Chapter Twenty

SETH

I watched Gabriel and Ellie leave Clayton’s office. My Ellie. All I wanted was to take her back to my room and hold her close.

I had a hunch that Ellie would want the same. There was a pull between us. Stronger than the pull of a chosen mate.

Clayton’s throat-clearing brought me back to reality.

I turned to him, and he was smirking.

“What?” I grumbled.

He patted my shoulder.

“Patience, Seth.”

I rolled my eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Easy for him to say. He already had his mate, safe in his bed and carrying his pup.

My mind drifted to Gabriel, and the mind-link he had sent us both, right after Ellie had told him she wanted this too.

“What do you think he wants to talk about? Gabriel?” I asked.

Clayton shrugged.

“She’s his daughter. Maybe he just wants to talk to you before you mark her. It’s a big deal, taking a chosen mate.”

I sighed and nodded.

“I know, but if she’s my second-chance mate…”

My voice trailed off. Clayton furrowed his brow. I knew why. Second-chance mates were rare. Like the moon-goddess admitting she had messed up the first time.

I was pretty sure in this case she had, although not even the moon-goddess could have predicted that Joel’s influence would go so far as to turn his grandson against his mate, worse still, try to kill her.

“You still think she’s your second-chance mate, don’t you?” Clayton asked.

I nodded.

“I know she doesn’t feel it fully, but I do. Maybe once I mark her, her wolf will come back.”

Clayton sighed.

“We can only hope. Now go and get some rest. Tomorrow I have a mating ceremony to plan, and you need to think about where you two are going to live. You can’t expect to live in your room,” he laughed.

I gasped. “Shit! I hadn’t even thought about that.”

Clayton laughed.

“You’ve been so focused on Ellie as your mate, you haven’t even thought about the practical stuff. With that and the upcoming war…

Why don’t you check out your parents’ old place? It needs some work but it could be a nice family home.”

I sighed and smiled. Why hadn’t I thought of that?

“Thank you, Clayton…for everything.”

Clayton looked at me and smirked.

“Go on, get some rest.”

I nodded and headed for the door. Thanking Clayton didn’t seem enough. He was not only my Alpha, he had been like a father to me when I lost my parents. He always had my back.

I started to wonder if that’s how Gabriel felt about Ellie. He probably just wanted to make sure that I was going to be a good mate.

I could understand that, he’d lost so much time with her while they were apart, now I was going to come in and take her away again.

With that thought in my mind, I headed off to bed.

I knew it was crazy, but I slept in my clothes. Not because I was too lazy to change, but because Ellie’s scent still lingered on them. Both my wolf and I wanted her with us. Her scent calmed my wolf.

The thought that we’d almost lost her drove my wolf wild. There was no doubt in his mind that she was our second chance, fated mate.

I silently prayed to the moon-goddess, hoping that once I’d marked her, her wolf would return.

I wouldn’t love her any less if she remained without her wolf, but I knew that my wolf longed to run with her. I also knew that it was what Ellie wanted.

I sighed as I got out of bed. I had managed about four hours of sleep. Not that it was a problem, often I would have less than that. No, my sigh was brought on by a mind-link from Gabriel.

~“Ellie has just gone to see the doctor, come over to the house…we have a lot to discuss.~”

Ellie’s scent on my clothes was starting to fade, so I quickly changed. If this was going to be an angry father type of talk, then the least I could do was to look presentable.

I grabbed a pair of dark jeans and a white button-up shirt. Hopefully, if this “talk” went well, I would pick Ellie up from the hospital, then we could spend some time together.

I doubted that Gabriel would let her move in with me before the mating ceremony. Besides, I still had to go and check out my parents’ old house, see how much work it needed.

With that and the upcoming war, I wasn’t going to have much time to spend with Ellie.

My wolf whimpered. I knew exactly how he felt.

I walked over to Gabriel’s house and knocked on the door. It felt strange that I had only been here a few hours ago. A lot had happened in the space of a few hours, not least Ellie agreeing to be my mate.

I saw movement behind the front door, and seconds later it was opened by Gabriel. He stepped aside and gestured for me to come inside with an outstretched hand.

I’d never been in his house before. All the interactions I had with Ellie had either been in the pack-house or on the training field.

The house was nicely decorated, with a natural but modern vibe. I wondered if that had been his idea or Ellie’s.

I followed him through the living room, to the kitchen.

“Take a seat.” He gestured to the breakfast bar. “Coffee?”

I nodded, “Yes…thank you.”

