Chapter 24

((I’m a day early! You’re welcome!

Check out the cover on the side made by WetBelle! She used David Gandy, a British supermodel, as Gabriel. I don’t care who you guys use as Gabriel when you make the covers as long as you get his coloring right like she did. :)

The song goes best in the Skylar/Gabriel interaction. I don’t normally like Rihanna but this piece is beautiful and a few people recommended it.

Thanks to my lovely editor, Belle (ItsOnlyGabriella) <3 ))

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An indeterminable amount of time later, the heavy blackness I was swimming in seemed to draw back, letting me claw my way towards the light. I was still surrounded by searing heat but it was at a more tolerable level. Struggling in the confines of darkness, I was afraid of what would happen if I couldn’t get away. In the back of my mind, I felt my Wolf stirring. As I finally escaped the deep recesses of unconsciousness, my eyes snapped open and I sucked in a breath of air as I adjusted to the dim lighting. My skin was sticky with sweat; I was practically swimming in it.

Heart pounding, I glanced around nervously. I was in my room and it was dark outside. I could see a glimmer of moonlight trickling in through my partially closed blinds. My sweltering body was wrapped in blankets and I weakly struggled, attempted to pry my sweaty skin from the fabric. Slowly, the recent events were coming back to me – The Purge, Gabriel’s moonlit-bathed face, the blood-sharing, and then the darkness. I yanked my hand out from under the comforter and glanced at it. There was a thin line across the center of my palm where I had slashed myself. It was already mostly healed but I wondered if it would ever completely fade.

That scar signified that Gabriel was my Alpha now. Tensing, I realized that deep in the back of my consciousness, I could almost sense his presence. It was as if he was hovering just out of reach. It was a sensation similar to when Brett was Alpha. The thought made me nervous; Gabriel could talk to me whenever he wanted . My heart began quickening its pace and my Wolf paced with excitement as I thought about hearing his husky voice inside my head.

Adjusting my position, my eyes roamed the room again. How long had I been out? It was still dark, so perhaps it had only been a few hours. I felt marginally better than before. There was still a lingering itch under my skin but it was bearable and not nearly as excruciating.

There was a loud creak outside my room and the door opened, revealing my disheveled father. His eyes flashed with relief when he saw me and he hurried over.

“Finally,” he breathed, putting a cool head on my hot and sticky forehead.

“How long have I been asleep?” I croaked, my voice rasping against my parched throat.

“An entire day.” I blinked with surprise as my father grabbed a nearby glass of water and brought it to my lips. Gratefully, I swallowed the cool liquid as he tipped it down my throat, draining the cup completely dry.

I studied his face closely. His brows were furrowed with worry and judging by his resigned expression, my father knew exactly what was wrong with me and was hesitant to say it aloud.

“Dad….” I started, trying to sit up, but he reached out a hand and pressed me back into the pillow.

“Skylar, you need to rest.” His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.

“What…what happened?” I intertwined my fingers under the blankets where he couldn’t see them, trying to mask my nervousness.

Sighing, my father pulled up a nearby chair and settled down. He rested his elbows on my bed and gazed at me intently.

“There’s no need to beat around the bush here, Skylar, so I’m just going to come out and say it.”

I nodded, mouth suddenly dry again.

“You’re getting your Affinity.”

I nearly choked on my own spit. “W-what? Affinity? But I’m almost twenty years old! How…?” I spluttered in confusion.

He reached out a hand and rested it on my shoulder, rubbing it to soothe me. “I know. It’s rare that something like this happens, but when I was trying to heal you, I could sense the Affinity in you. That’s why you still have a fever. I can lessen the pain for you but I can’t completely make you well. This is something your body has to do for itself.”

Silently staring, I sat there for a long moment before I spoke, voice coming out as a cracked whisper. “How did this happen?”

