Ditched Cheating Alpha, I Led My Daughter to Life's Peak novel Chapter 285

Onai shakes his head. I guess I'll leave it at that.

But the girl decides to say something else. "I didn't mean to offend you."

Onai stays silent.

She tries again. "I just didn't know the rumors were true."

"The rumors?" I ask. Here go the rumors again.

A rosy hue takes over her pale cheeks. "You know... That Silvermoon werewolves prefer to..." She chooses her words carefully. "To lie with other species."

I furrow my brow. Lie with other...? "What makes you think that?"

Onai gestures towards himself.

"... Oh." The pieces fall together.

Then he gestures towards me.

Dang, I almost forgot I was a human. "Oh." Now it all makes sense. Well, yeah, I guess. It's not true, but I can see why she thinks that. "It's... complicated," I say.

That seems to worry her more. "Is he... also your mate? I heard you've claimed many."

Onai looks taken aback.

This day gets more and more interesting. "How about we assume that most of the rumors are false?" I suggest. "Except the ones about my awesomeness, of course."

Onai scoffs.

I shove him playfully. "No one asked you."

"And yet," he starts.

Her eyes widen. Geez. We're gonna have to explain a lot, if she does stay in this pack.

A huge wolf pads over to me, clothes clamped in it's jaws. I double take. "Axel?" Sleek, obsidian black, handsome. His eyes look sheepish. I could imagine him scratching the back of his neck.

Wait... am I... complimenting his wolf? I mentally slap myself. Absolutely not. Beastiality is where I draw the line.

I take the pile of clothes from his mouth. He bends down so I can climb on him. My first thought is, this is Axel? My mind's having difficulty making the connection. I run my fingers through his dark locks, feeling his chest rise and fall. This is... my mate?

That might take some getting used to. The calling him mate part. Not his wolf form, which I've already fallen in love with. I wrap my arms around him.

The girl watches us the entire time.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Her leg is injured," Onai says, but I can tell he got that bit of information from Axel. He grimaces all of a sudden, brown eyes questioning the wolf. He looks at the girl.

She stares at him warily. "I can walk."

Before I can say anything, Axel veers off the path. Technically, there's no "path" through the overgrown forest floor, but his sharp turn startles me. "What's wrong?" I ask.

Obviously he doesn't answer, much to Shen's confusion.

"Where is he going?" She looks like she's ready to throw herself off of Onai if that'd mean being able to follow us. That's when I realize Onai isn't moving. He's staying put, keeping Fei and Shen where Axel left them.

I furrow my brow. "I don't know."

"Put me down." Shen tries to get off Onai, but he growls.

She stays put.

We exchange a wary look before I can no longer see her past the trees. "Don't worry," I say. "Just stay with Onai. It'll be fine." But I don't know if it's true. What the heck is Axel doing?

He stops almost immediately.

I hold onto his dark fur, the same way I did on the way here. I had my arms wrapped around his neck as I leaned back, getting a glimpse of the tall trees surrounding us, encasing us in their height. Now I do the same thing, leaning forward to ask him, "Why are you leaving them alone? Is that safe?"

I don't think anyone else is tailing her, but I don't want to be proven wrong.

Axel lowers himself to the ground.

I start to panic. "Are you hurt?" I kneel beside him, looking for an injury. Is it his paw? His stomach? I don't know where to look, much less what to do if I find a wound.