🐺💣🔪 #MY_BLACK_KNIGHT 🔪💣🐺
🎴Happen 43
As Produced By Sheriff Squinty
Theme: Mate Issues
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I left Maria’s place after few hours of talking, and gisting,
I had told her about Eva and her relationsh!pwith Gabriel.
Also informed her that Eva is Will’s mate and the reason why she’s avoiding him.
I was trying to get my mind off all the happenings around me at the moment, so i got drun!k,
Normally it takes werewolves up to five times the amount pf alcohol consumed by humans to get drun!k. So i must have drank a lot to have gotten so drun!kthat i was having a blurry vision and was staggering on my way home.
Thankfully, nob©dy was home. I had no idea where my parents were but it was only about ten o’clock, so perhaps they were out running or spending some time alone together. Gabriel’s packmates – except for Eva – had left to return to the Black Mountains Pack now that the emotions were slightly more settled here. My pack still had some adjusting to do but at least nob©dy was launching themselves at my Mate.
Gabriel st©pped at the foot of the stairs and turned to face me as I eyed the stairs dubiously. I hoped I could make it right now with my increa-sed clumsiness.
“Do you want me to come up? Can you make it up those stairs?” He asked, and I blinked at him in surprise. It was a surprisingly considerate request from him, and I felt a little warmer. I desperately wanted to say yes and my Wolf was relishing the thought of having him in my be-droom while we were alone. But then my thoughts drifted to the events from earlier, and I remembered what Eva had said, and the fact that she could walk in at any moment if she was still staying here.
“Is Eva slee-ping here still?” I asked, completely ignoring his question, instead ma-king my way cautiously up the first couple steps so he would know I could make it without his aid. I had to know about Eva’s situation; that was more important. I absolutely didn’t want her here but if Gabriel did….
His face ti-ght£ñed and he shrugged. “Haven’t seen her.”
“I don’t want her back here,” I said, my words coming out much more vehemently than I’d intended.
Gabriel’s dark eyes bored into mine. The intensity in his expression was almost unnerving. I itched to reach out and run my f!ngersacross his smooth skin, and I folded my arms behind my back to prevent myself from acting on my impulses.
“I promise you, Skylar, I never had feelings for her. It never meant anything.”
I looked down, some of my hair falling forward to obscure my face. My happy-go-lucky drun!kstate was gone, and now I just felt morose and depressed. Was that normal? Perhaps I just nee-ded sleep.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I muttered, feeling a lump in my throat. Just like that, I felt like I couldn’t be around him any longer. I was dizzy and my energy was severely depleted now. I just wanted to crawl upstairs and pas-s out. I began to head that way, taking the steps very slowly, but I st©pped abruptly when something strong wra-pped around my forearm.
I spun backwards a bit, glancing down. Gabriel’s hand rested there, s£nding warm tingles shooting up and down my spine. He was looking at me with that same intense expression.
“I know you’re drun!kand tired, and I know you’re angry with me. I don’t expect you to talk to me now, but I nee-d to explain myself. Just give me a chance.”
I hesitated, even though I alre-ady knew I would cave in. I just couldn’t stay away from him and I really wanted to hear his explanation.
“plea-se,” he added, his voice lower now. Knowing Gabriel almost never said plea-se, I nodded.
“Okay,” I said softly, realizing he truly did want a chance to explain his motives for slee-ping with Eva.
Gabriel re-leased my arm and stepped back. “I’ll give you some time while I take care of a few things, but I’m going to find you soon. Then we’ll talk.”
I nodded again, mutely. My Wolf itched to close the distance between us and hvg him. She was so forgiving of Gabriel’s actions. Normally I was the more patient, compas-sionate one, but when it c@m£ to Gabriel, my Wolf was a complete pushover. She was absolutely crazy for him.
Gabriel made his way towards the front door again but I could only stand there on the step, staring after him and feeling a bit bereft after he walked away.
You’re the one who wants him to leave, my Wolf chided, though there was no real venom in her voice, she just sounded sad.
I don’t want him to leave me. I’m just not re-ady to talk about it yet.
