Page 18 of The Alpha's Stolen Mate

We lay there for a long time, staring up at the ceiling. Our Mating bond was finally silent, and I could think straight again. The next time I looked at Summer, she was fast asleep. The sight of her resting peacefully in my bed made my throat tighten with emotion. Carefully, I cleaned us up and grabbed an extra blanket from my closet, sliding in beside her.

Still asleep, she rolled over and lay her head on my chest.

I tightened my arms around her and kissed the top of her head. Stroking her hair, I simply enjoyed being next to my Mate.

“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,” I whispered like a prayer and then closed my eyes, hoping that I could find a way to make my words truly possible.

Chapter Six: The Comedown

Summer POV

I woke up in the middle of the night, and the first thing I saw was the sun. It was the painting above Gabriel's bed, but it made me smile, and I snuggled closer to his chest. But as I tried to fall back asleep, my mind began to spiral. Panicked thoughts hit me like well-aimed punches.

Did the pull from our Mating bond lower our inhibitions tonight? Even though making love with Gabriel had felt so right and my heart was bursting with happiness, part of me was thinking that falling into bed so quickly might have been a mistake. Why didn't we just cuddle? Why did we have sex when neither of us had a condom? It would probably be fine, but there was always the slight possibility. And I was still processing being cheated on and breaking up with Axel. My memory of losing my virginity to my Mate would always be tainted by my stupid ex-boyfriend.

It just made matters worse that Axel and Gabriel were so connected. I couldn't spend the night in this house. What if Axel or Gabriel’s parents discovered us in the morning? Not only would it be embarrassing, but would his parents think I was trying to threaten the marriage deal with the Alpha King’s daughter?

And how would the rest of our pack react to Gabriel and I being Destined Mates? I knew about Gabriel's arranged marriage with the Alpha King’s daughter. I hadn't even thought about their marriage deal in the heat of the moment. My dad had told me it was the only way to protect our pack from the Rogue wolf attacks. And he was the Delta of our pack. My father was in charge of our protection. How would it look if his own daughter put everyone's lives at risk? Just the thought of Gabriel being engaged to someone else made my jaw clench and teeth grind, but could I really put my own happiness before the safety of my pack?

Despite wanting nothing more than to spend the rest of the night in the comforting warmth of my Mate's embrace, I needed to leave. There were a lot of things I needed to process and figure out before I was ready to start a relationship with Gabriel. When we were together, it would be for life. We had to start off on the right foot. When everything wasn't so complicated.

With a tremendous amount of effort, I carefully rolled away from him, sliding on my skirt and pulling my tank top over my head. The Mating bond pulsed angrily, wanting me to stay beside him, but I had to leave for myself.

I climbed through the bedroom window and made a plan to text him when I got home, just so he knew I was safe.

With one last look at his peaceful, handsome face, I left.

***

Everywhere I looked was a reminder that today was the start of the rest of my life. The gowns and caps, the rickety stage in front of me, and the white handmade banner strung across the front of the bleachers that said “Congratulations Graduates!” all told the same story.

Excitement for this momentous day should be flooding my body. I should be worrying about tripping when I walk across the stage to receive my diploma. Or I should even be a little teary-eyed because this milestone was bittersweet.

But all I could manage to feel was nauseous.

The hot sun relentlessly beat down on my graduating class as we waited for Gabriel to begin his speech as the president of our senior class. When he walked up to the podium, my heart lurched. It had been a month since we spent the night together, and I hadn't seen him since. Gabriel called the morning after, asking if I was all right. When I told him I needed some time and space to wrap my head around everything that happened, he said he understood and assured me that he was there for me no matter what I needed.

The first two weeks, I mostly spent time with my parents and researched online classes at the college I was accepted to. I didn't know what I wanted to major in yet.Battle strategy seemed interesting because my father had taught me some simple tactics growing up,but mostly, looking through the class descriptions distracted me from the mess going on inside my head.

Every second, the bond between Gabriel and I ached like a painful wound. We texted occasionally, but he respected my need for time to figure everything out.

Annoyingly, Axel tried to message me apologies, saying that he had made a big mistake and that we were meant to be together. Every time my phone vibrated with a text from him, I just rolled my eyes and deleted the message. But at least his texts told me one thing: he didn't know about the Mating bond or the fact that Gabriel and I had slept together. The only reason I cared if Axel found out was because it would affect Gabriel's relationship with his brother.

Over the last two weeks, I'd been feeling queasy and fatigued. There was a cold going around the pack, but I thought I was just making myself sick with worry. When I told Gabriel I wasn't feeling well, he dropped off a get-well-soon basket filled with herbal tea, medicine, homemade chicken noodle soup, tissues, and a note that said, “Feel better.” My mom looked at me strangely when she gave me the basket, asking why Gabriel was dropping off presents for me. I told her that it was from Gabriel’s mother. Since Gabriel’s mom was married to the Alpha, that made her the Luna of our pack. She was a caring Luna and treated the kids in the pack like her own. Thankfully, my mom bought my story.

I didn't know how to explain anything that had happened to my parents. The only thing I told them so far was about Axel cheating on me. They asked me if they could go teach Axel an in-depth lesson about how to treat a woman. The offer was tempting, but I didn’t want my parents to get in trouble for injuring a fellow pack member.

If I couldn’t tell my mom and dad about Gabriel, how in the hell would I be able to face the rest of my pack? Could I tell the people who helped raise me that I was going to take away their only chance of protection against the Rogues? Would they understand because Gabriel and I were Destined Mates?

All of my thoughts paused when Gabriel began to speak into the microphone. Honestly, I could barely process what he was saying. My eyes were greedily taking him in. There was a slight curl to his caramel-colored hair poking out from underneath his graduation cap. His voice was confident as he addressed the crowd. But there were dark smudges underneath his eyes, and his hand gestures were stiff and jerky. I'd never seen him act this way before while speaking in public.

Sharp guilt hit me in the stomach like a physical blow. Was he acting this way because of me because I wouldn't talk to him face-to-face? It was one thing to put myself through anguish, but I'd never want to cause Gabriel any kind of pain. And why was I avoiding him? I wasn't solving any of my problems this way. Maybe if I talked to Gabriel, we could find a way to be together that didn't put our pack in danger.

When Gabriel’s speech was drawing to a close, he looked directly at me.

“Remember, no matter how overwhelming life gets and how alone you might feel, we are a family. You are never alone as a member of the WaterLock Pack.” Everyone who went to Brindle Creek High was a member of our pack. “So, if you ever need help or just a friend to talk to you, I'm here.” He raised his eyebrows and gave me a subtle nod. After a moment, he tore his gaze away from mine and looked throughout the crowd. “And make sure to be there for each other,” he added as an afterthought.

As everyone clapped, I nodded back at Gabriel, and the smile that bloomed across his face gave me the first feeling of hope I'd had in a month.

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