🐺💣🔪 #MY_BLACK_KNIGHT 🔪💣🐺
🎴Happen 42
As Produced By Sheriff Squinty
Theme: Mates, Love & Jealousy
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I stood there, completely mute, as the reality of Eva’s words sank in and the pain rushed over me like a tidal wave. My hands curled into ti-ght fists, my f!ngernails cutting into my skin, and in the back of my mind I registered my Wolf’s painful howls as she realized what the redhead’s words entailed. Gabriel had sle-pt with someone else before me. He had given the most inti-mate p@rt of himself away to another she-wolf.
Gritting my teeth to fight against a sudden bout of nausea, my eyes found Gabriel’s. The guilt and self-loathing were burning so brightly in his eyes I could nearly feel the s£ntiments myself. Perhaps I was feeling an echo of his raging emotions. I couldn’t help the surge of betrayal that emerged. How could he do something like that? With her of all people?
Gabriel moved to take a step forward, but I instantly took one backwards to get away from him. Every inch of me felt repulsed. Dimly, I bec@m£ aware that Eva’s eyes were boring into the side of my head. My eyes fli-cked to her and my rage only intensified at the look on her face. While she was trying to appear indifferent, I could see the smug sm-irk hovering at the corners of her redl-ips.
And that’s when I realized: this was what Eva
wanted. She wanted me to feel the pain, to grow enraged, to break down and cry like I was dangerously close to doing. She was attempting to elicit this reaction out of me to prove her superiority. Despite the painful knot of emotions in my che-st, I felt a prick of determination. I may be ‘insecure’ and ‘weak’ to her, but right now I was going to prove her wrong. The best way to get to Eva now was to not react the way she planned.
With a herculean effort, I straightened my spine and tilted my chin defiantly. I may be a pushover sometimes, but I had a proud streak like every Wolf did. There was no denying the nearly overwhelming pain blossoming in my che-st; judging by the look on Gabriel’s face and the thick tension between us, he could feel it, too. I couldn’t take back Eva’s words. But I could at least attempt to stay strong and beat her at her own game. My Wolf was whimpering in pain, and with every ounce of f0rç£ I had at hand, I pushed her to the de-epest corner of my consciousness. I couldn’t have her agony distracting me now.
Seizing on this bur-st of determination, I mentally tried to £r£¢tbarriers around my consciousness, barring out as much of the pain as I could. I alre-ady felt humiliated in front of Gabriel and broadcasting my feelings, clear as day, would only wors£n things. I tried to f0rç£ the hurt away and maintain a cool façade as I spoke.
“Wow, Gabriel, slee-ping with her must have been quite….un-derwhelming for you.” To my plea-sant surprise, my words c@m£ out just as icily as I’d hoped. Gabriel’s expression had shifted to one of confusion as he continued to stare at me. I turned my head and focused on Eva. “After all, she is not, and will never be your true Mate. She’ll never satisfy you the way I can.”
As I finished speaking, Eva’s expression contorted from smugness into one of pure rage. I felt a brief moment of pure satisfaction at the look on her face. Her pale cheeks reddened with anger and she took a few steps towards me.
“Why you-”
“Eva!” Gabriel cut her off. His voice was nearly a snarl.
Eva st©pped mid-step, her eyes fl!çk!ng to him.
“Get out of here.” Gabriel snapped, coolly and dismissively. Eva hesitated, looking slightly hurt. Again, I felt a twisted s-en-se of satisfaction that he was hurting her in some way. I wasn’t normally a vindictive person but I had never wanted to throttle someone so much in my entire life. My Wolf was practically begging me to let her out – to tear Eva ap@rt.
But I couldn’t. Because that would just prove that she’d gotten to me.
“But-” Eva started, but a threatening growl emerged from Gabriel’s che-st.
“I said get the fv¢k out!” He snarled at her and Eva flin-ched, quic-kly lowering her head and scurrying towards the door. Before she opened it, though, I called after her. I couldn’t help myself.
“You will never deserve Will as a Mate,” I said lowly, my voice dripping with venom.