No, you’re too drun!kto talk about it, and you don’t trust yourself with him, she said wisely. I sighed.
Okay, those reasons too.
The Mating bond is natural for us. Why can’t you just give in?
I didn’t bother answering, instead brushing my teeth very quic-kly before changing and climbing into my be-d. As my drun!kenness was slowly subsiding, I felt the heat of the fever returning and I quic-kly str!pped off the stifling covers. I knew my Wolf had a point. I was wasting time and I nee-ded to decide what I was going to do. I had no more time to lose. As soon as Gabriel told me everything, it would all be out in the open, and it would rest on my shoulders. I could only hope I would make the right choice.
—
I didn’t see Gabriel again until two nights after my drun!ken episode.
*****
That evening, I felt considerably better so I decided to wander around the village. I was tired of being cooped up all day and the fresh air would hopefully help me think. As I aimlessly meandered, I couldn’t help but notice that many of my packmates seemed to be avoiding me or deliberately not looking at me. I tried to smile at them anyways and put on a br@ve face, but de-ep down it hurt. I knew it probably had something to do both with my involvement with Anne’s death and my relationsh!pwith Gabriel. I knew they were still scared of their new Alpha, but these Wolves had known me for years! I couldn’t believe their opinions of me were so easily swayed. It angered my Wolf as she pondered how they would act if I ever bec@m£ Luna.
I st©pped her right there. I couldn’t think about that now. I could honestly say that the concept of becoming Luna one day was equally intriguing and intimid@t!ng. p@rt of me relished the thought of having such a powerful position in the pack, and my s-en-se of pride encouraged the notion that I would do a great job. However, the smaller, insecure p@rt of me couldn’t help but wonder if I was strong enough for the position. Eva sure as hell didn’t think I was worthy of being Luna. I gritted my teeth, feeling a new surge of determination to prove her wrong.
By the next morning I had learned that Gabriel had gone to meet with Eli halfway between pack territories. Even so, I knew he was back by now, and I still hadn’t seen him. I spent the majority of the day in the building that was built especially for training in human form. It had punching bags, weights, and the like. I had always scoffed at this, thinking I was plenty strong in human form, but my fight with the vampires had made me realize just how vulnerable I was when I couldn’t Shift. I would be prepared next time.
My fever made my moves more sluggish but I kept at it for a couple hours until my b©dy ached so badly I didn’t think I could take it anymore. Mopping my sweaty forehead, I sat down on the bench next to the weight rack, taking de-ep breaths. My whole b©dy was burning and sticky with sweat. I knew that training might only make my fever worse but I had to do something. When I was alone, all I could think about was Gabriel and Eva,
I sighed, preparing to head back home, but just then someone broke into my thoughts.
There is going to be a pack meeting in two hours, in the usual clearing.
Gabriel’s de-ep voice speaking inside my head made me jump, startled. It was the first time he had mind-linked me. I knew he had probably s£nt that message to the entire pack simultaneously but I still couldn’t help the bu-tterflies that erupted in my stomach. Hearing him in my mind like that just felt so… inti-mate. I knew I was blu-shing, and quic-kly hurried out of the building before I could feel any more pathetic. I was very tem-pted to s£nd him a mind-link message in return; however, I knew it wasn’t customary to respond to a pack-wi-de message so I resisted the urge.
Still, I couldn’t help but briefly consider what it would be like to be fully Mated with him and able to s-en-se his every emotion at will, communicating mentally with him with minimal effort. I would not deny that I liked the idea.
—
A little less than two hours later I sat in the clearing, Maria sitting next to me.
I realized that my fever was very slight now, ha-rd ly noticeable. I was feeling a lot stronger. Perhaps that workout today had helped, as miserable as it had been.
“So…about the whole Eva thing. Have you talked it out?”
I shook my head. “No. He said he’d find me soon though because he wants a chance to explain himself.”
Her expression was contemplative but she didn’t get a chance to respond as Will plopped down on my other side, sounding glum as he greeted us. I noticed that Maria stiffened but managed to still say hello.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him, alre-ady knowing what he would say.
