Page 6 of Fractured Fang: Omega

“Many packs came together and helped us rebuild. It was quite a feat.” Wilder spoke with pride.

“That’s amazing,” Gabe said.

“So, Gabe, your parents haven’t told us too much. Can you tell us about you?” Kate asked. I wanted to kiss her. She always had been my favorite of the three adopted witches we had.

Gabe laughed nervously and ran a hand through his hair. “Not much to say, just looking forward to seeing how I can help here.”

“That’s my boy.” Edith smiled, and my wolf started to rise.

I needed to get out of there before Wilder saw how close to losing it I was.

“Speaking of helping, I need to check on one of the cows.” I didn’t even give people time to respond or to ask what the animal might need, instead getting up and pushing in my chair. “It was a fabulous meal, and great to meet you, Gabriel.” I wouldn’t call him Gabe until he asked me to. Something told me that wasn’t a nickname he picked, instead of picked for him.

Once outside, I walked to the barn, shucked off my clothing, and took my fur. My wolf was determined to go back to the house and see our mate. I wanted that too, but now was not the time.

No. Run.I pushed him down enough that he wouldn’t be able to control our movements and took off into the woods.

I pushed my wolf hard, forcing him to run to the far side of the territory and then begin a perimeter run. If I was going to be out here, I might as well be productive since, apparently, that was all that mattered. Oh yeah, I needed to get this energy burned off and cool down before I ended up having words with Edith and Phillip, words I couldn’t take back.

Time ticked by as I circled the territory, not once, but two times, the first as fast as I could, the second more slowly, more methodically. I wanted the perimeter safe in a way I hadn’t before, and I was a stickler for safety. Now that Gabriel was here, it somehow mattered more.

Back at the barn, I tried to shift. My wolf refused. He wasn’t ready to be in our skin again, and I probably wasn’t either. But it was more than that. He had a destination in mind.

Where?I asked him.

Bridge.

It wasn’t until we reached the bridge that I understood his desire. Standing there was Gabriel… our mate.

Chapter 4

Gabe

Mymatewalkedtowardme over the bridge, and I couldn’t help the smile that split across my face and the happiness that bubbled up inside me. His wolf was stunning. Even if he hadn’t been the one fate put on this earth for me, I’d have thought so. His coat caught the moonlight just right and almost sparkled.

A mate. Fate saw me worthy enough to give me a mate. He was mine, and from the short amount of time that I got to be around him, I knew he was a good man. He had the respect of his entire pack, including my parents. Macs was nothing like the human man who had tried to claim I was his.

Macs was an alpha worth having. He walked forward, and I kneeled until we were nose to nose, with him still in his wolf form. He licked at my cheek, and I laughed, then ran my fingers through his fur. It was soft and incredibly thick. I almost couldn’t reach his skin.

I wanted to cuddle with him, curl up in a ball and pretend that there was nothing but the two of us in this world and all was right. Only it wasn’t right, and it wasn’t just the two of us. Ignoring the rest of the world might’ve been feasible if I’d found him years ago, but now? Now things were just too complicated for that.

“You can go ahead and shift,” I said. “If you want.” I stood up and took a step back, giving him room.

He shifted to his skin quickly, then faced toward the bridge's railing. “It’s not going to be easy standing here naked in front of my mate,” he said with a smile.

“I suppose that makes sense. We can go back and get clothes for you.” Not that I wanted to cover his skin with anything but my own body.

He shook his head. “I can keep control of myself,” he said. As if I had any doubt of that. He wasn’t an alphahole. Nothing about him gave me the warning I had one time ignored from another. Macs was different—better.

We were quiet for a moment, unsure what to say to one another. I didn’t mind. Just being in Macs’s presence was enough to have my wolf feeling content for the first time in I couldn’t remember how long. Too long, that was for sure.

“So,” I began, “we’re mates.”

He smiled at me. His eyes were bright with happiness; it mirrored my own, and he gave a subtle nod. Did he think I hadn’t sensed it, that I hadn’t known from the second his scent of cardamon and grass tickled my nose that my world shifted on its axis?

“We are.” His words filled me with hope.

I laughed. The small giggle bubbled up in my chest and became a joyous laugh. We were mates. Both humans and beasts recognized it as so. Mates.

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