LEMON

I thought things would be weird with Axel after our confrontation at the inn. I didn't sleep much that night; his words wouldn't leave my head. Initially, they made me anxious. After all the partying in high school and a few close calls with the law, I'd changed, focusing on building a career. I'd never sought a boyfriend or thought about anyone romantically, yet somehow I'd caught Axel's attention.

For a moment, I was angry. His words were a borderline romantic confession! How dare he do that out of the blue?

That anger quickly gave way to warmth. I hadn't realized he felt that way. I didn't know he was thinking about me; I'd just assumed his flirtatiousness was part of his personality.

The next morning, he was leaning against his car as I stepped outside. He smiled, straightened, and waited for me. He walked me to the inn, leaving me at the door. The silence was comfortable. Then I was at work.

He visited the inn twice before lunch. At lunchtime, I offered him food, and we ended up eating together in my office. He left after lunch, returning later to wait in the sitting room until I was ready to leave. He then walked me home, waiting until I was inside before departing.

This pattern continued for the next few days. He'd pick me up and drop me off from work, spending varying amounts of time at the inn—sometimes minutes, sometimes hours. We usually had lunch or dinner together, but we didn't talk much.

Occasionally, I'd catch him smiling at me, a look of adoration in his eyes. As the days passed, I realized he was right: I felt safer with him around. I wasn't on edge when the door bell rang and I saw him enter. I was at ease with him across the table and looked forward to my walks to and from work, knowing he was by my side.

I even found myself looking for him, scanning the sitting room for him whenever I left my office. I wondered what he did when he wasn't at the inn. He was consuming my thoughts, and it was becoming dangerous.

Whenever I considered the possibility of dating Axel, I reminded myself that he's not human. He's a werewolf, and he has a mate somewhere. If I opened my heart to him, she could appear, and he'd forget me instantly. The thought of falling in love only to be discarded was unbearable.

Gathering my things to leave early for the grocery store and some neglected chores, I paused, looking at my phone. Would Axel be upset if I wasn't there when he came by? Would he want to run errands with me?

I sighed, shaking my head. This was incredibly confusing. What were we even doing? He was always there, but he didn't have to be. He has a life; I have a life. Leaving my office, I checked the to-do list for the staff at the front desk.

The bell above the door rang. Instinctively, I looked up. Axel was entering, and I felt butterflies in my stomach. He smiled and approached the counter.

"Why do you look like you're leaving? It's not even lunchtime yet?" he asked, leaning against the desk.

"Because I am leaving," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady to gauge his reaction.

"Oh, okay," he said, straightening. He looked at me expectantly.

I took a breath. "You don't have to come," I said. "I'm just going to the grocery store and then home to do some chores."

"Sounds fun," he said, unfazed.

"Alright," I said. "I can't stop you." I left the desk and headed for the door. Axel followed, holding the door open for me. I smiled as I went out.

Walking to the grocery store, I felt nervous. We'd been spending time together without expectations, but when would that change?

Axel grabbed a cart, grinning. "After you," he said.

Hiding my blush, I led the way. He followed as I gathered groceries. I usually ate at least one meal at the inn daily, sometimes taking leftovers home, so I rarely cooked.

At the checkout, Axel started unloading the basket before I could. "I can do it," I said.

"I want to," he replied. The cashier gave us a mushy look, widening my eyes. I quickly pushed him aside and finished bagging the groceries. She kept looking between us as she scanned and bagged our items.

After paying, she handed me the bags. Axel immediately took half. "Have a nice day," he said sweetly to the cashier as we left.

He headed straight for my house. I followed, catching up to him. We walked in silence. I chewed on my lip; should I invite him for dinner? He'd helped me carry groceries, and he'd been there for me since those creeps came to the inn.

If he stayed for dinner, maybe I could ask him about his mate and why he didn't seem to care. Or maybe I'd misread him, and he was waiting for her. That would be mortifying.

"You're going to bite a hole through your lip," Axel said, startling me.

"What?" I asked.

"You're biting your lip. If you don't stop, your teeth will go right through," he laughed. "What are you thinking so hard about?"

"Nothing," I said quickly.

"I think you're lying," he said with a smirk.

I pursed my lips and looked away. I wouldn't know what was going on in his head if I didn't talk to him. "Axel?" I asked softly.

"Yes, Lemon?" he replied. We were nearing my house.

"Would you like to, uh, stay?" I asked. "I could make dinner, or maybe a late lunch?"

"Yes," he said almost instantly. He gave me a huge smile.

Inside, Axel took the bags to the kitchen. We quickly unloaded the groceries.

"Would you like something to drink?" I asked.

"I'm alright," he said.

"I can start cooking," I said. "Make yourself at home." He sat at my small dining table. I searched the refrigerator, deciding on chicken breast.

