CHAPTER FIVE

 

 

“Come on, princess. Rise and shine.” Axel slapped my bare ass. Hard. I screeched, rolled over, and glared at him. He grinned back. “We should get on the road.”

I groaned. “I hate you.”

His grin widened. “I hate you, too.”

I rubbed my eyes and sat up in bed, the sheet pooling around my waist. “What happened to middle of the night sex?”

He shrugged. “Guess you slept through it. We should get packing, though, if we're going to get back to Mule Creek before dark.”

A wave of sadness washed over me. I'd been doing a decent job not thinking about leaving LA forever, about the end of my career, but Axel was all chipper and happy, and it was beyond obnoxious. “What's the rush?”

He glanced over my shoulder at the wall, avoiding my eyes, a sure sign he was about to feed me a bullshit line and one more reason I couldn't trust or get too close to him. Not that I wanted to, anyway. “Why stay here?” he asked. “There's nothing left here for you.” He turned away from me as he said the words, nonchalant. It wasn't his life being trashed.

I jumped out of bed, naked, and shoved him. He flew through the open bedroom doorway and landed face-down on the hallway floor. I looked at my hand. It didn't look any different, but wow…Just wow. I mean I knew I could punch through a tree, but I'd been putting all my strength into it. Had I gotten stronger over night?

While I was contemplating that, Axel charged back through the doorway and tackled me to the bed. He straddled my hips and pinned my wrists over my head, both in one of his obnoxiously large hands. “What the hell was that for?”

He had the start of a knot swelling on his forehead and I felt a teensy bit bad. I hadn't wanted to hurt him. “You were being bossy.”

“I was being rational,” he said. “I know it's not a concept you're familiar with.”

“Fuck you. Forgive me if I'm a tiny bit emotional about leaving the city I love, the career I adore, and my very best friend to go live in the middle of fucking nowhere with a bossy, insensitive, asshole alpha.”

He bent his head and licked my cheek. He licked one side and then the other, licking away my tears.

“That is disgusting,” I said. “You are disgusting.” I was lying through my teeth. There was something incredibly sweet about the gesture, in a bizarre wolfy way that I apparently now liked, but I'd be damned if I admitted it to him.

He leaned back and pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his hard body and tanned skin. He dropped back down and pressed his bare chest to my bare chest. It was comforting and I hated it. “If you need more time to tie up loose ends and say goodbye, we can take an extra day, but I really do need to get back to the pack.”

There was nothing I needed to do. Shelly was the only one who even knew I was back in LA. My coaches didn't expect me to return to my fighting career. No one would miss me, and that made me even sadder. Axel wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tight, like he could sense my sadness. It felt good. It felt better than just about anything I'd ever felt before. Possibly better than sex. I had to make it stop, had to remind Axel there was nothing between us.

I lifted my head and nipped his bottom lip. He glared at me, like he knew what I was up to, but when I kissed him, he kissed me back. When I pushed at him, he lifted his body and let me take off his pants. When I slid down the bed, took him in my mouth, and swirled my tongue around his shaft, he didn't stop me. He held himself up over me and stayed perfectly still, letting me take the lead. He was not silent, though, and the sounds he made, deep groans and growls, turned me on as much as what I was doing to him. It was so sexy to hear and feel him losing control. And then he did lose control thrusting a bit as he climaxed. I crawled back up his body and grinned at him, feeling quite proud of myself.

He was panting, his arms shaking as he held himself up, but he recovered quickly. He slid down my body and returned the favor in such a complete way that he was ready to go again by the time I'd gone over the edge. He slid into me and it felt so good, so right, I almost pushed him away just out of habit. I'd started this sexapade to escape intimacy, but I somehow felt closer to him instead.

He paused, sensing my discomfort and it hurt, it physically hurt, to consider not finishing what we'd started. It was too late, I was hooked on him. “Don't you dare stop.”

He didn't move. He studied my face and…Was he sniffing the air? He bent and kissed me until I forgot what I'd been so worried about and only then did he move inside me again. He brought me to climax, but he pulled out before he reached his own release. I thought something was wrong, but he put his hands on my hips and urged me to flip over. I was up for anything at that point, so I rolled over onto all fours. This time, he entered me fast and hard and he hit that magic spot that sent pleasure coursing through me. I pushed back against him as he pounded into me, and it felt so good I thought I was going to go blind from pleasure.

