Page 40 of Spooks & Specters

Had he ever truly loved Kage? He honestly didn’t know, looking back on it. If Axel was honest with himself—and he had learned how to be over the last fifty or so years—he questioned if he’d even been capable of love back then.

The man that Axel used to be…. Well, that man probably was not capable of love. If anything, the only person he’d loved had been himself. Had he blamed Kage for abandoning him on the other side of the world with nothing but the clothes on his back?

Yes, but Axel had brought it on himself. Axel had beat the male he was supposed to have loved. It was safe to say Kage most likely wouldn’t have left him there if Axel hadn’t attacked him.

So the person to blame was himself. It had taken Axel a long time to admit that, but he finally had.

Therehadbeen compatibility between them, but Axel had known Kage wasn’t his fated mate. Fated mate. Axel snorted. He knew perfectly damn well a lot of shifters never found their fated mate, and he had used that as an excuse to not commit fully to Kage. Gods above, he had been arrogant back then.

He certainly wasn’t arrogant now.

He had nothing, absolutely nothing, and the reason he wasn’t out on the streets was due to Kage. After all Axel had done, Kage had provided treatment for him. Honestly, he was surprised Kage hadn’t just dumped him in the middle of San DeLain and let the two werewolf packs there take care of him. It was what he deserved.

And speaking of the werewolf packs of San DeLain, he was going to have one targeting him since they thought he was their alpha. Of course, everybody knew now that Nox had been impersonating Axel, but werewolves gave new meaning to the word arrogance. His past self was a perfect example.

The Crimson Fangs would be after his blood because they hadn’t realized their alpha had been a mimic and not actually Axel. In their mind, the only way to redeem themselves was to kill Axel.

Axel was almost tempted to let them, but his stupid wolf refused to give up and let them die. Sighing, he looked at the clock on the table next to his bed. Gods, Kage would be here soon.

It had been a little over a week since Axel’s rescue, and he was stronger. Good food, rest, and no beatings had certainlyhelped his recovery. So did not being injected with whatever they’d used to suppress his wolf.

In fact, he had told Terry that he wanted to try and shift today, which was the reason why Kage was stopping by. Axel was both nervous and excited. He snorted softly. Nervous because it’d been so long since he’d shifted. He had no idea if he could.

And he was excited. It wasn’t Kage he was excited at seeing, though. Oh no, it was Doctor Terry Sanchez, a daemon of Kage’s clan. The good doctor had been reserved at first, which Axel didn’t blame him for.

Terry had been around when Axel and Kage had dated, after all. He might not know exactly what happened between Kage and Axel, but he had certainly been around all the other times Axel had acted like an ass toward Kage. And basically anyone else who wasn’t a werewolf, something he was greatly ashamed of now.

Terry had slowly defrosted toward Axel over the last week, and he was so pitifully grateful that there was actually someone who gave a damn whether he lived or died, Axel didn’t know how to act. Terry’s kindness had helped Axel more than he could say.

So, was he thrilled about trying to shift today? Yes. But he was more excited about getting to see Terry.

Chapter Two

THE SCENT hit Axel first, a heady mix of familiar smells that he had long missed. As a shifter, his heightened sense of smell could be more of a disadvantage than an advantage, but in this moment, he couldn’t have been more grateful to scent anything.

For so long, his sense of smell had been dulled and muted by the suppressants his captors had used to control his wolf. It was suffocating, like being trapped in a small room with no windows or fresh air.

But now, as he took in a deep breath, relief washed over him.

As Terry and Kage approached his hospital room, their voices low as they talked, Axel’s eyes stung with emotion. He was overwhelmed with gratitude and joy that his senses were finally returning to him. The tears threatened to fall but he held them back—he was just so relieved his senses were coming back.

There was a brief knock on his door, and clearing his throat, he prepared to greet Kage and Terry.

“Come on in,” Axel said.

The door opened, and Kage walked in first, with Terry right behind him. Once more Axel waited for some sort of response at seeing his ex, but there was nothing. No arousal, no excitement… no anger. He was glad to see Kage, but that’s all it was—just friendly acceptance.

Terry, on the other hand, made Axel’s heart beat quicker. From the sounds of it, so did Terry’s, but Axel was unsure why.

“Good morning, Kage. Good morning, Dr. Terry.”

“Good morning, Axel,” Kage said.

“Morning, Axel. How did you sleep?” Terry asked.

“Better, actually. I only remember waking up twice,” Axel said. It pained him to admit how his nightmares had plaguedhim, but he didn’t try to hide that from the doctor or Kage. Axel needed their help, and he knew it.

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll make note of it in your chart,” Terry said.

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