The Quiet After The Storm

Chapter Six: The Quiet After the Storm

Axel’s POV

She finally slept.

Finally.

Her body curled against the couch, soft and fragile, trembling every few seconds as though the nightmares of her past hadn’t fully released her yet. I didn’t move. I didn’t dare. Not a sound. Not a single twitch that might wake her.

Her hair fell across her face, hiding the traces of tears, but I could feel the tension in her shoulders. The scars along her arms, her sides, the marks across her back—they were more than just injuries. They were pieces of her story. Pieces of the girl Kade had tried to break, pieces of a life filled with lies and cruelty.

I clenched my fists, rage simmering low and steady in my chest.

Alpha Kade. The thought alone made my teeth ache. How could someone so vile, so… twisted, ruin a child’s life and have the pack believe it? That she was the criminal. That she was the manipulator. That she was… dangerous.

I had been fooled too. And for that, I hated myself.

But not anymore.

Not when she was here.

I shifted carefully, easing her off the couch and into the center where I could better watch her. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake, muttering something incoherent in her sleep. My chest tightened. She looked so small. So weary. Like the world had demanded more from her than she ever should have been forced to give.

I reached for the blanket draped over the chair and tucked it gently around her. Her movements slowed under its warmth, and for the first time tonight, I thought I saw a hint of relief on her face. Not trust yet. Not safety. But maybe… the beginning.

I sank into the chair beside her, elbows on my knees, staring at the floor.

All these years, I had believed I knew the truth about the pack, about people, about loyalty. I had believed that the rules and hierarchy were justice incarnate. But Kade had proven otherwise.

And now… she was paying the price.

I couldn’t allow it to continue.

Not under my watch. Not while I still drew breath.

I thought about what she had told me. The lies Kade fed the pack. The twisted hold he had over her. The fear she had carried for so long. And now, sitting here in the quiet of the night, I made a silent vow.

I would uncover every single lie.

I would expose Kade.

I would protect her.

Even if it meant tearing apart everything I thought I knew about this pack.

Even if it meant standing against people I had once called family.

I watched her breathing, steadying, though I could still see the shadows of pain in her expressions. She deserved more than survival. She deserved trust, safety… and justice.

I reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek. My fingers lingered, tracing the curve of her jaw gently. She sighed softly in her sleep, and something in me clenched—a protective instinct, fierce and uncompromising. She had been alone for too long. And I would not let it continue.

I leaned back in the chair, eyes scanning the room. Quiet thoughts turned to plans.

I had to start with Kade. I had to find out how deep his influence ran. I had to know which guards, which elders, which pack members were loyal to him and which ones might be swayed.

And I had to do it without scaring her. Without making her feel like she was just another pawn.

Because she wasn’t a pawn. She wasn’t weak. She was… fractured, yes. But strong in ways that had survived every lie, every punishment, every betrayal.

I would make sure she never had to survive alone again.

Her eyes fluttered, and I caught the faintest shadow of a nightmare crossing her face. I leaned forward instinctively, one hand hovering over her shoulder, ready to shield her.

I didn’t know if she would ever fully trust me. I didn’t know if she would forgive the world—or herself.

But I did know one thing.

I would be here.

Through the quiet nights. Through the storms to come.

Through every threat Kade—or anyone—tried to throw at her.

Because finally, finally, there was someone to stand beside her.

And that someone… was me.