[GABE]
Thrice, the bells rang, and thrice, Gabriel Grealor ignored the loud sound of metal clanging against metal. He didn't want to get up from his sleep, he didn't want to face the reality that he had been indirectly rejected by the mate he was given.
He didn't want to tell the world that he was mateless when his mate was right there with him. He wasn't ready for this new phase of his life and he considered telling the truth about his mating with Tamiko to Grealor, but then he had a feeling that it wouldn't end well for them all.
It would definitely be worse for him.
'Why am I even scared of defying him? It's not like he can do shit to me, right?' Gabe thought to himself at the fourth ring.
He knew his father would send warriors to come to wake him up, but even that wasn't as scary as the thought of what Tamiko would do if he went against the agreement. Then again, was it ever an agreement or a warning?
Did he really want to tell the people about his mate only for him to be rejected?
The goddess never gave second-chance mates; so was Gabe really going to risk going against Tamiko?
'But how long will I suffer?' Gabe thought to himself again, as he tried to figure out a way from all this. He didn't know what Tamiko wanted, because no mate would ever stay away from the pull like that.
It was strange and Gabe knew it but was he strong enough to go against his mate's request?
"Gabe, your father is calling for you. The pack has been waiting for five hours now," Zakhar said as he pushed open the door to his friend's room. Everything was still the same. From the trashy state to how they had left it earlier.
Zakhar wanted to say something, but he didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings. Besides, he had gotten a mate and Gabe hadn't. It was clear that it was about to take a toll on Gabe especially given his desire for a mate.
"I'm tired and not in the mood. Besides, why should I tell you all, that I didn't get a mate when you all already know, huh? Or does my father dearest want to rub it in my face that I didn't have a mate and needed to act right?
"Tell him I'm not coming," Gabe said defiantly as his heart hurt at the thought of Tamiko smirking knowingly at him.
He knew Tamiko would be there and he would definitely be at the frontline of the show; not because he was important, but because Tamiko was always there, always the one people lashed out to, always the one who took the hits and who didn't have a 'reason' to be happy.
This time, however, Gabe had a feeling that his mate would be laughing shamelessly at him. It was a luxury he couldn't afford to give the man.
"I don't know how to tell you this but your father, he found your mate," Zakhar said and Gabe just ignored him, turning to face the wall, like it was just another unfortunate day for him. There wasn't much that he would do if the alpha wanted to force a mate on him, right?
'Wait… found my mate?'
At that thought, Gabriel Grealor sat up fast, before he got up and rushed past his best friend who had been waiting for him to come to his senses. The pack house was empty, because everyone was waiting for him, but that didn't matter to Gabriel.
Right now, the only thing he had in mind was the orphaned outcast.
Did his father know that Tamiko was his mate?
Was that why he had insisted on the assembly?
Oh, but Gabe was worried. He knew that if his father gave him to Tamiko, the man would assume defiance, and knowing how much Tamiko despised Gabe, he would definitely do everything in his power to make sure that Gabe never had peace.
If only there was a chance at having second mates, it would have been easier. But then there wasn't, and Gabe, he was in the middle of this.
"Your father, he found your mate," Gabe remembered Zakhar's words and that was all the motivation he needed to keep moving. He didn't care that he was barefoot and probably running like a madman.
He didn't mind being a spectacle to the wolves of Grealor, but one thing was certain.
He was fucked.
'—But if you do, you will lose me. Forever. That will make my life even easier, so go on Gabe. I dare you to tell everyone that I'm your mate. Do it, will you, and save me the agony of seeing your face daily.'
Tamiko's warning was clear as day as it rang in Gabe's mind. He had to stop his father from doing anything. He had to stop his father from giving him to Tamiko, because then it would have been dangerous, for everyone in the pack.
'What if he doesn't give me to Tamiko?' Gabe asked when he reached the assembly where the wolves were waiting. They were looking at him, some with angry faces or the time they had wasted here.
However, others looked at him worriedly, like they weren't sure what had happened to him. Then there was that one man in the crowd, the one who made his heart beat faster than he could have imagined.
The man looked like the light of his day when in reality, he was the dark cloud of anger and vengeance hovering over Gabe. He had beautiful black eyes and hair that had grown longer than they had been the previous day, when Gabe and his friends had cut it off.
That man owned Gabe in every way, his body, mind, and soul, and yet even with all that knowledge, he was smirking at the alpha's son, with a dare in his eyes, a dare so familiar, one that Gabe knew he would have to find a way around.
Then again, Tamiko was not the kind to give in to coercion, so what the fuck was Gabriel Grealor going to do today?
'Why would he give me to Tamiko?' Gabe asked as he walked through the space the crowd had conveniently created for him to pass through.
He could hear their voices, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.
He could see their mouths opening and closing and yet it all sounded like a long whirr of wind, one that was like white noise to him.
Gabriel Grealor made his way to the center of the assembly, where his parents were seated, and patiently waiting for him.
Gabriel knew that his father was pissed and would definitely reprimand him later, but was that ever going to be worse than the rich woody scent that was attacking his nose and dampening his common sense at the moment?
The scent that was so alluring, one that kept on pulling him, and yet at the same time, it was the scent he had to fight so hard not to give in to.
He was at a loss for words.
"Gabriel, how nice of you to join us," Alpha Ashton said when his son finally showed up.
However, in that very moment, Gabriel heard the voice he had never imagined he would hear, and that too, in his head.
'Remember our deal, Gabriel Grealor.'