Chapter 17

*Axel*

I have trained since I was old enough to walk. Fighting always came naturally to me, even though I hate it. I learned as a child that controlling your breathing could help you control your heart rate. So why, after all these damn years and training exercises, is my heart pattering away like a tap dancer trying to keep a hip-hop beat?

I can stand before hundreds of humans, putting the reality of the shifter world on full display for them to gawk at and hoping they don’t realize the secret to our magic. But a simple dinner with my mate, the woman who just professed her feelings for me, has me feeling like I am going to vomit. Nothing, no amount of training, routine, or, hell, even Ultima powers could have prepared me for a single first date with my mate. I feel like a fool as I grin, just waiting for her to emerge in my tent. 

I got dressed forty-five minutes ago, just in case she might show up early. Would she show up fort