Chapter 8

((EDITED 5/17/2016))

(A/N at the end this time!)

~ ~ ~ A Couple Hours Earlier ~ ~ ~

Maria's POV

I glared mutinously at my father, our dark eyes locked in a silent standoff as we mentally argued.

You need to stay here, Maria, he was insisting. You've been looking for Skylar all night and now the others are searching the city. It's your turn to rest. You look exhausted.

I don't give a crap if I look tired! I snapped furiously. She's my best friend, Dad. I don't care if I have to search for a week without sleeping.

Our pack is taking shifts. Do you not trust her father and Will to find her?

They've been searching all night without rest, Dad! They aren't taking any breaks!

He sighed, closing his eyes briefly and running his hand through his dark hair. I knew that my father, as pack Beta, was trying to avoid causing a panic while keeping everyone rested and on full alert. For all we knew, an attack on our pack was imminent if one of our own had been kidnapped. My father was right to be cautious, and he was even more so when it came to me. I had been searching all night with no luck. We could find no trace of her scent anywhere. After a while, Alpha Brett commanded that Anne, Jake, and I return with a report and others would take our place searching. Skylar's father, of course, had been in the city since we first reported Skylar missing and he refused to return to the pack until she was safe. Will had somehow avoided being called back to the village and was still searching alongside Skylar's father.

I knew I couldn't rest, either. I was physically exhausted from lack of sleep but my mind was on constant alert. I couldn't help but feel that something bad had happened to my best friend and I couldn't allow that to happen. So here I was, stuck arguing with my father about letting me leave and rejoin the search party.

"Dad, please!" I finally spoke out loud. We were in Alpha Brett's house and there were others conversing nearby but I didn't care at this point. "I won't be able to sleep. And maybe they'll need my help. It's a big city." Well, a big city when you were trying to find one she-wolf, I thought.

My father clenched his jaw and looked down. I could tell he was close to caving. I noticed that Alpha Brett had finished his conversation and was coming to stand next to my father. I hoped they wouldn't gang up on me.

"She'd do it for me, Dad," I added quietly, knowing it was true. Skylar would not hesitate to look for me until she collapsed with exhaustion, if our situations were reversed.

My father glanced at Alpha Brett, and the two appeared to be having a silent conversation. After a moment they turned back to me and my father opened his mouth to speak but Alpha Brett suddenly froze, holding up a hand. His eyes became unfocused as he paused, listening to something in his head. I shifted from foot to foot, itching to Shift into wolf form and return to the search.

"Her father just contacted me. Skylar sent him a message. It was brief but she sent him a picture of what she could see. It won't narrow it down much but it'll help. I'm going to pass it along to all of the searchers, including you, Maria." The Alpha said. I felt a rush of hope.  Any hint was helpful at this point and it sounded like he was going to let me return to town.

I closed my eyes as I felt the touch of a mental contact. I opened my mind, receiving the image that Alpha Brett was sending. It was somewhat fuzzy, having been passed through Skylar's father, but it was better than nothing. There wasn't much to see in the mental image but from what I could gather, it looked like some sort of warehouse. I tried to memorize the layout and color of the surrounding buildings outside of the room Skylar was in.

I reopened my eyes, feeling a surge of nervousness. Her location had not seemed pleasant, and I could only hope she was okay.

"Maria, I know you want to help, so I'm going to authorize your return to the search team." Alpha Brett tossed a look at my father, who hesitated before nodding. "We need all the help we can get, Jack, and knowing your daughter she'll go either way." My father gave a wry smile.

I gave him my thanks before turning to leave. I wasn't going to bother changing clothes or eating before resuming the search.

My father and the Alpha followed me outside.  It was still morning, the sun slowly ascending in the sky, and I could not believe we had searched for so long (all night and early morning!) without finding her. I felt like a horrible friend. Skylar's scent had still been fresh when we noticed her missing, so it had been within thirty minutes after her departure that we followed her, but I felt terrible nonetheless. I wish I'd have stuck by her side all night, especially knowing what she was going through.