A fli-cker of shock crossed Gabriel’s expression and he turned towards the redhead, who had paused after opening the front door.
“You found your Mate?” He asked incredulously. There was anger in his voice and instantly my stomach plummeted. Was Gabriel upset because he didn’t want Eva to have a Mate – because he wanted to have her all to himself? My Wolf snarled at the thought.
“Y-yes…well, I-I-“ She stammered. I had never seen Eva this flvstered. I could tell she didn’t want to tell Gabriel the truth about Will but didn’t want to lie to him, either.
“You found your MATE and you’re sitting around HERE?”
Now I was completely confused as to why he was angry.
“I didn’t want to…I mean, I never wanted…” Eva trailed off, blue eyes wi-de as she took in Gabriel’s livid expression.
“You’re fv¢king telling me that you found your other half, your one true Mate, and instead you are wasting your time trying to sabotage MY relationsh!pwith MINE?”
I stared at my Mate in disbelief. Now, he seemed furious that Eva wasn’t going after Will. While I was glad that this was the reason Gabriel was angry, it completely befuddled me. I had never expected him to be pissed off on Will’s behalf.
“I don’t want a Mate!” Eva replied shrilly. She had backed away until she was standing half outside, half in the threshold. “You know that, I’ve always told you that! I thought you un-derstood!”
“Maybe I would have un-derstood once. But now, I know what it’s like to find my Mate. What it’s like to be given a chance. You’ve been given the most precious thing you will ever have, and you are turning it away for some pathetic and selfish reason.” Gabriel’s tone was devoid of emotion, his countenance dark and intimid@t!ng. I was not used to him being so forthright. I could feel a blus-h rising on my cheeks as I realized that, in some convoluted way, Gabriel was standing up for me. He’d called me ‘the most precious thing’. It didn’t ease the s-en-se of betrayal I felt, but it proved that he was at least capable of some
sort of emotion when it c@m£ to me.
My Wolf was turning circles in my head, the hurt still radiating off of her in waves. I tried to push the thoughts of Gabriel and Eva aside. I wanted to rush up into my room, coll@pse on my be-d, and cry. Perhaps that’s what I would have done a long time ago. But not now. I was sick of letting Gabriel’s every move get to me so easily.
“Get out,” Gabriel was snapping at Eva, and this time there was a Command in his tone as he spoke. The redhead backed away, shooting me a furious glare, but Gabriel slammed the door r0ûghly in her face before she could say anything.
*
Hall Of Supernatural Stories
*
The sound echoed in the house. It was a wonder that my parents hadn’t woken up. I had a suspicion that they were awake, but giving me some space to deal with Gabriel myself. My heart pounded as he slowly turned to face me. The guilt in his expression was palpable, and I turned away so I wouldn’t have to look him in the eyes.
I still felt as if I was in a state of disbelief. I had never paused to really think about Gabriel’s S-xual history, but he had gotten distraught of the mere thought of me k!ss!ngWill so I had just figured….
Well, you figured wrong, my Wolf snapped furiously.
Don’t yell at me! This isn’t my fault!
There must be something wrong with us, if he would pick HER instead! she whimpered.
He didn’t pick her over us! It was in the past; it had to be! I fervently prayed that Gabriel hadn’t sle-pt with the redhead after he met me. I didn’t think I would ever be able to recover from a betrayal like that.
I faintly registered that Gabriel was still staring at me. I could feel an echo of his emotions in my che-st, and I tried to push it away.
“Skylar…I….” For once, it appeared he was lost for words.
“Don’t,” I snapped, my anger coming out in a rush.
“It was a long time ago. I didn’t even know you existed.” His voice was soft, filled with emotion, and I still couldn’t look him in the face.
“You could have told me.” I was actually proud of myself for keeping my voice cold, steady, and devoid of emotion. It was all fake of course, inside I wanted to break down, but I was not going to let him see me like that.
“How do I bring that up? How do I go about telling you that I’m a disgusting, selfish pig that sle-pt with another she-wolf before his true Mate?”
