We spent the next two hours cuddling and talking, enjoying each other's company. Our naked bodies still intertwined with each other. It seemed that neither one of us wanted to let the other go.I had felt disappointed when I saw the mark I had left on his shoulder had healed already, leaving nothing but his perfect tan skin behind. He had explained to me how they healed faster than mortals and that when I left my true mark on him, it would never fully heal. Instead, it would leave a scar in the shape of my bite to show all others that he was spoken for.My fingers danced along his jawline, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Can you change into your wolf anytime you want?" I asked, intrigued by the concept but still terrified of the thought of turning into one myself. He turned his head, placing a soft kiss on the tips of my fingers."Yes. It takes a lot of energy. So, as long as we aren't severely injured or run down, we can shift at any time." I pressed furthe
I couldn't reach Gabriel for three days after we were rushed off of his land. Vampires or not, it was still a huge blow to confidence that the only man I ever had sex with was nowhere to be found afterward. Elena kept telling me to be patient. I knew it was killing her just as much to be away from Athena, but they were at least texting. I received nothing. No texts, no calls, and no voice in my head. He was just gone. I had given him three days of this silence, but I wouldn't wait any longer. The keys jingled as I slowly lifted them off the key hook by the front door. It felt like I was slamming pots and pans together by how loud they seemed. Elena was just up the stairs, and I knew the second she realized I was gone, she would rat me out to her mate. They had both agreed that I should stay away from the pack land for now, but no one would tell me why. Blame it on being raised like an insane person, but I was thinking crazy. Every possible sce
Gabriel's P.O.V I could feel her. My chest felt like there was a band wrapping around it, and progressively getting tighter. The pain and anger were stronger than anything I had felt from her before… until it was gone. My breathing came easier, and the red haze covering my vision vanished. It was as if our connection had been muted, put into a locked box, and sent to the back of my mind. I could feel her there, but I couldn't access her. Whether she had done it consciously or not, she had placed a wall between us, blocking us from being able to access each other. My anger increased as I walked faster to get to my home, our home. It had been days since I had last seen or talked to her, but as much as I wanted to hear her voice, I couldn't rush into it. I needed to be smart about it. I had spent hours in deliberation with the clan's representatives. They made themselves at home in our packhouse, and I made a mental note to have the building swept for any bugs or belongings left behin
Olivia's P.O.V. My phone continued to vibrate as I laid in bed. The screen illuminated the room until the call went to voicemail and left it in darkness once again. It had been an hour of nonstop calls. Several different numbers were being used, but I knew in my gut that it was Gabriel trying to reach me. Since he couldn't have contact with me, he would be using other people's phones. I scoffed at the thought of him putting that much effort into trying to talk to me when he had been silent for the past several days. Elena admitted that she knew but agreed with her mate. They said it was best for the pack to keep me in the dark about Scarlett and at a distance. Once I kicked Elena out of my room, she couldn't say anything in fear of my parents overhearing, so she tried to apologize through the wood. She had given up knocking on my door not too long ago, finally taking the hint that I wouldn't talk to her. Funny that now that I want space, no one wanted to give it to me. If I glanced
It was a surprise when I came downstairs for dinner after spending the afternoon with my head in a book to find Athena at the breakfast bar, charming the pants off of my parents. She gave me a small smile as if she knew I was still frustrated with her. I smiled back widely, causing her eyebrows to pinch together in confusion. In truth, after hearing what Elena had to say earlier, I wasn't mad at anyone besides Gabriel. The rest of the pack, and my sister, were doing what was best to ensure my safety. That meant a great deal to me. It didn't escape my mind that Gabriel was doing the same thing, but I was still livid that he made the decision without talking to me about it first. Instead, he made me think I did something wrong by ignoring me after I gave him my virginity. He then paraded around introducing another woman as his mate. I know he touched Scarlett's waist at least once. It wasn't incriminating, but I still didn't like it. The whole situation was fucked up. If he chooses t
The weekend went by slower than a single day would when I was in school. It was torture knowing that I would be able to see him again but that I had to wait. On Monday morning, I was up and out of bed before the sun came up. It was like my internal alarm clock understood how important it was for me to be ready in case he came over early. So, instead of sleeping in until a normal hour, I sat on the couch, fully dressed, with a cup of over-creamed coffee in my hand, waiting. I needed to know whether he chose her or if he was willing to treat me as an equal in all future decisions involving us and chose me. The internal debate of waiting here for him to come to me or for me to show up at his house and yell at him was flipping back and forth in my mind. I settled on waiting until Elena woke so she could text Athena to see if their guests had left. I knew there was no point in me messaging or calling Gabriel. The last time I tried, it was clear that he ha
I left a note for Elena to let her know that I had left with Gabriel, but I had a feeling she would already know my whereabouts as soon as she realized I was gone. The note sat right next to the vase of stunning red roses he had brought me.I couldn't help but smile as I sat in the passenger seat of Gabriel's SUV. The sight of him holding a bouquet of flowers when I opened the door made my heart squeeze. We had a lot to work through, and things would need to change moving forward, but he chose me.He chose me.Even though their uninvited guests left their compound, he still didn't want to risk anyone overhearing our conversation, or rather our argument, and suggested that we go back to 'our' house to talk. The way he claimed it as ours made the butterflies in my stomach riot in excitement, and I eagerly accepted.The ride was silent, besides the music playing softly from the radio. I kept stealing glances at him as he drove, turning away when he would cat
"So, let's talk about it." The strength it took to refrain from snapping at him was indescribable. He had hurt me, and it had only been a few days that we had been together. You would think that I would have figured out what to say over the past several days that he had been MIA, but I was so consumed by the hurt and anger. Everything I had planned to say disappeared from my mind. "Liv," he started, and I pulled back at the sound of my name leaving his lips. My fork dropped to my plate, and I sat back in my chair with my hands in my lap. "I know I hurt you, and I am so sorry. It was for your safety that we had to proceed with this plan." I waited for him to explain further, but he sat there quietly as if he expected that to solve all of our problems. "Okay." I kept my gaze down as I reached forward to grab another piece of bacon. He didn't need to have me say it to hear in my tone that I was still outraged. His warm hand brushed against my arm, and I