The Axelridge Series Book 1 Finn's Slapshot

FINN

“BENNNN!”

I watch Michael toss Ben into the darkness and was about to rush him until Michael roared and the dark behind him came alive with rogue wolves and lycans. It was a thick wall of dirty fur, muscle and teeth.

The bridge shook as they ran onto the end. I have no choice to retreat, but I didn’t come unprepared.

‘MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!’

I turn on my boots and skate as fast as I can down to barrier four where my fighters break and all skate down the bridge toward me.

I twist and stop as I see my fighters cross barrier three. I whip my head up the bridge and the lycans were breaching barrier one.

I turn to them, crouch and raise my stick. ‘FUCKING DROP THEM!’ I link and kick my boots into high gear.

Jax joins my side as Marcus and Eddie fly just above our heads. They’re throwing exploding balls and knives. Eddie crouches and turns the jets on. He goes off the bridge and rides an invisible bank wall as he turns. Marcus pulls his bat and jumps off. He lands on the other side of the fight, pulls out a ball, tosses it into the air and smacks it with his bat when it falls down.

My human sport fighters clash as a solid wave of shifted wolves jump over us and soar over our heads. They land in the thick of the army and start to shred at rogues and lycans.

This is a much bigger army than last time and if things turn south, I’ll have to call in the second wave. I don’t want that. I want as little casualties as possible.

Jax and I swing down and up into the chins of lycans as we try to push them back. I slash the back of my stick into the head of a rogue, driving his muzzle into the bridge.

Jax knocks the knees out from under a lycan. It screams in pain before Jax straddles him and slams his mace into the lycans skull. He pulls it out and smashes it several more times.

I swing with a loud growl and slice the head off a lycan. I’m soaked in his blood spurting from his neck.

I was about to swing again, when I see something horrifying.

Just off the bridge, Ben tries to punch his way through.

Through the raging, rabid sea of wolves, I watch in terror as the fights ball up around him. He’s jumping them and running through to me. Fur and blood flies in his direction. He falls and the fight swallows him.

“BEN! NO!” I kick my boots on and body check my way to him. Panic fills me, but I get a tiny sense of relief when I see him to my left, crawling out and standing.

“BEN!!”

I slam a lycan, turn and my armor pads are grabbed. I’m slammed into the road and a large foot is jammed onto my chest. The pressure was crushing as I feel my armor press on me and my ribs threaten to break. My head goes back as I hold the foot and grind out a scream of pain.

I raise my shaking head and Michael’s lycan leans down to me. “Axelridge is mine.”

He opens his large mouth that could eat my entire head and roars in my face. I shield my face as I’m covered in hot drool and his breath blows my hair back.

“GET OFF MY DAD!”

I lower my arm and turn my head. I can hardly breathe under Michael’s weight.

“Ben…no…” I huff.

Through my narrow eyes, I see him pull something red out of his pocket. His face twists into anger as he throws it up. The light catches the glass in my eyes and I see it’s a vial of Croak. He catches it and pitches it hard at Michael.

Michael leans and roars at him as the tube flies into Michael’s good eye and smashes. He slams his hand to his face, growling and fighting. He takes his foot off and I roll over to my side, coughing. I lift my head to Ben and he has another vial.

Michael wipes his eye and snarls. Ben throws another just as Michael starts for him.

“BEN!!” I choke loud.

Michael bats the vile out of the way, grabs Ben by the sweater and throws him hard and high.

“NOOOOOO!!!” I scream as I watch Ben fly off the bridge and land in the deep part of the lake.

A ball flies just past my ear and hits Michael. It explodes and Michael is blasted back into the fight. Griffin, Jax and Marcus rush past me and go on the attack.

I look to the railing, get up and run to it. I slam my chest into the top rail. My hearts about to explode against my ribs as I run along the rail.

“BENNN!!” The dark, choppy water flows underneath and I can’t see him any where.

I pull back on the top rail and jump. My boots clear the railing and I fall off the bridge feet first. I huff breathes as I prepare for the frigid water.

I splash down and the waters temperature almost makes my breath leave my lungs. I’m consumed by the choppy surface and my descent into the depths slows. I swim to the surface, breach it and take in a huge gasp of air.

I tread water as I spin around looking frantically across the surface.

“Oh God no…BENNN!!” I call out to the pitch black lake.

I take a deep breath, call my wolf sight and dive under. I quickly swim and look all around the murky, dirty lake water. I turn back and surface for more air. Another gulp and I go under again. I spin around and look by the support pillars. I see a diluted, dark flash of red and focus. My heart pounds as I see Ben float deeper down.

I hit the surface and dive under, swimming as fast and hard as I can.

Try to kick my boots on, but they aren’t working.

Ben hits the bottom and I lock my target of where he landed. Once I get to him, I grab the neck of his sweater. I plant my boots on the cement platform, slam my heel down and finally the hovers come on. I push off like a fucking rocket, pulling Ben up beside me.

My lungs are on fire. I hurt everywhere and I’m praying like fucking mad.

I surface, take in air and cough out water. I pull Ben up and keep his head above water.

“Ben…I got you, buddy…I got you…I’m not leaving you…I’m not…I promise, ok?…I’m not…Ben?...” I talk to him as I breathlessly swim down shore away from the fight. His hair is matted to his head as his cheek hits the water. His eyes are closed and he’s white as a sheet. Absolute dread fills me as I carry his weight.

“Ben, don’t…Ben…Please…” I plead as I find the bottom, pick him up and carry him to the bank.

I find the grass in the rocks and lay him down.