“It’s just…I smelled my Mate, Skylar. At the Purge, remember? And now I can’t find her anywhere. Sometimes I catch her scent and follow it but then she’s gone. It’s like she is avoiding me. I think it’s that redhead that the Alpha brou-ght with him.”
I chewed on myl-ip, wondering how much I should tell him. “Yeah, her name’s Eva. She has a lot of issues…”
“I don’t care! She’s still my Mate, the only one I have! I’m willing take her AND all of her issues,” Will replied desperately, ripping gras-s out of the soil viciously as he spoke.
I looked down at the ground, unable to respond to that. I suddenly felt chastised even though Will’s words weren’t directed at me. After all, I was the one having trouble accepting Gabriel even though I desperately wanted to. Will would think I was a coward if he knew. Perhaps I was a coward.
Seconds later Gabriel arrived, and my eyes inevitably found him as he climbe-d up to the wooden platform to address us. He looked glorious as usual and my eyes scanned every inch of his face and b©dy. It just wasn’t fair how physically perfect he was. How on earth was I supposed to resist that?
“The purpose of this Meeting is to upd@t£ you all on our progress on combining the two separate packs. As you know, the more stretched out a pack’s territory is, the more vulnerable they are. Jack and some of your elders have worked with me on the logistics of combining the two groups. Right now, our predominant idea is to build a third village in the location of our former semi-annual Meetings. This is an ideal area because it is in the middle of the territory. I do not expect all of you to relocate to this new village. I will live there, along with the Betas, s£nior warriors, and a Pack Doctor. It will make it easier for us to manage things from the middle instead of one end or the other.
His eyes roved over the pack, my face burning as they hovered on me for a few seconds before moving on. “Think of it almost as a center of operations for the pack. If any of you want to move to the new village, you will be allowed. We have plenty of wolves available to help construct the new village along with installing the water and electrical systems. If we contact…”
He began to explain some of the more technical issues, most of which were over my head. However, I knew that a few of the wolves that had built our pack village were still around so they could help with the construction of the new village. Werewolves did have extended lifespans, after all. The average werewolf lived to be over a hundred. Once a werewolf was fully grown and matured, which usually happened in the mid to late twenties, the b©dy’s aging process slowed. We still aged, just slower than humans did.
Overall I thought it was a good idea, or the best we had for now, although I couldn’t help but wonder where I would live. Would Gabriel want me with him in his new house? I was surprised he was willing to move out of the old one in the Black Mountains Pack, although it likely held a lot of unplea-sant memories of his father.
After we were dismissed and we stood up, I noticed something next to me.
Will had stiffened completely and his eyes were fixated on something across the clearing. My eyes followed his line of sight until they landed on a slender, red-headed figure: Eva. She was standing in the shadow of the wooden platform, mostly hidden, and facing away from Will. I felt a surge of anger as I realized she was still avoiding him even at pack meetings. I watched in complete disgust as she turned away from the platform and began to stride into the forest.
Gritting my teeth, I turned to Will. “She-” I began, but I never got the rest of the words out, because Will instantly leapt into action, dashing across the clearing towards the place Eva disappeared. He shoved fellow packmates out of the way as he desperately chased her, vanishing into the forest mere seconds after she did. Apparently he was determined not to let her get away again. I could only stare at the fringe of the trees, not sure what to think. Will deserved happiness but I wasn’t sure Eva would ever be worthy of him.
“Skylar.”
I tried not to shudder as Gabriel spoke my name, the sound falling so perfectly from hisl-ips. I wrenched my gaze away from the forest to see him standing a few feet away from me, observing me with an unfathomable expression in his eyes. I swallowed ha-rd , feeling the customary surge of lvst as I noted his proximity.
“Um…hi.” I replied, wincing internally. Was that seriously all I could come up with?
“Can we talk?”
I realized Maria had long since disappeared, and most of the pack had left the clearing. The few that were left were sneaking glances at Gabriel and I from the corners of their eyes.
I felt my nervousness spike but I nodded anyways. “Uh, yeah.”