My father sighed yet again. “As you know, the Affinity is usually hereditary. What you weren’t aware of is the fact that there are two forms of the Affinity, the dominant and the recessive. Most children of Pack Doctors – about ninety percent – inherit the dominant form. A child that receives the dominant gene will get their Affinity before or during puberty. They get it at this time because the body is still malleable, still adjusting to the Wolf inside. Matured Wolves do not so readily accept change like that,” He paused, contemplating. “The recessive gene works differently.”

I nodded once more, chewing on my bottom lip as I absorbed the information. “So I have the recessive form?”

He nodded. “A child with a recessive Affinity will only inherit the ability to use it if their parent dies while the child is still young. If the parent is still alive, as the child ages and matures with a recessive Affinity, they grow increasingly less likely to ever show signs of being able to use it. Basically, the recessive gene gets buried so deeply it can never be drawn out.”

“So how am I getting it, then? I’m way past puberty. And you’re still alive,”

“That’s why it’s unusual. When Cain put me in a coma, it triggered something in you. It would’ve been normal if you were younger but since you’ve fully matured and the gene is so deeply buried, your body shouldn't still have been able to make the transition,”

“So why am I transitioning?”

His eyes were distant as he pondered. “There are always exceptions to every rule. The only thing I can think of is that some part of you still recognized the deeply-buried gene. Your body is already going through changes because of the Mating pull. It might have made you susceptible to other changes, such as your Affinity emerging.”

His expression grew solemn as he added in a quiet voice, “Or it could have something to do with whatever concoction Cain injected me with,”

I felt a flutter of anger at the vampire’s name, and our conversation in the woods came rushing back to me. His words made sense now. Cain had suspected that something was happening within me and it was almost like he wanted it to happen. That freaked me out more than anything. He had planned on taking me with him; what exactly did he want with my father’s blood, and what did he want with me now that I might have an Affinity?

I tried to change the subject. I had time to work all of that out. I had to focus on the immediate problem.

I shifted position again, wincing slightly. I felt incredibly sore. “Is it always this painful?”

He shook his head. “No. It comes with a mild fever but nothing like you’ve been experiencing. It goes back to the maturity thing; your Wolf isn’t accepting the transition as well as she would have when you were young. Outside of the Mating pull, your body has never anticipated change like this. Honestly, being so close to Gabriel is making things worse. Your Wolf is struggling to cope with the Mating pull at the same time as the Affinity. Sharing blood with him just compounded everything. Your body went into sensory overload.”

I blinked up at him, feeling a pang of worry. Did this mean I couldn’t see Gabriel until I felt better? My father seemed to read my mind.

“You’ll still be around him, just limit physical contact until you’re better.” Something flashed in his eyes but I couldn’t place it. “Not like anyone could keep him away. He almost bit all of our heads off when we were trying to help you. For a while he didn’t want anyone else touching you.”

My face instantly heated up even more and I felt my cheeks turning red with a blush. My Wolf was feeling very satisfied with her Mate’s protectiveness.

Releasing a heavy breath, I pushed some of my dark locks away from my sticky face. It was all making sense now, and a large part of me was excited that this was finally happening. I had always been teased for not inheriting the Affinity. Now I had the chance of being a Pack Doctor; of being special.

I bet our Mate will be proud, my Wolf said smugly.

“So when this all ends, I’ll be able to use it? Just like that?”

“Like I said, I’ve never dealt with this before. Hopefully your fever goes away within the next day or two. Normally it only lasts a day but I have a feeling yours will be more drawn out. After you feel better, I can try to teach you how to use it.” I thought I detected a bit of pride in his expression. For a split second, though, I could have sworn I saw a flash of worry in his green eyes as well.

“I’ve been feeling feverish for a couple of days now, I was just ignoring it. I was going to bring it up but…I wanted to wait until you felt better.”

His eyes narrowed. “You should’ve told me sooner. You almost gave everyone a heart attack,” The typical stern expression was back on my father’s face but there was still a tinge of worry there.

“What’s wrong?”

