Page 16 of Broken Souls

“I used to do that but being in this house... it can drive you mad after a while,” he murmurs.

“Are you ever going to... never mind. It's not my business.” I stare down at the tray.

“Finish your question.”

“Are you ever going to go back into pack life?” I ask.

“I can't answer that.” Axe lets out a heavy breath, shakes his head, then tells me to enjoy the food before leaving the room.

Maybe he feels the same way I do, about getting away from the pack. Why didn't Axe leave the pack when his mate died? I guess an alpha leaving his pack would be the greatest shock in werewolf history. He probably thought it'd be easier to go into hiding and not deal with anything than put in the effort to move into the city. Alphas have money, though, so it wouldn't take much effort on his part. However, for me to escape this place, it will take all my effort to succeed.

I hear doors close and then a car engine so he must have left. I grab the remote and watch some aimless tv for a while but I kind of zone out. I've watched tv for so long, it's kind of annoying me now. I need to get up and do something. Leaving my room, I walk down the hall and come to the staircase. Looking at how many stairs there are, it's daunting. Should I even try to descend them? My foot makes the decision for me as I step down the first stair. I need to retrain my body to move and stairs would be a good way despite the pain they're going to put me through. I make my way down the stairs, which takes longer than I'd assumed. When I reach the floor, I let out a sigh.

The kitchen is the first part of the house I find. I go through the pantry and fridge, gulping down a lot of food. Axe really only brings me toast, fruit, and whatever he lousily makes for dinner. I don't blame him for his barely-there cooking skills, given his mate must have cooked for them. After eating I walk around and look sadly around the house. It's so museum-like; no personal photos, nothing out of place. I guess this is just the place he stays. I don't think he has an attachment to this house anymore. Much like how I feel about my house.

Opening a door I see it's a gym. Looking around at the machines my eyes notice the hand indents on the rubber part of the Powerline P2X home gym. Clearly this is the machine he always uses. His thick biceps are the proof. I look at the treadmill and imagine if that would be good for my body once I heal. When I finish walking around the house, I stand back in front of the stairs. Ugh, this is going to be more painful going up than it was coming down. My ribs hurt each time I raise my leg for the next step, but I make it to the top after a while.

Staring down the hallways I debate going back to my room. Upstairs there are usually just bedrooms anyway, but I find myself walking down and opening each door. I'm surprised when I open the next door. Because it's not like the rest of the house, it's not museum-like. There are photo frames all over the room, the bedside tables, the shelves. I bite my lower lip, nervous about being in this room. To get a one hundred percent answer to my question, I open up the closet and see women's clothes hanging perfectly in place.

Shit. This is his mate's room!

Chapter Fifteen

Before I can get out of the room, I hear a ferocious growl making me spin around, which causes a pain so bad I wince. Axe is standing there, his eyes as dark as I've ever seen anyone's. I feel my heart drop into my stomach at his expression.

“What the fuck are you doing in here?” I jump at the loudness of his voice.

“I...” I stammer for words. His eyes dart around the room before looking at the open closet. He stalks over, which makes me shoot back from him, and he closes it.

“Get out,” he grumbles, staring at the wall.

“I...” I try to say I'm sorry but nothing comes out.

“GET OUT,” Axe shouts, making me bolt out of the room as fast as I can despite the pain in my ribs.

I go to my room and lock the door. I don't think Axe would hurt me but the look in his eyes... I just saw the untamed side of Axe, and shit, it was scary. I don't really know Axe. He's an alpha, and when it comes to his mate, I don't know what he's capable of.

***

I've decided I'm leaving. I keep saying I'm going to escape werewolf territory and I'm not prolonging that any longer. Axe losing his temper is the last straw I can handle. Since I can't walk around in Axe's clothes, I put back on the ones I was wearing when I got attacked. Axe washed them but I didn't want to get back into them. Luckily, I didn't throw them out, though. After tucking the bruise cream and pill slip into the waistband of my pants, I take a deep breath. It's been hours since my mistake of walking into that room. I don't know where Axe is but I don't feel his presence in the house so I'm good to go.

There's no point me trying to apologise to Axe even though I want to. I'll never see him again, and once I graduate I'll never see any werewolf again. When I step outside the house, a cool breeze hits me. It feels like forever since I've been outside. I try to keep to the empty areas of the pack's lands to get back to my house but I practically have to follow the main road. Thankfully, it's late, so there's no one out here. Usually there would be a calmness walking through empty streets at night but not in this pack, not for me.

My house comes into view and I clench my teeth together, not wanting to step foot inside it. But I need my shit and car keys. Instead of going through the front door, certainly locked, I sneak through my window, which I always keep open. Once I pack the necessities, shoving everything I can in a bag along with my laptop, I'm ready to leave. The door to my room opens and Kieryn walks in staring daggers at me.

“Why the fuck are you back?” he spits.

“Piss off. I came to grab my shit.”

Instead of going back out the window, I push past him and leave through the front door. I put my bag in my car and hop behind the wheel. I sigh, trying to decide where to go. This is the start of something new for me.

***

I pull up in a hotel parking lot. A hotel is my best option until I can figure things out. When I enter the lobby there's a woman sitting behind a desk, reading a magazine. She seems startled when the bell goes off signalling I walked in. It's obvious she didn't expect customers at such a crazy hour.

“Umm, hi, how can I help you?” She stands up behind the desk.

“Can I have a room for... three nights?”