We'd found her shoes, tossed aside in an alleyway. That was where her scent had dead-ended. The smell of human blood had hung thickly in the air, with a decent puddle of it on the ground, and I'd suspected that was what drew Skylar out there, to make sure the human was okay. However, we'd seen no signs of humans anywhere. No bodies, despite how much blood was on the ground.

The most curious part had been the blood caked on Skylar's shoe. It wasn't hers, and it wasn't human. I had no idea who it belonged to, and that was a frightening thought.

I swallowed hard, trying to rein in my emotion. Skylar must have felt so lost and abandoned, especially since her father hadn't been able to contact her mentally. Surely she would know we weren't giving up.

I stopped abruptly when I heard a low snarl come from Alpha Brett behind me. I spun around to see a frighteningly angry expression contorting his features. My father looked confused, glancing around to see what the problem was before looking at Alpha Brett for an explanation.

"That bastard," Alpha Brett was seething.

"What?" I asked, bewildered.

"Border patrol just notified me that...Gabriel..." he spit out the name, "is on our territory. Requesting to see me. He's almost here already; how he made it so far before they detected him, I don't know, but they are escorting him here. Apparently he felt excruciating pain coming through his link with Skylar and he came right away."

I felt a strange mix of emotions then. Worry, for Gabriel was a frightening individual and his appearance would surely cause trouble. Horror, because of the 'excruciating pain' that he felt; they hadn't even mated, so the pain must have been intense. Mates could feel each other's every emotion and thought once they completed the process, but before the Claiming, only the most intense emotions and physical pain could be shared between them.

I also felt a surprising amount of relief. Gabriel was the most powerful wolf I'd ever been around, surely he could help us find her. If he was coming all this way that meant he cared about her, right?

I then realized that he'd made the journey all the way from his pack village to the heart of our territory in half of a day. It was normally a day's journey between the two villages, which meant he'd been traveling incredibly fast to get here. That reassured me even further, and I was begrudgingly impressed with his speed.

"We have less wolves patrolling today because of how many are searching for Skylar; that's probably why they took so long to scent and catch up to him. What are you going to do?" My father was asking, his brow furrowed.

"I don't want him on our territory," Alpha Brett growled. "Although I'm not sure I can stop him. By law he is allowed to request my presence."

"He might help us find Skylar," I added, nervous about his reaction. His eyes focused on me.

"...perhaps," He admitted begrudgingly. Dislike was evident in his expression. I couldn't blame him, but our pack member had to come first.

"We can't exactly attack him, anyways," my father said bitterly. "Not without risk of his pack's reaction." As horrible as the truth was, the Black Mountains Pack was a lot stronger than us. We couldn't afford to anger them.

The two began to converse about Gabriel, swiftly walking in the direction that I assumed the Alpha would be coming from. I followed without permission. I may not like the wolf, based on what he and his father had done to our pack over the years, but he was Skylar's Mate and we needed help. If she was in pain her Wolf would need his presence, and we had to put her before pack relations right now. To my surprise, the Alpha and my father let me follow with only a brief stern glance in my direction from the latter. They had more important things to worry about right now and I sure as hell wasn't staying behind when I could be helping my best friend somehow.

Apparently I'd be getting the chance to meet my best friend's Mate up close and personal. I only hoped that he could prove himself worthy of having a Mate like Skylar and help us save her, before it was too late.

---

We stopped in a clearing some distance away and secluded from our pack village. We didn't have to wait long before the unfamiliar scent grew strong. I felt a small flutter of nervousness in the pit of my stomach. The Alpha of the Black Mountains Pack unnerved me. I couldn't even imagine how Skylar must have felt when she discovered that he was her Mate. Perhaps there was some good in him, deep down, if Fate chose him for Skylar. He couldn't be all bad, could he?

