Chapter 8 Who Is Axel CrimsonNight

Elle’s POV-

“Ahem.” The welcomed yet hesitant male voice came from the doorway. “They have some questions about this blessed wedding downstairs for you, Sir. Are you currently available?”

He turned from her abruptly and stormed out of the room. Axel stepped into view. He smiled at her, and Elle could see why Arya would fall in love with that handsome face. His smile was even more charming. Why couldn’t she hook up with this one?

He gingerly approached her from the side as if she were a mighty bear that could take him out with a single swipe. “Luna. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Luna?” She asked, observing Axel closely. She wasn’t sure what to make of him. After all, he was with Corvin, but so was Arya, and Elle found herself liking the spirited girl. Arya also spoke highly of Axel.

“After tonight, if you will have our fierce and loyal alpha, you will be our Luna. I prefer to remain optimistic.” He explained.

“With Arya at your side, I can see why,” Elle admitted.

He chuckled and bowed before her. “I am a lucky man.” She noticed a hint of an Irish accent in his voice, and she liked it. 

He stood upright before her and grabbed her hands to emphasize his point tenderly. It was sweet. But she gasped in pain as he grazed the injury from when she hit the wall. 

“But so is Corvin.” He said softly. When he saw her pained face, he turned her wounded hand to examine it in the moonlight closely.

“You broke some skin on your knuckles, but I think the bones are still intact. Did a wall anger you?” He sounded amused.

She didn’t think it was funny, so she tensed up and pulled her hands from him. She glared at him. Axel turned his head to the side, which reminded her of a curious dog. 

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Honey.” He said sweetly, drawing out the word that made his sexy accent stand out. “Let me take care of it for you. You don’t want to get any blood on that lovely thing.”

She looked down at her pristine white dress, which reflected the moonlight and made her look like she was glowing. Blood was the last thing that she needed all over her right now. This dilemma was already crazy enough, but running around covered in blood would add a new spin.

“Please, I would appreciate it.” She complied. He offered her an arm and purposely gave her the elbow that would not require her to use her injured hand. She took it. It didn’t matter if the choice in arm was his attempt at being considerate or trying to save his tuxedo from getting blood on it.

She walked with him to a well-lit room. Two other guys were chatting in the room, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying, and it was not where her focus was anyway. Axel smiled genially at her. He sat her down in a chair, holding her hand in the air as she sat.

He grinned goofily as he lifted that hand to his lips. She chuckled. He went into a nearby closet and came out with a first aid kit bought at Walmart. 

She didn’t know what she had expected, but the first aid kit seemed a little too normal for the situation. Walmart seemed like another galaxy right now. She began laughing hysterically and had trouble letting go of it.

The two men grew acutely quiet as they regarded her carefully. It was like they were saying, ‘this is it. This moment is when she cracks.’

Axel didn’t seem to notice them, though, and gave her his full undivided attention. “What is so funny,” he paused, “honey?”

She laughed even harder. “I’m sorry. Everything just feels so unreal right now. I mean, what did you call him? Alpha? Does this society believe you are a pack of wild dogs or something?” 

The two men in the back began to growl, and Axel met their eyes, one at a time, nodding towards the door. They left the room. The door shut behind them, and she spoke hysterically. 

“Now we are all alone in here. How improper.” She giggled, unable to control herself.

He sat with her silently. As he watched her, she could sense his patience and acceptance of her emotions. She began to cry. Her tears seemed to send Axel into a panic, clearly written in his face and heard in his voice. 

“No! Don't do that. You’ll ruin your make-up, and Arya will kill me, slowly!!!” 

Suddenly, she was laughing heartily again. This big muscular man was so worried about her make-up that it sent him into a panic. A hilarious image of Arya scolding him flashed through her mind.

He nodded and patted her head before pulling her hand gently into his lap. He began to clean the open areas. He was being very gentle and moved her hand so tenderly.

His simple acceptance was comforting. She slowly calmed down, watching him clean her hand. “I’m sorry.” She said after a moment. 

As he started applying cream, he said, “I saw you up there talking to Corvin. He has been through a lot in his life and is constantly fighting for a better future for everyone. It is the whole purpose of his company.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better about marrying someone who seems more animal than man?” She asked.

He sighed. “I suppose not. I just want you to understand there is another side of him. A warmer part of him that is full of love and tenderness. It may not be very big yet. But I can already tell with you by his side that heart will beat wildly again.”

“Again?” She asked quietly, glancing from her hand to his face and back. He wrapped her hand with an ace after applying gauze.

“Long ago, he had tragically thought of giving his heart to a beautiful woman that he truly cared for. They were to wed. But his bride did not want to be with us, so he let her go and has been alone these twenty years.” Axel said, looking up at her. She turned her completely bandaged around to study his craftsmanship.

“Twenty years alone? No way.” She considered how little time she had between boyfriends before, at most maybe a month. She couldn’t imagine it. “But he is, like, old. You are telling me he is still a virgin?”

Axel laughed deeply. “I suppose that is one thing that it means, and it also explains some of his misery, don’t you think? He has been doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and fighting for twenty years. He needs to be reminded how to be around people.”

With a deep sigh, Elle nodded. She didn’t want to feel better about her situation. But Axel had helped her understand something that had kept persistently eluding her. He wasn’t cruel or crazy. Was it worse that he just didn’t know how to behave?

“It would mean a lot to the rest of the family and me if you think you could try to help train him for that.” He wanted her to train her husband? You trained animals, not husbands, which made it such a strange request. “No rush or worries, though. For now, your presence will be enough. You have no idea what you being here means to Arya and me. The rest of the family, as well.” The rest of the family? What rest?