Inaaya's eyes were narrowed in concentration, drowning out the cheering voices. The moment she scored her winning goal, she jumped and fist pumped the air. She was soon engulfed in bear hugs from her cheering squad while Jermaine slammed a hand on the side of the foosball table.

"Damn! You're a quick learner, aren't you?" he sulked as the people around them dispersed. He took a sip of his beer, leaning against the wall.

"I may not have played the game before, Mr. Hughes, but I have watched and learned from the best," Inaaya responded with a smirk, opening herself a fresh can of soda.

"And who might that be?" Jermaine asked curiously, following Inaaya towards the couches. Everyone was settling down to watch a movie.

"Chandler and Joey, of course!" Inaaya quipped, laughing. In another second she frowned seeing Jermaine's frown. "From Friends? The TV show? Don't tell me you haven't watched Friends!"

"I haven't."

"You should then." Inaaya resumed her seat on the one seater couch and Jermaine occupied the cushion seat placed next to her couch. Just then the door to the rec room opened and two men walked in, saying their greetings. Inaaya watched as one launched himself on an empty seat while the other went towards Jace, a Sigma, which according to the list of pack rankings Jermaine had given Inaaya meant a tutor of the pack.

The man leaned down and kissed Jace square on the mouth. Inaaya watched with wide eyes as the two men whispered to each other, sitting close. Jermaine elbowed Inaaya's calf, drawing her attention away from the couple. "We're an open-minded pack. The Alphas do not tolerate any disrespect towards any other pack member. I hope it won't be a problem?" he asked, his voice was steady but his tone was bordering on the defensive.

Inaaya gave him a half smile and shook her head. "Not at all, Jermaine. Not at all," she said and Jermaine visibly relaxed. He gave Inaaya a smile before turning to the screen again. "I, least of all, will ever complain about being amongst open-minded people," she whispered, unable to hold the words in. Her words were barely audible to humans but she knew Jermaine would have heard her and she was grateful he didn't respond or ask any questions.

Inaaya glanced at the couple again who, seeming to have felt her gaze upon them, looked at her and smiled. She smiled back before turning to the screen. The movie had started but Inaaya's mind had chosen to take a trip down the memory lane. To some of the most ominous days of her life. To what had happened six years ago.

Inaaya shut her eyes tightly, attempting to stop the tears pooling in them from leaking. Her breathing was becoming uneven. She wished for a distraction strong enough to cut short the heart-wrenching memory. A distraction that was appeared soon enough as the door to the rec room was burst open with force and a panicked male voice shouted, "Jermaine! Where is she?"

Inaaya's eyes opened with a start as Jermaine stood up in attention. The room went silent apart from the background noise from the TV, which no one paid any heed to. "Who, Beta Axel?" Jermaine inquired, stepping forward.

Axel was about to respond when his eyes caught sight of Inaaya, standing behind Jermaine. He ignored Jermaine and walked straight to Inaaya, cupping her cheeks. Inaaya could see the chaos within his light grey eyes as he whispered, "You're here." He pulled Inaaya in for a tight hug and her eyes widened. "You're here," he whispered again in her ear, this time sounding relieved. "I went looking for you in your room. You weren't there. Your stuff wasn't there either. I thought you hadn't come," he said, pulling back a little to look at her.

Inaaya stood frozen in Axel's arms, blinking up at him as she processed his words. "I... uh... I am here," she murmured, her hands unknowingly clasped his biceps.

Axel nodded. "Yes, you are." He sighed, giving her a smile. "I'm glad you are," he said before his eyes narrowed in confusion. "Where's your bag? It wasn't in your room..."

"I uh... I—" While Inaaya struggled to answer, still slow in processing Axel's concern for her, Jermaine answered in her stead.

"She is staying in the West Wing of the castle, Beta Axel. She wanted a room closer to Talisa's."

Axel continued to stare at Inaaya, which for a moment made her wonder if he had even heard a word Jermaine said. She bit her bottom lip, wondering if she should repeat Jermaine's words for Axel's benefit.

"Why?" Axel asked in a whisper then turned to Jermaine, his brows furrowed. "Didn't you show her to the room next to mine?"

"He did," Inaaya rushed, not wanting Jermaine to be in trouble because of her. Axel turned back to her, his eyes still narrowed but his gaze softer and more confused. "I just uh... wasn't comfortable..." she trailed off, eyes downcast as she was acutely aware of the several pairs of eyes on them.

Axel seemed to realise this too as he took her hand and lead her out the room. Inaaya was almost jogging to keep up as he only stopped when they were inside an empty bedroom. Axel pulled her inside the room after him, not bothering to let her hand go. "I... chose this room for you, Inaaya. Next to mine. Didn't you like it?"

Inaaya looked around the room. Yet again, it followed the similar interiors to Axel's room but this room was decked in tones of baby blues and white. Inaaya walked towards a window, overlooking the training grounds in the middle of the castle. "This room is beautiful, Axel," she said softly, turning back to him. "I hadn't seen it before. I just... chose a room near Talisa's because... she's been really nice."

