SWNOVELS Chapter 53: Beast
His wolf growls quietly in response, completely ignoring my wishes as he continues to hold the bedding between his teeth in an attempt to prevent me from putting it back. While I always knew that his wolf was an animal, I didn't anticipate it acting so much like one.
I know he can understand what I'm saying and is trying to communicate with me, but it's hard to figure out what exactly he wants. With a scowl, I note that Axis could probably figure out exactly what he's trying to convey. I've always known that he and his Second are close and have a tight-knit relationship, but lately I've been finding myself incredibly jealous that he is able to read my mate better than I can.
Heloix growls as I continue to try to tug the mattress out of his mouth, his black eyes narrowing in anger at me. I'm frustrated with my inability to figure out what he's trying to do and after another second or so of fighting, I give up and release the items from my hand.
"I don't know what you want." I admit with a frown.
Heloix whines quietly as he pulls the mattress to the middle of the floor. He drops it once it's laid flat on the ground, his large head immediately popping up to watch me as he lifts his paws and presses them against the surface.
I tilt my head to the side as I watch. He whines again before moving over to the bed frame and placing his leg on it. The wooden boards creak and bend underneath his weight, and I grimace in worry that he's going to break it. The Beast watches me intently as he brings up another paw and rests it on the bed with the first.
"Heloix!" I snap as one of the wood boards splinters underneath him. "You're too heavy."
Moving forward, I jog around the bed and push at his chest to get him down. He does so immediately, an excited yip falling from his mouth as he trots over to the mattress and flops down on top of it. His head rests on his paws as he watches me.
My lips curl up as I finally realize what he has been trying to tell me. He wants to sleep with me but is too heavy for the bed, meaning the mattress needs to stay on the floor. Wide dark eyes watch me as I move around the room to grab pillows and blankets.
"Are you feeling better?" I question as I curl up next to him.
He ignores my question completely as he watches me lay down on the opposite side of the bed. He grumbles as I settle, the sound low and angry, before wiggling his body closer to mine. He continues this until he is practically on top of me, his warmth seeping into my bones.
I can't help but laugh quietly at his antics, so happy to have my Beast back after him being unresponsive for so long. He visibly preens under my gaze, his enjoyment of my attention on him quite evident. I wonder if he and Heloix share the same mind or if this animal in front of me is a completely different being. They seem to have pretty similar mannerisms, but his Beast is noticeably more demanding of my attention. I make a mental note to ask him about it when he is back in his human form.
"I'm scared of what's going to happen." I admit quietly as I run my fingers through his dark fur. "Axis says that the people in the city are gearing up to revolt. I was hoping that they wouldn't actually follow through with it."
His fur is soft under my fingers, the thick strands parting easily for me as I run my hands through them. His chest grumbles quietly against me as I touch him, but he otherwise remains silent.
My eyes begin to water as I continue. "There aren't a lot of Guards here to help defend the castle." My voice is audibly shaky, and I bury my head in his chest to hide my tears. "I shouldn't have sent so many away."
Heloix nudges his nose against the crown of my head. I ignore his actions and leave my face tucked into his body. I know that the expectations weren't too high of me considering that he only began teaching me how to rule a couple of weeks ago, but it's disappointing that when the time came to step up I made all the wrong decisions.
"I'm sorry that you didn't get paired with a better mate." I choke out.
The loud growl that erupts from Heloix has me freezing up against him in fear. Deep down I know that he would never hurt me but the noise still triggers my fight or flight response.
I open my mouth to apologize for my frightened reaction to him, but he cuts me off with another deep growl. He continues to do this for the rest of the night, refusing to allow me to get out any more words.
At some point my eyes grow heavy and I fall asleep against him, my face smooshed into his fur as I drool slightly on him. A couple of times I wake up panicked, eyes searching around for any signs of attack or trouble, but the sound of the snoring Beast lulls me back to sleep pretty quickly.
"Heloix?" I grumble tiredly as I awake to him moving underneath me.
He ignores my call and continues to get up. I groan as he slides his paw out from beneath my head, causing it to fall back against the mattress with a quiet thump. I crane open my eyes to watch as he stands and shakes out his fur before trotting out through the bedroom door.
It takes me a second for the panic to kick in, my body going into overdrive as I jump up from the bed and sprint out to stop him from leaving. Axis made it quite clear that he needs to remain in here until he's back to normal.
The Beast watches me through narrowed eyes as I run past him to block off the front door. He ignores my attempts and tries to push past me. I scowl and, in a panic, reach up and swat at his nose.
"Stay," I order.
Heloix's head rears back before moving to smack my hand away, his outrage at my actions clear. His broad frame fills the entirety of the doorway as he waits for me to move so he can pass through but I hold my position.
"I don't think it's safe for people to see you like this." I sigh, ignoring his wants and trying once more to push him back into the room.
Heloix's Beast grumbles at my hand, snapping its large teeth in my direction. I flinch back slightly at the sudden threat, regretting my actions as he lets out a whine and drops his head.
"It's fine," I assure him. "I know you aren't really going to bite me."
He whines once more, a high-pitched noise that resembles that of an injured animal.
I reach out and scratch at the fur between his ears, a wide grin spreading across my face as he pushes his head further into my hand.
"You need to stay here. I'll go get Axis." I repeat before pulling away and turning to inch open the front door.
Heloix's Beast once more tries to follow me out of the room, his body easily overpowering my attempts to close the door on him.
Huffing, I spin back around to face him.
"You can't go with me."
Eyes flash, and seconds later I'm pushed back against the wall as Heloix forces his way past me, leaving me behind as he trots down the main corridor.
Screeching, I turn and slam our door shut before following after him.
"Slow down." I huff, annoyed at his quick stride.
His head tilts to the side and he peers at me out of the corner of his eye. He doesn't acknowledge my words, but I notice his steps slow down slightly, allowing me to catch up.
"Axis is going to be mad at you." I try, hoping that the threat of anger from his Second will be enough to change his mind.
I'm not at all surprised as he continues forward, not so much as pausing at my words.
My eyes dart around as we move to Axis's office, narrowing every time we pass a guard. There are a number lingering around that I don't recognize, and I quickly realize that these must be King Stephen's men.
They don't seem surprised to see Heloix walking around in Beast form, simply walking around his body and continuing on with their tasks. I don't spot any humans as we walk, and I hope that means that Axis was able to get them to safety.
I run around Heloix to push open Axis's office door, watching him glance up from his desk and lock eyes with the giant Beast following me around.
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This chapter was added in after the story was already completed which is why it's so short. Obvs nobody wants to wait all week for a short ass chapter so I'm going to double update today. The next one should already be up by the time that you're reading this, but if not then it will be soon!
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