The Beta's Young Warrior (Book 2 of Young Mate Series)

Chapter 3- Lizzie's POV

The alarm rang at five in the morning, signaling that we needed to get up and start the day. A groan escaped my lips, and I curled closer to my mate instead of getting up to get dressed. "Noooooooo," I moaned when my mate started to get out of bed. I wrapped my arms around him, making sure that I didn't squeeze tightly because I did not want to hurt him. "You're not leaving."

Axel chuckled and placed a kiss on my forehead, leaving me feeling loved and wanted. He didn't remove himself from my grasp, but I didn't trust him to stay while he wiggled an arm free. My mate turned off the alarm, and I knew that I wasn't in the clear yet because he still had the arm free because I made no move to grab it and trap it against his body.

My whole body grew tense with each passing second while I waited for my mate to do whatever it was he was planning to do. I kept my breathing even and tried to fall back asleep, but that wasn't possible because I kept waiting and waiting for something to happen, waiting for my mate to do something like he had always done to get me to let him go.

My mate chuckled again. "Scared?" he teased when I opened my eyes and looked at him. A dazzling smirk was on his face while he stared at me with eyes of brown. He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head. "Why?" He studied me and blinked, waiting for my answer.

I scowled, and his smirk grew deeper. "Because I don't trust you," I replied. I narrowed my eyes, and he bit back a bark of laughter. "I know that you are plotting something, Axel Peter."

He cocked his head further and stared at me with "innocent" brown eyes, hiding but failing to hide the amusement in them. "I am?" he asked while he blinked slowly. "What do you mean? I am just laying down beside my beautiful mate, who I adore more than anyone."

"I still don't trust you," I said. I groaned and let him go, not wanting to wait any longer for him to do something. "Fine," I grumbled before I got up and walked to the bathroom, hunched over. I did not want to go to school today. Then again, I did not want to go to school ever and hated both Axel and my father for making me go.

Axel laughed and left the room to get the kids up and ready for school. 'I wasn't even going to do anything,' he teased. 'Not today, at least.'

I mentally groaned, and my mate laughed again. 'Then why did you force me from the soft and warm bed, away from my personal heater?' I asked, narrowing my eyes. I took off my clothes and started the water for a cold shower to wake me up before taking an actual shower.

'I didn't,' he replied, not caring that I had called him a heater. 'You decided to get out of bed yourself. I was merely laying there with my beautiful mate by my side and being her personal heater.'

My cheeks turned red, and I ducked my head, grateful that he couldn't see me blushing. I still wasn't used to him calling me beautiful that way, something that I knew I was going to have to get used to because he would use it every chance he got.

Axel chuckled. 'Go take your shower and get ready for school, Liz. Breakfast will be ready soon.'

'I know,' I grumbled. 'We are napping when I get home today.' I narrowed my eyes, even though Axel couldn't see it. 'Is that understood?'

'Yes, Beta,' he teased. 'Now, go.'

I huffed teasingly and rolled my eyes. 'Fine,' I muttered and pulled the thing on the tub faucet to change it to the shower. 'I didn't want to talk to you anyway.'

Axel chuckled again, and I couldn't help but smile because I loved hearing him chuckle and laugh. It was the best sound that I had ever heard in my life, even better than my father's chuckle and laugh, even though I was a daddy's girl. 'I will talk to you when you are done, Liz,' he said, and he slowly blocked the link between us.

"We should link us back to him and then block him," my wolf, Whisper, said. She flicked her tail, and I could tell that she was annoyed at the male we called mate. "He shouldn't have done that to us. Doesn't he love us?" She sniffled and mourned for the link to be open again.

I rolled my eyes at my wolf and hopped into the shower. "Cold!" I exclaimed, the water pelting me with ice cold pellets. "Holy crap!" I felt more awake than I had the last couple of minutes and turned it until it was warm.

I took a quick shower and then got out to get dressed, knowing full well that Axel should have all the kids up by now, except for Paige, so that they could get ready for school as well. I knew that he would have some breakfast ready for us, and I could not wait to see what he had cooked for us.

I prayed that it was something good.

***

"Morning," Axel said when I walked into the kitchen. He paused from putting some bacon on a plate and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Feel better?" he asked, and I sighed and nodded.

"Very," I replied. I ruffled a hand through Ridge's hair, and he groaned in annoyance while I messed his hair. "I still don't want to go to school, anyway."

"Join the club," the kids said. "We don't want to go, and he is making us." They glared at Axel, and he snorted before he started to get the rest of the food on the plates to bring to the table.

"Can't we just ditch?" I asked, raising an eyebrow while I cocked my head and stared at him innocently. "Please?"

"Yes!" the kids exclaimed. "Can we, Papa?"

"No," he said again. "You all have to go to school." He grabbed some of the plates and brought them to the table. "I have work to get done."

I looked at Annaliese and raised an eyebrow. "Is he telling the truth?" I asked. "Does he have work to do?"

Annaliese scowled and looked at her father. She studied the male while he set the plates down on the table, and she sighed and nodded. "He is," she replied. "He is telling the truth that he has work to do."

I pouted. "Darn," I said. "I thought I would've been able to convince him to let us go to a beach or something."

He shook his head. "Nope," he said. "You wouldn't have been able to convince me." He paused and cocked his head. "I can take you all to the beach during the weekend, but I do not want any calls from any of you. Is that understood?"

"Fine," we grumbled and pouted. "We'll behave this week."

"Good," Axel said, getting more food to put on the table. He looked at me and winked, and I had to bite my lip to keep from grinning. 'We can do something tonight,' he promised. 'If you behave.'

I narrowed my eyes at him, and he grinned innocently. 'No sex, remember?'

Axel mentally chuckled. 'I know,' he said. 'But that doesn't mean we can't make out.'

'I hate you,' I said, really wanting to make out with him now. I really hate you.'

'No, you don't,' he replied. 'You just want to do it now, but you will have to wait until everyone is in bed.'

I bit back huff and rolled my eyes. 'Fine,' I muttered. 'It better be good.'