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
Gabriel didn't seem to want to let me go after our conversation, and I didn't either. Instead, we walked hand in hand to the business center where the offices were. Gabriel's was the largest at the end of the hall, with a giant mahogany desk and bookshelves lining the room. He had several security measures in place that he had to work through before he could get into the building and then the room, but I understood the need for security. When he sat down in his oversized leather chair, he swiftly pulled me back into his lap before turning on his computer. I sat cuddled against his chest for hours until my stomach started to grumble, and even then ignored the calls for food. Everything about him, his smell, touch, looks, the sound of his voice… I wanted to memorize it all. A knock on the door had me shoving my head further into his neck in protest of our time together being interrupted. The door cracked open, and Betsy peeked her head in with a Cheshire grin
As I finished my plate, I thought about Gabriel working in one of the pack's shops. Him standing there in jeans that hugged his thighs and butt, steel toe boots, and a tight t-shirt, damp with sweat. The image of him with grease on his rough and calloused hands as the back of one ran across his forehead made me start to feel hot. My tongue ran out over my lips, wetting them as I pressed my thighs together. Gabriel's hand tightened on my hip, fingers pressing down onto and sending sparks across my skin. The sound of his fork dropping to his plate made me look up. His eyes were black, and the predatory gaze he sent my way sent a rush of pleasure straight to my core. "Mate," he growled out seductively. "You seem to have something on your mind." He pressed his nose to the sensitive flesh of my neck, running it up the skin until he reached my lips. "You have no idea what you do to me." His kiss left me breathless, and I immediately spun around to straddle him. Our tongues fought for domi
I sat on the opposite side of the desk, much to Gabriel's disappointment, staring at him as he continued to work. He moved much faster without me in his lap. His shirt was large on me, like a giant's. I pulled it over my knees as I placed my head on them, watching Gabriel in his element as he filed paperwork, responded to emails, and took or made calls to deal with other packs and suppliers. It seemed like a lot was put on his shoulders as the Alpha, but when I offered to help, he declined and told me to relax. I knew once I turned and was officially Luna, I would assume some of these responsibilities, but I didn't mind. It wasn't fair for it to be all on one person anyway. A knock on the door broke me from my train of thought as I sat there admiring my mate. I couldn't look at the desk without picturing what we had just done, so I focused on him instead. There was no talking, but I assumed Gabriel had contacted the visitor telepathically as his eyes seemed t
My parents tried to fish information out of me at dinner that night. It was the first time I had a friend, let alone a boyfriend. Most of the time, when Elena would go out with Stacy or any of her other friends, she had me tag along because she didn't want me to feel left out. While it was thoughtful of her, it was even more uncomfortable hanging out with people that didn't particularly care for me. Now that I had a life of my own, I don't think my parents knew what to do. My mom asked me how it went with Gabriel, and I tried to keep it to one-word answers. "How was lunch with Gabriel?" – "Good." "Did you guys go anywhere nice?" – "Yes." "How was the rest of your day?" – "Fun." Over the years, I had learned to keep things to myself. The less I gave them, the less they had to work with to convince themselves that I was crazy. My mom shot my dad an irritated look of 'say something' when she realized that I wasn't going to give anything away. Unfortunately for her, his eyes seemed t
Within seconds of me waking up from the nightmare that would haunt me for the rest of my life, my window slid open. I stifled a scream as the familiar, broad shoulders maneuvered through the narrow frame. He wasted no time in making his way to me. There were no words shared between us as Gabriel crawled under the comforter and pulled me against his chest. My mind was still racing, flooded with panic, horror, and the nagging feeling that I needed to throw up from the image of my father dead. There was a nagging pull in the back of my mind. The pinprick was easily discovered to be worry as I honed in on it. It was him. It was Gabriel. Though I was in his arms, being able to feel his emotions inside me had a calming effect that I wasn't prepared for. I pushed aside the awful things I was feeling and zeroed in on the man beside me. On the worry, love, and determination that were leaking into my mind from his. It was enough to ground me, and my body slowly stopped shaking. My tears dried
Gabriel had snuck out before I woke up the next morning, leaving me nothing more than a text to inform me that he doubled my security and that I had nothing to worry about. Oh, and that he loved me. I would never grow tired of hearing or reading those words from him. What he didn't understand was that my concern wasn't for myself. It was for my family. It was for him. It was for his people. It felt like a bad omen. As if there was something about to happen that I needed to prepare for. I just didn't know what it was. Elena was sitting on the couch when I stumbled down the stairs in a groggy haze. While I slept, it was not a quality slumber. Throughout the night, or rather, early morning, I continuously woke up with the need to reassure myself that Gabriel was still there. He was like my comfort blanket. A very big and heavy comfort blanket. Whether it was his way of cuddling or if he just preferred to lay on his stomach and my small bed didn't leave him enough room, I found myself s
Gabriel snuck into my room every night that week. I didn't want my parents to freak out about me spending the night somewhere else after the hickey fiasco, and Gabriel was more than willing to come to me.It did make me feel guilty, knowing that there were extra wolves outside in the elements to guard me and my house. If I stayed with him, they would be home with their families, and the only people out would be the normal patrol for the pack land.On Friday, he left me a sweet message that he wanted to take me on a date that night. He knew I was nervous about meeting his parents on Saturday in addition to meeting the rest of the pack, and I appreciated that he wanted to do something to take my mind away from the terrifying day to follow.I hadn't had any more nightmares. It seemed the solution to my problem was the large six foot five giant lightly snoring on top of me each night. I knew that I would have to get over my fears quickly. How could I be a Luna to al