I looked down, clenching my jaw. Gabriel’s emotions, coupled with mine, were almost too much to bear. I knew I nee-ded to take time to reason this out, to have this conversation with him, but right now I just couldn’t. There was a chance I would bur-st into hysterics at any minute.
“You know what? I don’t want to talk about this right now,” I muttered lowly, avoiding his gaze.
“Skylar, just let me explain.”
I refused to look at him.
“plea-se, Skylar. Just hear me out.”
Gabriel rarely said plea-se, and I knew it must have meant a lot for him to almost beg, but my knees were beginning to tremble and my Wolf was threatening to come out. The h0t fever rushing around un-derneath my skin did not help the situation and only served to aggravate me further. I did not nee-d this now. After everything that happened, hadn’t I been throu-gh enough turmoil? The small, selfish p@rt of me wanted Gabriel to suffer – if even for a moment – the way I had when Eva said those words. The vindictive p@rt of me rarely made an appearance but it was emerging now.
“I really don’t want to talk to you right now!” I snapped angrily, finally focusing my glare on him. For once, I wasn’t scared of his reaction. I just didn’t give a damn. I nee-ded to be alone right now; his pres£nce was suffocating.
I hurried towards the front door, giving Gabriel a wi-de berth. He turned towards me but thankfully didn’t try to st©p me. I might have tried to rip his head off if he did. My Wolf was angry beyond belief and I was dangerously close to letting her take over…not a pretty sight.
“Skylar-”
“St©p!” I spun around to snarl at him, my hand on the doorknob. “Just…st©p. I’m going for a run before I Shift. Gabriel, don’t come after me, don’t try to contact me.”
He was silent for a few seconds, and I tried to ignore the hurt hovering un-der the surface of his eyes. He had no right to feel hurt right now. “You’re just going to leave?” He asked finally, voice flat.
“Yes, and for once, Gabriel, do the thing that WON’T hurt me. Let me go.” I knew those words would cause him pain, but I paid no regard to the guilt that sprung up after I said them. I avoided looking at him and turned to leave.
I bur-st out onto the porch before he could reply. I knew I was being incredibly disrespectful to him as an Alpha but I hoped the side of Gabriel that cared for me – however small – would let me be.
For once, I felt a profound s-en-se of relief when he didn’t follow. Disregarding the fact that it was ridiculously late at night, I bounded for the nearest fringe of trees. I didn’t plan on going too far out of the radius of the Stone of Jacob, but I was going to Shift. I had to let my Wolf out to run before I made the rash decision to go rip Eva’s red hair out and dig my teeth into the side of her n£¢k. I was not normally this violent, but apparently my feelings for Gabriel brou-ght out my animalistic nature.
I let my Wolf take over, relishing in the feeling of heat rushing throu-gh my b©dy and fur sprouting from my pores as my bones shifted to accommod@t£ my new form. Once I stood on four paws, I shook out my thick fur, breaking into a jog. The Affinity-related fever I’d had was much less noticeable in this form, although I hoped that running as a Wolf wouldn’t make things worse for me once I returned to two legs.
Speeding up my pace, I threw up thick barriers so nob©dy would be able to mind-link to me without considerable effort, although with Gabriel’s Alpha strength I knew he could push past my barriers if he really wanted to. I let my Wolf’s instincts take over as I ran dee-per into the forest, trying to escape the pain that had relentlessly been chasing me since I left Gabriel.
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I ran for a very long time.
There was a slight chill in the air even at midday though the sun was h0t on my silver fur. I could tell that autumn was near, although I would not feel the cold until it was far below freezing; werewolves were built to endure brutal winters. As I dodged throu-gh the trees, I realized that my birthday was less than two weeks away. I would be twenty years old and I could only hope things would turn around before then. I rarely felt self-pitying but I couldn’t help it. Didn’t I deserve just ONE happy day? Were all of my days going to be as miserable as the most recent ones?
I took a lot of time to think as morning transitioned into afternoon, finally pausing in my trek to lie down in the thick gras-s near a gurgling stream. p@n-ting, I realized I had indeed re-leased some of the pent-up tension I had been feeling. My Wolf was slightly calmer now although she still itched to go rip Eva’s head off.
