"I feel like I'm missing something," Elena stated as she gestured between myself and the Alpha. To be honest, I did too. I didn't understand why I felt such a pull to the man next to me. "You guys seem very friendly."
The man chuckled, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. "You can say that we are old friends. I'm Alpha Gabriel Miller."I turned to meet his hazel eyes, watching as they darkened. His pupil swirled as if they were trying to draw me into him. A flash of black fur appeared in my mind, and I squinted my eyes at him. His hair was dark, but it wasn't the same shade as the wolf that came to mind. Then again, his hair color may have lightened with time."Can you still hear me?" The sound of his voice resonated through my head, startling me. I jumped from the couch, ripping my hand from his."It was you!" My arm crossed my chest to hold the other elbow as my hand covered my mouth, fingers tapping against my top lip. I began to pace, much to the two witnesses' amusement. "You are the wolf from that night!"Gabriel stood slowly, as if approaching a skittish animal, his hands slightly outstretched in front of him. "I am.""Why? Why did you leave for so long? I waited outside for you every day for months! Everyone thought I was crazy! You let me think I was crazy!" The feeling of betrayal crashed into my chest, taking me by surprise. I didn't know him. He had no obligation toward me. Yet, the crushing pain was overwhelming, and each breath hurt to take in.My odd attachment to this man wasn't healthy, and my mind began to swirl. They were all right. This is probably another hallucination. I wanted him to be mine after knowing him for five minutes even though I was convinced he was a supernatural creature. That's not normal.Where did my mind draw the line? Was it even capable of even doing that?"I dreamt about you every night! You never even came back to visit even though you said you had to find me. Why? Why did you need to find me? Oh my God. I am crazy." I threw my hands up into my hair. The light blonde strands were tied into a tight bun that began to fall when I pressed my fingers against my scalp and curled them around the tendrils that fell."I did! I visited you or had someone check on you every day for the past ten years. I watched over you every single day." His firm voice halted my escalating panic but did nothing to relieve me."And you just watched them take me to doctor after doctor? They treated me like I was fucking looney, pumping me full of drugs and locking me in my room because they thought I was unstable and could be a threat. You never thought to knock on the door and transform into your furry self to convince them I was telling the truth?" My pacing continued, and I narrowed my eyes at him when he stood in my way. I could feel myself tumbling down the spiral. My breathing picked up, and a cold sweat broke out across my forehead.The warmth of his hands sent a wave of calm through me as they were placed on my shoulders before he pulled me into his chest. "Sshh, Sweetheart. I've got you."After several deep breaths, my hands stopped shaking, but I refused to pick my head up from his chest. His scent was so pure and masculine that I wanted to bottle it up so I could smell it whenever I wanted to. His chest had vibrated against my cheek when he spoke, assisting in soothing me."I know you have questions. I will answer all of them. It is forbidden for us to show ourselves to humans. I wanted to put a stop to it all. You shouldn't have had to go through what you did, and I am so proud of how strong you are. You shouldn't have been able to hear me all those years ago, and the fact that you could, only confirmed my theory when I told my father about it." His hand moved to the center of my back where he gently moved it up and down in a calming manner."Even if you couldn't show yourself to them, why couldn't you come talk to me?" The way I mumbled into his shirt reminded me of a pouting child, and I pulled back, embarrassed. His hold loosened, but he did not let go."I wanted to, more than anything, but I was not allowed. You are a human. I know you heard me before, but you weren't meant to." He opened his mouth to say more, but I cut him off."How is that even possible?" The befuddlement in my voice brought my words out at a higher pitch than I had meant to, and I snapped my mouth shut, clearing my throat."It is how we communicate with others of our kind. I can speak to anyone in my pack from anywhere." Gabriel's hand stopped moving on my back, and his thumb began to rub comforting circles into my skin. It made sense that they were able to communicate in their other form. The fact that they actually did have another form, was what I was still focused on. That and the validation of my sanity."But you said you had to find me. Why?" I looked up at him, meeting his stunning hazel eyes. They seemed to darken even further as I waited for him to answer my question."Because you are my soulmate."The world around me stopped, and I was mystified by the sincere look on his face. For a man so large and intimidating, the softness in his eyes made my heart stumble out of rhythm in my chest for a brief moment.I could feel it. Everything in me was screaming that this man belonged to me, and I to him. The impossibly strong pull I felt toward him wasn't just in my head after all. He was real.Elena's voice cut through the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt this moment, but I don't see how I'm a part of this. As a human who just learned your secrets, I have to ask. Are you planning on killing me?"I had read enough about werewolf lore and myths that I understood how the aspect of mates worked. It was just surprising to hear that I had one. Humans don't get to just know who their soulmate is. They normally have to date dozens of people, and then pray that the one they marry is the right one. Not only was I sane, but I had a soulmate. The thought made me want to giggle like a schoolgirl, but the seriousness of the situation caught me off guard. "No, we are not going to kill you, Elena. You are in a similar situation as your sister. When you are ready, there is someone out front who wants to meet you." Gabriel gently guided me back to the couch, and I took my previous seat. Elena sat across from me, staring as if she were in shock. "Olivia, I know you have questions. I promise I will answer all of them. Would you stay tonight?" Gabriel looked intense as if he had to harden his expression to keep his true feelings from me. I had to wonder if he was as nervous as I was. My head
Dinner was a quiet affair. I was more nervous than anything to be alone with Gabriel that night and ended up picking at my food like a child. I caught him sending me worried glances throughout most of the meal. As soon as he finished eating, he slid his chair closer and placed his hand on my thigh. The heat radiating from his palm made me press my thighs together as a jolt of excitement ran through me."Are you alright?" His voice managed to deepen as he leaned in to whisper in my ear. I had no doubt that at least Athena could still hear us across the table if she wanted to. By the love-struck look on her face, as she watched my sister nervously jabber on, I knew she wasn't listening to us."Yes, I guess I'm just a bit shocked is all." Lying to him tasted like poison was being poured on my tongue. I wasn't shocked at all. I had known his kind existed for the past decade. Every night, I had dreamed of the man before me. We had a connection, and I had been aware of it fo
We stood side by side as we brushed our teeth. Gabriel had given me a spare toothbrush that he said he had purchased a long time ago. He said he wanted to be prepared for when I was finally able to meet him again. It was a sweet gesture, but the knowing smirk he kept sending me was frustrating. "What?" I asked, my hand with my toothbrush dropped from my mouth as I spat out a mouthful of foam from the toothpaste. "Nothing." He glanced at me in the mirror again, his eyes darkening as he looked me up and down. I did the same to him, smirking back when I noticed he was still hard. "It doesn't seem like nothing." Gabriel let out a deep chuckle before spitting his toothpaste out and rinsing his mouth. He leaned his hip against the counter when he finished, staring at me as I continued to brush. I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. He leaned in, his lips barely touching my ear as he spoke. "I can still smell your desire for me. It is so sweet."
