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Axel held Bell tightly as she let it all out.

He reassured her and patted her back, whispering that she had an entire pack that would keep her safe from anyone who would dare to threaten her.

It was almost an hour that she cried. She was exhausted by the time she had finally calmed down.

“Are you ok?” Axel asked softly as he pulled away from her.

“Yes,” Bell said, laying back down in the bed, hugging her pillow to her chest. “I just had a lot of pent-up feelings.”

“I’m sorry,” Axel sighed. “I shouldn’t have said anything….”

“It’s alright,” Bell said. “I needed to know.”

“I should let you rest,” he said, seeing how tired she was.

“Wait,” Bell called before he stood from the bed.

“Yea?”

Bell swallowed and took a breath.

“He is Tomas’ son,” she said.

“What?!” Axel shouted in surprise.

“Ssshh!”

“Sorry, that was just not what I expected.”_.

“Yea… He always had problems with violence, Tomas kind of kept his existence low key,” she said. “As far as I knew, he sent him away overseas after I ‘died’.”

“I wonder if he brought him back for the war,” Axel theorized.

Bell shook her head.

“No,” she said quietly. “Tomas would never do that. I think he’s almost as scared of Roman as I am.”

“Wouldn’t it make sense to try to use that against his enemies?” Axel asked.

Bell shook her head again.

“No,” she said. “I never told Wyatt this, but the night he took me from Autumn, the night that Roman broke my jaw, Tomas had tried to protect me.”

“What do you mean?” Axel asked.

“Roman attacked me like that because I tried to reject him, and he disagreed. But before that, Tomas had tried to keep me safe. He literally took me to a safe house.”

“What happened?”

“I made a mistake,” Bell said sadly. “Tomas told me that I would leave Autumn soon, that I just needed to wait one more day. But I wanted to say goodbye to my parents.”

Tears filled her eyes once more.

“There were no markers or remembrance stones. So, I was stupid, and I went to our old home. I said goodbye, and then I ran back to the safe house. I didn’t realize that our home had been given to a friend of Roman. He saw me, followed me, and then told Roman where to find me. By the time Tomas returned to the safe house, Roman had already been there and ‘taught me my lesson’.”

Axel clenched his jaw as he remembered the night she had arrived, the glint of the metal in the moonlight, the look of pain she would get as she tried to eat or drink anything.

“No, Tomas didn’t bring Roman back… I think I did.”

“What? How?”

“The night Wyatt told Ashleigh the truth about… everything… when I ran. I got so close to the border I felt something, something dark. I think… I think I felt him.”

“So, you think he realized you were alive, and now he has come back to find you?” Axel asked.

“Alice already basically told you that was the case,” Bell said.

“That’s true.”

“Besides, how else would she even know who I am? She told you to warn me, which means she had to know that I was hiding from him, and I assume why I’m hiding from him.”

“If Alice is worried….” Axel sighed. “Listen, I know you don’t know her, but if she’s concerned, it means the threat is real. So we need to take it seriously.”

“The threat was always real,” Bell sighed.

“I know. I just meant that Alice has been through a lot. She isn’t scared of much, but if she risked being caught to warn us… we need to take it seriously.”

“I am,” Bell said.

“I mean… you should ask Galen to come to Winter.”

Bell took a deep breath.

“I already told you–”

“I know,” Axel interrupted. “But I really think you should reconsider.”

“Didn’t you just say I have a whole pack ready to protect and defend me?” Bell smiled.

Axel swallowed and looked away.

“Axel?”

“Granger got Ashleigh from Summer without anyone knowing for an entire day.”

Bell turned away.

“Summer, as much as I hate to admit it, is far safer than Winter,” he said. “All their defenses and security measures… they didn’t see it happen. Here? Let’s be honest. He could be at your door before any of us realized it.”

She swallowed and took a deep breath through her nose.

“Granger was only able to get Ashleigh because Alice helped him,” she whispered.

Axel clenched his jaw and then looked to the ground.

Bell closed her eyes and internally punched herself.

“I’m sorry,” Bell sighed. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “I am fully aware that Alice and I have a long road ahead. Assuming we ever get to travel it.”

Axel took a deep breath.

“My point remains,” he said. “This pack will do everything it can to protect you, but I can’t always be with you. If Galen were here, he would be able to keep you safe.”

“I don’t want him to know who my mate is,” she said. “Or that he’s looking for me.”

“Bell–”

“Axel.”

Axel huffed.

“Do you really think it is the best idea to lie to your husband? To keep such a big secret?” he asked.

Bell took a deep breath and sighed.

“If you knew who it was that was causing all of the pain in Alice’s life, would you be able to hold yourself back?” she asked.

“I do know who it is,” Axel growled. “She begged me to stay away from him for my own safety.”

“How does that make you feel?” she asked.

“It kills me,” he replied honestly.

Bell smiled.

“I don’t want to do that to Galen.”

Axel sighed.

“He won’t thank you for that,” he said. “As I told you before, it’s cruel.”

“Roman has no reason to come to Winter,” Bell said. “Tomas is busy plotting this war and hates Roman enough to keep my secret for now.”

“At least move into Ashleigh’s room,” Axel said. “That way, we can be sure you are safe between my parents and me.”

“That, I can do,” she smiled. “But not until tomorrow. Tonight, I am going to call my husband and get some rest. Then, in the morning, I will pack a bag.”

“Then tonight, I will stay on your couch,” he stated firmly.

“No, you won’t,” she laughed. “Are you trying to cause a scandal, my Alpha?”

Axel rolled his eyes.

“Everyone in Winter knows you are a sister to me,” he sighed.

“Hardly!” she laughed. “Do you know how many people had bets on when we would get into a relationship? My wedding day was the happiest day of my life, but some of the nurses growled and groaned at me because of the bets they had lost.”

“Why didn’t I hear about this?” he asked.

“You think these wolves want their Alpha to know there are bets on his love life?” Bell asked.

“Are? Currently?”

“Oh yes, I believe you have been connected to a berserker, one of the scouts, and a general bet of a lesser pack wolf,” Bell nodded.

Axel pinched the bridge of his nose.

“That is so ridiculous.”

“Wait until they find out the truth!” Bell laughed.