? She is not my woman. "She is though," Arlo interjects, "we will eventually succumb to the mate bond, its happening already." "Shut up Arlo! I will never love that beast!" I tell him. "She is our mate, and even though I hate tigers as well I will die without her. I will let you feel sorry for your self for a little while, but you will see it my way soon." I can hear him snickering as he retreats to the back of my mind again.

The conversation I have with Arlo distracts me and when I turn my attention back to where Leila was sitting she is gone, I scan the area and I see her and the Luna climbing up the cliff. I love jumping off that thing and I know its perfectly safe, but for some reason I feel worried watching them shoot off the edge hand in hand.

They both hit the water with a big splash and stay down for a little while, then suddenly they both burst above the surface. They have both shifted and their tigers are play fighting in the water, it looks pretty damn serious, but the sounds seem happy enough. I remember seeing a documentary once about tigers, and I think they said that tigers love water, it seems to be true. I'm not the only one watching them play, everyone is watching with smiles on their faces, I guess if you don't know the true nature of tigers they look cute and innocent like this. But I know better.

As they both come out of the water they shake their fur and I feel water droplets shower over me, but what gets me mad is the fact that they shift back. She is standing naked right in front of the hungry eyes of the men here, and I feel Arlo peak back in, he grabs a towel and walks over to her and tosses it to her, "for fucks sake woman, cover your self!" He's more than a little mad that others are watching his mate naked, and I'm not exactly thrilled either.

I need to distract my self before I do something I will regret, so I walk up to Emmely, she is always willing to give me some distraction. I wrap an arm around her and lean in close, "what do you say we go someplace and enjoy nature?" She blushes and immediately agrees, so I take her with me to the woods.

As soon as were out of view I grab her and push her back against a tree, I capture her lips in a heated kiss. She melts against me grabbing hold of my shirt and groans into my mouth, I plunge my tongue into her mouth and deepen the kiss. But there's something missing, mini Axel is not coming out to play, that never happens. "You can be disgusting and kiss other women if you want, but I will never let you fuck another woman beside our mate" Arlo is mad, great! I grind my pelvis against Emmelys stomach, but still nothing is happening. "I told you, it's not gonna happen!" "Arlo, stop being a nagging bitch!" I'm met with silence.

"Whats going on baby? Are you feeling alright?" Emmely is pretty confused, and who can blame her? At this point I'm always hard as a rock and ready to go.

"I'm fine babe, I just need a little bit more encouragement."

She smiles at me and with a naughty look she drops to her knees and reaches for my pants, unbuttoning them and pulling down the zipper. "Don't worry, I will take great care of you," she tells me in her sweet voice. She pulls out my still flaccid dick and puts it in her mouth, she sucks, licks, hums, rubs and bobs but nothing happens, not even a twitch.

With a groan I push her carefully away from me, "I'm sorry, but this isn't happening today," and for some weird reason I feel almost relieved.

"That's too bad. Are you going to tell me whats going on? I know we usually just fuck, but I can listen if you need me to." She's a sweet girl, and I know that, but I can't talk to anyone about this. She's a wolf, she will never understand why I'm not announcing to the world that I found my mate, and she will be pissed as hell about me going to her when I have a mate.

"No thank you, I just have a lot on my mind today," I start walking back to the others with her trailing behind me.

I take a seat little ways away from the others where I can watch everyone, and not be bothered. I feel my eyes going back to Leila time after time and she seems to be enjoying her self, she's talking and laughing with the others. As I sit there watching her unwanted thoughts keep popping into my mind. She really is beautiful, maybe all tigers aren't bad, maybe I could accept her? The thoughts piss me off, and I know they're not entirely mine, Arlo is feeding some to me and I know that.

As the night goes on she keeps catching me watching her, and suddenly a spark of determination lights up her eyes, she gets up and walks my way. Arlo is telling me to take her into my arms, to touch her and let us both feel the physical mate bond, but I fight back. She stops right in front of me with a furious look in those beautiful green eyes.

"You have an annoying staring habit, what is your problem? Are you really so sure that I'm gonna hurt someone that you have to keep an eye on me at all times?" I just keep staring at her, she looks pissed, "what the hell man? At least answer me!"