Waking up wrapped in Gabriel's arms was magnificent.Waking up to him flipping me off of his chest to be underneath him while he growled furiously toward the doorway, was terrifying. His eyes were black, and his canines were extended. He held himself over me with ease as if to shield me from the intruder. I pressed myself into the mattress to stay as small as possible."Oh, calm down, you big baby." A male voice chimed from the doorway. "I heard our Luna had finally made her way to us, and I wanted to be one of the first to meet her."I didn't dare move, as Gabriel still held himself protectively over me. If it weren't for the third party in the bedroom, I would have been a very happy woman having him on top of me like that. I bit back my smile as I felt him press down against me as he relaxed his stance. He glanced at me quickly before turning back to glare at the man. I watched fascinated as his teeth and eyes went back to normal."Get out," Gabriel gro
Breakfast was a somber event, not for a lack of trying on Kate and Jack's end to lighten the mood. They were very friendly and sarcastic, always cracking jokes and telling stories to make us laugh. It was hard to be positive knowing that we had to go back home, even if it was just for a short while. Gabriel drove us back to our car on the edge of town. Much to my surprise, there was a well-hidden dirt road that led right to their community we could have taken instead of trekking through the forest. After exchanging phone numbers, a heartfelt goodbye, and several kisses, he pulled himself away and returned to his car, Athena reluctantly following after him. They waited until we were pulling away before he turned his car around and left. I didn't want him to see me looking over my shoulder like a lovesick puppy, but I did watch through the side mirror as he got further away until I could no longer see him. Our ride was short and silent as we made our wa
My toes brushed my carpet as I swung my feet back and forth. My desk chair creaked in protest from my constant movement, but I ignored it and continued to stare across the room at the open window. My pajama shorts and tank top left little to the imagination, and I had picked them out just for that reason. Unfortunately, I was beginning to regret that decision as it got colder as the night went on. Gabriel had not messaged me since I had returned home, and I had assumed he was busy. I knew my mind was my enemy, but the longer I waited, the more I began to second guess whether he was real in the first place. I had read our messages over two dozen times. I needed to ensure that they existed, and so did Gabriel. Alpha Gabriel. A werewolf. Oh, God. I dropped my head into my hands and let out a sigh of frustration. Crazy. I am absolutely crazy! After all this time, I finally lost it. The orange bottle sat atop my dresser, laughing at me as if it knew just how insane I was. It was one
Elena ran around my room, trying to clean up the mess that I had made while I clutched the phone to my ear. I could hear her ruffling around in my closet as I listened to the steady breathing coming in through the device in my hand. He was real, and he was on his way. All of the loudness in my mind steadily began to quiet. "Liv?" He asked, and I let out a deep breath at the sound of my name coming from his lips. "You're real," I whispered. My back pressed against the side of my bed as I pulled my head from between my knees. The light thud of something hitting the floor sounded out from behind me, and I turned my head to see what Elena was moving. She didn't need to clean up my mess. It was bad enough she had to deal with my deranged mind. Instead, I watched as Gabriel stood up from his crouched position. Despite the chilled night air, he was barefoot in a pair of basketball shorts with no shirt. I could only assume that he had run here
I didn't need Elena to tell me for me to know that Athena had been over the night before. When I walked into her room, Elena was passed out face down on her mattress completely naked. Thankfully the blanket was covering most of her butt. "Oh, god," I muttered in disgust before reaching over to grab a half-empty water bottle from her dresser. The plastic crinkled when it hit her leg. Elena cracked one eye open and glared at me. "That's not a nice way to wake someone who was up late helping you last night." She groaned before reaching down to grab her comforter and pulling it up and over her shoulders. "Oh, please. You may have helped me, but from the look of it, you were up late on your own. How's Athena doing?" I smirked before plopping down on the edge of the bed, hoping it would keep her awake. My nose wrinkled as I pulled my hands off of the blanket and settled them in my lap. No telling how clean her bedding set was. "Shush, we both had visitors l