Demonic Regime

Chapter 28: Mate Issues (Jed)

Axil opened the door to the bedroom and ushered me inside. I swallowed hard. So this was how the upper class lived. It was a bit overwhelming.

    "The bathroom is through there." He pointed to a door. "Go clean yourself up. I can't take the smell much longer."

    I glared at the werewolf and marched off to the bathroom. Slamming the door, I locked it. It was his fault. I was stuck with a fucking asshole. Sitting down on the edge of a large jet tube, I leaned over my knees. How was I going to get out of here? 

    The door handle jiggled. I wasn't going to unlock it. I was tired of these werewolves. The door opened and my shoulders sank. What kind of shitty door was this?

Axil tapped his claws on the door. "They can be used for more than fighting." He tossed a robe at me. "Throw those clothes in the garbage. Word has already gotten out that I've marked someone. I'm hoping the press didn't get any pictures of you in those ratty clothes."

I glared at him as I wrung the fluffy white fabric in my hands. "Do they know you marked a member of the rebellion?"

Folding his arms, Axil leaned against the door frame. "Go ahead tell whoever you like. I'm mating you for your blood. Those results will be made public to ease any concern that I am mating a human. Telling people that you used to be a rebellion member will simply make your future packmates hate you. If you want to be ostracized by your pack, go for it." He turned to leave. "Leave the door unlocked."

"Pervert," I said under my breath as he closed the door. "And it's your pack! Not mine! I don't have a pack. I'm human and I'll never agree to be your mate."

I ripped off my clothes and tossed them across the room. The shower was built into the wall. I stepped into the tiled room and just stared at all the shower heads.

"Wow..." I started messing with all the different handles.

Cold water came pouring down from the one above my head. I jumped out of the way, cursing under my breath. Why did they make something as simple as a shower so complicated? I messed with it a bit more and figured out how to change the temperature. I stood under it for a while before trying out some of the soaps that sat on a ledge. They smelled weird. I thought werewolf were sensitive to scent because some of these were potent. Smiling to myself, I choose the strongest one and scrubbed it through my hair. I used the suds to wash down my body.

I turned the water off and started the search for a towel. There was a closet nearby filled with them. I grabbed two and dried off. The robe was laying on the floor. I tossed the towel into the pile with my clothes and picked the robe off the ground.

The door opened.

"Fucking hell." I held it to my crotch. "Knock! If I can't lock it, then act like a decent mongrel and knock."

Axil approached me. I staggered back until I hit the wall. 

"We talked about this." He leaned down to my level. "You will speak to me with respect. In private and public. Talk like that in front of anyone else and I will knock you to the ground. I'd rather be known for hitting my mate than someone who can't control my mate. Remember your place or I will remind you. Got it?"

I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. He looked down and took the robe away from me. Flexing my hands, I didn't know whether to cover myself or not move. The way he was staring was making the awkward tension worse. He stepped back and held out the robe. I turned around and put my arms through the sleeves. His hands ran down my side and grabbed the belt. Axil pressed up close to me as he cinched it around my waist.

"Time for bed." He nuzzled the side of my head and turned to leave.

"Where am I sleeping?" I kept my eyes pointed at the door.

"It's a king size."

I glanced over my shoulder.

Axil grinned. "The mark on your shoulder does stand for something."

***

(Jax)

Walking might not be possible, but I could crawl just fine. I pushed a chair a few feet from the bed and climbed up into it. I could do this. Taking a deep breath, I muscled myself up and hung onto the back of the chair. My legs were holding. I took a step toward the bed and then another.

    I was walking! For the first time in over ten years, I was walking. My legs started to shake, so I drove onto the bed. Smiling to myself, I rolled onto my back. Take that Max! I wasn't going to wait around until he had time for me. If he was so busy being Mr. Future Alpha, then he shouldn't have taken me as a mate.

    Sitting up, I sunk to the ground and crawled back to the chair. I climbed to my feet and used it as a walker as I shuffled across the room to the window. Dropping onto my knees, I pushed the chair back into place and scooted over to the window seat.

    I climbed up onto it and took a deep breath. For my entire life, I had been trapped. For the first twenty years, it had been my own body, but know it was this house and my mate was the guard. Rolling onto my side, I rubbed my shoulder.

    I couldn't help but wonder what my family was doing. It was good to know they were safe and in a better situation than before, but I still wanted to be with them. I let out a sigh. I'd keep working on walking on my own. Max wouldn't have any more excuses then. Either way, I'd find a way to see them even if I had to walk there.

***

(Jed)

I laid on the edge of the bed, wrapped up in blankets. Axil was wandering around, getting ready for the morning. I wasn't planning on moving until he was gone. He came out of the closet in a deep blue robe with a silver design on the back. He went to the dresser and put on a watch and a necklace with a large silver pendant. A red gem said in the middle of it. Wolfsbane was very different. Midfield werewolves wore clothes sometimes, but it resembled humans usually.

    He turned to me. "Let's go."

    I sat up slowly. "Where?"

    "You'll see."

    I clutched the robe around me. "Do you have some clothes for me?"

    "You don't need them." He walked to the door. "Come along."

    "I'm not going out there like this." I climbed off the bed and backed away.

    "Now, Jedrek."

    "Using my full name isn't going to change my mind," I stated.

    Axil raised an eyebrow. "Now."

    "I'm not a child."

    "Really? Last time I checked your file, it said eighteen."

    I narrowed my eyes at him. "Yeah, an adult."

    Axil scoffed at my comment. "I have ten years on you. You're a child." He opened the bedroom door. "Let's go."

    Breathing out through my nose, I marched out of the room. "I'm being forced to marry a fucking old man."

    Axil chuckled. "I am the beta."

    "How old is the alpha?"

    "Thirty-four. I'm not that much younger than him." He squeezed my shoulder. "And if we don't hurry up and have some pups the gap between the next alpha and beta will be even bigger."

    I tensioned at the comment. "The fucking hell." I knocked his hand off me. "I'm not having kids with you."

    "Not kids, pups." He looked down at his nose at me with a smirk. "Come along, Jed. Let's go see what kind of werewolf you're going to turn out to be."