He roared as he reached his climax and the sound, the knowledge of his pleasure, sent me flying over the edge again. I dropped flat to the mattress and he dropped down next to me.

“We can leave today,” I said, once I'd caught my breath. It really didn't make sense to draw out my leaving. “But we can't do this anymore. Once we're back with the pack, we need to be totally platonic. I don't want anyone getting any ideas about us.” When I said anyone, I meant me, because I was having ideas and I didn't like them.

“Of course,” he said. “I appreciate your willingness to leave today.”

He sounded not the least bit disappointed that he wouldn't be having sex with me again. His response did not annoy me. Not even a little bit. It was good we were on the same page.

We got up. I showered while he made breakfast, and he left to trade his sports car for a truck while I packed.

He returned an hour later, his eyes a bit wild. “I think we've got a problem,” he said, slamming the door behind him as though the hounds of hell were on his tail.

“What's the problem?”

“There was a small crowd outside the hotel when I left. When I got back, there were more of them. People with cameras. They followed me into the garage and two of them tried to follow me onto the elevator. They were asking about your injuries.”

I dropped my head into my hands. I wasn't a huge celebrity by any means. I was a fighter, but I'd also had a cameo in a movie and been in the music video of a hugely popular pop star. I'd also been in a few commercials. People recognized me, but I didn't typically have to worry about reporters or paparazzi. They were usually after bigger stars.

I grabbed my phone from the dining room table where I'd left it. I hit the Internet and typed in my name. “Aw, shit.” They had pictures of me in the club, dancing, both of my arms bare of casts with a caption asking about my injury. They were suggesting I'd faked my injury? What the hell? Had they even watched the fight? I threw the phone down in disgust and frustration. Damn it, not only was my career over, now my reputation was shot.

Axel grabbed my phone and started scrolling through it, his brow creased. “Uh, sweetheart—”

“I'm not your fucking sweetheart.”

“Clearly, but this guy thinks you're his.”

He passed the phone over and I saw a picture of me in my underwear in a bathroom stall. “Mother fucker.”

“Not to judge, but how the fuck did he get that picture?”

Axel's jaw was tensed so tight I could barely understand him. Somehow it made me feel a tiny bit better that he was more pissed than I was. “I was trying to get in the mood. I may have closed my eyes.” I looked at the picture again, yep, my eyes were closed.

Strong arms wrapped around my waist. “Were you picturing me, sweetheart?”

“So not the time for this.” I elbowed him in the gut. He chuckled like I hadn't hurt him at all, but he let me go. I scrolled past the picture to skim the article. “Super human strength…Aggressive…Tried to…What? He's saying I tried to kill him? Does he know who I am? If I'd wanted him dead, he'd be dead.”

“Pretty sure he knew who you were, sweetheart. That's why he took the picture.”

“Argh. Stop calling me sweetheart.”

He grabbed the phone from my hand and scrolled. “They got pictures of me leaving with you.” There was a smug satisfaction in his voice.

“Of course, they did,” I said, my teeth clenched now. “That's how they knew to follow you.”

He nodded, still scrolling. “Damn, this is a great picture of the two of us. If I copy it, can I save it to your phone?”

I ripped the phone from his hands and threw it on the couch. “Will you focus?”

He wasn't looking at me. He walked to the window and looked down at the paps. “Maybe we should give them what they want. We can walk around the city together, looking all cute, and make it clear you belong to me.”

I stared at him in disbelief. What the hell was wrong with him? I chucked a throw pillow at him and hit him in the back of the head. He spun to face me, grinning like a kid at the carnival. “Good idea, right?”

I shook my head. “Clearly sex has affected your brain and you're of no use to me. Go sit in the corner while the adults plan a way out of this mess.”

He turned back to the window and waved to the paps, who were probably taking his picture. I marched over there, pulled the curtains closed and shoved him toward the corner. He must have expected it, because he'd planted his feet and didn't move at all.

His frown dropped when a buzzing sounded from his pants. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and groaned. “Darius,” he said, phone to his ear.

