Chapter 25

((Cover on the side made by Meral (send me your UN so I can dedicate this to you). Thanks so much!

So many of you have sent me covers, and I’ll try to display them in the order they were sent to me. Just be patient, I appreciate all of your wonderful artwork, but I can only put up one at a time!

The song is best listened to at the beginning of the chapter. It is quite depressing and kinda ballad-y, but I think it’s so pretty. And I’m obsessed with Christina Perri. Obviously.

Thanks to Belle for editing this for me!))

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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 tight fists, my fingernails 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 slept with someone else before me. He had given the most intimate part 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 sentiments 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 became aware that Eva’s eyes were boring into the side of my head. My eyes flicked 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 smirk hovering at the corners of her red lips.

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 chest, 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 chest; 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 force I had at hand, I pushed her to the deepest corner of my consciousness. I couldn’t have her agony distracting me now.

Seizing on this burst of determination, I mentally tried to erect barriers around my consciousness, barring out as much of the pain as I could. I already felt humiliated in front of Gabriel and broadcasting my feelings, clear as day, would only worsen things. I tried to force the hurt away and maintain a cool façade as I spoke.

“Wow, Gabriel, sleeping with her must have been quite….underwhelming for you.” To my pleasant surprise, my words came 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 stopped mid-step, her eyes flicking to him.

“Get out of here.” Gabriel snapped, coolly and dismissively. Eva hesitated, looking slightly hurt. Again, I felt a twisted sense 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 apart.

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 chest.

“I said get the FUCK out!” He snarled at her and Eva flinched, quickly 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 flicker 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 flustered. 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 wide as she took in Gabriel’s livid expression.

“You’re fucking telling me that you found your other half, your one true Mate, and instead you are wasting your time trying to sabotage MY relationship with 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 understood!”

“Maybe I would have understood 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 intimidating. I was not used to him being so forthright. I could feel a blush 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 sense of betrayal I felt, but it proved that he was at least capable of some sort of emotion when it came 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, collapse on my bed, 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 roughly in her face before she could say anything.

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 sexual history, but he had gotten distraught of the mere thought of me kissing Will 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 slept 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 chest, 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 slept 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 needed 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 burst 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.

“Please, Skylar. Just hear me out.”

Gabriel rarely said please, 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 hot fever rushing around underneath my skin did not help the situation and only served to aggravate me further. I did not need this now. After everything that happened, hadn’t I been through enough turmoil? The small, selfish part of me wanted Gabriel to suffer – if even for a moment – the way I had when Eva said those words. The vindictive part 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 needed to be alone right now; his presence was suffocating.

I hurried towards the front door, giving Gabriel a wide berth. He turned towards me but thankfully didn’t try to stop 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-”

“Stop!” I spun around to snarl at him, my hand on the doorknob. “Just…stop. 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 under 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 burst 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 sense 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 neck. I was not normally this violent, but apparently my feelings for Gabriel brought out my animalistic nature.

I let my Wolf take over, relishing in the feeling of heat rushing through my body and fur sprouting from my pores as my bones shifted to accommodate 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 nobody 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 deeper 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.

My paws continued to trample the grassy ground below me as the sun rose above the horizon and steadily crawled into the sky. My pace was much slower than my customary run, as I still felt a bit sore and ever-so-slightly feverish even in this form. I was now sure this jog would take its toll on my sick body later, but for now I was taking advantage of my Wolf’s supreme strength and stamina.

There was a slight chill in the air even at midday though the sun was hot 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 through 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 grass near a gurgling stream. Panting, I realized I had indeed released 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 slept together and she had a profound hatred for me. It only made sense 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 deeply 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 reassure myself.

There was one thing that I could reason through. Gabriel had outright said that all of those things happened before he’d met me. Despite my churning emotions and sense of betrayal, the logical side of me argued that Gabriel had never thought he would have a Mate. His father had brainwashed 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 hormones.

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 kiss with 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 through 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 sorely needed 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 through 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 bloodshot, her olive-toned skin pale, and her thick hair was in a bedraggled 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 through her tangled hair with her fingers. “I need 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.

“They didn’t want to wait any longer. Brett was up and around and didn’t want to leave her body just wasting away in their house.”

