"But-"
"You leave tomorrow. Don't disappoint."
Axel was about to reply when Nastya pressed a finger to her lips.
It was enough to send a clear message.
Do what you're told, or face the consequences.
Chapter Three
Axel's chest was tight with anxiety as he sat in the van, watching the city fly past. Usually he'd relish the opportunity to cause havoc, but his thoughts constantly strayed back to Deepa and the look on her face when he left.
He hadn't even said goodbye.
He'd been too afraid.
Too much of a coward to face what was going on between them. At least she was safe with Luke. Axel's cousin was trustworthy and simple, unlike the rest of their shitty family.
"You seem anxious," Reese muttered, breaking Axel out of his thoughts.
"I'm fine," Axel growled.
"Right," Reese sighed. "And I'm the King of the Werewolves."
"Where's your girlfriend?" Bruno kept his eyes on the road as he drove them through the dark city streets.
"I don't have a girlfriend," Axel huffed.
"Then why do you keep smelling like a girl's crotch?"
Axel rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the fourth man in the van, a silent teenager who looked ready to wet himself.
Bruno caught Axel's stare. "You can't have him. Sammy is my new lackey."
"You don't have lackeys," Axel muttered.
"That's because he's usually the one being lackeyed," Reese grinned.
Bruno flipped him off, turning his attention back to lankey teenager.
"This is your last chance," Bruno said to Sammy. "Run back to the academy, get tons of pussy, and have a bunch of werewolf babies."
Sammy shook his head. "No. I can do this."
"If you say so." Bruno shrugged.
"That reminds me," said Axel. "Which one of you blabbed about what happened outside the bar?"
"Don't look at me," said Reese. "It was Sammy."
"Huh?" Sammy scratched his shaved head.
Axel bit his lip. As friendly as Bruno and Reese were, they were still part of his family's pack, and their loyalties lay with his brother and elders more than him.
They pulled up outside a fancy Yacht club surrounded by tall trees. Loud laughter and music spilled from inside. A couple of men staggered down the path towards the parking lot, singing at the top of their lungs.
"This is it." Bruno tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "Whenever you're ready."