He rolled his eyes, grabbed my waist and pulled me tight against his side. “I have her right here with me and I can guarantee she's not going to do—”

He paused, listening. I struggled against his grip, but he held me tight. “Yeah, in hindsight going out to the club was a mistake, but the gossip rags just think she faked her injury. No one believes she actually healed.” He paused again and slid his hand under the waistband of my pants onto my bare ass. I kicked him hard in the shin and he let me go, wincing. “It's under control, Darius. We're going back to Mule Creek today. Julie's dealt with reporters before, she knows how to dodge them.” He paused, drumming his fingers against his thigh. “Talk to Julie? She's in the shower right now, but I can have her call you when she's out — No? Okay. I'll give you a ring when we're back in Mule Creek…Yeah, man…Bye.”

Axel hung up and shook his head. “That man is higher strung than a chihuahua on crack.” He dropped onto the couch and faced me. “Want to come over here and sit on my lap?”

He looked so good, his legs spread wide, the bulge in his pants at full attention, I was tempted, but sex was how we'd gotten into all this trouble in the first place. “Talking to Darius turned you on?”

He frowned, dropped his arms, and crossed them over his chest. “Bad mood, sweetheart?”

Gah, as soon as we got out of this mess, I was going to hog tie him, cover him in honey, and put him on top of an ant hill. “We need a plan. A way to get out of here without being spotted, because they will follow us all the way back to Mule Creek, and I've got no good ideas about how to lose them.”

He shrugged. “We'll just go out the back way. You finish packing, and I'll keep an eye on the gossip sites.”

I rolled my eyes. “They know all the back ways, genius. We need a real plan.”

“Don't you have a standard procedure for this sort of thing?”

“Uh-huh,” I said, slowly, like I was talking to a baby. “I call my agent and she sends a car to get me away. Except I'm usually just trying to get to a different place in the city, I'm not trying to escape my own home and run away to a hick town where I'll never be seen again.”

Axel frowned and I could see it was finally sinking in just how trapped we were. “Maybe we should fake your death. That way we could be sure they'd never find you.”

I widened my eyes and tilted my head to the side. “You're so cute. It's like you were raised by conspiracy theorists or screenwriters.”

He grinned. “You think I'm cute?”

His crazy must have been contagious, because I almost smiled. “I think we need an actual plan, and you are useless.”

I grabbed my phone from the couch and dodged his gropey hands, biting my lip not to smile at his antics. Leave it to him to make me smile when we were in shit up to our necks. I dialed Shelly. “You seen the gossip news?” I asked as soon as she answered.

“Nope,” she said. “I'm sort of working.”

Just one more reason I loved Shelly. She could be in the middle of giving a massage and she'd answer when I called. Bad for her business, probably, but great for me. “We're surrounded by paparazzi and I need a way out that they can't follow. I'm moving to Mule Creek with Axel.”

She was dead silent for several long minutes. “Will I be able to visit you there?”

I looked over at Axel and he nodded. Had he heard that all the way over there? “Just her,” he said. “Not the wife.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Of course.” I'd negotiate the wife.

“Okay. The paparazzi know I'm your best friend, so if I show up it will draw suspicion…Let me make a few phone calls. You get ready to go.”

“I'll be ready.” I'd be ready, but I'd have to leave behind pretty much everything I owned. There was no way we'd get moving boxes past the paparazzi.

I hung up and started pacing. “Did she have an idea?” Axel asked.

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Then you should probably finish packing.”

I stopped and looked at him. “I'm packed.” I pointed out the suitcase that was already next to the door. It had my laptop, warm clothes, and toiletries in it. It was all I could reasonably take.

Axel eyed the bag and sobered. “I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know this must be hard for you.”

I ignored him and his unreasonable empathy and went back to pacing. I was halfway through my fifteenth lap when Axel grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap. He wrapped his arms tight around me and it felt so good that I didn't have the energy to fight him.

 

***

 

Shelly called me half an hour later. “A man in a dark cap will knock on your door in two minutes. You can trust him. Go with him and do whatever he says.”

I smiled at her serious tone. “Ten-four. The eagle has landed.”

“What?”

“We'll go with him. Thanks, Shelly. I love you.”

“Love you, too, babe. I'll miss your stubborn ass.”

I hung up and spun on Axel's lap to tell him what she said. “I heard,” he said. “Werewolf hearing. Yours will get stronger every time you shift.”