I stand up and look down at her, "take her into your arms, kiss her, keep her forever" Goddess, Arlo is such a nagger!

I can't stop myself from yelling back, "my problem is you, you show up here and expect us to welcome you with open arms, but I know what you are. I know what tigers are capable of, and I will never accept you!" It hurts to say it, Arlo tries to get out and the whine he makes breaks through a little.

I can see the hurt flash in her eyes, but her answer is quick and direct, "well fuck you Mr head warrior, you may think you are so much better than me but you're not. I never asked you to accept me and I don't give a shit if you do or not, you stay away from me and I will stay away from you!" This is torture, I hurt her, and I'm not even sure if the regret and loathing are coming from Arlo or me.

After that she storms off into the woods. The Alpha and the Luna step up to me, and the Luna looks pissed as hell.

"What was that?" Shit the Alpha is mad, "I told you to get to know her, I told her to treat her better. Was that treating her better? What the hell is going on? This is not you Axel!" I bow my head at the power in his tone.

Now the Luna chimes in, "Leila is a nice person unlike you, you dick! She never did anything to be treated this way! I am trying my best to get to know everyone in this pack and be nice while doing it, but you are making me want to shift and tear your head off!" Wow, I guess the Luna isn't quite as docile as I first assumed.

"I apologize Luna, I will apologize the next time I see her." I bow my head and hope that's enough to calm him down, it's not like I actually have any intention of apologizing, but I hope he believes me.

Alpha Anders shoots me a questioning look as they both walk away, and I know he is starting to suspect that there's something bigger behind my behavior than just hate of tigers, but I highly doubt he could ever guess the truth.

After being yelled at by both the Alpha, the Luna and Leila I decide its about time for me to wrap up so I shift and head back home at a leisurely pace. I cross Leilas scent, so I know the direction she went in, but that is none of my business and I keep moving back.

But after a little time I start to get a strange feeling, I feel like something is wrong, my chest tightens and my heart beat accelerate, "something is wrong with our mate!" Arlo yells out, "find her, now!" Pure dread fills me, and I run as fast as I can to the place where I last smelled her, and I started tracking. It takes me about 20 minutes but suddenly I heard sounds I have heard before, growling, whimpers and painful yelling. The smell of rouges hit my nose, and the scent of my mate and her blood. As I step through the trees I see 6 dead wolves on the ground, they have been torn apart, but Leila is still surrounded by 4 more wolves. She is bleeding and tired, but she is standing strong, roaring and swiping left and right.

As I see a wolf managing to jump on her back and sink his teeth into her shoulder I see red, I jump after the wolf, I grab hold of his hind leg and tear it straight off, he howls in pain and lets go of Leila, she takes the opportunity to grab hold of his head and with a sickening crunch she breaks his skull and drops him to the ground. My Goddess what a fighter she is, no wolf I know of could have survived this attack. I have to reluctantly say she might even be a better fighter than me. MIGHT! She might be.

One more rogue attacks, but I easily grab hold of his neck and sink my teeth in, in yank harshly and soon he's gargling on the ground while I still have his windpipe in my mouth. The 2 wolves that are left loose their courage and turn tail, I mindlink the warriors on patrol, "there are two rogues in the woods 2 miles south of the river, find them and kill them. And later we will have a serious talk about how you let no less than 10 rogues through the borders, and let them get close to the pack house!" I'm so mad I can feel myself shaking, their incompetence could have cost lives. It got Leila hurt!

I turn to look at Leila, her tiger is shaking and stumbling, and she's bleeding profusely from several wounds. Suddenly she shifts and sways a little before tumbling to the ground, without thinking I shift as well and run to her lifting her upper body into my lap.

Where her skin touches mine tingles dances across the surface, leaving goosebumps. Leila is barely conscious, but she opens her eyes and looks at me and mumbles, "great, I was saved by the asshole," then she passes out.

I lift her into my arms and start walking towards the pack hospital, her heartbeat and breathing are steady, but she needs to get her wounds dressed and get checked for broken bones.

"How am I supposed to stay away from you now that I have touched you? Now that I know how good you feel in my arms?" I whisper to her as I walk.

I'm screwed!

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I made a small change to chapter 10 to fit this one better.

Are we finally getting somewhere with Axel and Leila? Fingers crossed!

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