Chapter 70: Chapter 70
Kane POV
Axel and I enter the café and find a seat in a booth. We order a hearty breakfast and wait for fuck’s know what. Our mission is to find Mason, but we are clueless where to start. We do not know anyone here, and there is not a single rogue in the world who would help an Alpha, or any member of any pack. We are, after all, the enemy.
“This place is pretty cute,” Axel says, looking through the window at the bustling main road. “I was expecting to see people getting like ... murdered in the streets or something.”
Stillwood was pretty quaint for a rogue town, and the surrounding forest made it look lush and picturesque.
“I can’t imagine not having a pack,” I shrug. “Or hierarchies.”
“They seem to manage it well,” Axel says, taking another huge slurp of coffee. “You just can’t imagine not being Alpha.”
“How do you think all these people got here?” Axel asks.
“Don’t know,” I shrug. “They committed serious crimes against the Council.”
“She committed serious crimes against the Council?” Axel asks, pointing to an older lady carrying a bouquet of flowers and saying hello to everyone she passes.
“She was young once,” I reply. “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
I glance at the woman and everyone else on the street. Everyone seems pretty friendly and happy. It is hard to imagine that we are looking at a bunch of criminals.
“We should start a conversation with a local, get some more info,” I suggest, and Axel nods.
“What about this guy?” I motioned with my head to a tall, broad-shouldered man with sandy blond hair walking in.
Axel turns around to look, but when the guy sees us, his eyes widen, and he runs straight back through the door.
“What the hell is his problem?” Axel snorts.
“He’s a rogue,” I grin. “His life is a problem.”
“Hi,” a petite girl with short blonde hair stands at our table. “I haven’t seen you two around before. Apparently, you intimidated my brother, but I don’t get scared easily.”
So, this is the blond oaf’s sister. Interesting.
“We’re here on business,” Axel tells her. “We’re looking for an old friend.”
She pressed a thin finger to her chin and tapped.
“Hmm,” she presses a thin finger to her chin and taps. “Are you thinking of Katie? Poor girl showed up a few months ago after an accident, pregnant and alone.”
I sigh inwardly and look at Axel. This is not who we are looking for, but before I can correct her, she pushes on.
“She’s my bestie now,” she smiles. “And she just had her baby, so cute.”
“Oh, how ... nice,” Axel replies awkwardly.
“This is a waste of time,” I mind link Axel.
“Sorry, where did you say you were from?” the girl asks.
“The Constantine pack,” I reply. There is no point in hiding it.
“Oh, my goddess!” she cries. “My brother told me the craziest story about how this weirdo girl from your pack met Katie at the regional gathering and she kept telling her that she looked like her dead friend Elara.”
Axel and I freeze. What the fuck? There is that name again, and this time from a total stranger.
“Mindy,” I say. “Didn’t she say something about a girl at the gathering who looked like Elara?”
“So what?” Axel replies. “We’re looking for Mason, not this mystery girl.”
Axel is right, but Hunter keeps pawing at me, making me nauseous. But before I can ask the girl to excuse us, a man walks towards us.
“Hello, brothers,” he smirks.
Axel POV
Oh, shit. So, this is Mason. Looking at him, it is easy to tell that he is our brother. Mason’s hair is longer, and he is rougher around the edges, but anyone can see we are related.
“It’s like looking in a mirror,” Mason says, looking at me and Kane.
Kane looks Mason up and down.
“This is fucking scary,” he says to me.
“Damn right, it is.” I agree.
“Shall we talk outside?” Mason asks.
“After you,” Kane says, his voice thick with bitterness.
We put money on the table, stand up and follow him onto the main street.
“Let’s cut to the chase,” Kane says, puffing his chest. “What the fuck are you trying to do?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” he said coolly, narrowing his eyes.
“Sure, you don’t,” Kane scoffs, matching his icy tone.
I can tell Kane is already worked up. His rage is boiling so fast, I feel like my insides are liquifying, too.
“You think I can’t kick your ass up and down this street?” Kane growls.
Mason laughs, and Kane’s eyes flash a dangerous red.
“Kane, don’t,” I step between them. If this turns into a fight, we will never get any information out of Mason.
“That’s right, Axel,” Mason grins wickedly. “Leash your little dog.”
“Fuck you, Mason,” I snap. I did my best to remain calm, but now he is asking for it.
“Ohhhh, I’m so scared,” Mason says, wiggling his fingers.
“What the fuck?” Kane frowns. “Are you twelve?”
“We don’t acknowledge Alphas here,” Mason replies, his voice seething with disdain. “Your power has no meaning here.”
By now, Blade is running circles inside me, clawing to be released. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply, letting him rise to the surface. My claws rip from my knuckles.
Beside me, Kane’s claws are out, too, and his canines glint in the morning light. We are starting to draw attention to ourselves. A crowd of people from the main street gathered to watch us.
“Are you just going to fucking stand there, or are you going to fight me?” Mason asks.
“Come on, bitch,” Kane readies himself. “I’m going to enjoy this.”
“Mason!” A woman interrupts us.
We all turn to look at her, and the air leaves my lungs. She is holding a baby and looking anxiously at Mason.
Her face is creased with worry, her wildly long red-brown hair tumbling down her back. And her scent ... Goddess, I have never smelled anything like it.
I looked at Kane, and his nostrils were flaring, too.
Who the fuck was this?
And then she looks at us, and when our eyes meet, it is like the rest of the world falls away. Blade is pawing viciously against my chest, and I am sure Hunter is doing the same to Kane. He wants her. Badly.
My back arches uncontrollably. Blade is forcing me to shift, forcing me to claim this woman.
“She’s mine,” he growls.