A knock sounded at the door. Axel stood with me in his arms and set me on my feet. I opened the door to a teenager in a dark cap and a t-shirt with the logo of the local flower shop. “Are you old enough to drive?”

He smirked with way too much attitude, even for a punk kid. “I'm saving your ass, aren't I?”

Behind me, Axel chuckled.

“Let's go,” I said, fighting a smile. I grabbed my suitcase and followed the kid. I didn't even fight too much when Axel entwined his fingers with mine and held on tight.

The kid led us to a freight elevator. “This is the way I come up when I make flower deliveries,” he said.

I followed him onto the elevator. “How do you know Shelly?”

“She orders a shit-ton of flowers for her spa and her wife. I see her all the time. She's good people.”

“What's the plan?” I asked as the elevator doors slid open to reveal a delivery van parked directly in front of us, the back doors open.

“I'm getting you to the nearest car rental joint. That's what Shelly said.”

I looked at Axel to see if he had a better plan, but he shook his head. “Okay, then,” I said. “Let's go.”

Axel and I climbed into the back of the delivery van and sat on the cold metal floor. It smelled like flowers and stale water and had no windows. “Stay as far back as you can,” the kid said. “In case they can see in through the front windows.”

He slammed the door shut and, a moment later, got into the driver's seat. “Hold on tight,” he said, grinning back at us.

There was nothing to hold onto, but Axel wrapped an arm around my shoulders like he could hold me in place. The kid started the engine and ripped out of there so fast we both went sliding to the other side of the van. “Hey,” I shouted at him. “Drive like you always do or they'll get—”

But it was too late, he'd already pulled out onto the street, likely drawing the attention of every pap within a two-block radius. Axel and I slid to the other side of the van and then against the back doors as he floored it.

“This was a better idea than faking your death?” Axel asked, pulling me tight against him like he could protect me from the idiot driving the delivery van from hell.

“Still do,” I said as we slid back to the other side of the van.

Luckily, there was a rental car place just a couple miles from my condo. The kid let us out of the van and rushed off without a word of apology for his insane driving. Axel and I looked around and didn't see any paparazzi, so we hurried inside. I rented a sensible, basic truck - I'd have to ask Shelly to sell my car — and we left LA as fast as we could.

On the way out of the city, Axel called the rental company he'd used and told them where to pick up the truck he'd gotten for my move that was no longer happening. That done, he leaned back in the seat and started fiddling with the radio dial. I didn't complain, since we'd already established that we liked the same music. And we rode to Colorado in relative peace, only stopping three times to eat and making it back to Mule Creek just as the sun rose on a new day. My butt was sore, my stomach was growling, and I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open by the time we rolled into town. Axel and I had taken turns driving, but it had been a long drive and I was beat.

I hit the blinker to turn onto Krista's road. “Keep straight,” Axel said. “You can't stay with Krista while she's under house arrest.”

My stomach sank. Was I homeless now, too? “Where can I stay? Is there a hotel around here?”

He snorted. “You can stay with me until you get your own place.”

“With you?” My heart picked up speed with something like panic. “That seems like a really bad idea. Surely there's someone looking for a roommate or a couch mate or something.”

“This is a small town. Most all the rooms are full and no one here knows you, they wouldn't want a stranger in their space.”

“What about Clarissa?” I asked. “She knows me, sort of. Does she have room?”

“Not unless you like sleeping in the bathtub. Here, turn left. Plus, Clarissa keeps odd hours and she's…Well, you don't want to live with her. Just come home with me and we'll find you a place to live as soon as we can.”

I felt sure I was missing something, but I was exhausted. We'd figure it out later. “Fine.”

“Here,” he said a few moments later. “Pull into this driveway.”

I pulled in and gazed up at the small log cabin. It didn't look much bigger than my condo. “This is the alpha's digs?”

“Don't need much,” he said. “It suits me.”

He got out and grabbed my suitcase from the trunk in the same time it took me to work my stiff body out of the driver's seat, stand, and stretch. “Come on in,” he said. He grabbed my hand, but I jerked it away. This all felt like too much. I was in his town and I was about to be in his house. It felt like a relationship and I didn't do relationships with big, gruff mountain men. Axel and I might be sexually compatible, but that's all it was. I would stay in Mule Creek until I got my wolf under control and then I'd move on. Until then, I needed some space.

