Page 47 of Savage Loyalty

The silence that followed was deafening. Axel’s jaw tightened, his gaze dropping to the table for a split second before meeting mine again.

“Dad made enemies, Delilah. You know that as well as I do. Whoever pulled the trigger? They had their reasons.”

“That’s not an answer,” I said, my voice trembling with frustration.

“It’s the only one you’re getting,” Axel replied, his tone final.

I stared at him, my chest heaving as the weight of his words settled over me. He wasn’t going to tell me the truth. Maybe he didn’t even know it. Or maybe he just didn’t care.

“You’re going to get yourself killed,” I said quietly, the fight draining out of me. “And you’re going to take the rest of us down with you.”

Axel didn’t respond, but the flicker of something in his eyes told me he’d heard me. He just didn’t want to admit it.

The tension between Axel and me was a living thing, heavy and oppressive as I stood in the middle of the Black Vipers’ clubhouse. I could feel the weight of his brothers’ stares, their unspoken judgment pressing against my back like a blade. But I didn’t care. I was done tiptoeing around this chaos.

Axel sat back in his president’s chair, his expression slipping into something colder, more guarded. That shift in him was familiar, a wall I’d seen him build countless times before when things got too close to the truth. His fingers drummed against the table, his calm too deliberate.

“You’re not telling me everything,” I said, crossing my arms and refusing to sit. “Don’t play games with me, Axel. I’m not in the mood.”

He gave me a long, assessing look, his lips pressing into a thin line. “You want the truth?” he said, his voice low but cutting. “Fine. The Serpents are sniffing around because Dad kept them on a short leash. He made sure they knew their place. Now that he’s gone, they think they can move in.”

“And what are you doing about it?” I asked, my frustration flaring. “Letting them? Working with them?”

Axel’s jaw tightened, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his face. “I’m holding this club together, Delilah. That’s what I’m doing. Something you walked away from, so don’t stand here and act like you know what it takes.”

“Don’t,” I snapped, leaning forward, my hands braced on the edge of the table. “Don’t turn this around on me. I left because I couldn’t live with what this life demanded. And now? I’m being dragged back into it whether I like it or not.”

Axel’s eyes narrowed, his voice dropping into a dangerous register. “No one dragged you back, Delilah. You came looking for answers. You came to us.”

“Because you’re playing games!” I shot back, my voice rising. “You, the Reapers, the Serpents—you’re all tangled up in something, and none of you are being honest about it. And you know what? I’m sick of it. I’m sick of being stuck in the middle of whatever power grab this is.”

Axel stood abruptly, his towering frame casting a shadow over me. “You think this is a game?” he asked, his voice sharp and cold. “You think I want this? I didn’t ask to lead, Delilah. But someone had to step up when Dad got himself killed.”

The mention of our father hit like a slap, the weight of his words settling in my chest like lead. But I refused to back down. “Then tell me the truth, Axel. Stop feeding me half-answers and tell me what you know.”

For a moment, I thought he might. His gaze flickered, the mask slipping just enough to reveal the weight he carried. But then it was gone, replaced by that impenetrable wall of indifference.

“Go home, Delilah,” he said, his tone final. “This isn’t your fight.”

“It became my fight the moment Dad was killed,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “And if you think keeping me in the dark is going to protect me, you’re wrong.”

Axel didn’t respond. He just stared at me, his jaw tight, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. The silence between us stretched, heavy with unspoken truths, until I couldn’t take it anymore.

I turned on my heel, my boots echoing against the floor, and walked out, the noise of the clubhouse fading behind me as I stepped into the cool night air. The stares followed me, the whispers barely audible over the pounding in my ears. But I didn’t look back. The weight in my chest was unbearable, a mix of anger, frustration, and something that felt like betrayal.

The truth was, Axel knew more than he was letting on. He always had. And as much as I wanted to believe he was keeping quiet to protect me, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was protecting himself, too.

I’d come here for answers, and all I’d found were more questions. And as I climbed back into my car, gripped the steering wheel, and slammed the door, one thought kept running through my mind:

Ryder was right.

Axel was going to burn everything down. And I didn’t know if I could stop it.

The Black Vipers, the Crimson Reapers, the Iron Serpents—they were all playing a game I wanted no part of. But somehow, I’d been dragged into the middle of it anyway.

And the worst part?

I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to get out.

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