I looked down at the ground, swallowing hard. Now I wouldn’t get another chance to say goodbye.

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Don’t feel bad, Skylar. Everyone knows you were sick and couldn’t make it,”

“Brett probably didn’t want me there anyway,” I replied bitterly. The expression on Maria’s face confirmed my suspicions and I turned away from her, making my way into their large living room and settling down on the plush couch in front of the television. Maria settled down next to me, still trying to fix her hair. A few seconds passed in silence as I let the guilt briefly consume me. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t gone to my own packmate’s funeral. Especially when it was partially my fault she was dead.

You were sick. The pack will understand, my Wolf piped up, using a gentle tone.

That doesn’t make me feel any better about it.

I felt my Wolf’s sympathy but she didn’t reply, and Maria’s voice broke into my depressing train of thought.

“I spoke to Will after the funeral.”

Thinking of Will only led me to Eva, and I tried not to visibly flinch. “How did that go?”

Maria shrugged slightly, but the glum set of her face said it all before she could. “He apologized, and at first it was fine. Then he told me that he thinks he’s found his Mate. He keeps catching her scent and thinks it’s the redhead, Eva, that came with Alpha Gabriel. But she’s been avoiding him and he can’t find her.”

I gritted my teeth, the anger from earlier rising again in my chest. “It’s her,” I replied shortly with my jaw clenched. Maria didn’t seem to notice the sudden coldness in my voice.

“I was okay with it when he was hung up on you but…now it just hurts all over again.”

Glancing at Maria’s crumpling face I felt a surge of compassion. She’d always worn her emotions on her sleeve, except when it came to Will, so it was strange seeing her open up about him. It must have been painful for Maria to think about him having a Mate. She appeared to be dangerously close to crying and on impulse I drew her into a tight hug. I had come to rant about my problems but it was clear that she was very vulnerable right now and I didn’t want to impose my own problems on Maria in her fragile state. Taking a deep breath, I pushed my issues aside for the moment and just hugged her to me.

I heard her sniffling quietly and spoke to break the silence. “Why did you never tell me you liked him?” I asked softly.

“I knew he liked you. I didn’t want to make our friendship awkward,”

I just sighed and didn’t reply, keeping Maria in my embrace for several moments until she seemed to calm down.

“Sorry,” she sniffed, moving away from me again and wiping at her eyes. “I didn’t mean to break down on you and I know that’s not what you came for.” She turned to face me, attempting to get ahold of herself. “Is everything okay?”

I looked down at my intertwined fingers, avoiding her piercing gaze. Maria always knew when I was lying but I didn’t want to tell her the truth while she had so much going on. It just wouldn’t be fair.

“Um…you know, it’s not a big deal. We can talk about it another time.”

“I don’t mind. Tell me!”

“Really, it’s not an issue. I just wanted a friendly chat.”

Maria snorted and I could sense her eyes rolling. “You’re an awful liar and you know it.” She reached out a finger and poked me annoyingly. “Come on, fess up.”

I huffed in aggravation. “Maria, I’m not going to give you anything else to deal with-”

“I can take it! I need a distraction anyways. Tell me what’s going on in your life.”

I mumbled something incoherent and she prodded me again, causing me to wince. At least she was acting a bit more like her bubbly self, though, despite everything going on around her.

Heaving a gigantic sigh I told her almost everything. I started with the revelation about Gabriel and Eva, and exactly how Eva was avoiding Will and how she had gone about telling me her history with my Mate. At first, I felt a bit guilty telling someone else about my own Mate’s sexual past, but I knew Maria wouldn’t tell anyone else. After the way Gabriel had treated me I thought I’d earned the right to at least talk to one other person about him.

This led to incredulity from Maria and I inevitably explained how Gabriel thought he’d never have a Mate. I left out his lineage, implying instead that his father’s brainwashing was the only reason Gabriel felt that way. Maria and I had both heard of the cruelty of the former Black Mountains Pack Alpha David, so it didn’t seem too far-fetched.

I finished with what I’d said to Gabriel and the way I’d stormed out. When I stopped talking, Maria sat there for a long moment, pondering everything she’d heard.

