Half Faced Alpha
Chapter 11

"You are happy, I am sure," Axton said from his lying position immediately he caught whiff of Natalia's scent. He now knew what to associate the light rose and tulips scent to, and he wasn't even sure if he liked It.

She walked in after a few minutes, fuming.

"Father. I am not going with this man." She said immediately.

"Why is that? You have to go with me."

Nicholas came out of his small sanctuary, obviously tired.

"You do not have a choice, Natalia. Please do not make a fuss."

"Then let him apologize. For doing what he did to me."

Nicholas looked from her to Axton who was looking away. "What did he do to you?"

She stopped, thinking. "He yelled. He said he killed the village on which that flower field stands, he said he is a monster and a beast, and I am not going with him!"

"What is wrong with me telling you about who I really am?" Axton said and she turned to him.

"I do not see a monster in you. A monster does not melt under that subtle a kiss!"

Alpha Axton could not help his eyes diverting to Nicholas, or his mouth that hung ajar. How could she bank on his ignorance of intimacy like this?

"It was...unexpected."

"And obviously your first." She fired back.

"A monster does not have to be a manwhore." He countered and she started to laugh.

"Just admit you don't feel masculine because of your pretty boy figures and you are probably a social outcast....".

"I am not!"

"Oh, you are and it shows. That is why you want to take me for free because no one else would go with you!"

"Then what is your price?"

"Treat me right!"

He stopped, breathing hard. "Treat you right? What do you mean by that?"

"Apologize when you are wrong. Do not yell in my face. Do not tell me you are a monster just to scare me, when I chose to see the good in you. And do not ever assume that I am around you just because of this attraction I feel. I can also leave. Do not take me for granted!"

Alpha Axton thought about it. If he did all of that, would it guarantee healing?

"If...I treat you right, if I pretend to be in love and treat you the way you want to be treated, the way the alpha's mate should be treated...will you guarantee my healing? Will you make sure that I am healed every single time?"

"Healing?" She asked, coming close to him.

Nicholas cleared his throat. "Natalia..."

"I will. Whatever that includes, I will heal you."

Nicholas face palmed and turned away, locking himself in.

Natalia felt a little less angry now, as she watched Axton. His eyes were low, his mind reeling over the thought of the commitment he had brought himself into.

"I am waiting. I believe you owe me an apology."

"I apologize." He said simply, his face facing the wall.

Silence ended, before he felt her hand come up his left cheek and she turned his face to him. Half of her body was lying on him and her big blue eyes fixed on his blood red ones.

"That is not how to apologize, Axton." She said, her voice was soft, and it felt almost like a feathery caress.

His breath hitched in his throat as she came down closer. "Will you not...try to do better?"

He swallowed. "I an trying." He admitted. "Never in my life have I tried this hard. So...acknowledge my faults. And my efforts too. I am not perfect, I will probably not be. But, my ailment is humbling me in a way I never expected, and somehow, it feels better that it is you." He made to look away, but she stopped him, her eyes wide.

"Tell me what this is."

"What do you mean, Natalia?"

"Tell me why I replace you so irresistible even though there is a possibility that everything you said back then was true?"

He swallowed hard. Somehow, he did not want her to know anymore. He could imagine her moving away in shock and repulsion away from him, and he didn't say it, but it would sting. Especially since it meant watching her hate him and never become well again. "I guess I was scared of the attraction too." He lied. "That's why I said all those things that are not true."

She broke into a smile, then leaned closer and pecked his forehead. "Thank you."

"For what?" His voice broke, no matter how hard he tried not to.

"For telling me that all of that is not true. I will try not to doubt you from now on."

He nodded, clueless as to what he should say or do. He's never had a woman this close, or this soft. Baring everything to him. The woman who bared everything to him had been cursing him.

And maybe that was how strong the mate bond was. Maybe that was the healing effect of it. No matter how much he didn't want to be vulnerable to it or submit to her, he knew somewhere, that he was well on the path to.

She leaned away slowly, and the new inflow of air felt unfamiliar and annoying. He preferred it when she was there, her warmth heating him up, her breath fanning his face.

He shook his head and gave a smirk. "You are so whipped."

She rolled her eyes. "I was wondering when the cocky you will be back."

He smiled, this time a lot more genuinely, then pulled her by her arm to his. Her hair fell on his face and he caught the whiff of lavender.

"I must admit, you have the most peculiar tastes, my lady."

She smiled. "Even with humans."

He released her as she walked away, her smile contagious. He could feel the strength back in his body, and it was just confirmation. He was never letting this woman go. Even if it meant doing the things he never expected to. Even if it meant doing the things she deemed as right.