Once I was lying there, stretched out and bathing in the bright sunlight, I allowed myself to really go over Eva’s words.
‘Lovers,’ she’d said. The pieces were not difficult to place together, and it was easy to see that she was talking about Gabriel when she’d said she was in love with someone. They’d sle-pt together and she had a profound hatred for me. It only made s-en-se that she was in love with my Mate, as infuriating as that was. What I hoped was that ‘lovers’ was an exaggeration. Gabriel had rarely shown ME any emotion, and it would cut de-eply to think that he’d been in love before. Somehow, though, I couldn’t picture him being in love with Eva. The self-loathing he had been feeling as she told me the truth was testament that he regretted his actions. Surely that couldn’t mean that they were in love, or so I tried to reas-sure myself.
*
As Produced By Sheriff Squinty
*
There was one thing that I could reason throu-gh. Gabriel had outright said that all of those things happened before he’d met me. Despite my churning emotions and s-en-se of betrayal, the logical side of me argued that Gabriel had never thought he would have a Mate. His father had br@inwashed Gabriel into thinking that his Angelic side meant he was forever alone and Mateless. I tried to imagine an existence where I thought I would never find that other werewolf meant for me. It seemed like a dreary outlook, but it had been Gabriel’s reality. Even worse, he was a full-grown, Alpha Male. Alphas felt emotions much more strongly than the average wolf, and this included hor-mones.
If I had been a fully grown Alpha male that thought I didn’t have a Mate, would I have done any different? I couldn’t be sure. All I knew was that I had to make sure none of Gabriel and Eva’s interactions happened after he met me. I also couldn’t ignore the irritation I felt that Gabriel had made such a big deal out of my k!sswith Will, yet hid something like this from me. He would have to answer to that.
I stood up after a while, deciding I had been out here long enough, my mind going in circles for hours. I aimlessly turned around and began to head back towards the village. I definitely did not want to return to my home anytime soon. I couldn’t face my parents or Gabriel. I had decided that I would give Gabriel the cold shoulder for the time being until I thought everything throu-gh and demanded an explanation from him.
He’d always been the one relentlessly pushing me away. Now he was going to get a taste of his own medicine.
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Upon my return and my transition back to human form, I found my feet carrying me to the one person that might help me feel better: Maria. I couldn’t tell her everything about me and Gabriel but a best friend’s advice was so-rely nee-ded in this situation.
I knocked on her door a couple times, knowing that I probably had twigs in my hair and a flush from my fever but not caring. My symptoms were actually bearable right now and her place was safer than mine; I actually couldn’t detect any fresh traces of my Mate’s signature scent near her house.
I frowned after there was no answer, and raised my fist to knock again, loudly. I tried to get a glimpse throu-gh the window but couldn’t see anyone.
“Maria? Are you there?” I called out tentatively. I could’ve sworn her scent was fresh…
After one more round of knocking, the door finally swung open, and I blinked in surprise as I took in Maria’s appearance. It reminded my eerily of the way Will had looked on my doorstep the other day. Maria’s dark eyes were bloodsh0t, her olive-toned skin pale, and her thick hair was in a be-draggled state.
“Uh…Maria? Are you okay?” I asked, my problems momentarily forgotten.
Maria shook her head and stepped aside, allowing me entrance. I closed the door behind me and turned to face her.
“What’s wrong?”
Her red-tinged eyes met mine. “I’m sorry I…I didn’t know you were coming over. I was asleep upstairs.”
“No, it’s my fault. I didn’t warn you. Do you want me to come back later?”
She shook her head vehemently before attempting to comb throu-gh her tangled hair with her f!ngers. “I nee-d to get up and about. It’s just…Anne’s funeral was yesterday, and the tears have been coming and going since then.”
I stared at her in shock. “Wait…yesterday? You mean they had the funeral while I was still out sick?” I had completely forgotten that Anne’s funeral had been scheduled for the morning after the Purge. I felt a surge of guilt, momentarily forgetting my current problems with Gabriel. I had been the last one to see Anne alive and despite my former dislike for the girl, I had wanted to attend her funeral.
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#Tobecontinued..