He emerged from the trees nearby, flanked by the two wolves on border patrol. I snorted mentally; he dwarfed both of them, and I knew there was absolutely no chance they'd be able to take him in a fight. The Alpha was massive and muscular, a few inches taller even than Alpha Brett, with incredibly dark hair and eyes. I had to admit, for such a cruel asshole, he definitely was good looking. If it weren't for the predatory gleam in his eyes and the animalistic way he moved, he would look more beautiful than dangerous. I, of course, did not feel the type of attraction to him that my best friend did, as my Wolf had absolutely no interest in him. I knew it must have been hell for Skylar, though, whenever she was near him.

I quickly averted my eyes as his dark gaze briefly connected with mine. Jeez, I was ogling the guy's good looks and I wasn't even attracted to him, how the Hell did Skylar resist him? I felt a pang of sympathy for what she must go through every time she was around him. I knew that one day, I'd feel the exact same irresistible physical pull towards my own Mate.

"Where is she?" He spoke abruptly before anyone could address him. I detected an edge of worry in his tone and it was surprising, considering the emotionless way he spoke at the Meeting I had gone to.

"We don't know," Alpha Brett replied shortly. I was surprised he wasn't reprimanding Gabriel for infringing upon our territory; then again, a kidnapped wolf took precedence. I cautiously looked up to see Gabriel's reaction.

"How can you not know?" He demanded, voice harsh. His hands were curled into fists. The two wolves on either side of him looked nervous.

"We have a group of wolves looking for her as we speak." I could tell Alpha Brett was trying to control his anger. "Skylar disappeared outside of a club in the human settlement nearby over twelve hours ago. She recently contacted her father with a brief message, claiming she was kidnapped by vampires and is being held captive."

What? I thought, my gaze snapping to his face. Vampires? Alpha Brett had not said anything about that before. Why did he not look surprised that Skylar was talking about vampires? I'd thought they were a myth!

Then again, humans probably thought we were a myth.

Gabriel's eyes had a deadly gleam in them. "You haven't found her?" He snapped. I felt both wolves stiffen next to me at the implied reprimand. "Then I will go to the settlement. Where is it?" He did not seem surprised by the whole 'vampire' idea, either, just angry.  His expression was unnerving.

Alpha Brett turned to me then, irritation evident in his stance, and I caught my breath. I thought I saw where this was going...

"Maria was with Skylar last. She'-we've- been searching for her but her scent is nowhere to be found. We will send Maria and two other wolves to escort you to the city." It was clear he wanted Gabriel gone as soon as possible.

Gabriel's imposing black eyes were on me again, and I shifted my weight uncomfortably. I could already tell that my father did not like the idea of me going along with Gabriel, but he dare not contradict Alpha Brett in front of another Alpha.

"Then we are wasting time. Let's go," he said coolly, but once again I detected a worried undertone to his words. I could only hope that he could help us find her, because I couldn't shake the notion that her time was running out.

---

Half of an hour later we were sprinting in Wolf form through the woods towards the city. Two other wolves from my pack, Seth and Carrie, had joined us as we raced to the city to meet Skylar's father, Will, and the rest of the search party. I could sense both of their unease and dislike for the gigantic black wolf running alongside us but they hadn't complained. If someone in our pack was in danger, we put them before everything else.

Glancing at Gabriel nervously out of the corner of my eye, my Wolf couldn't help but be slightly awed, which was likely due to the Alpha presence that we still recognized despite being in a different pack. Brett had a similar effect on my Wolf, but he wasn't as imposing as the Alpha next to me. Skylar's Mate had the largest wolf form I had ever seen and it was pitch black in color. I could tell he was slowing his run slightly to accommodate us and it was paining him to do so, but he needed our mental picture of Skylar's location to find her so he kept to our non-Alpha pace. I could see the tension in every line of his form. It must be even worse now that his Wolf was running free. A Wolf would always put their Mate above everything.

At our fast pace it did not take too long to reach the fringe of the trees. Here we had to Shift back into human form; while our mission was important, we couldn't risk exposure of our species for any reason. The four of us each found a tree to Shift behind (which would not have been necessary without Gabriel's presence). Normally I tied my clothes to my ankle, but this time I had carried a pack of clothes on my back, since shoes were required when venturing in the human settlement. I quickly changed, shoving the shoes on my feet hastily before re-emerging. My sense of urgency increased tenfold now that we were in the outskirts of the city and I could see its sheer size. How were we supposed to find her amidst all of the humans' overpowering smell?

