Where We Are Together

Layla

I was striding down the hallway, my determination practically radiating off me. Where was he? Why hadn’t he shown up at the hospital like he was supposed to? I knew what had happened, I’d felt it, and yet he was avoiding me. What was his problem? I was itching to knock some sense into him.

I made my way into the main building where Axel usually held his meetings and planned out our territory’s affairs. If he wasn’t in the medical area, he had to be here. And sure enough, there he was, playing the macho man.

Acting foolish and probably bleeding all over the place like a complete idiot. A few people noticed me as I walked by, calling out greetings. I responded with a small wave.

It felt good to be accepted here. To not constantly be on the defensive. This was my home now, these were my people, and it made my wolf feel stronger. But right now, both she and I were furious. Furious at our mate and his knack for getting into trouble. I was quickly learning that I’d mated with a masochist.

I approached his office, inhaling deeply. Only Harper’s and Axel’s scents were present, so I barged in without knocking. My eyes were blazing as they met Axel’s dark ones, which showed no surprise at my intrusion. Harper just raised an eyebrow at me and smirked.

“Axel!” I called out. He looked at me with that infuriatingly calm expression as if nothing was wrong. Sometimes, I thought he wouldn’t even flinch if the room was on fire. My mate was unflappable, never backing down from anything.

He had nerves of steel, and I loved that I seemed to be the only one who could make him show a different side. But right now, he was just leaning against his desk, arms crossed, with a bright white bandage wrapped around his bicep.

“Why are you here and not in the medical area? You got shot again!” I snapped, feeling a surge of worry. He was always getting himself into dangerous situations. He wasn’t the kind of alpha who sat on the sidelines, and I was learning that the hard way.

“As you can see, I had it taken care of. The last of those opposing the takeover of North Pack is done. It wasn’t going to be easy, and you knew that,” Axel said calmly as I came over and touched his arm. I knew he’d been in a serious fight with multiple wolves who disputed his claim to the North territory. No one was willing to challenge him directly.

So, the remaining pockets of resistance had tried to fight us as a group. Axel had healed quickly but needed at least a week to fully recover from Nate’s attack. Even if he thought otherwise, I was frustrated that Axel wouldn’t just take it easy. Workaholic. Takes one to know one, I guess.

“That doesn’t make it okay for you to neglect your wounds,” I snapped, touching his arm and then the rest of him. He’d been in a fight with multiple wolves. Mauled. I glanced at Harper, who also had a few bandages. He just shrugged, clearly thinking it was no big deal.

Axel’s hand gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him. His gaze was even more intense, and I met it without blinking.

“Were you at the medical center working, Layla, helping others heal? You’re not supposed to be doing that.” Axel’s tone was dark. He kept his gaze on me and gestured for Harper to leave the room. Harper complied, speaking as he left.

“Red Coven will be here in ten,” he reminded Axel before closing the door, leaving us alone.

“If you can go get shot and hurt, I can help a little at the hospital. I’m not terminally ill, Axel,” I said, exasperated. His grip on my chin tightened when I tried to pull away. I glanced at the bandage on his arm, reaching up to touch it, to see if it needed healing.

“Don’t,” he warned, and my eyes snapped back to his. “You can’t be doing that, Layla. You made yourself sick, and if you don’t want me locking you up in the house for the next six months, then you keep your promise,”

“I wasn’t healing anything serious. Minor wounds, Axel, I did keep my promise. You said you weren’t going to go get crazy and risk your life like you have been, fighting all the battles,” I shot back, and he sighed. He leaned in and kissed me, a harsh, demanding pressure. After a moment, I gave in and returned the kiss. Axel slid his hand up into my hair.

“Sweetness, I promised to be more careful, and I was. I can’t let the rest fight the battles without me there. That’s what an alpha does,” he said, his lips brushing against mine. I could see the desire in his eyes for me. While I loved it and his reactions to me, I wasn’t going to let him distract me.

“And a luna nurtures and mends. I have my role too. I don’t like that you seem to not think caring for yourself and the wounds you get is serious,” I said, touching his face. He seemed to search my gaze and stood up straighter. He kissed me again, fiercely, his hands dropping to my sides before glancing down.

“You have more than a pack to look out for. I meant what I said, Layla, you and they will come first. If you faint again from overusing your ability, I will lock you in the house under guard twenty-four-seven until they are born. I’m not willing to risk it, I don’t like the thought of you at the hospital draining yourself, good cause or not,” Axel said, and I struggled to not roll my eyes. But the way he was looking down at my stomach and lightly touching me as if I were made of glass was kind of endearing. I didn’t tell him that though.

“We are fine, and I didn’t know then,” I said. “I am very good at monitoring myself now that I know,” I reminded him. As a healer, I used my body’s energy to heal others. But when you’re pregnant, your body is also using its energy to grow a life. In my case, two lives, and I hadn’t realized I was overdoing it with such simple things. Contrary to popular belief, we do have limits.

