CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: GODDESS

Isabella flung the front door open, and her face lit up with excitement when she saw the man standing on the welcome mat. Axel looked much more grown-up compared to the picture on his cousin’s phone. His brown hair was short and artfully tousled, and his dark blue eyes held a more mature look. His frame was large and muscled, and there was a powerful aura around him that held a similar power to Gareth’s.

“Bell!” Axel shouted, dropping his black duffel bag and sweeping Isabella into a brotherly hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

“Bell?” Elliot asked, confused. He was standing behind the two cousins.

“Axel’s been calling me that since we were little,” Isabella explained as Butler Jones discreetly picked up Axel’s bag and brought it into the house. “He couldn’t say ‘Isabella’ as a kid, so he shortened it to ‘Bell’ and it just sort of stuck.”

“Thank you, Butler Jones!” Axel called after the man’s retreat. “It’s good to see you!”

The three walked into the house and entered the study that already had a crackling fire in the grate.

“Axel, I’m so excited for you to meet my fiancé,” Isbabella said proudly. “This is Elliot.”

The two men shook hands. A charming smile crossed Elliot’s face. He knew that he had to impress Axel not only because he was important to Isabella but because he was Gareth’s nephew.

“It’s great to meet you. Isabella was just telling me all about how you grew up together.” Elliot took a glass of red wine offered to him by a server.

“Whatever Bell tells you is an exaggeration,” Axel noted with a grin and sat down in a comfortable red armchair. “I promise I wasn’t as big of a troublemaker as she makes me out to be.”

Isabella laughed as she sat next to Elliot on the couch. “Don’t worry, Axel. I didn’t have time to tell him about the time you filled my dad’s bedroom with balloons or when you set all the alarm clocks in the house to ring at three in the morning.” Isabella giggled, her eyes twinkling with glee. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dad more angry in his life.”

“You swore you’d never tell anyone about those pranks!” Axel smiled good-naturedly.

Isabella shrugged delicately. “Oops.”

The three of them laughed together.

“You guys have a lot in common, actually.” Isabella crossed her legs. “Axel is pretty much the next in line to be Alpha of the Mondlicht Pack.”

“Yes, my parents didn’t have any other children, so I have no one to fight the title for.” Axel sipped his drink.

Elliot’s dark eyes sparked with interest at the mention of potentially having a well-connected overseas ally.

“My future husband will be Ashborne’s next Alpha,” Isabella bragged with a bright smile. She patted Elliot’s leg and gazed at him adoringly.

“You don’t know that yet, Isabella,” Elliot said with a humble smile.

“Of course I do. Dad has to choose you,” Isabella pointed out confidently. “There’s no other option!”

Elliot chuckled and put his arm around her. “You have to say that since you will be my wife very soon.”

Isabella giggled and leaned in for a quick kiss.

Axel stared at them, smiling. He was happy that his cousin had found love, but there was also a longing look in his eye. He hoped to find what they had someday. In his life, he had met many lovely women, but none who had captured his heart.

“What do you like to do for fun, Axel?” Elliot asked, wanting to impress him even more now that he knew Axel was a future Alpha.

“I like to paint,” Axel answered simply.

“Don’t be so modest!” Isabella chimed in. “Axel is a wonderful watercolor artist. His artwork is showcased in galleries all around Germany. He’s very talented. He’s always had a more sensitive, artistic soul.”

“I wouldn’t say that I’m sensitive, Bell,” Axel protested jokingly.

“You’re the one who cried because my dad took away your painting supplies for a week after you swapped out all our family photos with pictures of dogs when we were eight,” Isabella remembered.

“Yeah, because that was really unfair,” Axel replied.

The two cousins laughed.

Elliot was slightly annoyed that he was being left out as they traveled down memory lane, but he made sure his expression didn’t show his irritation.

“I’d love to see some of your work,” Elliot tried to interact a bit more.

Axel showed him pictures of his artwork on his phone. Elliot didn’t even have to fake being impressed. Axel was an amazing painter. He mainly painted landscapes of mountains, rivers, and trees using broad strokes and vibrant colors.

“These are really good,” Elliot complimented when he handed Axel’s phone back to him.

A pleased grin crossed Axel’s face.

Isabella was giddy with happiness that two of the most important men in her life were getting along.

“I actually traveled here because I’ve been asked to put on a temporary exhibit of my work at the National Museum,” Axel explained. “I need to oversee the setup of my paintings and be there for opening night.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Isabella crossed her arms. “I didn’t know that. You only came here for work? Not to see me?”

She tried to sound like she was joking, but there was actual hurt in her deep blue eyes.

“We talk on the phone all the time!” Axel protested. “And I’ll still be around to see you. You know that I’ll get on your nerves within five minutes of being here.”

Isabella reluctantly smiled. “But that’s half the fun of you visiting.”

“Where are Uncle Gareth and Michelle?” Axel looked around.

“I think my dad’s in his home office, and Michelle is in a lesson with her new tutor,” Isabella answered.

“Ah, I hope this one is up for the challenge.” Axel took a sip of his wine. “Her name is Jasmine, right?”

Isabella nodded. “Yes, she’s wonderful. She’s so good with Michelle. Jasmine finds such innovative ways to teach her, and she’s so patient. She’s a good listener and a wonderful person too.”

Axel smirked and looked at Elliot. “Be careful. It sounds like Isabella is much more interested in this Jasmine girl than she is in you,” he joked.

Elliot froze but managed to force out an awkward laugh.

Isabella smacked his shoulder playfully. “Oh, stop it.”

At that moment, Michelle walked by the study. She turned her head and waited for someone to catch up to her. Axel raised his hand to greet his other cousin, but his hello got stuck in his throat when he saw a girl he’d never met. His eyes widened, and his heart skipped a beat as he gazed at the stranger.

Jasmine was wearing a skin-tight bright pink leotard and black leggings. Her long, honey-colored hair was tied up into a high ponytail. Her tan face was pink from exercise, and beads of sweat were running down her face and shoulders. Jasmine reached up and tightened her ponytail, putting her toned arms on full display. Her defined leg muscles were highlighted under the tight fabric of her leggings.

It was clear that Michelle and Jasmine had just finished exercising.

Elliot couldn’t stop staring at Jasmine. He was fantasizing about her shapely ass when she vanished from view, probably heading toward the kitchen. He had to shake his head to clear it.

Axel was still looking at the empty doorway with a dazed expression, and he let out a wistful sigh.

“Who was that?” he asked Isabella.

“That’s Jasmine,” she answered. “Michelle’s new tutor, I was just telling you about.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that she’s a literal goddess?” he complained. “She’s so beautiful, I could paint her.”

“You didn’t ask!” Isabella retorted.

A moment later, Jasmine and Michelle walked by the doorway again, this time carrying bottles of water. Jasmine tilted her head back and chugged the cold drink. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed the water, some of it escaping her mouth and dribbling down her sweaty body.

Elliot’s eyes followed the water as it ran over Jasmine’s large breasts. His hands clenched as his thoughts turned dirty. Elliot almost lost it when Jasmine let out a satisfied sigh after finishing the drink.

The two girls left the doorway without noticing the three sitting in the study.

Elliot’s jaw clenched when he saw that he wasn’t the only one who was looking at Jasmine with desire.

Axel was gazing at her retreating figure like she hung the moon.

“Alright, it’s official," Axel said after Jasmine was out of earshot. “I’m in love with that girl.” He looked at his cousin. “Is she single?”

Isabella let out an excited squeal, and Elliot’s hands tightened around his wine glass, almost shattering it.