"You're not upset with her?" Axel asked, walking closer. His eyebrows furrowed when Inaaya gave him a confused look. "For that thing with your family? The memory manipulation..." he reminded.

A sad smile curled at Inaaya's lips at the reminder of her lost family. She turned back to the window and shrugged. "It's water under the bridge. She seems nice. She cares more than she lets on. She observes more too. I think we can become good friends." 

It wasn't that Inaaya didn't believe her words, she really did. However, she knew her possible friendship with Talisa wasn't the reason for her unwillingness to take this room. The reason was her possible relationship with Axel. She didn't want to rush into anything and she sure as hell didn't want to feel pressured.

She could feel Axel's eyes boring a hole in her head as he asked the one question she didn't want him to ask. "What about what we could become?"

Inaaya sighed, pausing to gather her thoughts. A moment later Axel's fingers curled around her arm, turning her to face him. She didn't quite meet his eyes though, choosing to stare at her feet instead. "Inaaya, I don't mean to force you. It's just that... I'd feel a lot more at peace knowing you're near me. I can keep you safe that way."

Inaaya looked up to meet his eyes, frowning. "Isn't this whole castle safe? From what I've learnt, everyone here lives like one big family. Then keep me safe from whom, Axel?"

Axel let out a frustrated sigh, taking two steps away from her. Inaaya stared at his back in confusion intermingled with curiosity. "Inaaya, you don't understand..."

There was a silence then. Axel seemed to be lost in his thoughts while Inaaya made a failing attempt to decipher them. Jermaine said the castle was highly protected from any outside dangers and inside, the members of the pack faced no danger. Then what was bothering Axel so much?

Axel breathed deeply, his shoulders slumped and Inaaya wanted to take away the defeated air surrounding him. "It's... it's not just that, Inaaya. It's the... mating bond we share. It pulls me towards you," he whispered, looking up at her. "I... I can't explain it. It's just... there is this reassurance..." Axel said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. He looked like he was struggling to put his feelings into words. "I feel much more at peace knowing you're close."

Inaaya bit her bottom lip, inhaling deeply. She felt tormented by the inner struggle between her mind and her heart. Her heart went out to him, looking so helpless over something he couldn't control. But her mind kept reminding her of her own walls.

"I don't want to force you into anything, Inaaya. I want you to be comfortable here. I... I'm sorry."

"Axel—" Inaaya began, shaking her head but was interrupted by him.

"Forget that. Here, I got you a gift," he said, a strained smile forced on his lips. Picking up a wrapped gift basket from the bed, he extended it towards her. Inaaya had to hand it to him. It wasn't a very subtle change of topics but it wasn't a bad attempt either. And Inaaya appreciated it. Appreciated him for it. She didn't want to be pressured but she didn't know how to console him either.

"What's in it, Axel?"

"See for yourself," he said, smiling.

Inaaya walked towards him and carefully opened the packaging while Axel held the gift basket for her. Inside it was a Nikon DSLR and an iPhone. Inaaya gasped seeing the gadget boxes, not daring to touch them. "This..." she whispered in shock, looking up at him. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I remember how upset you were when your camera and phone got broken after you jumped out of the car. You jumped because of me. You, in fact, uprooted your whole life because of me." He smiled, opening the packages for her and handing her the camera and the phone. "Do you like them?"

Inaaya brushed her fingers on the camera, her heart swelling at his thoughtful gesture. She hadn't uttered a word about how upset she had been yet, he had noticed and cared enough to try to cheer her up. "This... this is too much, Axel. I can't accept this," she said, shaking her head gently. His gesture counted and that was all Inaaya wanted.

"Of course, you can! This is only a small token of my gratefulness, Inaaya. A promise that I'll take care of all your needs and wants, always. Please." He extended the gadgets back towards her.

Inaaya shook her head, pushing the gadgets back. "I appreciate you thinking so much about me greatly, Axel. Thank you so much. It means a lot to me. But I'm sorry. I can't accept these gifts. Doesn't feel right." Seeing his fallen face, Inaaya added, "Maybe in the future, you can give them to me again and I'll be able to accept. Till then, why don't you ask someone to bring my luggage to this room?"

Upon hearing her words, Axel's face lit up and he gave her a broad smile. "Are you sure?" he asked and Inaaya nodded, smiling back at him. In this tussle between her heart and her mind, her heart seemed to have won yet again. That seemed to be happening more often ever since she met Axel. But how could she not give in?

"I'll get it done right now," Axel said, standing up. He paused for a moment, his eyes seemed to phase out before he was back to his smiling self.

"Mind link?" Inaaya asked, remembering Jermaine's explanation of how a werewolf could establish a mental connection with their pack members, their family members and their mates if they were werewolves too. This connection allowed them to converse with each other without having to speak or even be close by. A lot like a phone call but rather, it was all in their heads and there were no network issues.

