Chapter 6: Olivia

This was a mistake.

Someone pushes his girlfriend behind him, growling at me like my disgusting human genes will corrupt her.

But his hatred doesn’t even match the one from the large, tattooed Lycan standing in front of me.

We lock eyes.

“Human.” He snarls, making goosebumps flare over my skin.

Who needs the council to kill me when this massive man will crush my head in a second?

Right as I turn to make a beeline out the door, Ryker’s voice rises from the crowd, “Axel, lay off her. I invited her here.”

Whispers float through the crowd, but the boy, Axel, doesn't seem to have heard Ryker.

Instead, Axel keeps staring at me, and when he finally speaks, it's laced with enough acid to burn my soul: “Get the fuck out of my house.”

His house?

The Crestridge house?

Oh shit, that means he’s-

“Alpha.” Ryker confirms, “We don't have time for this. Talon, remember?”

There’s a shift in his silver eyes, something like worry, and he breaks out of his trance.

I’m about to exhale when he marches over to me. I scurry away, but I'm not fast enough. Axel grabs my neck, shoving me into a wall with a crack.

People gasp, but I can’t move my head to look at them. Axel has trapped me with his death glare and tattooed hand.

“I’m leaving.” He says lowly, “I don’t want to get back here and find you in my house. Understood?”

I try to spit my answer, but Axel’s fingers clench hard enough to bruise me. He’s not squeezing to choke, but it still hurts like a bitch.

“Axel, come on!” Ryker cries.

Axel doesn’t budge. His eyes remain on mine, almost like he can’t look away. He overwhelms me with his peppermint and leathery scent.

He inhales my scent, and a tick in his sharp jaw flexes. I swear his eyes shift for a second to the deepest black I’ve ever seen.

Finally, he lets me go.

I crumple to my knees, holding my throbbing throat.

I think that’s the end of it, but then he slowly kneels by me.

“You know.” He whispers, “I’ve heard great things about Alpha Rick. He was the leader of the Werewolf Council before he made the mistake of getting you, yes? They kicked him out for keeping you?”

I turn to the wall to hide my shame, but Axel squeezes my cheeks and snaps my face back to his.

“Answer me.” He growls.

“Yes.” I croak through my sore throat, “Yes.”

He tsks, “What a failure he’s become. No job. No power. No respect. All because he wanted to protect the enemy. If I were him, I wouldn’t have thought you were worth my time.”

“Axel, stop.” Ryker snarls.

But I don’t think Axel could stop if he wanted to.

His eyes gloss over. “Say it.”

“Say what?” I manage to bite at him.

“Say you’re worthless.”

“I-I’m”

I nearly let the word slip, but Alpha Rick raised me with more dignity than that. I match Axel’s glare.

If I’m going to die, I might as well do it bravely.

His fingers bite harder into my cheeks, but still, I don’t give in to him. Instead, I tilt my head up, daring him to kill me.

His eyes shift again, causing a shiver to trail down my spine.

Finally, Axel’s nose crinkles in disgust, and he shoves me away. He rises back to his full height, towering over me again.

His enormous, tattooed body shadows me like a God.

Like a devil.

Finally, he huffs, marching out the door.

Ryker follows close behind, staring at me with the most pitying look I’ve ever seen in my life.

“I’m sorry.” He says hastily as he passes, “I’m so sorry, Olivia. He’s not usually like this. I’ll talk to him. He’ll stop, he’ll-”

“Stop?” Axel pauses at the door, looking at Ryker like he said a slur.

When the Alpha turns back to me, my heart stutters.

But the promise he growls next is what kills me, “Trust me, human. I haven’t even begun with you.”