Page 101 of Broken Souls

I head downstairs and Dash follows me. The door opens and I walk towards it. Axe walks in, his eyes still dark like before.

“We need to talk,” I state.

“Dash, you can leave,” Axe says, and Dash walks out.

“I think the way you're reacting to this is bullshit. I'm yours, I have your mark on me. You can't control everything I do. You need to start easing...”

“Joel's dead,” Axe cuts me off.

I freeze at his words. No coherent sound comes out of my mouth, just a breathless gasp. Axe's face is void of emotion, his eyes icy and cold. Is that where he went before? I feel sick. How could this happen? This is my fault. If I hadn't gone to the prison, Joel wouldn't be dead. Axe is unstable. He killed a man because I had a conversation with him.

“Elora.” Axe steps forward but I immediately take one back.

“Don't come near me.” I turn around and head for the back door. I go through the gate that links this backyard to Dash's backyard.

I knock on the back door and Dash opens it, his eyes softening when he sees me.

“Hey, why are you crying?” Dash caresses my cheek and wipes his thumbs underneath my eyes. I didn't even know I was crying.

Dash brings me inside and sits me on the couch. Ryleigh comes over with a glass of water but I can't even bring myself to grab it. I don't even understand the mental place I'm in right now. My destined mate is dead. Even though I never had a relationship with him, I feel like my heart is crumbling. Axe didn't have to do that. Only an unstable person would do that. I don't understand. I can't even put into words any of this. Why the fuck did Axe do this now? He could have killed him in the battle. He said he didn't then because he didn't want to hurt me by having me lose my mate. How does he think I feel now?

Chapter Sixty-Five

I've stayed at Dash's for the past two days. I can't bear to see Axe after what he did. With how gentle he's been with me for the time we've been together, I seem to forget that he is a killer. He's killed people. I feel sick; whether it's from the pregnancy, Joel's death, not eating, or realising I'm mated to an unpredictable man who holds all the power, I don't know. There's a knock on the door and then it opens. Ryleigh walks in with some fruit and water.

“You have to take care of your baby, Elora,” Ryleigh says gently, sitting on the side of the bed.

She's been looking after me. Dash hasn't come to see me but I don't have a problem with it. I don't want to be around werewolves right now anyway. Being around Ryleigh is refreshing. I slowly sit up and pop a few pieces of fruit in my mouth, knowing my biggest priority is looking after my baby right now.

“Are you going back to Axe's soon?” Ryleigh asks.

“The more I see of the werewolf world, the more I believe it's a curse,” I murmur.

“I can't imagine what you're feeling right now.” Ryleigh grabs my hand in hers in a comforting gesture.

The first night I stayed here, I told Ryleigh everything. I could see she was scared by what I was saying since she's just a human, but she listened to all of it and comforted me afterwards. I feel sorry for Ryleigh; a human trapped in the werewolf world. Dash has marked her so she really did give up her human life for him. I craved a human life for so long but then I fell in love with Axe. But now, the violence of werewolves is really getting to me.

“I should get some sun.” I stand up, drinking the water first before we go outside.

“I'll come with you for a walk.”

Ryleigh and I walk slowly through the neighbourhood. As people pass by, they stare at Ryleigh, which makes me roll my eyes. She's a human. They need to get over it. Her species is superior to our wretched species anyway. I see a couple in the distance; Jayceon and his mate. When they get closer, I see Jayceon has a bruised eye.

“Did Axe do that?” I ask.

“Obviously.” He glares at me.

“You didn't have to tell him I was at the prison.”

Jayceon scoffs and walks off, leaving his mate still standing here.

“Luna, thank you.” She gives me a small smile.

“For what?” I frown in confusion.

“Jayceon is on temporary leave. Apparently the alpha has promoted one of the soldiers to help out with the prison so I'll have Jayceon with me more.”

Is Jayceon still the warden? Did Axe make someone else take over?