He led the way into his house and it wasn't any bigger on the inside than it had looked on the outside. There was a decent-sized kitchen with an island, but no dining room table or couch, just a king-sized bed and a big-screen T.V. “Um,” I said, looking around. “Where am I going to sleep?”

He gestured to the bed. “There's plenty of room for both of us. You ready for bed now or do you want to eat first?”

“Food first. You got anything that won't take long to make?”

He nodded and headed into the kitchen. He pulled a plastic container out of the fridge, sniffed it, and held it out to me. “Smells like lasagna. Sound good?”

“Don't you know what you have in your own fridge?”

His cheeks pinked a bit. “The older ladies in town worry I'm not eating enough. They keep my fridge stocked.”

“How nice for you.” I'd noticed he'd dropped eye contact when he'd said older ladies. I had a feeling the older ladies weren't the only ones who cooked for him, but that didn't bother me. Not. At. All.

He stuck the container in the microwave and I found plates and silverware and set them on the island. He poured us each a glass of water and dished the lasagna onto our plates when it had finished heating up.

I stuffed a big bite in my mouth and nearly mouth-gasmed. “Oh, my gaw.” I chewed and swallowed. “Who made that? It is amazing.”

Axel rubbed the back of his neck and forked up some food. “Might be Ella Mae,” he said, before he shoved the food in.

“You'll have to introduce me to her,” I said. “I'd love to get her recipe.”

Axel almost choked on his lasagna, making it clear that Ella Mae was interested in more than just his eating habits. He swallowed and took a long drink of water. “You hate to cook.”

I shrugged. “Like you said, I'm going to have to learn. I can't get take-out here.”

“I can cook for you,” he said, the urgency in his voice making me bite my lip not to laugh.

“I'd rather learn to cook for myself,” I said. “It's not like you'll be around to cook for me every night once I get my own place.”

“I can teach you,” he said. “You don't need to talk to Ella Mae.”

We finished our meal in silence, me brooding on this Ella Mae and what the hell she thought cooking for Axel was going to get her. Wondering what it might have already gotten her. I stuffed in another bite of pasta and forced the thoughts from my head. Axel could do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted.

We finished eating, put the dishes in the dishwasher, and took turns in the bathroom to brush our teeth and get ready for bed. I went last in the bathroom and emerged wearing only a lacy thong and a t-shirt that was just barely long enough to cover my bra-less tits. I sashayed into the room and it only took Axel ten seconds to grab me and show me how much he liked my outfit. Suck on that, Ella Mae.

 

***

 

I woke up to late afternoon sunlight streaming in through the window and warming my bare skin where the sheets didn't cover me. I stretched and reached, without thought, for Axel, but I was alone in the bed, his side chilly. Shivering as my feet hit the cold floor, I stood and walked over to my suitcase. I grabbed some clothes and carried them with me into the bathroom. My stomach grumbled at me, but it would have to wait. Quickly, I showered, dressed, and put some product in my curls, letting them tumble loose.

I needed a work-out, a run and a couple hours in a gym, but I needed to find food and Axel first. His house was small enough that I knew he wasn't inside and his fridge was as empty as his house. There were none of those magical plastic containers like the one he'd found last night. There weren't even eggs or milk in there. My stomach increased its growling.

I pulled on shoes and went outside. The rental truck was still in the driveway and now there was also an obnoxiously huge truck next to it. I headed around the back of the house and found a wooded backyard with a huge patio and a fire pit. A well-worn trail led from the patio through the woods and up the mountain. I could hear music and some sort of buzzing in the distance, so I started up the path, figuring I'd turn around if I didn't find Axel. I didn't need him, I could go to the grocery store and find some food myself, but it seemed rude to take off without telling him.

The morning air was crisp and cool in the cover of the forest and the rich scent of earth and growing green things made my wolf stretch and whine for a run. The music and the buzzing got louder as I continued up the trail and I stopped caring if Axel was at the end of it, I was just curious to find the party.

