Chapter 34

He grips his knee and pats his chest, but when I refuse to lie down with him I feel his glamor wash over me, and tears prick my eyes as he forces me to lie down with him as if we were a happy couple. Tucking me in beside him and draping his arm across my waist, he nuzzles my neck, licking and sucking my skin, and I squirm, repulsed by him, when he bites me. My shock makes me gasp as I feel him feed on me, feel his cock turning hard in his pants, and I thrash when he grips my throat. Lexa rears forward, and I elbow him, only for him to pounce on me; he grips my face in his hand, forcing himself between my legs.

“You will obey, Elena. Now that Alisha is gone, you’ll take her place,” he snarls when I hear a loud bang downstairs.

Jake lurches upright and looks toward the door. “Stay here,” he snarls.

Like I have a choice. Then, I hear banging like the door was kicked in; the sound of shattering glass reaches my ears, and Jake is quick, opens the locks, and rushes out of the room. I hear shouting, and I sit up, my heart racing as I hear crashing and fighting.

“Dad? He came for us, Lexa!” I choke, getting to my feet and moving toward the open door.

I hear snarling and growling, and before I know it, I am running toward the door. Gripping the doorframe, I twist into the stairwell, only to come face-to-face with Axton. The fighting is still loud downstairs; I stop in my tracks, and so does he. His eyes run the length of me, over my huge belly, and finally, he looks at my face. A loud crashing sound is heard downstairs, and he growls, looking back down toward the door leading into the cafe.

“Fucking run from us, and I will let Khan have you,” he snaps at me before stalking down the steps to help his men.

I remain where I am. If it means getting out of here, I will do as he asks. Lexa cheers in my head, excited that we will be free and that our mate has come for us. We are finally safe; we are going home, and Dad must be downstairs. Then, my heart breaks, knowing if they’d just come a little earlier, they would have saved me from having to tell Alisha’s parents she was dead. Guilt gnaws at me when I hear the door creak open downstairs, and my fingers twitch at the noise, afraid it is Jake when all the noise downstairs stops.

I step back into the apartment, just in case. I know what that man is capable of, and Lexa whimpers at the thought of our rescuers being killed. Footsteps grow louder, and the tension in my body grows. My skin itches, and goosebumps lace my skin when Axton steps through the door, covered in blood and holding Jake’s head by his hair. A sob escapes me, and I rush toward him, only for him to grab the front of my shirt and jerk me toward him.

Relief floods me, and my hand smooths over his chest as I step closer, suddenly yearning for his touch, his calling, his comfort. For my mate.

“All this time, you were here with that fucking bloodsucker, fucking and letting him feed off you,” Axton snarls at me, pressing his head against the side of my face.

“No, I was—”

“Save it, Elena.”

“Jake was holding me prisoner. He killed Alisha,” I plead to him to understand, my hands clutching his shoulders as I step closer, needing his embrace, needing my mate despite having rejected him.

Seeing him has awoken old feelings. Now, no longer trapped under Jake’s spell, the bond flickers, trying to ignite and return. Axton sighs, dropping Jake’s head and letting me go. He opens his arms to me, and I crash against his chest, my nose buried in his neck as I inhale his intoxicating and comforting scent.

“I am so glad I finally found you.” I break as his fingers tangle in my hair, crying my damn heart out, knowing we are finally safe, that my babies will be okay.

Axton’s fingers tangle in my hair, and I hear footsteps coming up the steps and wonder if it is my dad. Everything he has done has been long forgotten. I could forgive him if it meant having a familiar face. Axton pulls my head back a little, his voice next to my ear.

“I, Alpha Axton Levin of the Nightfall Pack, reject you, Elena Hale, as my mate and Luna,” he growls, pushing me back.

My eyes widen, and I gasp, staggering back as pain tears through my chest. But I had already rejected him. Why does it feel like my soul is torn in two at his words?

I clutch my chest, and Lexa wails inside me for the broken connection we didn’t realize was still intact.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Axton tells me as I choke on any words and peek up at him.

“You’re lucky you are carrying my twins because if you weren’t, I would have fucking killed you for daring to betray me,” he snarls.

Seconds later, another man steps in, wearing only a pair of shorts.

Axton hands him the head. The man looks at me, and I recognize him as Axton’s Beta.

“We found Derrick’s Beta’s daughter, Alisha, dead in the basement,” he tells Axton, who is glaring at me.

“Call Derrick and let him know we found them,” he tells him, turning to look at him briefly.

The man nods, glancing at me quickly before leaving, and Axton turns his attention back to me.

“Get your stuff. We are leaving.”

My eyes burn from tears, my vision blurry, and it all becomes too much as I begin to panic. I suddenly find the room dimming, his angry voice becoming fainter, then everything goes black.