[GABE]
"Hey sis," a voice interrupted Gabe's line of thoughts, as if to remind him of how fucked he was with the Belova siblings. He knew that things were going to get harder, but until Tamiko allowed their bond, Gabe knew that he had to be himself.
"Nice of you to finally show up. I don't even know why your sister insisted on me staying here when you came to her. It's not like there's anything special about the day and having one Belova sibling being forced on me, no?
"Don't tell me I gotta deal with you too," Gabe said coldly to Dany who just looked at the man as if to ask him if he was being serious about whatever the fuck he was doing right now.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I expect you to be a responsible alpha, since I'll be your beta," Danny said like it be the most normal thing. He had no time to deal with Gabe and frankly, right now there was only one person on Danny's mind, other than his mate.
His brother, Tamiko.
"Oh great, lucky me. If you'll excuse me, I have an outcast to torment, and a pack to run," Gabe said as he got up, ready to go after Tamiko, for very different reasons than to torment the man, and instantly, the Belova siblings stood right in front of him, stopping him.
"Come again—" Galya began, threateningly.
"Tamiko isn't here to stop me, so trust me, if you lay a finger on him again, I will be your worst nightmare," Danny said coldly like he had been waiting for this moment If he could, he would have punched Gabe back into the shadows, but that was just not possible at the moment.
"Jeez, you two can't take a joke," Gabe said as he sat back down while the siblings were glaring at him, daring him to go after Tamiko, and today of all the days.
As he looked at the fiery siblings, Gabe couldn't help but let out a smile.
At least Tamiko had people in his corner who would cross the ocean on foot for him. That thought made Gabriel happy because this time, he did have to break character and care openly for Tamiko.
"We'll see you at dinner," Galya added angrily as she walked away with her brother following after her, leaving a frustrated Gabriel seated back at the assembly square.
Now that he was alone, Gabe knew he couldn't outrun fate. There were so many things that came with the mating bond and he also knew that the longer he and Tamiko were apart the more frustrating their bond would get and one of them would have to fold.
Gabe was more than willing to fold but he also knew that Tamiko would leave his ass hanging dry for everyone to see, so he had to think. Maybe if he was a good alpha for the next year, Tamiko would believe he changed.
Maybe if he made the rules a bit better and convinced his father to change some of the oppressive rules, things would get better between them, right? Oh, but Gabe had so many worries, most of which he wasn't even sure he was ready to face just yet.
It was all so hectic but maybe when all of this was done and dusted he would be able to look back and say that things were alright. And with that, the young Grealor sat back as he watched his people work around.
He was studying, appreciating all that was happening. Thankfully, the assembly grounds were a little higher and gave him a good view of the Grealor pack.
'Someday, Tamiko. Someday I'll fight for us, but until then, I guess I gotta stay a monster, love,' Gabe thought to himself, careful not to speak the words out loud to avoid more chaos than there was already, even when he couldn't embrace the man today.
******
'Who am I?' Tamiko asked himself for the tenth time since he had left the assembly square. Knowing that he was a lycan, wasn't enough for him, because that raised more questions. It made him wonder how the hell he had found his way as an infant into this damned pack.
He had grown up a kind man, one who was considerate of the others and yet the pack he had survived in, had kept him on leash, battling and gambling with his destiny like he didn't mean shit.
And Tamiko knew that because he didn't mean anything to Grealor, he surely had to have a home in Kawai.
For the first time since he had found out that he was a lycan, Tamiko wondered what it would be like, to run off and go to Kawai.
He wondered if there was anyone who knew of him, or even someone who could explain to him what he was doing on this side of the world away from home.
'Maybe if I run away, they won't notice right?' Tamiko thought again and this time, he felt the intense urge to run away from Grealor.
He hadn't forgotten about his vengeance, but even just for a moment, he wished that there was a palace that he would belong to. He wished that there was a different lifetime when he wasn't hated like the Grealor wolves hated him.
He just wanted to be loved and to meet different people. He wanted to know what home was like and for a moment, as Tamiko stared into the woods, he considered giving in to the strong urge.
Kawai was a two-day journey, and that was if Tamiko had a horse. But with just his abilities, he wasn't sure how long it would take him. Horses were fast and Tamiko didn't have a horse.
All he had was nothing, not even a bed to lay in.
He was sick of everything Grealor and as he kept staring between the woods and Grealor, Tamiko figured he could take a chance. He knew that he was being irrational and knew that this wasn't going to end well for him.
But then being the lycan who never really had a sense of belonging, Tamiko knew that he didn't have anything else to lose. His friends were Grealor elites, and that meant that they could handle themselves.
His mate was the alpha of the dumb pack and Tamiko was sure that Gabe would treat the Belovas nicely and differently. But was that supposed to give him comfort?
Was that supposed to make him feel any better?
Was that supposed to make him expect life to be kinder to him?
Sighing defeatedly, Tamiko decided to take a chance and see his home. He figured if he would die, he could as well die near his people. Maybe he was a lowly lycan without anything to hold onto.
Maybe he was just another lycan from the mines, but at least if he made it to Kawai, he would be home. Lycans were immortal and he didn't mind having an immortality filled with pain, as long as he was home.
But would home really accept him?
"Forgive me for this," Tamiko said as he shifted into his grey lycan for the first time, and ran off in the direction of Kawai, but not before he heard a gasp of shock.
But even that didn't stop him.