My father shook his head. “I just don’t like the fact that you’re so sick and I can only do a little to help. You’re strong, though. Your body will get through the transition fine.” He spoke reassuringly, but his voice was tense.

I really hoped he was right. The fact that he was slightly nervous, though, was off-putting. I would make it through the transition; I had to. My body may not be used to this sort of thing but I’d get over it. I had to be strong, especially in a time like this.

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I was alone in my room for the next couple hours, because my father went to go rest. Using his Affinity had worn him out after recent events. He had also informed me that Eva had helped take care of me during the day I was passed out. The thought made me extremely uneasy, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. I knew she couldn’t stand me, yet she had still helped me out twice now.

The redhead was currently staying in our house in the guest bedroom. I hadn’t seen her since I had woken up, but I could catch her scent. It was strange that she was here without anyone in her pack. Just then, a startling realization came to me: was she avoiding Will? It seemed a bit far-fetched but she had disappeared the night of the Purge and now she seemed to be lying low at my home for the most part. She had no chance of seeing Will here since Gabriel had scared him away. I wondered why on earth she would possibly be avoiding him. Will would be overjoyed to find his Mate, so I could not fathom how she wouldn’t feel the same way. It was a puzzling mystery I was determined to work out.

I had yet to see Gabriel since I woke up and I couldn’t help the hurt that blossomed when I thought about it. Did he not even care that I’d fainted in the middle of the ceremony? My father said he brought me home, but now he was making no effort to come check up on me. I would never admit it to him but it stung. Especially after our moment yesterday.

Maybe he was regretting it. That thought was very disheartening.

A couple hours after my father told me about my Affinity (and subsequently made me some potato soup, my favorite), I let my eyelids droop. It was still uncomfortably hot in my room but I was supposed to stay under the covers to ‘sweat it out’. Since my father would not let me get up except to go to the backroom, I might as well sleep. My mind began to wander and my thoughts aimlessly drifted until I found myself dozing.

Minutes later, I was dreaming. It was one of those dreams where I knew it wasn’t real, and knew I could wake up at any moment, but that didn’t make it any less frightening.

Cain was in my dream – or at least I think it was him. He materialized as a shadowy presence at the edges of my vision, relentlessly chasing me as I raced in Wolf form through the woods. My paws thundered against the ground but every second that passed, I knew he was gaining on me. My heart was pounding and I was desperately trying to leave the woods before Cain captured me. I had to save Maria and Will. They would pay the price if I didn’t make it in time.

Seconds later I felt claws sink into my back and I was brought hard to the ground. The monster leaned over me, baring his fangs in a hiss. Kicking and thrashing, I snarled and growled while fighting wholeheartedly to get the bloodsucker off of me. But Cain held me down, pressing my shoulders into the ground harder, preventing me from struggling. I whined in misery, kicking back and forth, and Cain opened his hissing mouth to taunt me.

“Skylar, wake up,” he hissed menacingly.

What?

“You’re dreaming, wake up!”

I continued to thrash.

“Skylar!” Cain began to shake me and I was roughly yanked from the violent dream, sent crashing into reality.

My eyes snapped open and I panted, gasping, taking in the contents of my room as relief struck me. I had known it was a dream but I was grateful I could escape the terror of Cain’s pursuit.

It was then that I became aware that it was Gabriel above me, pinning me down, not Cain. He was standing next to my bed but his hands were planted firmly on my shoulders as he pressed me into the mattress. It was still nighttime outside and my light was off. Bars of moonlight squeezed through the blinds and fell upon my Mate’s face as he stared down at me, making sure I was truly awake now.

My mouth opened slightly as I became aware of our proximity. His face was only a foot or two above mine. I stared at him unabashedly, appreciating the way the light from outside accentuated his chiseled features. He was so beautiful. His dark eyes had an incredible amount of depth and I had never realized just how thick and dark his eyelashes were. My eyes trailed along his high cheekbones before falling to his mouth. He had a light growth of stubble along his jawline, but it suited him. I was sure I was blushing now, but I couldn’t tear myself away from his ethereal perfection.

