Half Faced Alpha
Chapter 32

She turned to Beta Scott who sighed. "Maybe you should go to him. The omega will be fine. He sent him to the healer, and the healer will fix it. You do not have to worry about him." Natalia nodded and walked away, taking the same stairs. Beta Scott stayed back to supervise the omegas that had gone back to work with renewed energy.

"Axton?" She called at his door, slightly tapping on the door. There was no response, and she gave it some time, before she tapped again.

She turned the knob and it opened under the pressure. She opened it wider and stepped in, the only source of light in the room being the small crack of light the opening of the drapes covering the window let in. She opened it a little wider, the turned to the bed, where Axton was. His head on his outstretched left hand and cushioned on the left. His eyes were closed, his lashes still.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" She asked his sleeping form. Seeing how fast he'd fallen asleep, and the dark red circles beneath his normally almost pale skin, she knew what the answer to that would be. She went closer to him, her steps soundless, then sat on the edge of the bed closest to him. She gently lifted his head, then replaced his hand with her lap.

He didn't move much and only adjusted his head on her lap. She watched as she did, taking in his lack of expression.

These days, she has been seeing him with so much emotions on his face, it was peaceful seeing him with none.

She laced her hands in his hair gently and massaged his scalp.

It brought back memories of her mother, massaging her scalp and telling her in her usual soft voice. "You are the key...the mate. So get some sleep." She shook her head to clear off the memory and massaged his scalp a little more.

Axton woke up early noon. He felt strangely relaxed and peaceful, and he straightened. Natalia's eyes were big as she watched him.

He looked at her, wondering why she was here. But he didn't say a word.

'Did she not ask me to not talk to her? Why is she here?' He thought, but it would kill him before he said it out loud. She had asked for this herself.

He said up, then pushed his hand through his hair as a way of waking himself up.

"You are awake," Natalia said.

He glanced at her, then stood up and walked away.

"Axton? How do you feel now? I wanted to get you some...ointment to heal the bags under your eyes. They must sting, right?"

This time, he didn't bother looking at her, and just looked away, grabbing a bath robe as he did.

He looked back at her, as if she was supposed to automatically know what he would do next.

He shrugged when she didn't take the hint, and swiftly removed his shirt. He quickly replaced it with a bath robe, then took a peak to see her reaction. She had none, as her eyes were lowered. He couldn't help being considerate of her, and maybe that was his weakness.

He walked away to his massive bath house, and made sure to keep his robe on, before walking into the steamy water.

He closed his eyes, putting his head back so the feel of the water calmed his nerves.

"Axton?"

He lifted his head back up, watching as Natalia stood by the door, her hands holding on to the edge like she was hanging off a cliff by a branch. And maybe she was. Maybe that was what he was to her. A cliff she could neither fall from, nor run towards. He was a dead end, the mate bond and her love pushing her closer to him, and the weight of his sins and his feelings keeping her at a distance.

He didn't say a word, and watched her slowly lose her cowardice, and take small, brave steps toward him.

He let his eyes follow her as she came round the concrete tub, his eyes darkening with every step she took forward.

She came closer and effortlessly took the three stair cases that led straight to him. He didn't turn, just anticipated her.

"Do you need help with your hair?" She asked, and without waiting for an answer she gently pulled hair back, causing him to lean backwards.

She wet his hair slowly, then pulled it further, so he was facing the veil directly, and he closed his eyes.

"Does it hurt?" She asked him, and all she got in response was a fluttering eyelash.

"You can tell me if it does..."

She massaged his scalp, then just behind his ears, letting her fingers trail along the skin just behind his ear.

The water was starting to go cold, but he wouldn't go out of it. He didn't want to.

She washed the lather off his hair, then put in more soap, this time taking more time to clean the front of his hair, and she occasionally put his hair down on to her other hand, loving the feel of the mixture of silk and lather on her fingers.

She finally washed it off, the instead of a comb, pushed her fingers through the silk mass to straighten it. When she was done, she came to the side, standing just outside of the water, then watched him.

He opened his eyes, and their eyes met, the intensity in his sending chills down her spine, the pure innocence in hers causing him to lose some of his anger.

"Do you feel better now? My mother did that to make me relax. Do you feel fine?"

He took in a deep breath, then looked down at his fingers. "Are you used to this?"

"What?" She asked, moving closer.

He said nothing as he stepped out for a while, and watched as he drained, then renewed the water. He stepped back in once the water was renewed, and the inlet closed. "Are you used to seeing people change so drastically for you?"

"Then I probably would have known what to do." She answered simply.

He looked up to her, then slowly extended his hand, searching for hers with his fingers. Once he felt it, he clasped his finger around hers and swiftly pulled her in to the water.

She gasped as he did, then shrieked as the now cold water hit her skin. He pulled her towards him, and with a smooth movement of his hand across the side of her cheek, he pushed her hair away, then cupped one side of her face.

She tried to push the effect of the water out of her head and focused on the man in front of her. It was not too hard to focus on Axton. It was hard not to focus on him.

"If you do not know, then how am I supposed to?" He asked her, his other hand letting her hair down to her back. "This is costing me my sanity, but you know what is even scarier? The fact that I am willing to pay the price. It does not seem too expensive to me." He looked down at the ridge on her neck as her breathing accelerated, then looked back up at her eyes.

"What do you want me to do?"

She wrapped her arms around him. "You asked me to do it once too. I hope you will oblige me the way I obliged you."

"Tell me."

She took in a deep breath, then placed one of her hands on his chest, just where his heart was.

"Fall in love with me. That is what you should do."