Axel looked surprised. "How did you know?"

"I spent my time learning things from Jermaine," she answered, smiling and shrugging a nonchalant shoulder.

Axel smiled a proud smile, "That's nice." He kept the camera back in the box before placing the basket on the bed. However, he placed the iPhone in Inaaya's palm. "I will agree to gift you the camera at a later stage in our relationship but I want you to have this now. It's just a phone. A mere necessity. A way for us to communicate. Please, Inaaya, accept this?"

Inaaya tried hard to not swallow at his mention of their relationship and looked down at her hand enwrapped by his before looking back into his earnest eyes. Sighing, she nodded. "Thank you."

Axel smiled and kissed her forehead. Inaaya's eyes closed of their own accord as Axel's lips stayed there a moment longer. He wrapped his arms around her, "Thank you, Inaaya. For staying. For everything."

Inaaya nodded. She couldn't bring herself to hug him back but she couldn't bring herself to pull away either. His earthy scent engulfed her, soothing her troubled mind. They stayed like that for a long time or maybe a few minutes, Inaaya couldn't tell, before their moment was broken by a knock on the door. Inaaya jumped back, her cheeks tinged pink as she glanced at the intruder before turning away. 

Jermaine walked in, grinning and wheeling along Inaaya's luggage. He bowed his head at Axel. "Beta," he greeted before smiling at Inaaya. "Inaaya, if you need anything, just let me know."

Inaaya nodded and smiled at the blonde man. "Thank you, Jermaine."

Inaaya pulled her luggage to one side of the room, feeling Axel's eyes on her. She moved slowly, wanting to delay the moment when she would have no other reason to avoid his gaze. She couldn't believe they were just sharing another intimate moment, with the door wide open nonetheless. 

When she was done, Axel spoke up. "Did you get a tour of the pack house?"

"I did. Jermaine showed me around the West Wing and South Wing of the castle before I got tired of walking. I think I'd need a cycle just to move from one wing to another," Inaaya said, laughing lightly, trying to diffuse the awkwardness she was feeling.

"Or I could carry you," Axel offered, winking.

Inaaya's cheeks flushed as she averted her gaze from Axel's, making him chuckle. Axel walked closer, caressing a pinkened cheek with his thumb. "I love it your blushes," he whispered. 

Inaaya gazed into his intense grey eyes that seemed to be darkening. Axel leaned closer, his lips only inches away from hers. She brought her fingers between them, placing them on his lips. "I... I think I could use a shower," she murmured, glancing away and stepping back from his embrace.

Inaaya didn't see the look on Axel's face. She didn't want to. Instead, she bent down to open her luggage. She could feel Axel's intense gaze on her but she didn't dare look up. "What is the dinner time here? Jermaine told me everyone eats together..." she asked, hoping to cut through the sudden tension in the room.

Axel cleared his throat. "At seven. I'll come to get you?"

"That would be great. Thank you," Inaaya responded, giving him a small, polite smile.

Axel nodded. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Inaaya. We can take this as slow as you'd like."

"I'd like that." Inaaya nodded, averting her gaze quickly.

"Okay, baby steps it is then," Axel said, smiling. He bent down and kissed the top of her head before heading towards the door. "I'll see you at seven."

Inaaya locked the door after Axel, leaning against it and releasing a breath. She closed her eyes and hit her head gently against the closed door repeatedly. The sensations she felt whenever Axel was close were undeniable. But the proximity she shared with him in merely four days of meeting him was much more meteoric than she was used to. She was used to things progressing a lot slower, especially where romantic relationships were concerned.

Things had to slow down. Or she didn't know how much longer she would be able to keep her sanity through this continuous tug of war between her mind and her heart. 

A/N:

Hey, you guys! How're y'all doing?

What did you think of this chapter? Of Axel and of Inaaya? 

Any comments on how their "relationship" is progressing so far? If you didn't know, I love talking about fictional relationships between fictional characters. ;) :p

I have a quick news for you all. I'm going to be travelling soon, changing time zones and all that jazz. (I LOVE ME SOME BREAK TIME!) Ahem, yeah, so the updates for the next two or three weeks might get messed up a little. Don't worry, I'll still be updating every week. I promise. I just mean the chapter updates might come early or a bit later than usual. Maybe hours, maybe they come a day late? I don't know how things will play out. But rest assured, I will definitely be updating. So please forgive me the delays, if there are any, and give me a cheer if I update early. :D

If you want a glimpse of my trip, you can find me on Instagram. I probably will be updating pictures on there. My username is messyfirstdraft

Onto the next order of business! There's another update for you all to look out for. In a day or two, I'll be updating the book again. No, sorry, it won't be another chapter. But! It will be a list of all the pack rankings Axel's pack follows. I figured if Inaaya gets a list from Jermaine, so should my readers. Am I right?

So, that's something to look forward to, I hope.

That's all for today! Have a good day, y'all! ^_^