Under the cover of the tree line, we should be protected from detection. The moon gives me enough light to see Bens state. “Benny!” I check his pulse as my eyes well. “No, Ben!” I yell as I grab his hoodie under his chin and tear it off down the middle. I tear his t-shirt and his limp body flops as I expose his chest.

“BENJAMIN!” I scream as I place my ear to his chest.

I set up his head and pitch his nose. I fill his lungs with my air and proceed to try and resuscitate my boy.

I compress his chest for four hits and breath again.

“NO! DON’T YOU FUCKING LEAVE ME! BEN!”

I keep on him, compressing and breathing, feeling for any kind of pulse. His body flops in the grass with every pump of my hands. His chest rises and falls as I breathe for him. His blue lips don’t move. The water beaded on his skin, catches the light from the bridge. I move his soaked hair out of his face.

“FUCK, BEN! NO!! PLEASE!!” I beg as tears fall from my eyes.

I feel for a pulse again, hang my head and cover my eyes. My fingertips feel nothing. My heart crushes as I shake my head. “No…God, no…” I lay my head on his as I fight my tears. “I promise, Benny. I promise…Come back…Benny? Come back…” I whine as I rock my head on his little forehead.

Memories of holding him, rocking him to sleep in his nursery, fill my brain.

Carrying him on my back as he laughed, yelling at me to go faster.

Late night forts in the living room.

‘I love you, Finn.’ He grins in my mind

‘I love you too, kid.’ I would smile back and mess his hair in the light of the flashlights.

I see his big beaming smile. “Finn!!” I would pick him up and fly him around. “There’s my little man!”

Holding his tiny infant body in my arms. “I promise to protect you and keep you safe.”

My words echo in my ears as I hold his cheeks.

Please, God. Punish the shit out of me, but not like this. Damn it! Not like this!

I place my crying lips on his cold, wet forehead and cry hard for my son. “I love you.” I whine on his head.

His body jolted then he coughed hard. Water shot out of his blue lips.

“Benny?!” I sit up and my eyes quickly scan him.

He coughs hard and chokes in air.

“OK! OK, Benny! That’s it. Oh God, Thank fuck.” I roll him over and get the water out of his lungs. Slapping his back and leaning over him making sure his breathing and not choking on anything.

He rolls back, gasps for air and grabs for me. “Finn!” His voice cracks and is hoarse from the water.

I pull him to my chest and hold his head. I rock him as my head lays on his. “I’m sorry. So goddamn sorry, Benny.” I try not cry for his sake, but it's a battle worse than the bridge.

“I love you, too.” He hitches.

I choke a laugh, kiss his hair and let it all out. I hold my son as I silently cry on his shoulder.

That was too fucking close. It was a punishment that shows what will happen if I don’t change. My vow is fucking written in stone now and no one is changing my mind.

I sit Benny up and look him over. I wipe my face and wet hair as I determine he’s a little shook, but OK.

He looks into my eyes. “Did I get the bad guy?” He huffs.

I laugh as I wipe his forehead and hair. I hug him so tight. “You did good, kid. You did good.”

I didn’t want to let him go. I held onto him on that bank for a while until the sounds of the battle broke the moment.

I look into Benny’s eyes. “I need you to hide. Hide here. I’ll come right back to this spot and call you. Do not come for anyone else, understand.”

“Finn. I can fight.”

I smile. “I know. I’m so proud of you. You’ve done your part. Now, let me do mine without worrying about you getting hurt, ok?”

He looks into my eyes and the air fills with sick sounds of anger and death. His mouth falls open and he nods.

“Good man.” I kiss his forehead. “I’ll be back.”

I run back to the fight. I strip off my armor as I go and hit the quick release on my boots. I leap into the air, call the wind and shift. My black wolf hits the ground at full fucking speed. Michael’s a fucking dead man for killing my kid.

I run through the fight and it doesn’t take me long to find him.

Michael is in the middle of the bridge, tossing my fighters like rag dolls.

You’re my fucking rag doll now, you son of a bitch!

My wolf jumps over one fight, then over another and makes a giant leap into the air. Michael turns in my direction just as my teeth wrap around his jugular and I bite down hard. His blood fills my mouth as the force of my hit makes him stumble back. My teeth tear his thick skin as he screams his demonic growl and tries to pull me off, but I’m not letting this fucker go. I shake my head violently and he tries to punch my back.

He throws me side to side as he stumbles backwards. His voice is so dark and his growls are so intense, I get slightly rattled by his vibrating body. He twists, pulls me and fights me until his back hit the railing.

I give one last painful dig into his throat and he tries to push me off, but we both end up falling off. He slams punches into my wolfs head as we crash into the water. The current grabs us and spins us around. I thought I had this, but my back is slammed into the bridges stone leg. I let go and the current washes Michael away. I shift and swim out of the major current and bolt for the surface. I slowly rise my head out of the water. The water under the bridge is filled with bodies. I push them out of the way as I search for any sign of Michael.

A large growl comes from above and I look up. Michael’s lycan falls from the underside of the bridge at me. Claws, arms, legs and teeth all flared as I swim back fast and feel a rod hit my side that’s still gripped in a lycans dead hand.

Just before he hits, I raise the rod out of the water. He screams as I drive it into Michael’s heart. I lift him up, call all my strength and throw him into the air. He’s holding the rod and it snaps. Michael flies past the bridge and lands in the fast moving currents on the other side.

I swim to the pillar, pull myself up on the ledge and flop down on my back. Catching my breath, I hear the fight being run off into the trees and I drop my head onto the rocks.

“Damn.” I pant as I look out to the lake. Seeing no movement, I close my eyes.