Axel, though, had reacted as if I’d been mortally wounded. When I came to, everyone was terrified. Even Harper was quiet and tense. For the next week, if I so much as sighed, there was a rush of people asking if I was okay, if I needed anything, if I wanted to go home. Even if it was just a sigh or a sneeze. Apparently, Axel had been a wreck while I was unconscious.

He’d taken me home and refused to let me leave. It took a lot of patience to get him to calm down. I had to remind myself of his insecurities and fears. He never showed them, so it was easy to see him as just an overbearing, controlling jerk. Not a man who was trying to work through things.

I made him talk to me, to say out loud how he was acting. I hadn’t been on death’s door. That did calm him down, but the compromise was that I had someone with me at all times for the next week.

Grace and I were becoming fast friends. I could see her being the sister that Ashley never was. Ashley had chosen to move to a different territory when Axel took control of North. Good riddance. I didn’t want anything to do with her. Where she went and what she did no longer mattered to me. I was done with her.

“You, Layla, are the one thing I struggle to control myself with. I’ll try to be better about letting you know how I am after these fights, okay? If you promise to let me know when you’ve been at the hospital all day and talk to me about it. I can’t change who I am, there are very few I care about. My heart is not like yours,” he said, leaning forward and kissing me softly. I practically melted.

Whenever he touched me gently, with such care, it turned me into putty in his hands. I noticed how he wrapped an arm around my lower back and pulled me closer. I loved that kissing him and pressing against him always felt like the first time. I didn’t care if that sounded silly.

“How I wish you came just a little sooner so I could enjoy you,” Axel said, and I gave him a small smile.

“I didn’t come here to elope with you, Axel. I came to make sure you were taking care of yourself,” I said, and he raised an eyebrow at me. There was a knock at the door, and we both looked over to see Harper peeking into the room.

“Red Coven’s leader is on his way in,” Harper informed us, but Axel’s nod prompted Harper to close the door once more. Then, Axel exhaled deeply, his grip on me loosening gradually. He watched me as I inspected his wound again; perhaps I’d manage to heal it a tad. Just a smidge, nothing too significant. It was already healing nicely on its own, a clean bullet hole through his arm.

“Thank you, Layla,” he murmured, his sigh heavier this time, acknowledging my small act of healing. I offered him a half-hearted smile in return. I knew I had to leave, aware of his impending meeting and the Red Coven leader’s notorious reputation for being a jerk to women. It was best to make myself scarce. As I turned to leave, I felt his hand encircle my wrist, causing me to pause. I glanced down at his hand, then back up at him, my arm stretched out from the step I had taken.

“Do you understand what you mean to me?” Axel asked, his eyes revealing a rare vulnerability. It was a moment where he let his guard down, just for me, and it made my heart flutter. I turned back, took a step toward him, and planted a firm kiss on his lips.

“Of course, I do. You can express your love for me later when we’re truly alone. I promise it’ll be worth your while,” I replied, yearning for my mate. A slow smile spread across his face, his eyes smoldering once again.

I moved swiftly, escaping his grasp before he could pull me back. I could feel his gaze on me all the way to the door, and I knew he’d come looking for me as soon as he could. The thought thrilled me. I hoped he’d spend the entire meeting thinking about me.

As I stepped into the hallway, I left the door slightly ajar and found Harper and Grace engaged in a hushed conversation. I overheard Grace ask him something, her expression filled with concern. I could barely make out their words. I noticed Harper retract his phone from Grace’s view.

“Did you speak to her?” Grace inquired, but Harper’s attention was on me, ignoring Grace’s question. Grace’s lips tightened in response.

“Perfect timing, your escort is here too. Didn’t realize you’d left her behind,” Harper commented, earning a raised eyebrow from me. I shook my head at him.

Down the corridor, I spotted a pair of vampires approaching us. A chill ran down my spine, their presence unsettling. Grace and I knew it was our cue to exit as Harper moved forward to welcome them into Axel’s study.

“You’re a better babysitter,” I retorted, earning a fleeting smile from Harper. Grace and I made our way down the hallway.

“What were you discussing with Harper?” I asked, to which Grace simply rolled her eyes.

“Just wishing my brother would get his act together and find a decent woman to mate with. I never imagined Axel would beat Harper to it,” Grace confessed, her laughter echoing in the hallway.

“Well, to be fair, we are true mates, so the choice was a bit different,” I pointed out, sharing a genuine smile with her. As we left, chatting and laughing, I was once again struck by how right everything felt in my life.

The joy of having a man who loved me for who I was, and who desired the family we were going to create. The comfort of having friends and a place that made me feel like I was making a difference.

It’s not every day that you experience this feeling, where all the pieces of the puzzle just seem to fit together. I was experiencing that right now, and it was worth everything I had endured to get here. There was nothing more I could ask for, this was the perfect place for my happy ending.

^End of Book 1^