Chapter 24: Twenty One

Gill

"When are you coming overrrrr?" I whined into the phone. It was Saturday, and it was also the first time I'd been left home alone in a while. Well, I guess technically not alone, since there was always wolves guarding outside somewhere, even if I couldn't see them.

"In a couple hours, love. I told you, we're just meeting with the Steele Ridge Pack, since they weren't able to make the video meeting and then I'll be there." I groaned.

"But that's such a long timeeee!"

"I know, I know. When does your father get home from the shop?" I checked the time on my alarm clock beside my bed.

"Not until really late tonight. So it'll be just you and me for dinner." I sighed. "I'm just really bored."

"I know, I'm sorry. Did you ever finish your art project?"

"Yes, I was gonna show you when you came over!" I could hear his smile over the phone.

"Well, I can't wait to see it. I gotta go, okay babe? Please, call me right away if you need me."

"I will " I pouted. He laughed.

"I love you." I mumbled I love you back before I hung up the phone and collapsed back onto my bed. I nearly jumped a foot in the air when I felt my phone vibrate again. I rolled my eyes, thinking it was Toby trying to text during his meeting, but when I checked the screen, I didn't recognize the number. Maybe they texted the wrong person on accident? I bit my lip and quickly clicked on the message so I could read it.

-Hello, Gill.

Nope, definitely the right person. Just as I was about to turn off the screen and ignore it, another message popped up, from the same number.

-Can we meet?

Meet a total stranger that somehow got my number right as we were in the middle of being targeted by hunters? I'm not stupid. I debated replying for a moment, not to agree about meeting, but just to ask who it was. Maybe it was just someone from school I had forgotten to save the contact for? Or maybe Maya asking for me to babysit James? Or maybe it was one of my dad's employees?

-Who is this?

I waited for a while with no reply. I sighed and turned off the screen again. It was probably just Drew or Holly or someone playing a prank. I pulled myself out of bed and made my way down to the kitchen to make dinner.

"Hmm, what to make..." I wondered to myself. I was thankful my father was making a bit more money than he was in New Mexico, because now we could afford better groceries. Which meant I could cook more! I decided to make fried chicken, since it would keep me busy for a while. I had to defrost the chicken first, which would take a while, so I just popped it in the microwave. I sighed and stepped out onto the back porch while I waited.

"You can come out if you want. I'm making dinner if you're hungry. I bet it gets boring just staring at my house for hours at a time." I laughed as I called into the trees. Two large wolves soon stepped out of the treeline and sat on the ground. The one on the left was a russet brown color, and the one on the right was pure white.

"Hm, I don't think I've met either of you yet. I'm Gill!" I waved at them both. They looked at each other and then looked back at me before I started hearing the familiar sound of bones snapping back into place. I squealed and turned around, knowing they'd be naked. I heard rustling around before finally, one of them spoke.

"You can look now, Luna. We're dressed." I turned back around and smiled at both of them, now both wearing basketball shorts and tank tops, even though it was November and absolutely freezing outside.

"And it's not that bad. It's our job to protect you, Luna!" The other man responded.

"Please, call me Gill. Luna is weird. Would you guys like to come in for dinner? I just started, so it won't be ready for a bit. They looked at each other again and nodded eagerly. They followed me back inside and I shut and locked the back door, per Toby's request. All doors and windows should be locked. Even if there are other people there.

"Sooooo... What're your names? Tell me about yourselves!"  I asked them as I checked the chicken.

"Uh, I'm Adam. I live down the road actually. That's why Toby asked me to watch your house, since I'm one of the closest warriors. I just turned 23 and I live with my mate, Amber and our two daughters, Kiki and Iris." I nodded and smiled at Adam. He was the brown wolf from before.

"And I'm Noah. I live in the pack house because I don't have a mate yet. I'm one of the best trackers, so that's why Toby asked for me." I nodded and smiled, remembering he was the guy Drew liked.

"Nice to finally meet you both. You guys like fried chicken?" They looked at each other yet again before nodding eagerly. It was odd, it was like they wanted to see if the other person would answer first.

"Forgive me Lu-Gill... But why did you invite us in? We should be guarding the house." Adam asked.

"Well, I'm bored and lonely. Plus it's weird knowing there are people outside watching me and not knowing who they are. And I figured you'd be hungry."

"Well, we appreciate it very much. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"You can peel potatoes?" They nodded. I showed them where everything was, and soon we were all working away. I almost didn't notice my phone buzzing again. This time, it was a phone call. It was the unknown number again...