“What are you going to do? This is definitely one of the stranger situations I’ve encountered, especially since she’s Will’s…” she trailed off uncertainly.

I shrugged. “I don’t even know what to do, but right now I’m leaning towards the cold shoulder. I’ve tried so many times to get closer to him, Maria, but it’s damn near impossible. I’m going to make him come to me for once.”

She nodded, lips pursed in concentration. “It definitely sucks that you found out like that. And I agree with you wholeheartedly. But I’ve heard it isn’t that uncommon for werewolves who haven’t found their Mates by their mid-twenties to start sleeping around. It’s frowned upon but it happens. Blame hormones, I guess.”

“I know, but still. I had always dreamed that I’d be the only…well, you know.”

“I can’t blame you for that.” My best friend was silent for a moment before an oddly sneaky look crossed her features. “Hey…Skylar?”

I frowned at her, preoccupied. “…yeah?”

“I think I know something that will cheer us up!”

“Oh good grief. Not this again.” Once again, Maria was brainstorming some grand idea of ‘fun’.

Maria fixated me with a mock-stern look, although her eyes were still a bit bleary-looking so it didn’t turn out how she intended. “My parents are actually meeting with the Alpha right now, I think they are consulting with one of the elders that helped build this village.” My eyebrows rose at that but she continued before I could pry. “And later they’re going around the territory for something-or-another. Which means….we have the house to ourselves!”

I didn’t like where this was going. “Don’t tell me….we’re gonna throw a party?” I asked, in one of my very rare sarcastic tones that I seldom used.

She grinned a bit cheekily. “Not exactly…hold on!”

I blinked in mild surprise as she used some of her enhanced werewolf speed to dash towards the kitchen, returning mere seconds later with a large bottle in her hand.

“Oh no…” I muttered, eyeing the bottle of wine with mild trepidation. “I don’t really drink, Maria…”

“I know. But there’s a lot going on right now. I haven’t seen you smile in a long time, Skylar, and I think you just need to have a bit of fun.”

“Getting drunk is fun?”

She stared at me in exasperation. “You really DID miss out in high school! We’re not getting drunk, anyways, just a little buzzed.”

“I’m just not sure it’s the best time….”

“You’re always so serious. You take on other people’s problems and put everyone before yourself. For once, just lighten up for a few hours.” A sad, almost melancholy expression crossed her features. “I was thinking of Anne before this idea came to me. It’s what she would have done in a time like this. Just for a few hours, there’s no pack meetings or anything, you won’t be missing out.”

I felt my stomach plummet a bit at the blonde’s name. Maria was right; Anne would have taken this opportunity to lighten up. I stared at my friend’s hopeful face, thought of everything that had happened today, and sighed in resignation.

“Werewolves don’t even really get affected by alcohol,” I mumbled as a last resort.

“Yes they do. It just takes us five times as much as humans. You’ll see.”

I should’ve taken the mischievous glint in her eyes as a warning before I agreed.

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“I’m never gonna catch my breath!” I shouted, voice hoarse from so much yelling.

“Say goodbye to those who knew me!” Maria replied in a shrill singing voice.

“Boy was I a fool in school for cutting gym!” I tried to imitate the man’s voice as closely as possible.

“This guy’s got ‘em scared to death!” Maria’s deep impression was so comical I almost missed the next line.

“Hope he doesn’t see right through me!”

“Now I really wish that I knew how to SWIM!” With the last word, Maria twisted and fell backwards, landing flat on her back on the couch with a loud giggle.

For my part, I continued to stand on the coffee table and point at the screen as Mulan was playing, trying my very best to make my voice imitations possible.

“BE A MAN!” My gravelly impression caused Maria to burst into another round of hysterics.

I was most definitely, indisputably, indubitably drunk. The two large, completely empty bottles of wine next to me, coupled with two beers Maria had found in the refrigerator, were testament to that. Maria had much more to drink than had because according to her, I was a ‘complete lightweight’.

I could understand why people did this now. The lightheadedness – coupled with the sense of not having a single care in the world – was a relief after I’d been through so much. My still-achy body and light fever didn’t even bother me in this drunken state. Maria and I were on our second Disney movie and we were making sure to sing along to every word. The world was spinning slightly around me but I ignored it as I pranced around on the table. For once, I felt brave, as if I could take on the world. In fact I was pretty sure I would punch that stupid redhead in the face if I saw her right now.

