Natalia stopped for a minute to catch her breath, lowering her eyes to Axton's rapidly beating heart.
"I am flattered."
"Flattered?" His voice was raspy, breathy, and you could almost estimate the speed of his heartbeat by how ragged his breathing was.
"I mean...I am the one who has this much effect on you. I always just thought..." She let her voice trail off, knowing he already knew what she wanted to say.
He smiled, a small one sided smile, then looked up at her. "I am trying so hard not to lose control. With you."
He stood up and took a step back. "It would be best if I get into some decent clothes. It has been three days already."
She nodded. "Your back...take care."
He smiled at her, then turned away towards the door, trying hard not to run.
His heart was beating like crazy by the time he closed the door behind him, his hands trembling even as he clenched them into fists in an attempt to try and stop it.
Flashes of the kiss from earlier filled his mind, and not the first or the second held the same effect on him as this one did. Maybe because he had been so unaware and deep in thought regarding what would come after the kiss, he had let the real essence pass him by.
"We are done, Alpha."
Alpha Axton looked up to Beta scott, then turned to a few omegas who were coming out of his room.
"Done with what?"
Beta Scott's brow furrowed, but he didn't pick on it. "We are done getting rid of the wolfsbane. Why would you even wash your room with Wolfsbane when you know you can die from it?"
"Don't scold me," Alpha Axton said, trying to regain his composure. "I am going to take a bath. My fingers are all burnt and the stab wound too. Get me someone to wash my back."
"Let me just do it for you," Beta Scott said. "I doubt miss would be comfortable with the idea of a female omega washing your back."
"I am not either. But neither am I comfortable with you doing it."
"Then maybe I should call Miss?"
"Do not dare it if you do not want to see me die from a heart attack."
Beta Scott broke into a mischievous laughter as Alpha Axton walked to his room, muttering small curse under his breath.
"So...did you tell her?" Beta Scott was sitting behind Alpha Axton who was wearing a tunic to cover his lower body and was sitting in the water.
"Tell her what?"
"Tell her that you fell in love with her?"
Alpha Axton turned. "When did I tell you I was in love with her?"
Beta Scott chuckled. "That's what clueless men say."
"I do hope you did not just call me clueless."
"I did, a little, though." He slowly poured water on Axton's back, taking care not to touch the peeling skin. "You have to be to not realize you are in love."
Alpha Axton rolled his eyes. "You are starting to forget who I am. I can not be swayed by one woman."
"In the end, you are only a wolf. And whether alpha or not, you are bound to your mate. You either seek painful freedom by rejecting her, or inevitable bliss by letting the addiction take control. I can already see which one you are doing." Beta scott stood, having finished with the back already.
"When did we start having conversations like this with you?" Alpha Axton asked with squinted eyes.
"That alone, is enough proof of what the mate bond can do to you." Beta Scott answered with a shrug, then made his way out of the Bathhouse.
Alpha Axton stayed there for a while, renewing the water and submerging himself in the clean water.
Even though he knew the mate bond was putting his on a journey to something more, he never once opened his heart to the idea of love. It was too far off, and with Nicholas' death, he was beginning to think he did not deserve to be in love with her.
Just as he got out of the water, he heard the click of the door as it closed.
"Who is there?" He called, then listened as the sound of the feet came forward.
"It's me. Natalia." She didn't even need to add the last part. He could single out her voice from that of a hundred women yelling his name at the same time.
"I am coming," He said, then tied a robe around himself. He made his way through to the door, feeling refreshed and better. He had needed that bath, even though he had needed her more.
"Is something wrong?" He asked immediately he walked out, his hair still dripping from the water.
She shook her head. "There is nothing wrong."
"I thought you would be sleeping."
"I want to see him," She suddenly said. "I want to see my father's grave."
He lifted his eyes to her. "Will you be able to handle it?"
"I haven't seen him ever since it happened, and I just feel so...guilty. Please let me see him."
She looked like she had a bad dream, or the memories bad come flashing back at her violently, so he quietly nodded and sat her down, then squatted to her height in front of her.
"There is nothing to cry about. I will get ready now and I will take you there myself."
She sniffed and nodded, and he walked away to change.