Gabriel released me suddenly and backed away, and I felt cold despite my fever and all of the blankets. “You were dreaming,” he muttered by way of explanation.

I tried to sit up a bit. “It was Cain,” I replied, glad that my voice didn’t shake. My Wolf was purring in the back of my mind and it was quite distracting.

Gabriel’s expression tightened. I glanced around, noticing the chair pulled up by my bed. Had he been watching me sleep? The thought made my blush return in full force and I avoided his eyes.

“Do you have nightmares often?”

I pulled my hands out from under the covers, examining them as I replied. “No, this was the first in a long time.”

Slowly, Gabriel moved back to the chair and lowered himself. I felt a prickle of excitement; he was finally staying to keep me company! I tried to remember what my father said about physical contact. Gabriel had held my shoulders down while I was waking up but it didn’t seem to have made my fever worse, thankfully. I supposed it was the blood sharing that had set everything off. I would have to be careful, even though I was itching to reach out and run my fingers along the side of his face.

“Where were you all day?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound too pathetic.

“Working on pack logistics,” was his simple reply. I nodded, picking at the blanket.

“Are you feeling better?”

I glanced up at him, the question taking me completely by surprise. He was giving me a cursory scan as if assuring himself that I was well. I felt a trickle of warmth.

“I am now that you’re here,” I replied before I could think about it, unable to help myself. I looked away from him again as I felt my face heat up. Since when was I so straightforward with him?

I heard Gabriel’s sharp intake of breath and he was silent. Had I gone too far?

“Your father said that your…contact with me worsened things.” Gabriel replied after a moment of tense silence.

“The blood-sharing overwhelmed my body.”

“I didn’t know your body would react like that or I never-”

“I know.” I cut him off before he could go any further. There was no need for him to explain himself to me. I didn’t require an explanation. Closing my eyes for a moment, I remembered the minutes just before I’d fainted – the desire that had coursed through my body was easy to recall. In those seconds, I had wanted Gabriel more than ever before. My Wolf had been dangerously close to forcing me to jump him.

I peeked up at my Mate from the corner of my eye. He was staring into space, jaw clenched. I aimlessly wondered what he was thinking about. Gabriel was always so closed-off and hard to read. He put up barriers between himself and everybody else, although occasionally I thought I saw through his walls. Those moments of true emotion glimmering in his dark eyes made everything worth it.

I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable as we sat there, the silence stretching on, the heat rushing around under my skin reminding me that my fever had yet to break. I felt my forehead beading with sweat, some of it trickling down my temples. I needed some sort of distraction before I focused more on discomfort. Glancing at Gabriel again, I felt a prick of curiosity. I’d always wanted to know more about him but he’d rarely volunteered information about himself. Well, here he was sitting next to me and I had absolutely nothing to do but talk with him.

I wasn’t sure why I was feeling so brave. Maybe it was my body’s sickness, or Gabriel’s proximity, or the fact that I was fed up with him pushing everyone away. I knew I needed to make a decision soon – my Wolf was constantly reminding me of that – and the issue was always hovering in the back of my mind. I kept finding reasons to put it off but the more I ignored it, the more attached to Gabriel I was becoming. Soon my logical side would have no say in the matter. I would be deciding purely based off of instinct. I wouldn’t lie to myself; some part of me just wanted to follow my instincts despite any potential consequences.

Either way, I wanted to know more about the person that was constantly plaguing my thoughts. All of my reasoning combined into a sense of determination and I shifted my body to face Gabriel.

“Gabriel?”

His dark eyes flickered to me, some sort of undefined emotion lingering there. He waited for me to continue.

“I just realized something,” I had to look away again, unable to bear the intensity of his eyes. “You told me everything about your heritage and your parents. But you told me next to nothing about you,”

His brow had furrowed slightly as if he had no clue why I was bringing this up.