At least it would give my hands something to do. I couldn’t understand why I was so nervous. I was the Beta, for goodness’ sake. Although Gabriel was an Alpha, he was an unranked Alpha.

I wondered if Ellie would have obeyed him if he had vetoed our mating. I doubted it, but then Gabriel was a good man. He wouldn’t have done that without a good reason, and as far as I was aware, he had none.

Gabriel was on the opposite side of the breakfast bar. He pushed a cup of coffee my way before resting his hands on the counter.

“I like you, Seth. If I had the power to pick Ellie’s destined mate, it would have been you…”

“I…” I started, but Gabriel raised his hand to stop me.

“I know what you think. Whether it’s true or not doesn’t matter. I would have had this talk with you even if you were Ellie’s first potential mate.”

I nodded, taking a sip of the coffee. It was surprisingly good.

Gabriel let out a heavy sigh.

“There are things about Ellie you don’t know. Things she’s never shared with anyone, not even her brother.”

I set the cup down, frowning. That’s when it hit me—I barely knew her.

She never really talked about her life before she escaped from Zagan. She didn’t talk about that either. It was as if she had locked her past away.

“What things? It won’t change how I feel about her,” I said.

Gabriel sighed.

“The specifics aren’t mine to share, but you’ve seen the scars.”

A growl slipped from my throat. Neither my wolf nor I were pleased about the people who had harmed our mate. I pushed him down. I needed to hear whatever Gabriel was willing to share.

I nodded. I had seen the old scars on her back when she first arrived. Those weren’t from Zagan. They were old and had happened years before.

Suddenly, it all started to make sense. The human that Gabriel had killed when we first made contact.

I narrowed my eyes, “The human you killed?”

Gabriel nodded.

“The scars on her back are just the beginning. He abused Ellie physically, mentally, and…” he paused, “sexually.”

Both my wolf and I nearly lost control. The stool I was sitting on toppled over as I stood up. My fists clenched as I used all my self-control to keep my wolf in check.

Gabriel let out another heavy sigh and walked over to where I was standing. He placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Ellie doesn’t need your anger, Seth. If you want to be her mate, she needs your support. I killed the bastard, but you need to know when the time comes for you two to mate, you’ll need to take it slow.”

My shoulders dropped a bit. Not because I needed to take it slow, but because of the thought of Ellie suffering like that. The thought that just hearing about it had almost made me lose control.

I looked at Gabriel.

“I’ll never hurt her… You know that, right?”

Gabriel forced a smile and nodded.

“I know, but you also need to understand that she doesn’t know what will happen when you mark each other.

She didn’t know about rejection, so I doubt she knows about how strong the bond will be once you mark each other. That’s if her wolf comes back.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but Gabriel stopped me again.

“I know, you think her wolf will return. I hope so too. If it does, she will want to mark you just as much as you want to mark her. You need to make sure she knows what will happen when she does.”

I swallowed nervously and nodded.

When I marked her, the bond would share our memories. Yes, there had been sadness in my life. When my parents were killed, when I lost my first destined mate. But nothing on the scale that Ellie had endured.

Once she marked me, I would know everything. Feel everything that she had felt.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to know, but it seemed that she didn’t want to talk about it or share it. Would she want to share it with me?

“What made her tell you?” I asked.

Gabriel sighed.

“When she first came to my pack, she suffered from flashbacks and nightmares. I’d comfort her as best I could. She told me bits and pieces. Other things I found out when our doctor examined her.”

I nodded in understanding. It was probably like the panic attack she had when she first arrived. Clayton and I got her through that. I just hoped she trusted me enough to share everything.

I picked up the stool and placed it next to the breakfast bar.

“Thank you, Gabriel. I promise you I’ll take care of her.”

Gabriel nodded and smiled. This time it wasn’t forced.

“I know you will, because if you don’t, you’ll have to answer to me. Now go and find your mate, the doctor should be done with her by now.”

Gabriel followed me to the door.

I hadn’t brought up the subject of Ellie moving in with me, but it was almost like he read my mind.

“Just give me a few more days with my daughter, Seth. Sort out your parents’ house. I’m sure Ellie would like to help.”

I raised my eyebrows, a little surprised. Then I realized, Clayton!

Gabriel chuckled.

“You two lovebirds won’t have to wait long. Clayton is organizing the mating ceremony. It should take place in the next couple of days.”

I grinned and nodded as I left Gabriel’s house. We had waited this long. I could definitely wait a couple more days.