Three Alphas, Three Mates

Chapter 53 - Children

Fei starts whining. She's awake now, and she's not happy about it.

"She'll calm down in a second," Shen assures me. She bounces the child against Onai's back.

Before I can say anything, Axel veers off the path. Technically, there's no "path" through the overgrown forest floor, but his sharp turn startles me. "What's wrong?" I ask.

Obviously he doesn't answer, much to Shen's confusion.

"Where is he going?" She looks like she's ready to throw herself off of Onai if that'd mean being able to follow us. That's when I realize Onai isn't moving. He's staying put, keeping Fei and Shen where Axel left them.

I furrow my brow. "I don't know."

"Put me down." Shen tries to get off Onai, but he growls.

She stays put.

We exchange a wary look before I can no longer see her past the trees. "Don't worry," I say. "Just stay with Onai. It'll be fine." But I don't know if it's true. What the heck is Axel doing?

He stops almost immediately.

I hold onto his dark fur, the same way I did on the way here. I had my arms wrapped around his neck as I leaned back, getting a glimpse of the tall trees surrounding us, encasing us in their height. Now I do the same thing, leaning forward to ask him, "Why are you leaving them alone? Is that safe?"

I don't think anyone else is tailing her, but I don't want to be proven wrong.

Axel lowers himself to the ground.

I start to panic. "Are you hurt?" I kneel beside him, looking for an injury. Is it his paw? His stomach? I don't know where to look, much less what to do if I find a wound.

He nuzzles his face into my hands, gently, pushing them away from him. Is that a good sign or a bad one? Our eyes connect. I raise an eyebrow. He gets up, circling behind me.

I follow him with my eyes, but he growls.

I jump.

He brushes against me quickly, burying his cold nose in the crook of my neck. I shiver against him, and then he's gone.

"Are you leaving me here?" I ask. Is he going to go "deal with" Shen alone?

No response.

I look behind me. "Axel—"

My face heats up. I snap my head forward, staring at my hands.

He chuckles, reaching over my shoulder to grab his clothes from my arms. "I tried to warn you."

"I didn't know what you were saying," I mutter.

"Sorry," he says, still behind me.

I furrow my brow. "Sorry? I'm the one who looked at you."

"You're the one that minds," he says.

I nearly choke. All I hear is the rustling of clothes. I brush my pants off, face still burning. "I..." I clear my throat. "I never said that."

"Oh, okay. So can I shift in front of you now?" He rests his chin on my shoulder from behind, pressing his body against me.

I stammer, looking for words, until I realize he's fully clothed.

He traces his fingers against mine, holding my hand. When I look into his eyes, I realize he's joking. I glare at him. He chuckles and tugs me against him. He rests his head on my shoulder again, peeking at me with amber eyes.

My heart races. I look away.

He chuckles again, leading me in a random direction. "Come on. We're here."