A few minutes later we spotted Skylar's dad, Will, and two other wolves awaiting us outside of some random coffee shop. As we approached I saw all four of them stiffen when they saw Gabriel, although Alpha Brett had warned them in advance. Will and the two wolves shifted uneasily, trying to conceal their reactions to Gabriel's imposing presence.

Alexander especially had unease in his expression as he eyed his daughter's Mate. I couldn't blame him.

"Alpha," Alexander greeted him curtly, as using his name would be far too informal.

Gabriel nodded, his eyes holding an unfathomable expression as he examined his Mate's father with renewed interest. I could tell he was sizing Skylar's father up, measuring him.

The tension between my pack and Gabriel crackled in the air. Will's expression was darker than normal, clear dislike in his gaze. Gabriel turned his head slightly as if noticing Will's stare, and Will immediately looked down. He didn't have the gall to look the Alpha straight in the eyes. Hell, neither did I. Gabriel stared at Will a moment longer, eyes slightly narrowed. I furrowed my brow in confusion; was it just me, or did Gabriel seem even more tense now? Had Will's expression irritated him that much?

"Do you have a plan?" Gabriel finally asked, turning away from Will and breaking the taut silence. Alexander nodded, and Will seemed relieved that Gabriel was no longer staring at him.

"We were going to split up into two groups again. Me, you, Maria, and Will are going to take the south side of downtown. The message Skylar sent me said she was somewhere near downtown and it looked like she was in a warehouse of some sort. We've been combing the streets down there but it's a huge area. The others can take the north side, part of which we've already searched." Alexander was holding out a map at this point and outlining the general area. It really was quite large. I only wish she'd been able to contact us sooner, for we'd wasted several hours checking the territory around the city and the outskirts of the city itself, thinking her kidnappers would not want to stay put. However, this many humans served to mask her scent completely. It really was a clever tactic.

Alexander indicated two cars parked on the curb. "We were using these earlier but the traffic is pretty bad downtown. It's actually faster to walk." He reached out his coat pocket and pulled out one last piece of paper. "When she contacted me earlier I had Will research all of the storage units, empty buildings, and warehouses in the city."

I glanced down at the paper; it had started out with dozens of names but over half had been crossed out. "We ruled out those not near downtown and a few that we've driven by. That still leaves several in the general area. Their addresses are marked so that's where we are going." Alexander glanced around the entire group, his eyes finally resting on Gabriel. "Any questions?"

Nobody indicated that they had a question so the groups split and the four of us headed south at a brisk walk. My Wolf wanted me to utilize werewolf speed and I cursed the fact that there were so many humans around, milling about in the streets, smelling of everything from cheap cologne, sweat, gasoline, to various types of food. I wrinkled my nose in distaste.

Will fell into step beside me as we walked towards downtown. I felt the small prickle of happiness that always made itself known when he was near me. Will wasn't my true Mate but I had developed feelings for him the past couple of years. I had never told him, worried about rejection, and I wasn't sure he had gotten over Skylar, as he'd had a crush on her a few years ago. He'd even been her first (and only, as far as I knew) kiss. Skylar had moved on when she didn't feel the sparks but I wasn't sure where Will stood.

"You okay, Maria?" He asked, snapping me out of it. I tried to focus on the task ahead, shaking my thoughts out of my daydreaming.

"Not really," I replied tiredly. "I can't help but blame myself, you know?" I could tell that Gabriel was listening to our conversation from his rigid posture as he walked a few steps in front of us. I would have to be careful what I said.

"It's not just your fault. None of us noticed she'd gone," he said, bitterness in his tone.

"We should have gone out to eat instead. She's not that into clubbing." I sighed, dejected.

"You were just trying to cheer her up..." Will replied, trailing off. We both knew that the cause of her agitation was just a few feet from us. Gabriel's posture had grown even more rigid, if that were possible.

"Still. She wandered off alone and we weren't even paying attention."