The trail ended in a small meadow that contained an enormous building, bigger than Axel's house. A path of paver stones led back to it and along the path were enormous metal sculptures, bears and unicorns, dragons, and wolves. They were almost as tall as me and they were amazing. The detail, down to the scales on the dragons and the strands of fur on the wolves, was out of this world and they were decorated with brilliant rainbow-colored stones and gems. A weird crackling sound was coming from the huge building. I followed the sound, not at all sure what I would find. The door was open, so I walked in. To the right was a fully outfitted gym with free weights, and smith machines, as well as kettlebells and medicine balls. There were two guys working out, both wearing only shorts, one old enough to be my father, the other old enough to be my grandfather. They smiled and waved and I waved back.

I turned to the left, the source of the crackling, buzzing sound, and saw more sculptures like the ones outside, as well as tables full of smaller sculptures. In the center of it all, was Axel, shirtless, his nipple rings flashing in the light from a welding torch as he worked on something metallic and huge. His face was covered by a mask and his skin was shiny with sweat. I just stood and watched him for a moment, watched as his muscles bunched and flexed as he worked. He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen, and I'd seen a lot of beautiful men.

I wiped a bit of drool from the corner of my mouth and turned back toward the door to force myself to stop staring at him like a crazy stalker. Food. I needed food. But first, I needed a workout, so I needed to change—

The crackling ceased and I could feel Axel walking up behind me more than I could hear him. He dropped a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said, his rough voice grating over me and making my panties instantly wet, my body pulse with desire. It made me angry how much I wanted him, how addicted to him I'd become in such a short amount of time. “How'd you sleep?”

I spun to face him, moving away from his touch. “I slept great, but I'm starving. I couldn't find any food inside.”

His cheeks reddened. He gripped the back of his neck and ducked his head. His sweat-darkened hair tumbled across his face. “I threw out all the food from the ladies. Didn't seem like you were too happy about it.”

I shrugged. Damn, he was annoying. “Why should I care about anything any ladies give you? That was a waste of perfectly good food.”

He looked up and grinned like I'd just given him a gift. The man made zero sense. “We can get something from the diner. Stop by the grocery store after.”

“I don't want to keep you from your work.” I gestured to the hunk of metal he'd been working on.

“I could use a break.” He patted his belly. “Could use some food, too.”

He grabbed a t-shirt from a table near the door and pulled it over his head. “Be back in a bit, guys,” he called to the two men working out.

They nodded, both with their hands full of weights. I turned for the door and headed down the path, Axel right behind me. “Did you make all these?” I asked.

He stepped up so he was walking by my side. “Yeah. It's just something I do for fun when there's no real work to be done.”

I crossed his path to study the unicorn. There was a bit of pink worked into the metal of her single horn and it glittered in the late day sunlight. “This is amazing.”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the unicorn. “Thanks. Come on, let's eat.”

I let him drag me away from his sculptures, down the mountain, and to his front yard. “I'll be right back,” he said.

He disappeared inside and returned a moment later with his wallet and keys. “We should take the truck back to the rental shop while we're out. I'll call Clarissa to give us a ride back.”

“How far is the nearest rental shop?” Far as I could tell, there was nothing within a fifty-mile radius of here.

“Couple hours,” Axel said, like he was telling me it was just down the road.

Axel drove us into town and parked in front of the building with the words Hot Food on it. “This the only restaurant in town?”

He nodded. “Gonna be a lot of people in there wanting to meet you. Don't feel you need to do more than say hello. We're just here to eat.”

“Okay.”

He opened the door and ushered me in ahead of him, which seemed a little strange, since he was the alpha and knew everyone. I stepped into a large, well-lit room that looked more like a high school cafeteria than a diner.

“Just sit wherever,” Axel said.

There were people seated at maybe about half of the tables and every single one of them was watching me. “Really? You don't have a clique you normally hang with?”

“What?”

Shaking my head, I pointed to the nearest table. “Let's just sit there.”

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me tight against his side. “Come on. I might as well introduce you around. We won't be able to eat in peace otherwise.”

My stomach grumbled in protest and I wanted to slip out from under his arm, but I didn't know these people or their customs, so I had to follow Axel's lead.

He walked me around to meet old, young, and tiny babies, none of whose names I'd ever remember. He introduced me to each and every one of them as “Julie Jacobs, my starburst.”

Finally, I'd met everyone and we'd gone through the food line and filled our trays, just like in a high school cafeteria, although the food did seem to be much better quality.

“Why did you call me your starburst?” I asked once we were seated.

He concentrated on his food so intently, I knew he was about to lie to me. “It means you're as powerful as I am, sort of a co-alpha until you find your own pack.”