"Can you guys watch the chicken and make sure it doesn't burn? My dad is calling me..." I lied, but they didn't notice. I just wanted to know who it was before I get anyone worried. Noah nodded and finished up the last potato before walking over to the stove. I quickly raced up the stairs to my room to answer the phone.

"H-hello?"

"Hello, Gill." I recognized the voice instantly, and I nearly dropped the phone.

"How did you get my number??"

"You never answered my question. Can we meet? I need to talk to you." I chewed on my lip nervously.

"You don't even know where I live. I moved out of New Mexico."

"I know, you're in Washington now. Crimson Lake, right?"

"How do you know that?"

"Please, just meet me tomorrow? At the coffee shop by the high school. I'll explain then." I sighed. I can't believe I'm doing this.

"Fine. I'll be there at noon." I hung up the phone and calmed my racing heart. What did I just agree to?

Tobias

"I apologize we weren't able to join your meeting the other day! Just, I'm sure you know, introducing one's mate to their pack is a big deal!" I nodded and sat down next to Jax, across from Alpha Steele.

"I know, no need to apologize. Jax here tells me it went well?" The older man laughed and nodded.

"Well, of course! I've known both of you for a long time, I'm glad my little niece found Jax as her mate." Jax squirmed in his seat, clearly embarrassed.

"The pleasure is all mine, sir. Kayla is incredible." He responded.

"Yes, certainly. Now, Jax tells me you've been having trouble with hunters?" I nodded.

"Yes, they attacked both my human mate and I, and we've been finding camps scattered across our land. We have reason to believe they were hired by another pack and that we will be at war soon. As one of our closest allies and friends, I was hoping the Steele Ridge Pack would be willing to fight beside us if the time comes?" The alpha nods.

"Of course, Tobias. Anything for Crimson Lake. And congratulations on finding your mate! I knew you were struggling with that." I smiled and nodded.

"Thank you. Yes, I was afraid I wouldn't get to replace my father as alpha if I didn't find my mate in time, but thankfully, I did."

"Yes, and I'm sure your father is happy he gets to retire soon." I chuckled and nodded.

"He loves being Alpha, but yeah. He's ready to just kick back and chill with my mom and get all old and wrinkly. It's very bittersweet." Alpha Steele laughed and nodded.

"Oh don't I know it. My oldest is only seventeen and hasn't found his mate, so I still have a bit before I can retire. But boy oh boy, you bet I'm looking forward to it!" He stood from his chair and stuck out his hand for me to shake. "It was great to see you again, Tobias. You'll make an excellent Alpha, I can tell. And though I haven't met your mate, I'm sure he'll be a great Luna."

"Thank you, sir. That means a lot. And yeah, he's a little anxious considering he's human and this is all new to him, but I know he'll be great at it." We said our goodbyes before leaving his office.

"Hey babe! How was the meeting?" Kayla asked Jax, curling to his side.

"It went well. You didn't miss me too much, right?" He kissed her cheek and she giggled. Gill and I weren't that annoying, right?

"Hey, are you staying here or are you coming back with me?" I asked, interrupting their love fest.

"We're both heading back actually. We're having dinner with my parents tonight." I nodded, letting them both lead me through the pack house.

"Sounds good. I'm looking forward to just hanging with Gill. He's feeling really lonely now since this is the first time I've left him. I mean there was the meeting the other day, but at least then I was still in the same building." He sighed and nodded.

"Is he doing okay with all of this?" Kayla asked, worry in her eyes. I smiled at her and nodded.

"He's scared, of course. This is all very new to him still. Of course because he's a fucking saint, he's more scared of everyone else getting hurt than himself." She smiled.

"You're right, he'll make a great Luna. I can't wait until I can join your pack too! I love it here, but being away from my baby boo is hard!" She pouted her lip, making Jax sweet talk her and give her a kiss. I refrained from gagging and just continued walking.

'Hey, Toby. Just so you know and don't freak out when you don't see us outside, Gill invited Adam and I in for dinner. Don't worry though, we're still listening for any trespassers, and there's still Hannah keeping watch.' I heard Noah tell me through the link. I was about to respond, but Adam beat me to it.

'Yeah, we're making fried chicken! Sorry if you didn't want us to come in...He just looked really lonely and we were getting kinda hungry out there...'

'Don't worry about it, just don't make it a regular thing. As long as you're still paying attention and there's still someone outside keeping watch, I'm okay with it. The meeting is done anyway, so I'll be back in about twenty minutes.'  I closed the link, happy for the distraction since Jax currently had his mate against a wall, kissing her neck.

"Come on guys, save it for the bedroom. I'd like to get back to my mate." They both blushed as they pulled away from each other, slightly out of breath.