"She seemed okay the last time I saw her. She was sitting in a booth across from that random guy and there was a drink in front of her." I tossed Will a warning glance after he said that, not wanting Gabriel to get the wrong idea. One of his hands had curled into a fist as he walked in front of us, causing the rigid muscles to stand out along his arm. It was a very threatening stance; I knew male wolves could get jealous very easily and he was an Alpha, no less.

"Yeah I saw that too but she wasn't even paying attention to him," I quickly added, fibbing a little for Gabriel's benefit.

Will got the hint. "Yeah she's never been interested in that sort of thing," he mumbled. I thought I detected a trace of sadness in his voice but I shot him a grateful smile as Gabriel seemingly relaxed in front of us.

"Still, I think this one's on me. I knew she'd get bored on the dance floor quickly. I should've gone to sit with her."

"If anything, it's on all of us. We all know Skylar has a tendency to wander off." Will grinned as he spoke, and I knew he was talking about that time at the beginning of high school when Skylar got completely lost in the human mall. I missed those carefree days.

Conversation ceased at that point as we approached the first address on the sheet. I noticed Alexander holding a small GPS. He must've bought it in town. We did a cursory scan of the warehouse, taking a few minutes to meander around the buildings surrounding it, but Skylar's father was shaking his head and I agreed. It didn't look right.

We continued our expedition, growing increasingly frustrated as we searched. The next two addresses weren't the right location, either. I tried to keep the picture in my head, memorizing every detail of the doors, streetlights, and even the brick on the side of the building. I threw a glance at Gabriel. He must be extremely frustrated as he didn't even have a mental picture to go by.

I felt the tension quickly escalating as the minutes trickled by. We must've been searching for over an hour and still no luck.

"Dammit!" Will burst out as the next location was a bust, as well. "Time is running out. We don't even know if it's one of these addresses!"

"It has to be." Alexander replied tautly. "We have to trust Skylar's message. She has to be downtown somewhere."

"Well what if her kidnappers forced her to send that message to intentionally mislead us? She could be long gone!"

"I don't think so. To me she sounded like she couldn't send a longer message because she didn't have the energy. Something is blocking her mentally." His green eyes focused on Gabriel. "You said you felt her pain. Did you get anything else?" Alexander's expression was contorted. I knew he didn't want to hear about his daughter's pain.

"Not enough. The mating bond isn't strong enough." I felt the tension increase as Gabriel said that. "I only felt it because it was so strong. I think it came from her neck. A vampire must've bitten her." He tried to keep his voice controlled but I sensed the strain.

Will turned to me, mouthing 'vampires' as a question. I shrugged, not knowing the answer. Alexander had uttered a swear word, rubbing his temples with his hands. Apparently everyone knew about vampires except us, and getting bitten by one was not a good thing judging by Skylar's father's reaction.

"Is she...is it going to kill her?" Will asked, voice shaking slightly.

"A vampire bite won't kill." Gabriel said shortly. I wondered how he knew.

"They could've killed her after they bit her," Will said darkly. I gave him a look, wanting him to shut up. I didn't like to think about Skylar being...I couldn't think about it.

Alexander was shaking his head, but Gabriel spoke first. "She isn't. I would know if she'd died."

Will eyed him suspiciously. "You haven't Mated. You can't be sure." It must have been the exhaustion and worry that was making him speak to an Alpha like that. Will wasn't normally so forward, and I knew he found Gabriel intimidating.

"Don't question me, pup," Gabriel replied coldly, a hard edge of anger in his voice as his eyes flashed. Will looked away, gritting his teeth in fury at the condescending tone, but he had the intelligence to shut up. He was no match for the Alpha and he knew it.

"We're here," Alexander cut it to prevent further confrontation. From his facial expression I could tell the conversation had gotten to him. He quickly turned onto a small, narrow street between two tall buildings. We followed, Gabriel striding ahead of Will and I.