“I know hardly anything about you. I don’t know your favorite color, or favorite type of music, or what hobbies you have, or what movies you watch, or what you spent your spare time doing before all of that Alpha training….” I trailed off, realizing I was rambling. I tried not to squirm where I was sitting. An expression of incredulity had made its way on Gabriel’s face. I knew my examples were stupid and shallow, but surely he got the point? Usually Mates got to know each other after they met. We had never had that opportunity.

“Why does it matter?” He asked after a long moment, voice tense. I could tell he really didn’t like talking about himself. He wasn’t used to it.

“Because….because…” I mentally cursed myself for my nervousness. Why was I freaking out? He was my Mate, it should not be so difficult! “Because I want to know you.”

He remained silent, as if he was having an internal argument.

“You’re my Mate. The only Mate I’ll ever have. You’re supposed to get to know your Mate, right?” I cleared my throat, knowing the pink tinge was returning to my cheeks. Why did I think this was a good idea? I should have known that the thought of opening up would freak Gabriel out.

He was looking away from me, jaw clenched.

“I mean…if you’re destined to spend the rest of your life with someone, shouldn’t you know them first? It’s what normal people do. I know our situation is anything but normal….” Again, I trailed off. “Do you honestly not want to know anything about me?” The hurt was palpable in my voice but I didn’t try to hide it. Gabriel still seemed so closed off and disinterested. If I couldn’t crack his walls, nobody would ever stand a chance. Or maybe he didn’t care about me as much as I thought. Judging by the way he was still sitting – stiff and silent – I was annoying him.

“Nevermind,” I said finally, my voice very small. I turned my head away, unable to look at him. My Wolf was whining softly, as hurt as I was by his lack of response. I had to remind myself that we weren’t a couple of pubescent teenagers trying to get to know each other on a first date. What we had was much deeper and more instinctive. Still, I wished he would show a little more emotion.

I shouldn’t have tried that. I should’ve known it was stupid.

Several seconds trickled by. I knew my face was still vibrant red. At this point, I almost wished Gabriel would just leave me in here so I could wallow in my embarrassment. I would find something other than twenty questions to occupy my time while I was feeling so shoddy.

I was completely shocked when I finally heard his deep baritone.

“Blue.”

My head snapped around and I blinked at him. “…what?”

“My favorite color is blue.” His voice was softer now, eyes boring into mine. I stared at him in shock, feeling my stomach churn with excitement.

“What type of music do you like?” I asked after a minute, hoping he would continue to answer.

“Classical music is some of the only music I can tolerate.” Ah, so my choice in the car had been a good one, I thought.

“Hobbies?”

He sighed, eyes growing somewhat distant. “I don’t have time for anything outside Alpha duties.”

“What about when you were younger?” I was worried I was pushing it; Gabriel’s childhood was a sore subject. Sure enough, his expression tightened, but he surprised me by answering.

“My mother used to play piano. After she left, my father forced one of the pack members to teach me.”

I was sure I was gaping. “You play piano?” As cliché as it sounded, I found that extremely attractive. For a moment, it was like I was in high school again, learning how to talk to boys. It was strange feeling like that in my current situation.

“I used to. After a while, it made things worse because it reminded my father of her.” I didn’t have to ask who ‘her’ was. “I haven’t had time in years.”

I was practically squirming with joy. I couldn’t believe he was opening up to me.

“What’s your fav-”

Gabriel cut me off this time. “It’s your turn to answer questions.” The way Gabriel was staring at me indicated genuine interest.

I snapped my mouth shut, feeling my heartbeats increase in frequency. “Okay…what do you want to know?”

“Anything.”

I glanced at him quizzically.

“Just tell me about yourself,” he elaborated.

“Oh. Um…” I racked my brains, coming up with absolutely nothing interesting. Gabriel would probably be bored with whatever I had to tell him, but I continued anyways. “My favorite color changes every day of the week. I am addicted to crime shows. In fact, I have the entire series of NCIS in here on DVD. I tried to learn how to play guitar once and failed miserably. I’ll listen to pretty much any music except country. I’ve seen every Disney movie at least ten times. Oh and I can’t stand sauerkraut,” I wrinkled my nose in disgust at the thought.

