The Girl He Marked by Laila Callaway novel Chapter 3

Axel's POV.

FUCK!

How does she know about shifters

Ms. Barlow rounds on me, making me back up against the wall.

'You dare come near my daughter, you filthy wolf! I want you to leave now and never talk to her again. You have a mate out there, how dare you play with my daughter's heart like that!' She spits venomously, keeping her voice quiet enough that Grace doesn't come and investigate.

My eyes are as wide as saucers.

How does she know so much

'How do you know what I am' I blurt out, completely shocked.

'I dated one of your kind before,' she sneers. 'Worst mistake of my life.'

'It's not like that! You don't understand, Grace—'

'Mum What's going on' Grace asks from the doorway, her expression worried.

'I'm afraid Axel has to leave,' her mother replies tightly. 'He won't be staying for dinner.'

She straightens up and crosses her arms, giving me a pointed look that is silently telling me not to argue.

'What What are you talking about' Grace questions, her eyebrows screwed up. 'Axe What's going on'

I take a deep breath and look at her mum.

'Nothing, there's just been a slight misunderstanding between your mother and I,' I explain quickly.

Ms. Barlow narrows her eyes at me.

'The only misunderstanding is that you think I'd ever let your kind be with daughter,' she retorts.

'Mum!' Grace shouts. 'What the hell has gotten into you What do you mean Axel's kind'

Grace's mum gives her a sharp look. 'He's just like your father, he's not good for you, Grace.'

By now, tears are pooling in my mate's eyes, and I want more than anything to fix it. I'm angry at her mother for upsetting her.

'You're making her upset,' I warn her mother quietly. 'Can we talk about this privately'

'Grace, go back and check on your siblings, Axel and I need to clear something up before he leaves,' her mother orders.

'No! I'm not leaving you, this is ridiculous, I don't—'

'Grace Angela Barlow, go next door this instant,' her mother shouts.

Grace goes silent before looking at me. I give her a reassuring nod and a forced smile.

She looks back and forth between us before scowling.

'When I come back, I want some damn answers,' she says firmly, before leaving us alone.

I spin around to her mother straight away, filled with anger at her upsetting my mate.

'Before you spew any more hate about my kind, you should know that your daughter is my mate,' I tell her quickly. 'I would never hurt her. I will do everything I can to protect her and make her happy.'

Grace's mother falls silent. Her mouth opens and closes a few times, but nothing comes out.

She reaches out to the counter for support and slowly sinks into one of the chairs. She stares at me in shock.

'She's your mate' She whispers incredulously.

I nod. 'Yes. She's my mate.'

Her mother shakes her head in disbelief. Then, she groans and closes her eyes briefly, as though in pain.

'I'm sorry, I didn't know,' she says sadly. 'Grace's father was a werewolf. He left me when Grace was four years old, because he found his mate. He left and never looked back.'

I lick my suddenly dry lips. 'I'm sorry.'

She snorts. 'So am I. I was worried that would happen to Grace, that you would leave her heartbroken.'

I approach her slowly, crouching down to her height so that she can see the sincerity in my eyes.

'I would never, ever hurt your daughter. I promise you that.'

Grace's mother has tears in her eyes as she looks up at me.

'I'm sorry that I was so awful to you. God, Grace is going to be so mad at me.'

I shrug. 'It's okay, I'll speak to her. Got any ideas about what our excuse will be I take it your daughter doesn't know that she is only half—human.'

She shakes her head adamantly.

'No! I never wanted to tell her in case she tried to look for him and just got her heartbroken. He has a whole other family, a whole new life. It's like his love for Grace and I switched off the second he met her.'

Ms. Barlow quickly wipes her eyes and stands up, trying to sort herself out.

'You can tell her in your own time, but I'm happy to be there when you do. I guess, then, we can tell her the truth about her father. She won't ever be able to shift or anything, will she'

'No, being half—shifter has allowed her to have a shifter mate, that's the only benefit from being a hybrid, I'm afraid.'

Ms. Barlow sighs heavily. Her eyes land on the pan on the hob and widen.

'Gosh, I need to sort dinner out, I got so distracted. Please could you stir the sauce whilst I cook those courgettes'

Together, we save the dinner, getting it ready for serving.

'Why don't you call Grace in We can tell her that it was a big mistake, I thought I'd seen you from somewhere, I don't know.'

I nod and head for the doorway to get Grace and her siblings.

'Oh, and Axel' I look over my shoulder as Grace's mum calls me. 'Call me Jeanette.'

As soon as I enter the playroom, Grace jumps to her feet and wraps her arms around me.

'Dinner's ready!' I tell her siblings and they excitedly run out of the room.

'Axe, I'm so sorry. I have no idea what got into her! What was she saying'

I put my arm around my mate's shoulders and kiss her forehead. I usher her out of the room and towards the dining room.

'Don't worry, it was a huge misunderstanding. It's all cleared up now and your mother and I have apologized to each other. We're okay.'

Grace wrinkles her nose in confusion.

'I still don't understand. What exactly was she accusing you of'

Grace's mother answers the question for me as we enter the dining room. The plates full of food are already on the table. Grace's siblings are already tucking in.

'I mistook him for someone else, it was entirely my fault,' Jeanette hurriedly replies. 'Please, sit down and eat.'

We take our seats and start eating. Grace watches her mother warily, obviously untrusting of her at the moment.

'We get to stay up later tonight cause you're here,' George announces proudly.

I did think 6 PM is a bit late for a five—year—old to be eating, but what do I know about kids

'They usually go to sleep at 7,' Jeanette informs us. 'But you're getting half an hour extra tonight, aren't you'

George nods happily, the other two are too engrossed in their food to pay any notice to our conversation.

The rest of the meal goes without a hitch. Jeanette is lovely to me, which puts Grace at ease.

I imagine she'll be having words with her mother when I leave, but I think we've managed to salvage the evening as much as possible.

In a way, I'm kind of relieved it worked out this way. It means there is one less person to tell about my kind, or one less person for Grace to lie to. Now that her mother knows, it means Grace has someone she can talk to about it when I finally tell her.

I think this is a good thing. I just wish Grace's dad hadn't been such a dick. Who has a child with another woman, knowing that your mate is out there

My parents waited, knowing they would find their mate eventually. Apparently, Grace's dad did not have such patience.

After Grace's siblings have gone to bed, we decide it's time for me to go. It is a school night, after all.

'I'm going to thank your mum for dinner, back in a minute,' I tell Grace.

I kiss her forehead and leave her on the sofa, watching TV.

I find Jeanette in the kitchen, working on her laptop.

'I'm leaving now, thank you for tonight. It was nice meeting you.'

Jeanette looks up from her screen and quickly stands up.

'It was lovely meeting you, Axel. I'm sorry, again, for how I acted. I—' she hesitates. 'I'm very protective of Grace, after what I went through. Tell me, you're not intending on marking her too soon, are you I think you should wait a few weeks.'

I nod in agreement. 'I know. Now would be too soon, I want to give her time to, hopefully, fall in love with me, so that when I do tell her, she has a reason to stay.'

Jeanette's eyes soften and she smiles sadly.

'I don't think it will take that long, Axel. She is already feeling the mate bond, she talks about you constantly. But please be careful with my daughter, she has a good heart.'

I smile at that. 'She definitely does.'

'What are you going to do about the full moon next week'

I blink in shock. 'What'

'The full moon…it's next week.'

Shit.

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