MATED TO THE STRONGEST ALPHA
Chapter Twenty

*Selene's POV

"So, you got mad at me for telling the truth?" Axel said as he stopped.

"You looked down on my power."

"You have power?"

I closed my eyes tightly, so I could control myself. "I mean, my ability to handle myself."

He didn't say a word. He just nodded as if he understood me. He always liked this; he thinks that he knows me better than I know myself.

We are at the park right now, like how we planned to go here. My parents just went home and told Axel to assist me until I got home. To be honest, that was not a good idea. I wanted to be independent. As the wind blew, I hugged myself. Axel seemed to notice me and looked at his suit.

"You want to be independent, right? So, you should bring your jacket next time," he said as if I needed his suit.

"I can handle myself, mister." I rolled my eyes and walked to the bench. I sat there, and I saw Axel's shoulder fidget, who laughed at what word I said.

"We will be in the same university, huh? I hope you didn't get shocked when you saw me with beautiful girls. You had no idea, so I'm telling you now, I am pretty popular." He was proud of himself. "I don't want to be with you even though we are at the same university. I don't want to get involved in a jerk," I said back.

Axel walked toward me and sat beside me.

I fell silent for a moment and thought about what happened earlier. He was his father before, but it looked like they didn't have a conversation or even seemed close to him.

"If you don't mind, could I ask you a question?"

"You want me to go on a date with you? Hmm, let me think about it."

I frowned. "No. I will never ask you that."

He laughed. "So, what is your question anyway?"

I let out a heavy breath. "About your father."

"You like my father? He is the same age as the Lycan King. You love the old guy?" He smirked.

"No, no! Not like that. Could you please talk to me properly?" He always cracked a joke and teased me, and when he was not in that mood, he wanted to fight me. I couldn't take this man's attitude.

He pressed his lips together before he said a word to me. "He is not my real father," he started.

"You are adopted?"

"No."

"What?"

I didn't understand what he wanted to say. He was not adopted; then that man was not his father. How was that possible? What could have happened?

Axel gave me a half-smile. "A long story. I don't want to discuss it now." He looked at me. "Why are you interested in me?"

Because of what he said, my forehead puckered.

"Of course not. I was with you for a whole month, and then I didn't even get to know anything about you. Aside from you being a brave warrior that my Father thinks highly of. The jerk trainer. What was the other thing I knew about you?" Even my parents didn't tell me anything about this man. His life was full of secrets.

"If you don't like me, then I wouldn't tell you. I only talked about myself to someone interested in me."

"As a friend."

"I don't see you as a friend. I didn't have a weak friend." He raised his chin and looked proud of himself.

"Okay."

I waited for him until he told me the story of his life. I was just curious about his attitude.

We both looked at the moon. The wind hugged me, but this time I even felt nature. I loved it. But as the night got deeper, someone inserted into my mind. It was him again. The man who rejected me.

"Why did the moon give us sadness and happiness at the same time? It looks like the moon goddess knows how to play with our feelings." All of a sudden, Axel broke the silence. His eyes were focused on the moon. This time, the stars show

us more.

I gave him a half-shrug. "Maybe she knows our deepest selves, more than we knew ourselves?"

That was how I felt. Maybe the moon goddess knows everything about us. The past that we thought we already had forgotten.

"That was sad. I hope she eases all the pain."

"Why? Was there any pain that remains in your life right now?"

He didn't answer.

"Well, we all have a dark past."

Still, he didn't say a word.

For what he was doing, my curiosity to know him more was here in my heart. What was the dark side of his past that haunted him?

I only heard his heavy sight, and then he lowered his head. I knew it had something in him that he didn't want to bring up. What was that?

"I think I need you to take you back to the palace. It is quite late already. You needed to rest your body." His voice was low.

He didn't even look at my face. If there was something in his heart, I hope he can recover from it. I wanted to help him, but how could I do it if he didn't want to tell me what he felt?

My eyes were glued to him, as the moon was bright so well, and the stars twinkled in the dark sky. The wind blew and my heart felt cold.

As he took me home, I started questioning myself as to why I liked him and what I had been avoiding since. Multiple answers arose in my mind to my utter dismay, and I was left dumbstruck.

Why had I fallen in love so easily? Why did it take me so soon to forget Riker? Did I love Riker, or was I just claiming to love him?

It was two days left for me to leave for the city. I was girded with the remote hope that I would not meet Riker nor Father and Lilith.

*