"Sorry, Toby! Let's go!" We quickly left the pack house and ran to the edge of the forest. We stripped our clothes and shifted, sprinting toward Crimson Lake Territory. Thankfully, it wasn't far.

'See you later, Toby! Tell Gill we said hi!'  Jax said, him and Kayla running toward the pack house. I didn't respond, and continued my way to Gill. I got close enough to the back yard before I froze. Something was wrong. I lifted my snout in the air, sniffing around. I growled when I smelled blood. And lots of it. I followed the trail and whimpered when I discovered Hannah's body close by. She had an arrow, exactly like the one I'd been shot with sticking out of her neck, along with a silver dagger in her stomach. I quickly ran back to Gill's house shifting when I got to his back yard before bursting through the back door, not caring that I was completely naked. As soon as I saw Gill standing at the stove, my heart calmed down a bit.

"Hey, Toby! You're just in time for- AHHH!" He squealed when he turned around and hid his eyes. "Why are you naked?!" I chuckled and made my way to him, kissing his head.

"I ran here and I think I dropped my clothes somewhere. I left some stuff of mine in your room, do you think you could grab me something to wear, Love? I have to talk to these two." He frowned, sensing it was something serious, though he didn't question it. He still kept his eyes closed though.

"Okay, will do!" He quickly shuffled away.

"What's wrong, Tobias?" Adam asked, standing from his seat at the dining table. I growled, knowing Griffin was eager to take over. I wouldn't let him though, not with Gill here. I didn't want to scare him.

"What's wrong is you said you two were paying attention, and now there's a dead pack member in my mate's back yard!" I tried my best to keep my voice down so Gill didn't hear.

"H-hannah?" Noah stood quickly, nearly hitting his head on the hanging light above the table.

"Yes, Hannah. She was killed by a hunter, just outside. Just wait until my father hears of this!" They both widened their eyes and began shaking. You did not want to mess with an angry alpha.

'Dad, Hannah was killed outside Gill's house. Adam and Noah weren't paying attention and a hunter got her.' I heard him growl loudly through the link.

'Send them out back. You don't want to scare Gill. I'm on my way.'  He quicky closed the link. He was pissed.

"Alpha is on his way. You two, outside now. He'll be here shortly, and I do not want my mate seeing this. They dropped their heads and nodded before shuffling out the back door, just as Gill was coming downstairs.

"Is everything okay? I thought they were staying for dinner?" He asked as he entered the kitchen, his eyes locked on the floor. He held out a bundle of my clothes.

"They had to go take care of something. Why don't we bring dinner to your dad, since you made so much? Since he'll be working late, I'm sure he'd love the surprise!" I took the clothes from him, slipping them on. It was just underwear, joggers and a tee shirt.

"That's a good idea! I'll go get my coat! Do you need a jacket or something? It's kinda cold out." I smiled and pulled him into my arms.

"Nah, I'm good. I'm like a walking space heater." He giggled, nuzzling his face into my chest.

"Yes, and it's perfect because I'm literally always freezing." I soon heard the low growling of my father, and I knew he had just arrived, so I pulled Gill toward the door.

"You get your coat, and I'll pack up the food." He nodded and I pecked him on the lips. He ran back up the stairs while I made my way back to the kitchen, quicky finding containers to hold all the food. I found one of those reusable grocery bags in the pantry, so I shoved all the food in there, along with some plates, napkins, and silverware. Just as I was finishing up, I heard Gill bounding back down the stairs. I walked back over to him and pulled him to my side, grabbing my keys, phone, and wallet from the little table by the door. I quickly slipped on my shoes I had left by the door, and he did the same as we stepped outside. Gill locked the door and we made our way to my truck. I put the food in the back seat before opening my arms wide for Gill. He giggled and let me pick him up and put him in his seat. I kissed his nose before shutting the door and making my way to the drivers side.

"Are you sure everything is okay? You seemed kinda angry inside." He asked as I pulled out of the driveway, and onto the road. I sighed and debated on telling him the truth. I didn't want to scare him, and I also didn't want him to think it was his fault for inviting Adam and Noah inside, but I also didn't want to lie to him. I groaned and decided to tell him the truth.

"Adam and Noah linked me while I was leaving the meeting telling me you invited them in, and they said they were still listening and paying attention in case something happened. Well, they did a shit job because the other guard that was out there, Hannah, was killed by a hunter." He gasped and covered his mouth with his hands.

"Like...right now?" I nodded.

"The hunter was gone when I got there, so sometime between the time they came inside and me getting there, yeah." I heard him sniffle and I sighed, taking his left hand in mine.

