Her Safe Place
Chapter 8

Edited

Layla Andrews

“Layla.” I looked up as Axel exited the pack house. I was sitting on the swinging seat watching the little kids play. Axel took a seat next to me and grabbed my hand. I realized he did that a lot. He always wanted to hold my hand or touch me in some way.

We both sat and watched the kids as they ran around and played. “King Axel!” One of the kids said as they noticed Axel.

Before I knew it, we were trampled by the kids running towards us. Most kids tackled Axel, but a few landed on me. The kids shrieked as Axel began to tickle them. I flinched away as the kids squirmed, a couple arms and legs flying towards me. Axel noticed my flinch and stopped tickling the kids.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

I nodded. “Hello!” A small girl said. She climbed from Axel’s lap to mine. I looked up at Axel. I had been around Xander, but other than him, I didn’t have any experience with kids. “Are you King Axel’s mate?” She whispered to me, playing with a strand of my hair.

I swallowed before answering, “yes, I am.”

She smiled. “I’m Amelia,” she said, “my mommy and daddy are guards and they work with guns.” The little girl’s eyes widened. She was clearly impressed with her parents' standing.

“That’s cool. Are you going to be a guard?” I asked.

Amelia shook her head quickly. “Yes, yes, I am going to be strong, just like me daddy.” She then began to ramble about her parents. “Mommy and daddy love each other, do you love King Axel?”

I was shocked by her question. I barely knew him. I felt safe with him, but it certainly couldn’t be love. Could it? Apparently, Amelia didn’t need my answer. She continued to ramble on.

“When I find my mate, I’m going to love him the bestest I can!” She bounced slightly, excited at the prospect of finding her mate. “I’m only six, so I have to wait a long time until I find my mate.” She pouted slightly.

“Amelia,” the voice caused Amelia to jump from my lap. She ran towards a couple who held their hands out for her.

“She’s such a darling,” I said. I felt Axel shift closer.

“Yes, she is.” He agreed. “She had a very bright future.” I turned to look at Axel. He seemed nervous. “Layla, I know we just met and you aren’t a werewolf, but I was wondering if you would feel comfortable being announced as Luna.”

I felt my heart quicken at the words. I had only been here for a matter of days. I knew werewolves usually mated and marked within the first twenty-four hours of meeting, but I wasn’t like them. I knew of their ways, but I wasn’t a werewolf with the same urges as them.

“If you don’t want to, I can hold it off. The council just wants to meet you as does the rest of the kingdom.” The air left my lungs. It hadn’t settled within me that I was to be a queen. I hand’t been able to stand up to my stepmother and had been a burden for years, now I was going to outrank her.

I sat there in shock for a moment. I didn’t want to burden Axel with the problems of my self esteem and past trauma, but I wasn’t sure I could handle being a queen. “Axel,” the quiet whisper had Axel stopping. “I-I’m not sure I can rule a kingdom.” With my confession, my world crashed down. Axel needed someone who could help him rule his kingdom and stand by his side. I wasn’t that person. I knew that meant Axel would have to take on a chosen mate. The thought made my heart ache.

Axel gently grabbed my hands, “why not?” He asked softly.

“I-I-I,” I tried to force the words out, but I just couldn’t.

“Layla,” he took my face in his hands and looked into my eyes, “I know it might not seem like it, but you are the perfect person to rule this kingdom with me. It might seem like something that seems impossible, but I will be with you every step of the way.”

Without me having to say anything, Axel had addressed my fears. I didn’t want to be alone and I didn’t want to make a mess of everything.

I leaned into Axel’s touch, allowing it to calm me. “I will never let you be alone and deal with this without me by your side.” He placed a gentle kiss on the corner of my mouth before he kissed my lips. I relised in the sparks that rushed through my body. I felt every touch and everything. My hands slipped to Axel’s neck as I pulled him closer.

Axel pulled back after a moment. He rest his forehead against mine, not pulling back all the way. “Wow.” the word slipped from my lips without my knowledge. Axel chuckled and I blushed in embarrassment.

He pecked my lips once more, “you are too cute.” His comet caused my cheeks to heat even more. I looked down at my lap, not wanting to make eye contact.

“Axel, are you out here?” A woman stepped onto the porch. Her eyes reminded me of Axel’s and she shared his hair color. “Oh, I’m sorry. Is this your mate.”

Axel nodded and stood. “Layla, this is my mom, Queen Luna Evangaline. Mom, this is my mate, Layla Andrews.”

The Luna Queen waved her title away, “call me Eva. We are going to be family and you are going to be taking that title soon anyways.” Eva embraced me. “I’m so glad that Axel had found you. I thought he was truly going to chose a mate. I’m so happy you are here and together.” My focus left her words as they focused on her sentence. Axel was going to chose a mate? I had known Axel had been with other females, but I had never thought it was in a mate sense. My heart ached at the thought of some other female being with Axel.

“Mom, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take my mate inside. Its getting late.” Axel was right. Although the sun was still shining, it was almost eight. “I need to feed her and get her to bed.” Eva nodded.

“It was lovely to meet you and I hope you will have dinner with me and my mate, Axel’s father. We would love to get to know you more.” She said. I nodded before Axel guided me into the pack house.

Axel quickly made up a sandwich while I sat in thought. “We are almost out food, cook is planning a shopping trip tomorrow so we can make you better meals.” I smiled slightly. “Layla, I think we need to talk about what my mom said. It is true. Before I met you, I was looking for a mate. At the time, I didn’t think you existed and that I would never find you. As soon as I found you, I stopped looking for a chosen mate. I contacted the council and let them know that I had found my mate. I would never chose another female over you. You are my true mate and I will always choose you.”

Axel ended his little speech by placing a kiss on my forehead. I leaned into his touch. “I’m sorry.” I whispered.

“For what?” He asked, pulling away slightly.

“I know I shouldn’t hold that against you or feel bad about it, I just-” Axel cut me off.

“You have every right to be mad about this. I know I would act the same way if I found out that you had been searching for a mate.” He caressed his fingers over my cheek lovingly. “You are perfect.”

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