Chapter 17

Two updates in one day? Well, why not?

Leila's pov

I hang back after the training and when there's just me and Axel left he moves towards me, I can't stop a smile from slipping out and for unexplained reasons I just want to move closer. And when he actually smiles back he looks so damn handsome I almost giggle out loud. Goddess Leila, stop acting like a teenybopper with a crush.

I luckily manage to snap out of it and not make a fool of myself,  my voice comes out normal and even, "Ready for a little chat?"

He nods his head, "Yeah, I think it's about time, let's go down to the river." He starts moving towards the river at a slow pace, and he seems to be thinking about something cause he doesn't talk and seems preoccupied. When we arrive at our destination he snaps out of his thoughts and almost seems surprised that we're here. I would love to know what's going on in his head.

I stay quiet and give him some time to gather his thoughts, I just take in the sights. It's a beautiful spot. We're at a place where the river forms a little pond with a small waterfall, the sun is shining through the branches of the trees onto the water making it gleam and sparkle. It's like taken out of a fairytale and I half expect pixies to be flying around.

But even though the place is beautiful I am quickly losing my patience, "Are you going to say anything? Maybe give me a clue as to why you one moment seem to hate my guts only to turn around and give me sweet smiles and heated stares, cause you are about to give me severe whiplash with your mood swings."

He doesn't say anything, he just stares at me, seemingly having an internal discussion about what to say. Just when I'm about to say something rude he opens his mouth, "I don't hate you, far from it." He almost looks pained, "At first when I met you I have to admit that I wanted to hate you, I wanted to stay away from you, I wanted to, hell I did, curse the Goddess for bringing you into my life." Ok, cursing the Goddess seems a bit extreme, let's not go blaming innocent bystanders.

Now that he's finally talking he can't seem to stop, "Do you have any idea how long I have hated tigers? I hated your kind with an intense fury, I wanted you all gone from this world!" Holy shit, his words are slamming into me with such force I want to crumble to the ground in the fetal position.

"Do you have any idea, how hard it is for me to be around you and not touch you, not pull you to me and feel every inch of your body, sinking into you and make us one?"

I take a tentative step away from him, I can practically feel the intense feelings bouncing off his body, hitting me full force, "Ahhm, maybe you should calm down a little, I really have no idea what you're talking about, and why the hell you seem to blame me for whatever weirdness is going on in that fucked up head of yours. I never did anything that should inspire the kind of feeling you are describing."

He steps after me, "Yes, you did, you are the reason I feel this way, you are the only person that can ever make me feel this way!" He's shaking with emotions at this point, and even though I know for a fact that I can take him if he decides to attack me I'm starting to feel more than a little uneasy.

He's standing so close to me that I can feel the heat emanating from his body, I can feel the tremors and his breath is fanning my face, and for some reason I can't even begin to explain, I want to touch him. I have to hold back from putting my arms around him and try to comfort him. But I do hold back. Cause no matter how much I want to, giving the scary maniac who's screaming nonsensical words at me a hug seems like a bit of a suicide mission.

Both his hands suddenly shoots out and he grabs hold of my upper arms, those tingles return the moment his hands make contact with the bare skin and the effect is immediate, I can feel myself relax in his hold and I can both see and feel him calm down too. His breathing slows down, and so does his heartbeat. His eyes are fixed on mine, and they darken as he seems to be moving closer, it's only when he's inches away that I realize that he really is moving closer.

Then I can feel his lips ghosting over mine, they hardly touch me but the sparks fly and I feel butterflies in my stomach, my skin tingles and my brain almost short circuit. Once more I can feel his lips, this time he applies a little more pressure, and I can feel how soft they are, how good they taste. I have felt plenty of lips on mine, but none have felt like this. They feel like they should be there, like they were made to be pressed against mine. My eyes close and with a groan he puts his arms around my waist, pulling me close to his body. My arms wrap around his shoulders, I stroke my hands up the back of his neck and push my fingers into his hair, pushing him even closer to me. Our lips move together in perfect synchronization and I feel his tongue trace my bottom lip, his teeth nibbling on it begging for me to open my mouth. But suddenly I sober, what the hell is going on? Why am I kissing the guy whos been treating me like crap the past two weeks?

With a gasp I pull back, pushing him away at the same time. He's not expecting it, so he stumbles back and almost falls, his eyes are still closed. "What the hell is going on Axel, why are you kissing me?" My words come out weak and breathy.

He opens his eyes, and they are a glowing yellow, "You are not talking to Axel right now my precious, I am Arlo, his wolf." The smile on his face is so happy and his expression is so loving it makes me gasp a second time.

"Ok, Arlo, maybe you can give a clear answer then? What is going on? And what is up with the 'precious'?" I feel so confused I have no idea how to behave, I can only hope his wolf makes more sense than the human.

"Of course I will give you an answer, it is long overdue. And I call you precious because that is what you are to us, you are the most precious being in the world to us. You are our reason to breath, to exist. You, my beautiful, precious Leila, are ours as we are yours, you are our mate."

It takes me few moment for his words to sink in, and when they do I feel mad, no I'm furious! And he's just standing there looking at me with a moronic smile on his stupid, moron face. "What the hell are you talking about? If we are mates how could you treat me the way you did? Like I was dirt under your shoes that you wanted to scrape off?" His smile falters at my words, "Did you expect me to go 'oh, we are mates, forget the past and come here and love me'?" There's no smile left at this point, "Well fuck that, and fuck you!"

He steps towards me his hands up in a pleading gesture, "Please Leila, please let me explain! I have loved you since the moment I first saw you, and I believe Axel did too, but our past experiences with tigers have been heartbreaking and it lead us to have a difficult time accepting that a tiger can be a good person. It was especially hard for Axel because the human doesn't feel the bond directly, they feel it through their wolf and it's a little easier for them to ignore it. But he loves you, as do I. I am begging you Leila, please except us, we need you!"

"So Axel only wants me because his wolf is forcing him, and you are graciously looking past my species? Is that what you're saying?" I feel so mad I feel like punching something, so that's what I do. Just as Axel or Arlo or whoever the hell he is, moves closer and opens his mouth for one more so called explanation I pull my arm back and slam it back into his face, and I'm not holding back. I hit him square in the nose and hear a satisfying crunching sound telling me I broke his nose in the process.

"Go find yourself another mate, cause I will never be yours!" And with those words I stalk off leaving him on the forest floor with a look of pure terror and heartbreak on his face, shit that face is going to be haunting my dreams for years to come.

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Yikes, that didn't go Axels way, did it?

Do you think she should have exepted him?

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