"Gill, before you say anything, this was not your fault, okay? You were just trying to do a nice thing and invite them in for dinner. They should have paid better attention. I'm just glad you're safe. That's why I wanted to take you out of there. My father is there now handling it." I looked over and saw a tear falling down his cheek.

"Toby...I think we should tell my dad tonight...they've never gotten that close before, apart from when I was attacked. He can't go back there, please Toby! We need to protect him!" He began sobbing, so I unbuckled his seatbelt and pulled him closer to me.

"Shh, it's okay baby. We'll keep him safe. I've had guards at the shop every time he's been there too, just in case, but we can tell him tonight so he can come stay with us at the pack house." He nodded, his face hiding in my chest. I kissed the top of his head as we pulled into the parking lot of his Dad's mechanic shop.

"We're here, Love. Dry your tears, it'll be alright. I won't let anything happen to either of you, alright?" He nodded again, still sniffling a bit. It took him a couple minutes, but he eventually pulled back and rubbed at his face. His eyes were puffy and red, and I knew his dad would ask about it, but I also knew Gill was eager to get to him.

"Let's go, I'm starved!" I smiled as he let out a small giggle. He grabbed the food from the back seat while I climbed out of the truck and walked to his side. I opened his door and caught his small frame as he leaped into my arms. I kissed his lips and set him on the ground. I wiped the tears from his cheeks and nuzzled my nose against his.

"I love you." He smiled, making my heart race.

"I love you too." He kissed me again before grabbing my hand and leading me inside.

"You know your dad hired me and Jax when you first moved here, but we've been so busy with all this hunter stuff we haven't actually had a single shift." Gill laughed and rolled his eyes.

"I know, my dad asked me about it and I told him it would probably be a while before you could start. That's why he hasn't asked you about it." I nodded. Gill let the bag of food fall to his elbow so he could use his free hand to pinch his nose closed.

"I hate the smell of motor oil." He whined as we made our way to his dad's office. The other mechanics eyed us curiously, but I could tell they recognized Gill, so they didn't say anything.

"Hey Papá, we brought you dinner!" Gill announced as we stepped through the open door to his office. Ivan looked up from his computer and beamed.

"Awe, Mijo, you didn't have to do that! I was just about to leave to grab some McDonald's or something!" Gill snorted and pulled me further into the room. I shook Ivan's hand before taking the bag from Gill so he could hug his father.

"Nonsense! I was bored since Toby was busy, so I wanted to cook something." I pulled out all the dishes and plates and set them on the desk, as Ivan began taking care of all the papers he had out.

"Well, I appreciate it. I'm starving! And it's good to see you, Tobias!" I smiled at him as I scooped mashed potatoes onto the plates.

"It's good to see you again too, sir."

"I'm glad you guys came, actually. There was something I wanted to talk to you about, Gill." Gill sat down in the chair across from his father. I served everyone some chicken before setting the dishes and everything aside so we would have room.

"Of course, what is it?" I sat back in my chair, beginning to eat the delicious meal my mate prepared and let them talk.

"Well, actually..." I furrowed my brow. Whatever Ivan wanted to talk about was making him very anxious. Gill took a bite of his chicken and waited for his father's response.

"How would you feel about me dating?" Gill suddenly gasped, causing him to choke on his food. I set my plate down and pat him on his back until he was done coughing. Ivan handed him a water bottle.

"Sorry Mijo, I didn't think that would make you that upset." Ivan frowned, looking down at his plate. Gill rolled his eyes and set his fork down, reaching across the desk to hold his father's hand.

"Dad, I'm not upset. I was just a little shocked is all. I'm thrilled, trust me! I'm so happy for you. Have you met someone?" Ivan blushed and nodded.

"I did. She came in for an oil change last week and she came back in today for another one, even though she didn't need it. She said she just wanted to see me, so I asked her out." Gill squealed and jumped in his chair.

"That's so cute! Awe, dad I'm so happy for you! When are you going out?"

"Tomorrow night. I'm taking her to dinner." I smiled at the two of them. I decided to let them talk, so I stood up.

"I'll go get us some drinks from the vending machine outside. You guys keep talking." I kissed the top of Gill's head. "The food was delicious, Love. Thank you." He blushed and nodded.

"You're welcome! I'm glad you liked it!" I stepped outside, closing the door behind me.

Kinda short, I know. But I wanted the next part to be in Gill's POV and I felt weird doing two switches in the same chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Any guesses on who was talking to Gill on the phone?

Hope you're having a lovely day. See y'all in the next chapter!