We followed the narrow street for a block or two before making an abrupt right. The streets here were only one-way and the tall buildings looming next to us created an ominous atmosphere. We passed few people as we continued our convoluted trail through the city streets, taking several more turns before Alexander came to an abrupt halt. Gabriel stopped beside him, nostrils flaring.

I felt a flicker of recognition as my eyes fell upon the cluster of small warehouses stretched out in front of us. There were a few small streetlights above, the doors were the same color and style of those in Skylar's message, and the brick was the same mottled, faded pattern.

With renewed urgency we approached the first warehouse. Alexander indicated for us to be completely silent, not that we weren't anyway. He put his ear against the metal garage door, then shook his head as he took a whiff of the air. The buildings were small and we passed two more before we heard a loud roar coming from the warehouse across from us. The roar was quickly followed by a yelp of pain that all of us recognized at once.

"Skylar," I breathed.

My quiet exclamation was drowned out as Gabriel lunged towards the door, a furious sound ripping from his throat no doubt caused by Skylar's pain. The sound drowned out any noise coming from inside as Gabriel grabbed the bottom of the door, yanking it upwards roughly. I winced as the metal grating fell upon my sensitive ears but there was no time to waste as the four of us gathered at the entrance.

Time seemed to stand still for a few seconds as we took in the room's contents.

The first person I saw was Skylar. She was hunched over in a chair in the center of the room, blinking into the bright light. I could tell her hands were bound behind her by her awkward posture. I gasped sharply as I took in her bruised and battered face, the way she winced as she moved. An instant later my eyes slid to the other two creatures in the room, who were huddling back against the far wall of the room, trying to get away from the sunlight.

Vampires. They could be nothing else with their pale faces and protruding fangs. They looked like living corpses with black, soulless eyes.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Gabriel's eyes fixate on Skylar's for a split second before his face contorted with rage. He let out a furious snarl and leapt into the room. I wanted to do the same and tear those vampires apart for hurting my best friend but Alexander grabbed my arm in a tight grip. "Contact the other search party, quick! Tell them to bring the car outside 1800 6th street. They should be nearby, they were searching the other half of town." He hissed in my ear, passing me what looked like a Go-Phone. He must've purchased it knowing we couldn't Shift to wolf form in the middle of the city to mind-link the other searchers. I took it numbly, trying to resist my impulse to rip the vampires limb from limb.

Alexander then hurried over to Skylar, kneeling in front of her, while Will glanced at me then leapt towards the vampires.

I hoped the other search party in the human city was not too far away. I could have mind linked them in wolf form, but obviously I could not do that here. I quickly dialed the number and put the device to my ear, standing there transfixed with the phone clutched in my hand as the scene unfolded. The room seemed to explode with sounds of hisses and screeches. A battle erupted between the two werewolves and the two vampires; there was barely enough space to accommodate all of them.

I could not tear my eyes away from the scene as one of the other werewolves searching for Skylar across town answered the phone, and I quickly gave him the address before hanging up. Judging by Skylar's state she would not be able to walk, and the car was necessary to avoid attracting the attention of the humans while dragging an unconscious girl around town.

An instant before Gabriel leapt on a dark-haired vampire I knew what was coming. The vampire tried to swing at him but the Alpha was far too fast, grabbing the vampire and roughly throwing him against the wall. The force of the collision almost seemed to shake the building. I dimly registered Will's struggle with the other vampire but could not look away from the beat-down that was occurring. Gabriel had pinned the vampire in a blur of motion and was punching the monster repeatedly in the face. Each blow caused the vampire to howl in pain and I swore I heard something crack. The Alpha was merciless, murder in his expression, and I was surprised he hadn't lost control and Shifted into his wolf form despite the danger; perhaps he wanted to witness the vampire's suffering as a human, or perhaps he was just remarkably good at keeping his wits about him. I couldn't help but feel somewhat satisfied that these monsters that had abused Skylar were getting what they deserved.

The vampire's face was completely bloodied now. Gabriel picked the creature up by his neck, a snarl on his face. "Don't kill the other yet!" He ordered Will, who had managed to pin the other vampire against the wall near the corner of the building, although the blonde vampire he had pinned was putting up quite a struggle. Will nodded, sweat beading on his brow. Alexander was still crouched in front of his daughter, shielding her from most of the battle and speaking softly to her.