I couldn’t meet Gabriel’s eyes. I knew I was a boring person, and that he thought our whole exchange was trivial, but truthfully it meant a lot to me that we were having a normal conversation in our anything-but-normal situation.

When I finally glanced back at him, he seemed to have absorbed all of my words and was mulling them over thoughtfully. I was touched that he had listened.

“Your turn again,” I said, perhaps sounded a bit too excited, and his expression instantly morphed into the customary guarded one. “Favorite TV show?” I almost winced again as I asked. I was awful at coming up with questions, but I didn’t want to ask anything too serious and make Gabriel uncomfortable.

“I don’t have time to watch TV.”

I wasn’t surprised. “Well, what about before you were Alpha? Or when you were little?” I couldn’t picture my hulking, muscular Mate as ‘little’ although I’d seen the one picture of him as a child.

Gabriel frowned. “I don’t know, I guess I watched Scooby-Doo a lot as a child.”

I grinned widely at him, remembering my own fondness for the show. I was trying not to laugh at the image of a tiny, black-haired Gabriel sitting in front of a TV and watching Scooby and the gang. I supposed all of that must have been before Rebekah left and everything fell apart.

Gabriel was staring at me, taken aback, and I quickly masked my expression with my hand. I didn’t want him to think I was laughing at him.

“Where did you live when you were younger? Before you came here?” I decided to risk another question.

“The Appalachians.” He made no effort to elaborate on that. “Your turn.”

“Okay,” I said tentatively, not liking the serious tone his voice had taken. What was he going to ask?

Gabriel looked down then, running one hand through his hair. He avoided my gaze as he spoke, his voice thick with tension. “Was there anything between you and your friend?”

It took me a moment to realize who he was speaking about and my eyes shot open with surprise. “Oh! You mean Will?” Gabriel didn’t respond to my question. He was sitting there, tense, and I could tell he really didn’t like thinking about it.

“No. I mean….I thought I liked him at the beginning of high school. We kissed once and I didn’t feel anything. He’s always been a friend to me since then, nothing else.” I decided to be truthful, although I felt a pang at the way Gabriel’s fists clenched when I said ‘kissed’.

“He looks at you as more than a friend,” he said coolly, still avoiding my gaze.

“I know. But I’ll never feel anything other than friendship for him. How can I?” The last part came out as nearly a whisper and Gabriel’s head shot up as his eyes connected with mine. They were burning with some medley of emotions and I had the urge to reach out and touch him, although I forcibly kept my hands to myself. My Wolf growled at my resistance toward our instincts.

Gabriel’s eyes suddenly glazed over, and I realized he was mentally conversing with someone. I felt a jolt as I pondered the fact that I could contact him whenever I wanted. Eli, too, or any of the Black Mountains Pack when I was in Wolf form. We were all connected through the Alpha now.

Gabriel stood up from the chair, bringing himself to his full height. “I have to go check on some logistics for Eli, and I left the papers at Jack’s.” he said brusquely. I was surprised he was giving me an explanation at all. His eyes’ former intensity was gone and I instantly wanted it back. I was hoping to continue the questioning and find out more about him, but apparently luck was not on my side right now.

Gabriel observed me for a moment. “…take care,” he finally said, his voice softer than expected. I felt a flush creep up my neck and I watched as he exited the room and trudged down the stairs. Seconds later, the front door slammed.

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About two hours later, the TV downstairs turned on, and I was brought out of my dozing state. My throat was raw and parched again. I stretched, deciding that it couldn’t hurt to go grab a glass of water after I went to the restroom. I slowly climbed out of bed, ignoring the protesting aches and pains. The room’s air was cooler when I wasn’t under the stifling covers and it felt nice on my sweaty skin.

