赤裸裸的滑稽故事

“Bell, darling, come sit with me,” called Corrine.

Bell moved past Axel and sat beside Corrine, who immediately hugged her, whispering something no one could hear. Bell nodded, and Corrine smiled, touching Bell’s cheek gently.

Axel sat down on the other side of Bell, watching her as though she might disappear if he looked away.

Ashleigh watched the scene, and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief for Bell.

When she had heard, when she had realized what Bell must have suffered all that time… Ashleigh was worried about how alone she must have felt.

Neither Ashleigh nor Renee knew what she had been through, and Bell had lost her grandmother a few months after turning eighteen.

But Ashleigh saw now that Bell had people that she could rely on, who already knew and did everything they could to keep her safe.

Now Ashleigh would be one of Bell’s people. Someone she could genuinely rely on.

“Ashleigh,” Wyatt called softly beside her.

She hadn’t even noticed when he had gotten up and moved to stand beside her.

“I know you have a lot to consider,” Wyatt began. “But I would ask that you give me a little time to figure out a way to get Bell somewhere she might be safe before telling Caleb the truth.”

Ashleigh turned to him, but another voice spoke up before she could say anything.

“What are you talking about?” Axel chimed in. Standing from the couch.

“Axel,” Wyatt started to speak.

“No,” Axel interrupted, turning to Ashleigh. “You can’t tell Caleb the truth. Do you even realize what that would mean for Bell?”

“Axel, I–” Ashleigh began._.

“You would risk Bell’s safety for him?” he questioned.

Ashleigh pulled back, feeling as though he had slapped her.

“What?”

“You’ve known him for a few months. Bell has been your best friend for years!” Axel shouted angrily. “How could you even consider this?”

“Axel, stop,” Bell said.

“No,” he replied.

He looked back at Bell with concern.

“If she tells him, it breaks the oath!” he shouted. “Even if Caleb doesn’t immediately come after dad, Tomas will know, and then so will that bastard that hurt you!”

Axel looked back at Ashleigh with a growl.

“I won’t let that happen!” he shouted.

“Telling Caleb will not break the oath, Axel,” Wyatt interjected. “The oath was that I must keep my word. I never gave my word that Ashleigh wouldn’t tell him the truth.”

Axel scoffed.

“And you think that arrogant jerk is just going to sit back quietly when she tells him?”

“He’s not an arrogant jerk!” Ashleigh growled at Axel.

Axel rolled his eyes.

“Jerk or not, are you really willing to put Bell’s life at risk?” Axel asked, holding Ashleigh’s cold glare.

“No, I’m not,” Ashleigh stated.

Axel was visibly surprised, as was Wyatt.

“Ashleigh,” Bell said, shaking her head. “You can’t keep this from Caleb. You’d be lying to him about what really happened to his father… I can tell you from personal experience, he won’t thank you for it.”

“I don’t plan on lying to him about what happened,” Ashleigh replied.

“I don’t understand,” Axel said, sitting on the arm of the sofa.

Ashleigh took a deep breath and organized her thoughts.

“Look, I don’t want to put Bell at risk. But I also won’t lie to Caleb,” she said.

Ashleigh looked at Wyatt. But he had no reaction. She knew that he was leaving the decision entirely to her. He would accept whatever she decided to do.

On the other hand, Axel still looked like he wanted to yell.

“Do you really think I would do anything to hurt Bell?” she asked him.

He looked up at her, their eyes met, and Ashleigh saw his expression change, soften. He went from furious to concerned.

“I don’t really know,” he said. “I want to believe that you wouldn’t, but honestly, I don’t really know what to believe about people anymore.”

He held her gaze a moment longer before the sadness crept in, and he had to look away.

Ashleigh knew how close Axel was to Granger. He truly saw him as a brother and looked forward to making him his Beta one day. She worried that his betrayal had damaged her brother’s heart irreparably.

But that was a problem for another day.

“Just tell us what you want to do, Ashleigh,” Corrine smiled, “we’re all listening.”

Ashleigh nodded.

“I still have a lot of questions,” Ashleigh said, looking at Wyatt.

He nodded. “I will answer anything I can, but honestly, I still have many unanswered questions about all of it.”

Ashleigh nodded; she had assumed that was the case from what he had told them.

“That’s the problem,” she said. “Yes, we know how Alpha Cain died, and it’s not what Summer was told. But we don’t know why he died.”

Ashleigh turned to Bell; she gave her a reassuring smile.

“I understand why you want me to tell Caleb, and I appreciate it,” Ashleigh said. “But it’s a choice I am making. Not you. I am the one who will bear this responsibility.”

Bell closed her eyes and swallowed. Understanding that Ashleigh was telling her, again, that none of what happened now or in the past was her fault. Bell nodded, agreeing to Ashleigh’s wish.

Ashleigh smiled before continuing.

“I’m not going to tell Caleb because right now, the information I have is not what he needs,” she continued. “Caleb doesn’t need someone to blame or punish. Neither does Summer.”

Corrine gave Ashleigh a gentle smile.

“They need real answers and accountability.” she continued. “Until I can give Caleb an honest answer for why it happened, there is no point.

“We need to know why Alpha Cain came to Winter back then without even notifying his family or pack and why Autumn wolves were trying to kill him.

“And what exactly he was working on that was so important Alpha Tomas was willing to risk war. Not just with Summer, but with Winter as well.”

Ashleigh turned back to Wyatt.

“You didn’t kill Alpha Cain. You gave him mercy,” she said. “He was already dying. He told you that himself.”

Wyatt looked away.

“Alpha Cain didn’t blame you, and neither do I.”

“But Caleb–”

“Will be hurt by everything his father went through,” Ashleigh interrupted. “And when I can provide him with all the answers, he will be glad that Cain wasn’t alone in the end.”

Ashleigh could see that Wyatt was struggling to keep his emotions under control.

“It still seems like the only thing you care about is Caleb and Summer,” Axel said. “How do you plan on getting all these answers? Tomas will know the second you start asking questions, and then Bell is the one that’s going to be in danger.”

“Axel, I won’t put Bell in danger. But, please, trust me,” Ashleigh pleaded.

Axel could only shake his head disapprovingly.

“I trust you, Ash,” Bell said. “I know you got my back.”

Ashleigh smiled.

“Always.”

“Bell, you can’t just–”

“Axel, I trust Ashleigh,” Bell interrupted. “This is my choice too.”

Axel looked away.

Bell turned to Alpha Wyatt.

“Alpha Wyatt, I appreciate everything you have done for me,” Bell said, “but I would never have let you agree to his terms if I could have been there.”

Wyatt closed his eyes and nodded.

“You’re too good a man, and Tomas took advantage of that,” Bell continued. “So, this time, I want a say in the decision.”

Bell stood from her place on the couch and moved before Ashleigh.

“I trust you, Ash,” she said. “But I don’t want you to risk your relationship for me.”

Ashleigh started to speak, but Bell stopped her by holding her hand.

“If this secret starts to come between the two of you, I want you to swear to me that you will tell Caleb the truth.”

“Bell…” Ashleigh began.

“No, Ash,” Bell demanded. “No excuses, no reasoning it out. Swear. Because if you don’t, I will tell him myself.”

Ashleigh looked carefully at Bell, who smiled back at her. Ashleigh nodded.

“I swear, I won’t let this secret come between Caleb and me,” Ashleigh answered.

Bell laughed, and the best friends hugged each other.

Axel stood up from the couch with a huff and walked out the front door.

“Axel!” Bell shouted after him.

“Let him go,” Corrine said, “he’s just worried.”