Damn it, where did she go? I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight. If anything happens to her, I will kill someone. I can’t believe the little vixen has such nerve. She is going to be a great mate. She is so full of fire. And it turns out she is good at giving me the slip. That could come in handy if she is ever noticed by another pack of wolves.
I was happy for a minute. I turned on the radio and sang along to the songs. I would go to the next town over and look for furniture. It was only a thirty or forty-minute drive. He wouldn’t find me there.
Jack drove all over town looking for her truck and didn’t see it anywhere. I was growling mad. How could she just disappear? I pulled out my cell and called Elliot in case she had gone back to the house.
“Hello”
“Elliot is Gabi there?”
“No, sir. I thought you were with her?”
“I was but she gave me the slip. If she should show up, call me and let me know. I am going to keep looking for her. It isn’t safe for her to be alone unclaimed.”
“Will do. I hope you find her. We took a short break and did a perimeter search today. We came across other tracks and scents. There is definitely another wolf pack close by.”
Elliot hated that his father the Alpha of their pack wanted Gabi for his mate. Elliot saw her first. Elliot had more wet dreams since meeting Gabi than he had ever had in his life.
“That is what I was afraid of. From now on we keep someone posted around her place. I don’t want her left unprotected for anything. Elliot, I believe she is my soul mate. I haven’t had a chance to get close enough to her to explain things yet, but I am pretty sure of it. I feel it whenever I touch her. My wolf is pacing, ready to claim her.”
Just great, he thinks she is his. Well, what if she isn’t? What if she could be my mate? Elliot thought all kinds of things he didn’t say aloud.
“That is fantastic. Congratulations, Sir. I will give the orders before she gets back. I will set it up so that at least two of us are somewhere close by at all hours.”
Jack knew his son. Something was bothering him. But when he had asked Elliot earlier, he wouldn’t say anything. But there it was again in his voice. Could it be that he had thought about going after Gabi for his own? Could his pup have feelings for the human woman? No matter, she was his mate not his sons.
“Thank you. I am going to keep looking for her. Surely she didn’t go out of town just to get away from me.”
“I hope not, that might be really dangerous for her. The pack we scented isn’t from here, I don’t think. They can’t be too far from around here if they’re hunting in the woods here.”
“No, that they can’t.”
We hung up and I drove around town a couple more times. When I decided it was no use I headed back out to her house. I would stay there till she got back. Then I was going to lay into her. She would never do this to me again.
Not knowing if she was safe was driving my wolf crazy. I might have to shift and go for a long run while I waited for her to get back.
Gabi found a couple of furniture stores. The first one had pretty stuff, but it wasn’t put together very well if you looked at it closely. The second place seemed cheaper yet better quality.
“Are you finding everything alright?” A salesman asks her.
“Yes, thank you. Tell me, do you deliver?”
“Oh yes. Anywhere in the state.”
“All right then, I want to order some furniture. I don’t know exactly when I will be ready for it to be delivered because I am having my floors redone as we speak. But I need a whole house full of furniture.”
The young salesman smiled. He could see a good commission in his future. He told me to give him a second and he would grab his notepad, then I could show him what I was interested in.
He followed me around the store writing down everything I wanted. First, I picked out a living room set. A couch and two recliners. Then a coffee table with matching end tables.
I made mental notes as I walked through the furniture store. Note to self, need lamps.
I picked out a kitchen table with six matching chairs. It would go perfect in the kitchen. I was thankful for the big rooms in my little house.
Next, I looked at bedroom furniture. I found a bed that was made of wood post. It looked rustic. I thought it would go well with the log cabin look. I found a cedar chest to go at the end of the bed. I would use it for storing blankets in. I ordered two sets, one for my bedroom and one for the spare bedroom.
By the time I was done, I had everything I needed for my house furniture wise. I was so excited to see what it looked like in the house. I made arrangements for delivery. I would call when I was ready for it.
When I paid for it all I wondered if I had gone overboard. But while I had the money, why not get what I needed.
On the way back into my hometown, I stopped off and looked at lamps. I went with two blue lamps that had gold trim. On them were pictures of running horses.
Then I looked at sheets and blankets. I only had my sleeping bag. I ended up buying a couple sets of sheets and two comforters. That would give me a set for each bedroom.
I stopped at the burger place and was ordering myself dinner when the men who were working on my house came in. At first, I thought I was safe. I didn’t see him with them.
Elliot spotted Gabi before he walked in the door. He saw her through the window. He called his alpha and told him where she was. Jack told them to keep an eye on her.
“Will do.”
Elliot went over to her table and sat down. He stared at her for a moment not sure if he should say anything about her running off or not.
“Did you get the walls done today?”
“Yes, we did. Your house is looking much more like a house now. We even got most of the flooring down. We still need to do the bedrooms. But the kitchen and living room along with the bathroom are done. I like the flooring you picked out. It really added charm to the house. I can’t say it looks like it would have, originally, but it does look nice.”