After I used the restroom, I tiptoed downstairs, curious about who was watching television. My parents had already come to check on me after Gabriel left and they were now fast asleep in their room. I hadn’t heard Gabriel’s male pack members roaming around so that limited the possibilities.

My eyes fell on a familiar head of red hair and I tried not to wince. She had helped me after all, the least I could do was thank her despite my dislike for her. Eva had some mindless drama playing on the T.V. and was curled up on the couch with some blankets, her blue eyes fixated on the screen. She ignored me as I made myself a glass of water, pressing the cool glass against my burning forehead.

I took a deep breath, really not wanting to talk to her, but my parents had always taught me manners. I slowly made my way over to the arm chair next to the couch she was sitting on. Still, Eva did not bother to glance at me as I made myself comfortable and focused on the T.V. show. There were a few moments of awkward silence before I gathered the courage to speak.

“Um….I never said thanks.”

Her eyes flickered to me and back to the T.V. She said nothing.

“So….thank you, for helping me and my father.”

Eva nodded brusquely. I felt a prick of irritation. Could she really not say anything in return?

“Are you ever going to tell me why you dislike me so much?” I blurted out after another moment. Might as well try to clear the air while she was staying in my house.

Eva turned to face me then, eyes narrowed slightly. I sure had her attention now. “Excuse me?”

“I know you don’t like me. It’s pretty obvious. I think I deserve to at least know why.”

She pursed her lips and observed me thoughtfully. For an instant, I wished Eva could be more like one of the stupid bimbos from high school. Instead, she seemed very cunning and it made me nervous.

“Is it just because I’m an outsider?” I continued impatiently.

“I don’t like your pack, if that’s what you mean.” She finally spoke dismissively.

“Like it or not, we’re all together now.”

“I don’t like it.” She turned back to the T.V. I almost growled.

“Look, we need to cooperate here. So just tell me why-”

“I don’t need to tell you anything!”

“Fine. I’ll just ask Gabriel.” I observed her from the corner of my eye, wondering if this tactic would work. To my surprise, after a moment she just sighed in resignation. “If you won’t talk I’ll just-”

“I was only ten years old,” she cut me off coolly and my eyes widened in surprise. “My father was a Pack Doctor and our other pack was attacked by rogues. They killed him and my mother and I ran. We traveled far, and finally came across your pack.”

I stared in surprise. I didn’t remember that. Then again, I would have been nearly the same age as her.

“My mother had Lupe’s Disorder."

Now my surprise and shock increased tenfold. Lupe’s Disorder was one of the few diseases that affected werewolves. My father had some fancy technical name for it but I’d never met a Wolf with it, probably because it was terminal if left untreated. It could also be highly contagious –transmitted through the saliva or bloodstream, or even airborne in some cases. It killed the Wolf-side first, leaving the person deranged for months before they died.

“My Affinity was not developed enough for me to treat her. We came to your pack. We begged for treatment from your former Alpha and your father. My mother was close to death. They turned us away because of the risk of contagion,”

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish. They had turned her away? That seemed so cruel and heartless! I knew the disease would have been a risk to the pack, but surely they could have done something.

“We left and headed towards the Black Mountains Pack. My mother died on the way there. They took me in because I was a ten-year-old getting an Affinity.” Eva spoke so emotionlessly. I stared down at my hands, feeling ashamed, even though I knew it wasn’t my fault.

It made sense now why she hated our pack and why she had such an odd look on her face whenever she spoke to my father. I wondered if he remembered her. That had been a decade ago. If Gabriel hadn’t told Eva to treat my father, she probably would have left him to rot. I had no idea what to think about all of this.

“I’m sorry-”

“Save it.” She rudely cut me off, returning to the boring show.

“Is that why you’re avoiding Will? You want nothing to do with anyone in this pack?” I asked it before I could stop myself. Will was one of my best friends. I just had to know.

Eva’s head snapped to me and I noticed her eyes had gone cold and furious. “That’s none of your business,” she hissed. She knew exactly what I was talking about, confirming my suspicions. She really was Will’s Mate.