“Oh Sky! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you laugh so much!” Maria cried giddily, pointing at me in an exaggerated manner. “Look at you! You’re actually acting like a teenager instead of an overprotective mom!”

I pouted and glared at her. “I do NOT act like a mom!”

“Yes, you do! Worrying all of the time, being so NOT spontaneous and thinking things through…you make the rest of us look bad!”

I opened my mouth to reply but my attention was caught as Shang returned to the screen. I’d had the biggest crush on him when we were younger, and I didn’t care if he was a cartoon. I was still ogling him.

“He’s so dreamy,” I said, trying to sway my hips to the song. As I was completely uncoordinated when it came to dancing, I failed miserably, but at the moment I didn’t care.

My Wolf was very subdued in the back of my mind. Some part of me knew I was being irresponsible and I’d pay for this later, but acting carefree and spontaneous was such a nice change that I didn’t worry about the consequences for once.

The song soon ended and I somehow ended up sitting back on the couch, staring at the screen with a dazed expression. The world had tilted on its axis, or so I thought. Maria handed me the bottle of wine she was working on and I sipped on it aimlessly as the movie progressed. The minutes trickled by and my mind inevitably began to return to Gabriel.

In this state of mind, my pain was dulled, but that didn’t stop me from thinking about him. Just when we’d had a normal conversation, too. I had been so happy that he’d spoken so freely with me. In fact, in my current alcohol-induced haze, I couldn’t lie to myself: I had been overjoyed. I was worried what that meant. The simplest signals from Gabriel drove me crazy. There was no denying the deep feelings I had developed for him; my reaction to Eva’s words only confirmed how attached I was getting. The depth of my emotion was frightening me, especially when I considered the consequences of Mating with him.

I noticed a strong pressure at the back of my mind, which drew me out of my oddly-thoughtful state. Frowning slightly in puzzlement, I pushed it away as we continued to comment on the movie and how good Shang looked without a shirt. After a couple minutes the pressure turned to incessant buzzing and I winced, trying vainly to throw up mental walls. I was now aware that it was someone trying to speak to me but my thoughts had grown so muddled that I couldn’t focus enough to have a mental conversation. After another moment, the voice left my mind and I relaxed.

Maria’s voice dragged me out of my drunken stupor as the song, “A Girl Worth Fighting For” came on. I stood up in a rush, staggering slightly as I clambered back onto the table. Maria stood up next to me and we began a duet. I could barely remember the words at this point, save for the chorus, but I didn’t have a care in the world. I tried to pretend I was Mulan bravely charging into battle.

Mid-way through the song, I heard the front door open. My brain and Wolf registered the noise but I continued to stare at the bright T.V. screen as I sang. Beside me, Maria paused in her karaoke and turned to face the visitors so I was left to sing a solo.

“What do we want? A GIRL WORTH FIGHTING FOOORRR!” I cried, raising my hands in the air. I quickly became aware that Maria had my arm in a vice-like grip and was tugging on it.

Frowning in puzzlement, I turned to follow her line of sight. I gulped and stared at the culprits that dare intrude on our karaoke.

Standing near the front door, looking completely perplexed, were Maria’s parents. Standing behind them, tall, imposing and beautifully handsome as usual, was the last person in the world I wanted to see. Gabriel.

And he didn’t look happy.

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A/N: Thank you all for the overwhelming response on the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one. For once, I infused a tiny bit of lightheartedness in the story. I thought you all would appreciate it. Obviously, a ton of your questions regarding Gabriel and Eva have not been answered yet. Prepare for a pretty intense interaction between Skylar and Gabriel next chap, and it should clear most things up for you.

I’m sorry that I am so far behind in my inbox messages and reading your stories. I’ve been quite busy and honestly haven’t felt like sitting down and going through everything. Hopefully I will EVENTUALLY get to it all.

Next chapter should be up in about five days as usual.

MULTIMEDIA:

Cover by Meral (if you send me your Wattpad username I’ll dedicate it to you; I couldn’t find you in my inbox!)

Song, 'Lonely' by Christina Perri