Nicole's POV:
I wake up slowly. I open my eyes and realize I am in wolf form. I stretch out my paws and body, readying myself to get up. Then I realize that I am not alone. My eyes dart around looking at my surroundings. It takes me a minute to remember where I am. I feel him stir beside me. My movement waking him up. His wolf yawns.
"Good morning," he says. "How did you sleep?" he asks thoughtfully. "Good morning," I reply back. "I slept well, really well, actually," I admit surprisingly. "I'm glad to hear it," he says. "I think that was the best sleep I have ever had," he admits. "It was so nice not to be alone," he confessed making me smile.
It is still sinking in for me that I have found my mate. What is making me even happier is knowing that he won't be afraid of or intimidated by my father. I smile at that thought. He can't chase this guy away. My wolf, Isabel, chuckles at the same thought. We both can't wait to see the look on his face.
"What is so funny?" Gabriel asks. "I'm just thinking about the look on my father's face when I come home with you," I say. "He definitely won't be able to scare you away," I tell him.
"Why would he want to scare me away?" he asks. "I don't know. It's just what he does. He scares all of the boys away from me," I tell him. "Aww sweetheart," he says. "He is probably just trying to keep the wrong sort of man away from you," he tells me. "I'm not the wrong sort of man, so he should be fine with me, and NO, he won't be scaring me away. You are my mate. MINE!" he growls lowly.
I asked him if he has seen my father. If he noticed him while he was watching me and he told me that he did see him. He told me that I didn't have anything to worry about. My father is strong but nowhere near as powerful as he is. He told me that he didn't have any intentions on fighting with my father unless he tried to come in between him and me. He also told me that he had some ideas about the bears who were attacking my pack and wanted to share those ideas with my father. He believes that he can help my pack.
I was very happy to hear all of that. I wasn't too worried about my father trying to fight Gabriel. It was obvious that he couldn't overpower him. I was happy to hear that he has some ideas about the bears. They have been a nuisance for a year now. It would be great if my pack didn't have to worry about bear attacks anymore.
I could feel the wind blowing into the cavern from where I was standing. I made way over to the small opening so I could try and look outside. I could see the snow coming down hard and the debris on the ground that had been blown down by the wind. It was really bad outside. I really hoped that my father realized it was too bad outside to come and look for me. I didn't want anyone risking their lives to try to find me. It was very cold outside. Even for wolves.
Gabriel tells me that I can put my mind at ease. Nobody is looking for me. My father knows that I am smart and would find a way to take refuge from the storm. He did not send any of his trackers out to look for me. He knew it would be too dangerous to send them out. They have mates too. He is very worried about me, though.
I asked Gabriel how he knows that to be true? He told me he can communicate with Mother Earth and she can speak to the Moon Goddess. He told me that all Yeti can speak to Mother Earth because she is the one who creates them.
He tells me that Mother Earth creates a Yeti when she has something important to protect, like the Fountain of Youth, for example. He said that all Yeti are created male and that not all Yeti have a mate.
He said that some Yeti are perfectly content by themselves and only focus on the task they were given. Some Yeti don't get lonely. If a Yeti does get lonely and wants a mate then Mother Earth will help them to find one.
I ask him how she helps them to find one? He said that Mother Earth will look for a woman who is strong enough to be with us. She usually looks for were-bears, werewolves, witches, or fae/elven folk to make a pairing with.
She has to talk to the Moon Goddess before making a pairing to be sure that the Moon Goddess has not already assigned them a mate. In the case of werewolves, she typically does already have a mate assigned to them. So Mother Earth will seek out a woman who's mate has died and doesn't have a second chance mate.
In my case though, since I am half werewolf, Selene had already assigned me a mate. That mate is you, of course. As the daughter of a powerful Alpha, I am sure she felt you would be strong enough for me.
I smiled at his confession. At least someone thinks I am strong and doesn't need a bunch of bodyguards. " I am your bodyguard," Gabriel growled as if he could read my mind. Could he? I wondered. "Nobody is going to guard that body of yours as well as me," he says in a deep and sexy tone. I giggle as he tries to flirt with me.
He tells me that he is going to claim me soon and give me his mark. He says that we will mate and complete our mating ritual soon. He is just giving me some time to get to know him first so I don't feel uncomfortable. I tell him that I appreciate that but I feel my wolf, Isabel, getting restless again. She wants to run again and she also wants to mate.