The Girl He Marked by Laila Callaway novel Chapter 3

Axel's POV.

As is tradition, we all go out for lunch on Friday. It's the one day a week that sixth formers are allowed to leave the site for lunch.

I drive the four of us to our local hangout, the 50's—themed diner with the best greasy burgers you've ever tasted.

Xaden grumbles the whole way, bitching about being demoted to the back seat.

Grace sits in the passenger seat, blushing and looking guilty for taking Xaden's spot.

It's not her fault, I made them switch. I wanted my girl upfront with me, so that I can hold her hand over the console. I refused to let Xaden bully her into swapping.

When we get to the diner, our regular booth is waiting for us. Our waitress, Bessy, keeps it unofficially reserved for us each Friday.

We slide in and order our food. I put my arm around Grace's shoulders, and she leans into my touch.

The contact, for me, is completely natural. I know she must feel the bond, too, because she doesn't fight it. It must be pretty strange for the humans in our year who see us together, they must think we're mad for moving so fast.

Technically, I have only known her for five days. Yet here we are, about to have our second date and cuddling like long—time lovers.

But for shifters, it's normal behavior to act like this. Even after only an hour of meeting your mate, shifters behave as though it has been a lifetime. It's the way we are.

And Grace must be feeling the connection, because she hasn't been fighting it. She doesn't move away from me or ask me to move my arm, she snuggles into my touch instinctively.

I love it.

Our burgers, fries and milkshakes come.

Rory, Xaden and I begin tucking in like we haven't eaten in weeks. Another weird thing for humans, they're always amazed by how much food shifters eat.

Grace is still staring at her plate, her eyes as wide as saucers.

'Axel,' she whispers nervously. 'I can't eat all of that.'

I shrug. 'No problem, Strawberries. Eat what you can and leave the rest to me.'

The three of us devour our food whilst Grace picks at hers more slowly. She eats about half of her burger and finishes her milkshake.

She looks adorable with a little pink mustache on her top lip. I chuckle and wipe the residue from her mouth with my thumb.

'Strawberry mustache,' I tell her and then suck the milkshake from my thumb.

She blushes the same color as the pink drink.

'May I' I ask, gesturing to her half—finished meal.

She laughs lightly and pushes the plate towards me. 'Go ahead.'

I finish the rest of her food whilst Grace watches, pure amazement on her face.

'Where do you put all of that food' She asks incredulously. 'Do you work out every day or something You're so much muscular but you eat so much!'

Her passionate, staggered reaction is amusing to me. It makes me chuckle.

'Xaden, Rory and I work out a lot,' I reply.

That is partially true. What I've left out is that we exercise in a completely different form than we're in now.

'What do you do' Grace asks with interest.

I share a look with the guys. 'Um, run, mostly. There's a lot of forest around here.'

Grace nods, looking intrigued.

'Good for you guys. I hate exercise, personally.'

I lean down and kiss her cheek. 'You are perfect as you are.'

She blushes and self—consciously looks over at Xaden and Rory, but they're having their own conversation.

We pay for our meal and climb back into my car. Xaden complains less about being in the back, happy now that he has been fed. I knew that most of his bitching on the way here was due to hanger, not real anger.

Business studies is after lunch. Grace and I are put into a pair again and we get to work on a new project for the whole lesson.

I can't believe how lucky I am that I share two of my classes with my mate. I get to spend at least two hours a day with her whenever we're at school.

We joke and mess around with Rory and Finlay in our last period. It's a free period at the end of the day on a Friday, they can't honestly expect us to study at all.

When the bell finally rings, I walk Grace to the gate. We say goodbye and I kiss her forehead, leaving her to walk home with flushed cheeks.

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Saturday morning, I meet Xaden on pack territory for a run.

We strip and shift in our wolves before taking off through the trees. We compete for a bit, each trying to run faster than the other.

As usual, it turns into play fighting. We push each other in bushes and shrubs, trying to get the lead.

At one point, Xaden bites my tail, pissing me off. I catch up to him and throw myself on his back, taking us both down.

We lie on our backs on the forest floor, catching our breath back.

Once we've recovered, we run back to our clothes. We shift and get dressed, meeting around the tree.

'Good run,' Xaden comments and slaps me on the back.

I catch his arm as he goes to walk to the car.

'Can we talk for a sec'

Xaden's eyebrows raise in surprise. He leans against a nearby tree trunk and crosses his arms over his chest.

'Sure. What's up'

I cross my arms to mirror him.

'Be honest with me bro, what are you going to do if you meet your mate'

He scowls at my question and pushes off the tree.

'I don't know Fuck her It's what I'm good at.'

I reach out and grab his shoulder, pulling him back to face me.

'Don't try and brush me off with some sarcastic reply. Please man, be serious for once.'

Xaden narrows his eyes at me.

'I don't know! Alright I don't know,' he replies with exasperation.

He runs his hand through his hair and paces in front of me.

'I really don't know,' he says defeatedly and sits on the ground.

I sit next to him and we're silent for a moment.

'I should never have slept with Carla at that party,' he muses.

I shake my head, thinking back to that fateful house party. We were fourteen and Xaden had been dared to kiss Carla. Then, they were dared to do seven minutes in heaven. They never came out of the room.

He sighs and lies back on the ground, looking up at the sky with a frown on his face.

'You know what happened, I loved how good sex was and mostly, I loved feeling wanted. By sixteen, I realized that I had fucked up. My mate wouldn't want me, or at least, would be disappointed in me.'

His voice turns thick with emotion, and he quickly clears his throat. I remain silent, listening to him open up for once.

'The thought of meeting my mate, terrifies me. I hope the Moon Goddess hasn't given me one, because whoever she is, she already deserves better. When I sleep with these girls, I feel wanted. Even if it is just for a couple of hours, it's nice to know that they want me during that time.'

'Your mate is going to want you, though,' I insist.

Xaden scoffs in disbelief.

'No. She won't. Unless she's slept with a hundred people, too, she's not going to want anything to do with me. Rory is right, I've fucked it.'

'You know you can stop, right' I tell him. 'I stopped sleeping with anyone months ago, and I've never been more grateful for it. At least, when Grace and I eventually get there, it would have been a long time since I was last with someone. If you stop now, you're already making it better for when you meet her.'

Xaden considers that point. He sighs and sits up.

'Yeah, I guess you're onto something there. But I'm meeting that new girl Gabrielle tonight. One more time can't hurt, right'

I scowl at him and get to my feet. I offer out my hand and pull him up.

'Don't do it, Xaden,' I tell him firmly. 'For once, make the right choice and cancel. That's the first step to proving yourself worthy of your mate. You can show her you've changed.'

Xaden grimaces. 'You're acting like I'm going to meet her any day now. Do you know something I don't'

I laugh at that. 'No, I don't. But I do have a feeling, and my intuition is usually right.'

'Yeah, I know it is,' Xaden grumbles.

Happy that I've got him to make the right choice, I drive us back to my house.

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