A Rejected Wolf and a Court of Ash (Eden and Azriel) novel Chapter 119

Chapter 119

Chapter 119

Elvira

Why does your mate turn hotter the second he is an ex–mate?

Liora catches me staring at Axel and smirks like she just caught me committing a crime. “You’re going to burn holes in him if you keep looking at him like that.”

“I’m not looking at him,” I mutter, tearing my eyes away from Axel’s infuriatingly perfect smile. “We should keep walking.”

“Uh–huh.” She doesn’t move. “Sure. You’re not looking at Mr. Tanned–and–hot, and I’m the Queen of the Moon Court.”

Before I can insist that I wasn’t eyeing Axel like a free steak, Axel shifts into a move that makes the recruits stumble back. It clearly wasn’t expected since it disarms one and spins to block the other fae in a single, fluid motion. The gathered fae women gasp in unison, a few clapping softly like they are at a private show.

“Oh my,” Liora murmurs like she is watching the climax of a romance play. “Did you see that spin? If I faint, you’re catching me.”

“I’m not impressed,” I lie under my breath.

I am impressed. And my eyes? Already making out with Axel’s body.

Liora snorts. “Then why are you leaning forward?”

I straighten instantly. “I’m not—”

“You are,” she says with smug certainty. “Your eyes haven’t left him since we got here. Careful, Elvira, you might start drooling.”

I glare at her, but my gaze betrays me again, tracking the precise power in every motion, the way sunlight slides over the line of his shoulders. My pulse has no loyalty to common sense.

Liora leans in herself. “We will just stay for a minute. Inspiration, remember?”

I sigh, adjusting my arms across my chest. “Fine. One minute.”

That minute is all it takes for chaos to find me.

//

I step closer to get a better view, my boot catching on a patch of uneven ground. Gravity tilts, and I lurch forward in full view of the King’s Guard, the gathered fae women, and Axel himself.

My hand shoots out for balance.

It lands on a training table.

A training table with a pie on it.

Why is there a pie on it?

The pie does not survive.

My palm hits dead center, sending it flying in a slow–motion arc that ends with a perfect splat against the shoulder of the tall, elegant fae woman who had been leaning just a little too close to Axel moments ago.

Silence.

1/3

Chapter 119

My stomach knots, panic curling up my spine. The woman’s glare could flay skin. She definitely wants me dead.

Before I can apologize, someone in the crowd whispers, “Oh no… she pled Selene.”

Selene. Of course the most dangerous flirt in the Dream Court has a name as dramatic as her cheekbones.

Before I can process it, Axel’s laugh cracks through the tension. It is not your usual polite chuckle, but a full, rich belly laugh that turns heads. Even the recruits stop doing what they are doing. The sound rolls warm over the training grounds, startling and disarming all at once.

“I… I didn’t mean to do that!” I blurt, pie filling dripping from my fingers.

Axel’s grin is pure trouble. “Bold move, Elvira.”

One of the recruits whistles low. “Never seen him laugh like that before.” Another mutters, “He never laughs during training.”

Selene makes a strangled sound, but before she can step toward me, Axel shifts slightly, his eyes cutting toward her in a way that sends her backing off without a word. He stays where he is, but the warning is clear. My chest warms despite myself.

Still shirtless, still irritatingly beautiful, he steps close enough to offer his hand. As I take it, his thumb brushes over my skin. My heart goes doki–doki and I feel my breath catch. “You always know how to make an entrance.”

I try to sound unaffected. “Don’t get used to it.”

His eyes glint. “Too late.”

One of the recruits mutters something about “the ball being interesting this year” as Liora steers me toward the path.

Once we are out of earshot, she finally bursts out laughing. “Elvira, that was beautiful. You just pied Selene, the Dream Court’s most notorious flirt. I almost want to thank you on behalf of women everywhere.”

I groan, covering my face with my hands. “I looked like a complete idiot.”

“Sure,” she says, still grinning. “But a memorable idiot. Trust me, you’ve just guaranteed every single person here will remember you at the

ball.”

“I don’t want to be remembered!”

“But you will be!” She winks and starts mimicking my trip, complete with flailing arms and a dramatic gasp. “And then…bam! Pie justice and your rival in love gone!”

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