“Yeah, I guess I sort of got off the track somewhere. I had originally planned for it to look like it originally would have, but the more we did the more ideas I had. I ordered my furniture today. All I have to do is call them when I am ready for it to be delivered. I can’t wait to see what it looks like with furniture in it.”
“That will make a difference I am sure. I really like your kitchen the way it looks with the island. You will have room to cook for an army if you want.”
“You mean like all of you men if I so chose? Maybe once we are done, I will cook dinner for all of you. I haven’t had the opportunity to cook much. It will be fun.”
“I would like that. I am sure they would too. Where did you get your furniture from?”
“I drove over to Clifton. I tried to get it here, but I had this... thing that was bothering me, so I had to leave town. I think in the long run I got better stuff.”
“You left town?”
Why did he seem alarmed? Elliot seemed really angry. What was his deal? What is up with the men in this group? They all acted as if they owned me. I didn’t like it one bit.
“What if I did? I am an adult. I go where I want when I want. You’re just like Jack, you act as if I am not old enough to go out on my own. I have got news for you I have been on my own a very long time and have done just fine.”
I could tell I made her angry. Well, too bad I thought. The rest of the pack pulled tables up to her table and made themselves comfortable. She looked at them all as if she was ready to scream at them.
“I think I will tell the waitress I want my food to go. Excuse me.”
Before I could get up, I felt a hand on each of my shoulders. I knew immediately who it was without looking at him.
“You were a very bad girl today Miss Cross. Here I was trying to keep you safe and you went and ran off alone. I won’t have you putting yourself in danger like that. Now sit. We will eat, then go back to your place. We will talk tonig
ht. And I won’t take no for an answer.”
The way he said it made me sink back into my seat. He sounded as if I said one word, he would rip my head off. He was more than angry at me. But what was his problem? Danger? Wait, what did he say about me being in danger?
“I wasn’t in any danger. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have any enemies. Unlike you, I don’t go out of my way to make people hate me.”
“I know you don’t know what I am talking about that is what we need to talk about. It will wait till we are alone. It isn’t safe to talk about it here. Too many humans.”
HUH? What did he mean to many humans? What was he talking about? Now I was getting this weird vibe that made me think he was crazy.
“What do you mean to many humans? You talk like you’re not human. We’re all humans here.”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he ordered his dinner. He sat beside me so close he was almost touching my leg. I tried to scoot my chair over, but he put his hand on the back and held my chair in place.
“Look, I don’t know what your problem is, but I have had about enough of you. Let go of me and my chair. I am going home. I can’t eat with you here. My stomach is already churning.”
I wanted to laugh, knowing exactly what was wrong with her. It was the call of my wolf. She was my soul mate. She just had to be, the way she was feeling things. I felt it too.
I didn’t move an inch. She tried a couple more times to get up. I simply put my hand on her leg and forced her to stay seated.
“You will eat dinner with me. Then we will go to your place and talk. That is the end of it.”
Without another word I sat still. I couldn’t make a scene in my favorite restaurant. Well, I could, but didn’t want to. Once we got out of here, I was going to let him have it.
Chapter 8
He took his sweet time eating. Then ordered dessert. He was trying my patients. After nearly an hour he was finally done eating. He spoke to his men for a minute, then they got up and left.
“Shall we my dear?”
He stood up and reached out a hand to help me up. I nearly spit in his hand. I shoved my chair back out of the way and stood up on my own. I started for the door, and he pulled me to a stop.
“Didn’t you forget something?”
What could I possibly have forgotten?
“I need to pay for dinner. Don’t worry, I will get yours as well. Come now, let’s go pay so we can get home. We have much to discuss.”
Boy did we! Just wait till we get outside. I didn’t care who was watching. I had half a mind to knee him and take off running. Sure, once he got his equilibrium back, he would follow, but I would feel good for a minute.
I put my arm around her lower back and guided her to the cash register, then pulled out my wallet. While I was going for my credit card, she was inching her way to the front door. I knew she was going to try and run.
“Miss Cross, I wouldn’t if I were you. Like I said, we will go back to your house and talk, together. Meaning I am going to drive you home. If you look outside your truck is gone.”
What? But how, I had the keys? I went to the window and looked out. Sure enough, my truck was gone. Damn him! Oh, would I get even with him.
“Who took my truck? I have the keys. How did they take my truck? Should I be calling the police and reporting it stolen?”
“It will be at your house when we get there.”
That was all he said as he signed his name on the receipt. Then he nodded and smiled at the waitress. He had left her a very nice tip. She smiled back at him thankfully.
I took hold of Gabi’s hand and started leading her out the door. Once we were outside and in the parking lot, she yanked her hand out of mine. I turned to say something to her, and she kneed me as hard as she could.
Being a man or a wolf, it still got the message across. I went down to my knees grabbing hold of my jewels. I was saying all kinds of choice words.