Gabriel was crushing the vampire's throat. He kicked and struggled weakly, clawing at the Alpha's hand, but to no avail. With a swift jerk Gabriel slammed the vampire's head into the wall, once, twice, three times. Then he released the vampire and it slid to the ground, not moving. There was a dark stain on the wall and I gulped.

Gabriel's dark eyes focused on Skylar hesitantly as he crouched over the vampire, as if to make sure she wasn't watching him. Her father was currently saying something quietly to her and tugging at whatever bound her to the chair. Gabriel looked relieved that she wasn't looking and a second later I figured out why as with one large twist and a disgusting crack, Gabriel broke the vampire's neck. "Move!" He commanded, looking at me, and I just had time to dodge out of the way before the vampire's body came hurtling past. It crumpled onto the ground in a heap and the skin began to sizzle where the sunlight touched. The scent of burning flesh permeated the air and I tried not to gag; it was revolting.

It took mere seconds for the body to catch on fire, then a few seconds more before it disintegrated into ashes completely, leaving a pile of clothes. The sight was disturbing and disconcerting, something I would not soon forget, but I also felt a strong sense of satisfaction that the creature got what it deserved. Nor would I forget the vicious and ferocious way that Gabriel had torn that vampire apart in defense of my best friend.

As Gabriel made his way over to where Will was trying to keep the other vampire pinned, I realized that my father and the Alpha needed a status update. They were a couple hours away, so it would require a bit of concentration, and I quickly turned away from the scene before me, summoning the strength and focusing intently on my father before sending a very quick mental message to him; I was too tired to send anything elaborate. Then, taking a deep breath, I entered the storage room.

Skylar looked half-asleep in her chair, her head drooping. Her father was trying to keep her relaxed and was visually examining her binds, although he was not touching them; upon closer inspection I saw that they were silver chains and she had burn marks on her wrists. I growled furiously, knowing that silver caused a werewolf considerable pain, prevented them from Shifting, and drained them entirely.

"There's a padlock," Her father said, voice tense. "Maria will you look for the key? Search the clothes outside, too." I nodded and did as asked, rummaging through the sack of items on the table while keeping an eye on Gabriel and Will.

"Who sent you?" Gabriel was snarling. He was now pinning the vampire while Will stood nearby. The vampire had no chance to struggle against Gabriel's imposing strength.

The vampire attempted to sneer. "Like I'm going to tell you," he hissed. Gabriel swiftly punched him in the gut and the creature howled in pain.

"Don't make me ask again," The Alpha growled warningly.

"You might as well kill me, I'll die either way, and your stupid little Mate will too if you don't give the Master what he wants," the vampire responded.

A furious sound emanated from Gabriel's chest and he bashed the vampire's head back against the wall. "You don't deserve my mercy, not for touching what's mine," he snapped, repeating the action. I glanced at Skylar as I finished my search and walked outside to examine the pile of clothes. So he was possessive of her, then. That was a good sign. Of course, the fact that he'd come all the way out here for her was obviously a good sign too, and I felt myself dislike him a little bit less.

After a bit of rummaging my hand enclosed on a small brass object and I pulled it out of the pants pocket with relief. I hurried back inside the room and handed it to Skylar's father.

"Bring me a piece of the clothing, too," Skylar's father instructed. "The padlock is silver and I don't want to touch it with my bare hands if I can avoid it." I did as he asked.

I did not watch as Gabriel hit the vampire a few more times before swiftly breaking its neck like he did the other's, but again I felt a twisted sense of satisfaction when I heard the deafening crack. Skylar was no longer conscious and I wondered how much of Gabriel's violent actions she had seen. His treatment of the vampires may have been disturbing, but they totally deserved it, and any Wolf would have acted the same in the defense of their Mate. Hell, I wished I could have gotten a few punches in, although I knew I couldn't have caused the creature half as much pain as Gabriel did. My strength paled in comparison.