Gabriel indicated that I follow him and he led me towards the forest, thankfully on the opposite side of the clearing than the area in which Will and Eva had disappeared. All thoughts of Will were soon forgotten as I followed my Mate dee-per into the trees. It was dusk and the animals in the trees and bushes were coming alive, although they gave us predators a wi-de birth. I studied Gabriel’s broad back as I followed him, once again admiring the way he moved. My f!ngersitched to trace his muscles and I bit myl-ip. My hor-mones were going absolutely crazy and I nee-ded to get a grip.
There was a small creek a safe distance away from the clearing and Gabriel st©pped in front of it. A couple of small boulders were scattered next to the creek and I sat down on one of the smoother ones. The sound of the gurgling water was actually soothing as I br@ced myself for whatever Gabriel was going to say. I was all too aware that it was just us out here, with nob©dy to intrude, unless they mentally contacted us.
*
As Produced By Sheriff Squinty
*
Gabriel seemed to be organizing his thoughts for a moment before he finally turned to face me. The dim lighting made his eyes look completely black. I knew it would be ha-rd to re-ad his emotions from this angle as his face was so unexpressive most of the time.
“First, I have to tell you that she never meant anything to me outside of the fact that she’s one of my pack members. She called us ‘lovers’, but there was nothing close to that emotion involved.”
I glanced down at my hands, intertwining them in my l@p. I wasn’t surprised, even though I did feel a bit of relief. I didn’t even think Gabriel could love me, his Mate, let alone Eva. I wasn’t sure he was capable of such emotion. The thought was quite disheartening.
“I had the blood of an Alpha, thus the increa-sed S-x drive. I tried everything to tame it from running to fighting. Sometimes I would be furious for no reason, and my father only made things worse. I thought I didn’t have a Mate. I knew I nee-ded some sort of re-lease. Eva was there. She told me she never wanted a Mate after seeing her mother’s heart break when her father died. As I’d never met my Mate, I just accepted her words without argument.”
I remembered some of Eva’s words the other night, when she told Gabriel she’d thought he un-derstood why she didn’t want a Mate. I also recalled how angry he’d gotten when he’d learned that Eva was sitting around at my house instead of finding Will. It made me feel a bit better that meeting me had changed his reaction to Eva’s stance on finding her Mate. Still, I remained silent, waiting for him to go on.
“The first time happened by chance, but it was not the only time. I went to her when I nee-ded re-lease and there was no other way. Quite honestly, I used her, although I told her from the beginning that nothing would ever come of it. I thought she un-derstood.”
“She doesn’t feel like it was a casual hookup,” I replied, trying to keep my voice toneless. The fact that they’d had S-x numerous times made me nauseous.
“I’d never seen that side of her until the other night. The way she looked at you and treated you made me realize that she’d grown attached.”
I stared down at my hands. “I saw it before. She flir-ted with you and it pissed me off. My Wolf s-en-sed that she had feelings for you. And then you defended her-”
“I defended her as my packmate, Skylar. I didn’t want you feuding with anyone from your future pack. I would have defended any other wolf in her position in the same way.”
I was silent for a bit, trying to think what I wanted to ask him. So many questions swirled throu-gh my br@in, but I didn’t know how to bring them up.
“How often did it happen?” I finally blurted, unable to help myself. I knew the answer was going to hurt but I had an insatiable curiosity. I just had to know.
Our gazes met and his eyes burned into mine. “It wasn’t like it was a weekly or even a monthly thing. I didn’t want to form any connections with even the slightest ro-mantic connotation. I did it for re-lease, and it was my last resort.”
“It’s kind of heartless the way you used her.”
“I know that now. At the time, quite honestly, I just didn’t care. I had my father and then Alpha duties to deal with. It wasn’t until after I met you that I realized what a selfish pig I’d been.” It was ha-rd to tell in the dim lighting, but I thought his expression softened. “You’ve taught me a lot about emotions,” he said quietly.
I felt my face heating up and I quic-kly changed the subject. “I guess what I’m angriest about is the fact that you didn’t tell me, and how pissed you got about me k!ss!ngWill when you had sle-pt with another woman.”
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#Tobecontinued…