Gabi felt good. I smiled down at him. There take that I thought. Then I started walking back inside the restaurant, I would see if someone would give me a ride back to the house. I would offer to pay them.
I recovered before she could reach the front door. I grabbed her and pulled her to a stop. I was growling at her.
If I didn’t know better, I would think he sounded like some kind of wild animal. I looked up at him and even seen his lips curled back in a snarl.
What the hell?
“If you ever do that again, I will bend you over my knee and paddle that cute ass of yours. I won’t take that kind of treatment from you or anyone. Do I make myself clear?”
“Then don’t try to force me to do things I don’t want to do. I don’t know who you think you are, but if you try to make me do what you want again, we are going to have a huge problem more so than we do now.” I was yelling at him.
That is what she thought. Instead of arguing with her I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder and ran to the truck. She was screaming and hitting me in the back. I opened the driver’s door and pushed her onto the seat, then got in and started the engine. Before she could get out the other side, I had already started driving down the road fast. Too fast for her to jump out of the moving truck.
She cussed me up one side and down the other all the way back to her house. Once there she jumped out of the truck and raced into the house. She tried to shut the door, planning on locking me out, but I was too quick. I had my foot in the door before she could slam it shut.
“Gabi, I said we were going to talk, and I meant it. Now let’s go in and have a seat on the floor. I have things to explain to you that you need to hear.”
If looks could kill I thought. She was so precious. But when she looked that mad, she was downright adorable. I smiled at her and she pushed her way past me.
I waited till she sat down, then I sat in front of her, so she had to look at me. She sat with her back to the wall and her arms crossed over her chest. I sat with my back toward the door. I couldn’t let her run out before I told her everything.
“Where to start. I know what I am about to tell you is going to make me sound insane, but I assure you what I am going to tell you is all true. I will even prove it at some point if you like.” I looked at her to see if she was listening. She was staring daggers at me. I tried not to laugh, but it was hard. She was just so damn cute.
“Gabi, I am a werewolf.”
I waited for her reaction. Wait for it. Wait for it. There it was she was laughing so hard she nearly peed her pants. She was really having a good time with this.
“You want me to believe that you’re some mythical creature that comes to life in movies? That you’re some kind of animal that howls at the full moon? Have you lost your freaking mind!” Now she was just mad.
“No Gabi, I haven’t lost my mind. I am really a werewolf. And for your information we don’t have to turn on the full moon. We can turn any time we wish to. We just don’t do it in front of humans. That is, unless they’re our mate.”
“Your what?”
“Mate. My other half. That’s you. You’re my soul mate. My other half that the earth Goddess has given me. We are born to be together. We will complete each other.”
She got up and started for the door. I was in front of her before she got there. She wasn’t going anywhere till she believed me.
“I want you to go. Get out of my house. I will call Elliot and tell him you need help. Maybe he can take you to a doctor or something. You really need help tonight if you think you’re a werewolf.”
Damn, just when I thought I was going to fall for him. He makes me crazy. He is better looking in more ways than one. Don’t go there Gabi, you heard him, he thinks he is a werewolf. He’s nuts. Crazy even.
She was looking around for something. Probably something to hit me with. I watched her patiently. Then I saw her go for the phone, she had laid on the floor beside her purse.
“I am going to call someone to come get you. Just sit down and give me a
minute. I know you’re not feeling good. Just give me a second to get you some help.”
I watched with my arms crossed over my chest as she dialed who I presumed would be Elliot. She seems to have faith in him. Which makes me mad.
To think of her having feelings of any kind for one of the pack males is enough to make me want to kill them. If I ever see one of them touching her, I will kill them! My son included.
My wolf was so close to coming out and running ramped. I was angry with Elliot for getting so close to her. I was angry with her for going to Elliot when she had a problem instead of me. I was angry with my wolf who wanted to claim his mate right now!
I would have to take a long, cold shower after taking a long run through the woods once I left her. If I left, her tonight. Maybe I should just claim her and get it over with. But no, I couldn’t do that against her wishes. No, she would have to agree to be my mate before I would let my wolf claim its mate.
Gabi called Elliot. He didn’t pick up for several rings. When he did, he was out of breath. She asks if everything was all right. He said he had just been romping with his brothers.
“Is everything all right Gabi?”
“No, actually it isn’t. Elliot, I think you need to come help Jack. He seems to have… he thinks… I think he needs help. Can you come get him?”
“Gabi you’re not making any sense. Has he been attacked?”
“Attacked?”
“Yes, has another wolf attacked him?”
“Oh God, not you too. Elliot, do you think you’re a werewolf too? Have you all gone mad? Do I need to call the hospital to see if they can help your whole family?”
My son was laughing at her. I could hear Elliot laughing. I could feel the anger rolling off Gabi. I saw her look at the phone, then hang up and start calling someone else. I had to stop her.
I was across the room and had her phone out of her hands before she even saw me move. I had hung up the call. Then she watched as I pocketed her phone.
The Trouble With Two Alpha's Page 6