“Huh.” I could call him out on his lie, but I kind of liked being able to tell when he was lying. If I gave it away now, he might figure out how to cover. I'd just ask someone else what it meant.

“How about dessert?” I asked, after we'd finished eating.

“Sounds good to me.” He leaned across the table, his expression wicked. “Let's get out of here.”

I rolled my eyes. “I mean real dessert. That other kind of dessert needs to end now that we're back. For all I know, the other wolves can smell sex on us, and I don't want to become the latest town gossip.”

“You already are the town gossip. We haven't had a new resident, much less a newly turned werewolf in town since…Well, a long fucking time. No one cares if we're having sex or not.”

“You're telling everyone I'm your equal, your alpha partner or whatever. We need to keep our relationship professional.”

“It's not that kind of-”

I stood. “I'm tired of this conversation. What kind of dessert do you want?”

“Fruit is the closest to sugar you should get.”

I took a moment to mourn the plethora of restaurants and good food I'd left behind in LA, not to mention the loss of sugar from my life. I walked back over to the serving line and fixed us each a chocolate ice cream cone. I was feeling rebellious and angry about the change in my situation and my loss of control. It was stupid to choose a sugary treat, I knew it was stupid, but I needed to do something that was my own choice and I could use a moment or two of escape from myself. It was a childish act of rebellion, I was fully aware, but it was all mine.

Licking the drops of ice cream as they melted down the cones, I walked back to our table and didn't see the woman sitting next to Axel until I'd taken my seat. She had fire engine red hair and eyes such a brilliant green they shone from several feet away. She was leaning in close to Axel, her chin in her hand, and batting her eyelashes like a cartoon mermaid.

I swallowed hard against the sudden knot in my throat. The ice cream was clearly affecting me already. I straightened my shoulders and smiled. Axel looked over at me and the crazed panic in his gaze did a little bit to calm me. He didn't look too happy about the woman sitting next to him.

“Is that my ice cream, sweetheart?” he asked, reaching across the table like a drowning man reaching for a life preserver.

“Nope.” I took a big bite from the top of each ice cream in turn, compounding my stupid. But I hated how much I hated seeing that woman next to him, how much I wanted to rip her hair out. “You should have told me you wanted one.” I looked over at the red-head who was staring at me and frowning. “This wolfy metabolism is the best. I can eat whatever I want and not gain a pound.”

I expected her to make some scathing comment so I could insult her back, but she smiled, her eyes brightening. “Isn't it? I've been a wolf all my life, so I've never known any different, but I've seen all those programs on the tee-vee about weight loss and diet pills and I just cannot imagine.”

“Can't live without sugar, can you?”

Axel's eyes widened as I took a big bite of cone and ice cream. “Maybe you should slow down,” he said.

Now that just made me want to go faster.

“Well, I can,” the redhead said. “I've been clean and sober for two years now.” She lowered her eyes demurely. “I had a bit of a problem. But French fries are my vice now, and I just can't imagine giving them up.”

“You really should consider it,” Axel said. “Even though you can't gain weight, your heart can only take so—”

The woman slapped his shoulder. “Aw, Axel, you are so cute to worry about me, but I don't over-do it. I promise.”

Axel did not look amused. “Ella Mae,” he said. “I don't believe you've been properly introduced. This is my girlfriend, Julie Jacobs.”

Ella Mae, maker of the most wonderful lasagna in the entire world, froze. Her pretty mouth pursed and tears formed in her eyes. “Your girlfriend?”

Axel looked over at me, begging me with his eyes to lie for him. Dammit. The only humane thing to do was to carry out the facade. “I am,” I said, forcing a cheery tone. Which wasn’t too hard, because the sugar was starting to kick in and everything was looking rosy as fuck. “I am Axel's girlfriend.”

Ella Mae stuck out her chin and squared her shoulders. “I'm happy for you, Axel,” she said with only the faintest wobble in her voice. “I've always told you to find a woman who can make you smile. I'm glad to see you've found her.”

I looked over at Axel and he was smiling. He was smiling at me with this weird, sort of fond, sort of grateful, look in his eyes. I shook my head. “I'm sorry,” I said. “This sugar is hitting me all wrong.” I got up from the table, threw the cones in the trash, and walked out of the building.