"You look really pretty today," he said. I laughed.

"I'm dressed casually," I said, gesturing to my jeans and old graduation shirt.

He shrugged. "It suits you," he said.

"Well, um, thanks," I said. I began prepping the food. Silence reigned for a few minutes before he spoke.

"Sorry if I made you nervous the other night," he said, scratching his head, revealing a glimpse of his muscles.

I swallowed. "Oh, no, it's fine," I said.

"I hope everything's okay between us," he said.

"Yes," I said. "Why wouldn't it be?" I smiled, and he returned it. "So, I was wondering something." I turned, finding it hard to look at him.

"Sure, what's up?" he said.

"Well," I began. This was harder than I'd anticipated. "I was just wondering about your… mate…" My voice trailed off.

"Oh," he said, exhaling. "Well, I never found her. I'm 25 now. I waited eight years, and she still hasn't appeared. I guess I gave up on waiting."

"But your mate is your true love, right?" I asked.

"That's what they say. When I look at people like Liam and Azalea, I get it. But with others, I'm not so sure," he said.

I bit my lip. "What if you do find her?" I asked.

He looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure," he said. "But I don't think it's fair to wait my whole life for someone who might never come."

"That sounds jaded," I commented. "You have a built-in mechanism to find your perfect match, supposedly, but you just don't care?"

Axel sighed. "I do care. I'd like to find my mate. But have you ever waited for someone for eight years? It's a long time."

"I've never waited for anyone," I admitted. I hadn't been the best girlfriend in high school.

"Exactly. So I'm going to choose to live my life. If I find someone I want to be with, I will be with them," he said.

"But what about them? What if you fall in love, and then your mate appears?" I stopped cooking, focusing on him.

"Is that what this is really about?" he asked, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. He stood and approached me, stopping inches away. "Are you worried about a hypothetical girl or a real one falling in love with me?"

"I, uh, I don't know," I said, looking away.

His finger lifted my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "If I choose to open my heart to someone other than my mate, I wouldn't let anyone stop me. If I did find my mate, I'd probably reject her."

"Reject?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. Lea hadn't mentioned that.

"It means she wouldn't be my mate. I'd be free of that bond," he explained gently.

The smell of smoke filled the air. I jumped as Axel released my chin and stepped back. "No, no, no," I said, frantically flipping the burning chicken.

LILY

Damien was worrying me. He spent a long time in the shower while I waited on the bed. My wolf was calmer, but couldn't tell me what was wrong. I fidgeted with the bedspread. Finally, the water stopped.

A few minutes later, Damien emerged in shorts. He looked tired, his emotions unreadable. "What happened during training?" I asked.

He sighed. "Can we talk about this later?"

"No, we can't," I said. "Azeron had to help you up the stairs, and Liam had a concerned look. Dai, what happened?"

He slumped onto the bed, resting his arms on his legs. "I'm just more out of shape than I thought. I pushed myself too hard. It'll be fine," he said.

"You're lying," I said, standing up. "Goddess, Damien, tell me what's going on? I couldn't even link with you!"

"Lily, please, calm down," he begged.

"Not until you tell me what you're hiding!" I shouted.

"I'll fix it, so it doesn't matter," he said.

"No, Damien. This isn't you. You don't keep things from me. What is it? Did you lose your wolf?" I demanded.

"No," he said, looking away.

"Damien, tell me now!"

"I can't connect with Cage. He's there, but I can't talk to him," he said quietly. "Liam and I shifted, and I lost control. Cage took over, but Liam said he was feral. I was in a void. I couldn't hear or see anything until Liam forced Cage to shift back."

"Oh, Goddess," I gasped, covering my mouth. I'd thought he was fine after Lea healed him.

"I just need time to reconnect with Cage," he said. "I'll fix it."

Tears welled up. This couldn't be happening. Damien looked at me. "Please don't worry, Lily," he said softly.

"I will be back," I said, feeling numb. Lea had fixed him once; she could do it again. Something had gone wrong, and she needed to correct it.

Azalea sat in her office, looking solemn when I burst in. "Fix him," I said.

"Lily," she began.

"Azalea, you have to fix him. He isn't fully recovered. Please, fix him," I begged.

"Lily, I'm not sure—"

"You did it once. You're my best friend, and I know you can do it again!" I almost shouted. She stood, meeting my gaze.

"Lily, I don't think I can. I don't think it works that way," she said softly, her voice shaky. Damien wouldn't be okay without access to his wolf. His life was being Beta.

"You woke him up. You brought him back to me. You can get his wolf back, too. Please, just try," I said, my voice cracking. Damien entered behind me, his arms encircling me.

"I'm sorry, Lily," Azalea whispered before Damien pulled me out of her office.