Gabriel threw the other body outside to burn in the sun before striding over to us. I watched him carefully, wanting to see how he behaved as he examined my best friend, and saw a look of worry and concern flit across his face, which starkly contrasted with his usual dark expression. Skylar's father, using one of the vampire's shirts to avoid touching the padlock directly, twisted the key and then yanked the padlock off of the chains and let them slide to the floor without touching them. Alexander then stood up and pulled his daughter into his arms. Despite the fact that she was unconscious, I saw her wince and heard her quiet whimper of pain as her body was moved and noticed Gabriel stiffen considerably.

"I'm going to have to work on her when we get back to the pack. I used some of my Affinity to dull her pain and make her drowsy; she has a broken rib. I healed it somewhat so we can move her. I can heal it completely once we're back home. Hopefully she'll sleep the whole way there. We can take the cars and lay her in the back seat." Her father said quietly. He looked drained from the energy he had expended.

"Yes they're on their way," I replied.

Gabriel was standing there, clearly agitated. Staring at Skylar's prone body he slowly held out his arms, then raised his gaze to meet her father's. "I need to hold her. My Wolf...." He began, keeping his eyes on Alexander. I noticed Skylar's father's reluctance as he hesitated. No doubt he didn't want the enemy Alpha holding his precious daughter, and part of me agreed with him, but I also knew that partially because of Gabriel's help, she was alive right now.

And in a time like this, Gabriel's Wolf wouldn't want anyone else touching her, and Skylar needed the touch of her Mate, even if they hadn't bonded. Alexander knew this better than anyone.

It was completely silent for several seconds; Will and I shared a significant look. Gabriel's jaw had clenched and his eyes had darkened. I knew it was nearly killing him to have to ask Skylar's father for permission to hold her.

And it was painful for Alexander to let go of her.

After a few more tension-filled seconds, Alexander hesitantly nodded and passed her into Gabriel's arms. He had to know it was the best thing for her right now, and it was better to avoid angering Gabriel's Wolf. The second they touched Gabriel's eyes darkened even further and a surprisingly tender expression crossed his face. It was so strangely personal that I felt that I was intruding in their moment, and I was forced to look away, wanting it to be as private as possible despite the presence of the rest of us here. Skylar instinctively curled her body to be closer to his, although she was asleep at this point. I thought I saw a jealous glint in Will's eyes before he, too looked away.

Then the four (well, five, if you included the unconscious Skylar) of us made our way to the main street, Gabriel glancing down at Skylar every few seconds, almost as if he couldn't believe she was there.

---

Soon enough the others had brought the two cars and Gabriel was sliding into the backseat with Skylar, ignoring the looks of the others. Some of us would have to run back to the pack house but I refused, sliding into the passenger seat. I had to make sure she was okay.

Alexander got in the driver's seat and looked back at Gabriel. Half of Skylar's body was on the seat and Gabriel was supporting the rest on his lap; Skylar was still curled into him, sound asleep. The Alpha was staring down at her as if they were the only two in the car. Once again I was forced to look away, feeling like an intruder in their private moment, even though she was asleep.

"So you're coming back with us, then? Until she's better?" Alexander asked cautiously.

"I'm not leaving her again," was the curt reply.

"You..." Alexander began but Gabriel cut him off.

"I won't leave her. As soon as she's better, she's going to come live with me."

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A/N: Wow, I got so many comments on the last chapter that I decided to update early! I know it isn't in Skylar's POV, but I thought this chapter would provide some insight into Gabriel's character.

I won't be doing other POVs a lot. It will be Skylar 85-90% of the time, but it's good to occasionally change it up. Let me know what you think?

MULTIMEDIA:

Picture of Alpha Brett >>>>>>>>>>

And the love theme from Star Wars, 'Across the Stars'. Remember I told you guys I'd be putting love themes in when there's Skylar/Gabriel interaction. That theme is good because it mixes romance in with action (plus it's composed by John Williams, my fave!)

Not a ton of interaction between them in this chapter, but there will be next chapter. ;)

COMMENT/VOTE!