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Ax’s loud exuberance was echoed by the others, all excited to find the safe. I smiled as I punched in the numbers that I saw on the leaves, trying a few variations before the safe opened, and I grabbed the key and held it up.
This was what we should really celebrate.
All of them looked at me, stunned. Avery, of course, was the first to ask, “What the . . . did you already find your numbers?” I mean, that's obvious, but I pointed to the plant.
“If you look at the leaves, they have numbers on them in the light. I found those right away but couldn't find the safe.”
Lex’s stunned face turned into a sly smile. “You sneaky little fuck! Not telling us so that it would be your moment of glory.” He laughed, causing the others to smile or smirk as they all looked at me. He took two fingers, pointed them to his eyes before turning them to point to me. “I see you, bro. I see you.”
My lips turned up as I thought to myself,maybe they do see me now.
Chapter 9
“Now, we only haveone more . . . ” Avery turned to me with Lex at his back, and I growled, my wolf rising to the surface as we felt like they were putting our back in a corner.
“I'm working on it, all right?!” I turned away as I let out a ragged breath.Calm down, Ax, we need to find the safe and numbers.Everyone else has been able to do it, so I should be able to as well.
My wolf whined in my head for the twentieth time, asking me where Rayla was and why we were trapped in this room with our pack.
Pack. I always thought of us like a bunch of rivals reluctantly shoved together since we occasionally have the same goals and purpose. I glanced over my shoulder, catching them all watching me, and I shook my head. And it seems my wolf has already labeled them pack.A pack of assholes.
Growing up, I didn't know much about pack life. My father made sure to isolate me for safety. It wasn't until I was older that I understood he did that out of fear. Fear of losing me, fear of losing the last piece of his true mate in this world. So, he had me hang out with bodyguards and a small group of trusted pack members while he was gone.
After my mother died, he was hanging on by a thread, and one day, that tether ripped, and he became lost to his wolf. Roaming the forest and mountains for months, none of us able to catch him as he fell into a lone wolf depression.
All I remember of that time was loneliness. I didn't have my mother, who had doted on me constantly. I didn't have my father, lost in his feelings, and I didnt have any friends. It was just me and my wolf.
One night while sitting on the porch staring at the moon, feeling its rays soothe my pain, my father came trudging up the wooden steps covered in dirt and leaves. I could still feel the pain and grief coming off him, but it was smoother, more in control.
He didn't even look at me as he passed me, placing his hand on my head as he whispered sorry. It had been six long months, and that was the first thing he said to me. I went into the house, waiting outside of his room as I heard his shower kick on. Ivividly remember I was going to yell at him, tell him how shitty he was, but when that door opened and he stepped out, he was a new man.
He shed all of his previous self, adapting this hard and controlled face as he spoke to me. “There's a lot we need to accomplish, Ax. Let's get to it.” I kept my mouth shut, just so glad to have him back, that I didn't say anything as I followed him, and continued to do that. All of his training was about how to control myself, my emotions, and my wolf, never showing a glimpse of the man he used to be.
While he chose to use control and restraint as a coping mechanism, I decided to be wild and free. If I was going to die someday anyways, I might as well enjoy my time on this Earth doing the things I liked to do. That and I promised my wolf that I would never lock him down like my father wanted me to.
“Did you find it yet?!”
“Shut up,” I growled over my shoulder to see Lex's smiling ass hovering right over me.
“Let us help. We already found ours.” He threw his thumb over at the others. Falcon stared at me expectantly, while Avery and Cosmo had the decency to look away, finding something really interesting on the floor and wall.
Anger and pride swirled around in my chest, ugly thoughts played on repeat.See, you’re dumber than the others. It took you so long because you're just an animal. You should just let them find it for you. It's faster that way.
Growling at myself, cursing myself for my own poisonous thoughts. I scanned the section of my room that I felt like I’d combed through a million times. I had searched the long, thick, solid cherry wood check-in desk, the bank of boxes on the back wall with room numbers above each one. I tried to find the key’s that belong to each box, tried to dial out of the ancient candlestick phone with no success. In short of demolishing everything in sight, I’d searched everywhere and still found nothing of use.
Wait . . . demolish.I turned on my heel, looking down at the hole in the floor that Lex made, then shifted over to the velvet couch that had been torn up to find Falcon’s safe. Maybe I had to do something like that?
My wolf immediately agreed with my idea, pushing his strength into my arms before I even decided to do anything. I felt my muscles contract, the tendons getting tighter as my skin grew taught at how big and fast my muscles were growing. I lifted my arms, wasting no time as I smashed them in the middle of the desk.
A loud crack was the first thing I heard before I saw the wood split, and it quickly broke in two, making loud noises as two pieces banged on the floor with a rumbling thud.
“What the fuck?” Avery’s high-pitched voice came out just as the antique phone clanged onto the floor, and the check-in book fell with a thump.
Ignoring him, I dug through the desk pieces, throwing all the small pieces over my head, desperately trying to find somethingthat could give me a clue. Something I could prove my worth with.
“Do you think this means something?”
I shifted to see Cosmo holding the antique phone up and showing that the bottom had three numbers on it. 1, 0, 6 . . . why does that seem familiar to me? I quickly eyed the space in front of me and noticed that all of the mailboxes were three numbers starting with one hundred.