“He wants his Mate,” I continued, ignoring her burning stare. “He needs his Mate.”

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do. This is my business!” Her lovely face was set in a rigid mask. I was shocked by this outburst of reaction. Surely this could not all have come from something ten years ago, something Will had nothing to do with?

Either way, I didn’t like it when she spoke to me like that, and neither did my Wolf. “You can’t hurt him just because of something that happened ten years ago that was out of his control!”

Eva stood up, throwing her hands in the air. “That has nothing to do with this!” She almost looked menacing, the way her shoulders were hunched. I slowly stood to match her, ignoring my aching body.

“Then what-”

“Look, Skylar, you want to know the reason I don’t like you, aside from everything your pack did to me?” Her voice escaped her lips in a hiss.

I stared at her blankly. I should have known there was something else. After all, it wasn’t my fault my father turned her away, as horrible as my pack’s actions were.

“You’re insecure. You’re weak, and you second guess yourself. You’re not even THAT pretty. Quite frankly, you don’t deserve an Alpha for a Mate.”

I gaped at her, unable to speak. My Wolf snarled furiously in my mind and I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks as I growled low in my chest, but even so, I felt her words hit home. It was like she knew exactly what to say to hurt my feelings.

“You will have my respect when you’ve earned it,” she snapped, gathering up the blankets she had been using. The redhead was still rigid with fury. I had really pissed her off. She headed towards the staircase, turning over her shoulder to fixate me with one last glare. “And just so you know, I don’t need a Mate, because I’m already in love with someone else.”

I furrowed my brow. That would be a problem for Will, but once she saw her Mate, she should be able to get over her previous love.

“That shouldn’t matter!” I argued, but Eva waved my words off in annoyance. “You’re being incredibly selfish,” I snapped, standing up for my best friend.

Her eyes flashed. “As I said before, this is none of your fucking business.” Eva adjusted the blankets she was holding again. Suddenly, a calculating expression worked its way onto her face.

“One last thing, Skylar,” she added. “I don’t suppose the Alpha has told you about our….history.”

I felt as if I had been punched in my chest and all I could do was stare at her as I wondered what the hell she meant. With a scoff at the confusion on my face, Eva made to head upstairs but just then, I heard the doorknob turn. We both shifted to face the door, almost trance-like in our movements, as it opened to reveal Gabriel standing there.

He strode in, looking back and forth between us as if he had no idea what was going on. I glanced at Eva out of the corner of my eye. Her entire expression had changed as her eyes fell on Gabriel.

“What is this?” Gabriel was demanding.

“History?” I said softly, not elaborating.

Gabriel’s expression tightened. “What are you telling her, Eva?” He snapped.

As Eva’s eyes found mine again, I witnessed the true extent of her dislike. She was willing to get in trouble with her Alpha to tell me whatever it was she wanted to say. Her perfect features were fixated in a sneer, her eyes bright and cold. I found myself sweating again, although I wasn’t sure if it was from the fever or nervousness. My Wolf whimpered softly.

I felt the blood rush to my ears as I stared at her, then at Gabriel, then back at her again. Surely I was wrong. I couldn’t possibly be coming to the right conclusion here. When I looked at Gabriel again, though, his expression said it all. Anger and guilt, intermingled in his dark eyes, as if he knew what she was going to say. He made no attempt to stop her from speaking to me, probably because he knew that lying or trying to cover it up would only make things worse.

Eva’s smirk widened.

“Gabriel and I were lovers.”

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A/N: Hope you all liked this chapter. It’s different than my normal work, because it’s more drama and conversation-filled than action. Still, I told you the chapters would be a bit lighter in this part of the story. Let me know what you thought through your votes/comments/etc!

MULTIMEDIA:

Cover by WetBelle

The song, “Stay” by Rihanna. Not a big fan of her but the song does go well with the chapter. I think a couple people have requested it, too.