赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Ashleigh walked into Axel’s room. She had visited him several times since she woke up, but the sight of him was still jarring. He was hooked to different machines and monitors. His IV stand had three bags hanging from it.

His face was still bruised up. A gauze patch covered one of his eyes and a splint on his nose.

Thankfully, they had cleaned his face of all the blood, though he would be upset to know that Corrine had braided his hair so that the old scar over his eye was on full display.

Ashleigh smiled, thinking about how flustered he would have gotten.

“Hey, big brother,” she whispered.

She walked into the room. There was a chair beside the bed that her mother had been sitting in. Ashleigh sat down and took his hand.

“You should really stop being so lazy,” she smiled. “You missed an amazing fight. There were literal monsters. I fought a tree… by myself. It was insane.”

Ashleigh laughed to herself, swallowing down the sadness threatening to spill out.

“Oh, and the new mesh skins are beautiful. Oh, and Berserkers have special weapons, so maybe if you actually start working at it, you can get one too. I’m even willing to train you. But it won’t be easy.”

There was no change.

A tear escaped her eye.

“Come on, Axel,” she whispered. “You’re not being fair.”

She squeezed his hand.

She sniffled and took a deep breath._.

“Fine, you don’t want to wake up. You just want to sleep all day. Fine. But I will give Bell all your candy stashes,” Ashleigh nodded her head thoughtfully. “Yep, even the Snickers that you think no one knows about in the linen closet.”

No change.

Ashleigh clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes tightly, fighting to keep back the wave of sorrow she was feeling.

Once she had successfully swallowed it down, she took one more shot.

“I didn’t want to go there,” she said with a sniffle, “but you leave me no choice. You need to wake up right now, or I’m telling Bell that you’ve had a crush on her the past three years.”

She felt a soft squeeze of her hand.

Ashleigh gasped.

“Axel?” she called to him excitedly, “can you hear me?”

No response.

“Come on, do it again…” she whispered, staring at his hand.

“It’s a spasm,” came a soft voice from the door.

Ashleigh looked back to see her mother standing in the doorway. She was and always would be beautiful, but she looked tired. Dark circles hung below her red-rimmed eyes.

“He squeezed my hand an hour ago,” Corrine said, stepping into the room. “I was excited. I ran off and dragged Peter back here to check on him. But he explained to me that it was a muscle spasm.”

Ashleigh looked back down at Axel’s hand. There was no movement, no sign of him being able to hear them.

“It’s apparently very common,” Corrine said.

Corrine sat down in the chair by the door.

“Ashleigh,” Corrine called.

Ashleigh looked back at her mother.

“Granger,” she said, “is he truly your mate?”

Ashleigh swallowed and looked away.

“No…” she replied quietly.

Corrine closed her eyes.

“Why did you lie?” she sighed.

Ashleigh didn’t respond immediately, and Corrine remained patient.

“He was waiting for me when I left the Priestess,” Ashleigh began. “He said something that made me realize that Caleb and I couldn’t be together.”

“What did he say?”

“That Spring and Autumn wouldn’t accept it. That it might start a war… he reminded me of my duty to my people.”

Corrine looked over at Axel. Her heart filled with regret that she had let him go with that bastard.

“Do you know why Axel went with Granger?” Corrine asked.

Ashleigh shook her head.

“His duty,” Corrine spat. “He thought Granger was ensuring the safety of our people. Axel wanted to learn from him. To be a better Alpha.”

Ashleigh clenched her jaw, wishing she could go back and make sure that Granger was dead.

“Both of my children put their trust in a monster that tried to destroy them. For the sake of their duty,” Corrine spoke in a voice filled with pain and regret.

Ashleigh couldn’t look at her mother. She was ashamed of how easily she had been manipulated by Granger.

She felt Corrine’s warm hand on her shoulder and turned to look up at her mother. Corrine’s eyes were filled with tears.

“Caleb is a good man, and without his aid, we might not have survived this last battle,” she said softly. “If war between the packs is coming, it doesn’t matter if you are together or not. It will come, and we will fight.”

“What are you saying?” Ashleigh asked in a whisper.

“I am saying,” Corrin replied, “I will support you. I will not stand in your way if you choose to follow your heart and be with Caleb.”

Ashleigh let out a shuddering breath, a release of anxiety and fear. Tears filled her eyes.

“I can’t speak for your father. There are things you don’t understand. Reasons he doesn’t want you together… But I can’t share those,” Corrine stated. “But you should know, this choice is not going to be easy.”

“I know…” Ashleigh nodded.

“No, you don’t, Ashleigh,” Corrine sighed. “Choosing Caleb is more than accepting the bond. It means becoming Luna to Summer. Joining a pack that hates you. It also might mean drawing lines between our family.”

“What do you–”

Ashleigh started to ask what she meant but was interrupted by a knock at the door. A nurse stood at the door. She gave her a soft smile.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but it’s time for your scan, Ashleigh.”

Corrine gave Ashleigh a look.

“Just rechecking the injuries from the battle. Nothing serious,” Ashleigh answered the unspoken question.

Corrine nodded.

***

“You can’t be her mate,” Wyatt growled.

“That’s not up to you,” Caleb replied.

Wyatt moved close to the bed. He stared down at Caleb, who held his gaze. Caleb saw rage and fear boiling together.

“What have I done to make you hate me so much?” Caleb asked. “It was you who betrayed me, not the other way around. I have already told Ashleigh that I will make my peace with our past for her. So why do you hate me?”

“I don’t hate you, Caleb,” Wyatt answered. “But you are putting the people that I love at risk.”

“I would never put Ashleigh at risk!” Caleb growled.

Caleb and Wyatt locked eyes, neither willing to back down.

“You’re a fool if you honestly think the two of you being mated won’t start a war!” Wyatt shouted angrily.

“You’re a bigger fool if you don’t realize the war has already begun.”

Wyatt turned away with a growl.

“Wyatt,” Caleb called out to him.

Wyatt turned to face him.

“I won’t let her go,” Caleb stated, “never again.”

A part of Wyatt felt a deep satisfaction, joy, and relief that only a father can understand. But the rest of him was filled with sadness, frustration, and guilt that could not be assuaged.

He left the room without another word.

Caleb was left with a headache pounding away in his ears.