After buying a lot of women's clothes, long, baggy, but still very classy, Axel was forced to try on every single outfit.
Fenris sat through it all, arms crossed, staring without saying a word. No compliments, no comments... nothing.
Axel whined, complained, dragged his feet, but Fenris stayed completely silent, like none of it mattered to him. But he didn't even look bored, and that somehow made it worse.
By the time they reached the makeup store, Axel was already tired from rolling his eyes so much.
But it didn't end there, they went through foundation, blush, lip gloss, eyeshadow, all of it tested on Axel's face.
The makeup artist was way too excited, talking a lot and praising Axel's features, while Axel kept glancing at Fenris, hoping to get some kind of reaction. But still.. nothing.
No sigh, no blink, no smirk. Just the same heavy silence and cold distance, like Fenris had disappeared into his own head.
Eventually, they bought some, paid and left.
Now, as Fenris drives them back, Axel isn't thinking about the clothes or how weird his lashes feel anymore.
He notices Fenris's grip tightening on the wheel, his jaw is locked and shoulders tense.
The silence in the car feels heavy, like it's pushing down on Axel's chest. He doesn't know where they're going, but it's becoming clear it's not just anywhere. It's where chaos are.
After a moment his eyes catches something interesting. At first, it looks like just a white gate as they come around the last bend, but it's not just a gate. The structure ahead is huge, beautiful, and a little scary.
Two fancy wrought-iron gates stand between giant marble pillars, shining in the morning sun.
Axel blinks, surprised. He recognizes this place, he'd seen it before, the night he was here, but he saw it just briefly, and it had all been a blur then.
Now that he sees it clearly, he realizes he hadn't really seen it at all.
The gate opens slowly, almost silently, and the car drives through. Axel's eyes go wide as they move through the estate.
The road is white stone, curving through a perfectly designed garden. On both sides, marble statues stand under flowering trees trimmed with perfect symmetry.
Everything looks planned, polished, and unbelievably expensive.
The house ahead makes Axel sit up, holding his breath as the building comes into view at the end of the path.
Huge, massive, tall white pillars line the front porch, holding up a long, gold-trimmed overhang.
The walls are smooth and bright white, like they're cleaned every day. The windows are tall and stretch from floor to ceiling, framed in black steel with fancy balconies. It doesn't look like a house. Not even like a mansion.
It looks like a palace built for royalty.
Actually, scratch that. It looks like it belongs to a trillionaire, not a billionaire.
Axel feels completely out of place. Unconsciously, he glances sideways at Fenris behind the wheel.
"How rich is he?! And he only offers me five hundred dollars? Out of trillions?!"
He meant to keep it in his head, but the moment it leaves his mouth, he realizes he said it out loud.
Fenris's head snaps toward him so fast it could break something. His glare hits Axel like ice.
"Remember you are mute," Fenris says in a low voice, each word like an order. "From the moment you get out of this car, you are mute."
He opens the door of the car, "Don't move," he gets out before Axel can say anything. Then he walks smoothly around the car and opens Axel's door.
Axel blinks up at him, surprised. He stares for a second, then a small smirk appears on his lips.
"Aw... Thank you, my love," he says sweetly, reaching up to take Fenris's hand.
"Just... shut up," Fenris mutters, jaw clenched.
"Don't worry," Axel replies lightly, "I won't talk to anyone unless it's you, my love."
He steps out with a little dramatic flair, fully aware that Fenris's grip tightens slightly.
Fenris grits his teeth, clearly on the edge.
Without a word, he pulls Axel forward as they head toward the entrance of the pack house.
The place is quiet, but servants move about here and there, pausing as they spot them. Their eyes shift from Fenris to Axel, lingering on him with open suspicion, as if silently asking: What is he doing here?
None of them bow to Fenris the way they used to. He notices it immediately, and of course he knows why. Callum must have done more damage in his absence than he imagined.
Now, in their eyes, he looks like nothing, like someone who has already lost. But Fenris doesn't care. This place is still his. His father left it in his hands, and no one, absolutely no one has been given permission to take that role from him.
Just before they reach the steps leading into the house, Callum appears in the doorway with Jeremy close behind him.
"Well, well..." Callum says with a broad smirk, if it isn't my dear brother finally showing up after letting everyone play the fool. Oh... and who is this pretty little angel? No way... your mate? Hughh... thank moon goddess, I finally get to see my brother with a mate. You landed such a golden mate? Wow, I'm at a loss for words," He says, dragging out each word with theatrical disbelief.
Fenris says nothing, stepping forward to enter the house, but Callum blocks his path.
"Easy there, brother," he says, smirking even harder. "I'm sure you've already been told about the changes around here. I'd appreciate it if you showed me the same respect I gave you back when you were Alpha."
"What do you want me to do?" Fenris asks, his tone dry. "Bow?"
Callum lets out a short laugh. "You're lucky you're my brother, so I'll let that one slide. But at the very least, why don't you introduce me to my stunning sister-in-law?"
"Get out of my way, Callum," Fenris says his voice very low but firm and laced with irritation. "I've had a long night, and all I want right now is to hold my mate in my arms and sleep. In the meantime, go around and enjoy calling yourself Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack, because once I wake up, you'll realize it was all just a fantasy. You were never Alpha to begin with."
Without waiting for a reply, Fenris pushes past him, still holding Axel's hand firmly in his own.
"What are you gonna do, huh?" Callum shouts after them. "Shout out that you're still the Alpha? Go on then.. tell the pack that. Tell the other packs too, and see how well they take it! Go on if you want to humiliate yourself more!"
But Fenris doesn't stop, he doesn't even look back as he strides through the entrance, Axel beside him.