by Ovidia Pike
“Scream and I’ll kill every last person in that village. I want the witch girls, anyway.”
“What do you want?” I asked, looking around blindly as if somehow I’d eventually be able to see through the bag.
“We want to let you know that we’re watching. We’re all over the village. We have our eyes out, and we’ll know if you don’t mate with Alarick.”
“I am not mating with Gabriel,” I spat. “No.”
I felt someone kick me in the side and I fell over, the man behind me still pinning my hands back. I tried to jerk them away but they were held fast now that he was holding them with both of his, my arms twisted behind me.
“You will,” said the man. “That’s what the real Alpha wants.”
“Yes. She wanted us to tell you that we’re watching, and that she doesn’t like that you’re refusing her request.”
“You won’t actually hurt me,” I said. There was another kick to my side and I gasped but didn’t cry out the way I wanted to.
“We can rough you up a little,” the man said in a nonchalant voice.
“You want me to mate with Gabriel?”
“Yes. It’s your only option. We’ll be watching to make sure that you’re...not avoiding each other anymore. That is unacceptable.”
I swallowed hard.
“Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll do it.”
“You will mate with him?”
“Yes,” I said. “I’ll do it tonight. Don’t hurt anyone.”
“We won’t if we don’t have to. If we catch you splitting up again...”
“You’ll kill everyone. I get it,” I said. “Will you please take this bag off of my head?”
I heard a grunt and then the bag was yanked over my head, my arms released. I looked around and quickly noticed I was surrounded by wolves who just as quickly darted through the forest and away from me; I was unable to recognize any of them.
Chapter 3: Gabriel
I woke up and glanced at the clock to see that it was midnight, and for a moment I thought I had dreamt the knock. Then it sounded again, urgent raps on the door. I got out of bed and glanced through the window to see Sophie standing nervously on the front step.
“What’s wrong?” I asked when I opened the door. She stared at my face, eyes traveling over it before glancing down at my lips.
“Sophie?” I asked as she leaned into me, brushing her mouth over mine.
“What are you doing?” I asked her softly, not kissing her the way I wanted to. Her body trembled, breath coming out in rasps against my mouth. Then she kissed me feverishly, tasting my mouth, and I immediately fell into her, my arms wrapping around her waist. She pushed me inside and to the bed, still shaking, her hands rubbing over my bare chest. She kissed me there, lips tracing my muscles, occasionally pressing kisses to the skin. I had never felt anything so good in my life as she dropped to her knees, looking up at me. I noticed something was wrong immediately. She met my eye again, lower lip quivering.
“Do you want me to be your mate?” she asked in a barely-there voice.
“I’ve never wanted anything more than that,” I told her. “Nothing.”
“Okay. Let’s do it,” she said resolutely, reaching into my sweatpants to wrap her hand around my cock. I inhaled sharply and pulled away from her, grabbing her hands, kneeling down in front of her.
“Why are you here?” I asked her.
“Because I want...to be your mate,” she said, tears falling from her eyes. She tried to kiss me again, but I pulled back and let go of her.
“Come on, Gabriel,” she snapped, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Let’s get this over with. You just...have to fuck me, right? I can deal with that.”
“No, Sophie,” I said. “That’s not how it works.”
“So what do we do? I want to get this over with,” she said.
“We won’t be mated if we’re not in love. The bond just won’t form.”
“Oh,” she said, sniffling.
“You aren’t in love with me.”
“No, I’m not,” she said, and I could hear the truth in her voice. “I don’t want you like that.”
“Why did you try to change your mind, then?” I asked her in confusion. She sighed and sat down on the bed, and I grabbed a tissue and handed it to her.
“Thanks,” she said. “A few of the wolves—the ones who are loyal to Harley—they picked me up. They said they’d hurt people in the village if we didn’t mate. I knew they were telling the truth, that Harley would hurt everyone. So I came here. We have to do it. They’re...watching us. They say that if we stay separated, it’ll happen.”
“I’m not going to touch you or mate with you if you don’t want it,” I promised her. “I would never just...get something like that over with. When we bond, I want things to be perfect. I want to take our time and learn every part of your body.”
“Don’t we have to?” she asked.
“We don’t have to actually do it. We can pretend,” I said. “If they’re watching us. Nobody will be able to tell if we’re technically mated or not.”
“So we just have to pretend? How would that work?” she asked, looking more relieved as I spoke.
“Uh,” I said. “You should probably stay here from now on. Move in with me.”
“Move in with you,” she said slowly. “Seriously?”
“Yes, if we’re mated, we’re not going to sleep apart. I’m not going to touch you or make you uncomfortable—I have an extra room for you. No sleeping together.”
“Do you think we’ll have to... like... kiss in public?”
“Maybe,” I said with a frown. “I think if we do things like hold hands, smile, we could get by alright.”
She let out a deep breath.
“So we don’t have to actually mate?”
“No, but you’ll have to pretend you like me.”
Her face screwed up in distaste.
“Fine,” she said, though she didn’t sound happy about it.
“I’ll try to make it easy for you.”
“You won’t. Not if you keep acting like a complete dick. I’m not going to pretend to be in love with someone who is cruel and mean. I can’t.”
“You want me to be nicer,” I said.
“I want you to act like you’re human,” she amended. “Like you actually have a heart.”
“I do have a heart,” I said. She shook her head.
“I know better,” she said in a wry voice, then sighed again.
“I guess I’d better go get my things.”
“You can do it tomorrow. You look tired.”
“Thanks.”
“The other bedroom is right over there, the door on the right. Go to sleep. I’ll help you get your things in the morning.”
She agreed begrudgingly and disappeared from the room, going into the spare room and sinking down onto the bed. I went and stood in the doorway to look over her, marveling at the fact that she was there in the first place.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“Yeah, I—I am sorry,” she said in a near-whisper. “I just didn’t know what else to do. And I didn’t think...that you would turn me down.”
“I’m never going to touch you if you’re not enthusiastic about it. Ever.”
“But why not? You’re obviously attracted to me,” she said. “You say you love me, but you won’t touch me?”
“Because it’s not right. Not unless it’s perfect. Not unless it’s exactly what you want, as much as I do. You’re not there yet.”
“Yet?” she asked, a puzzled look on her face.
“You will be,” I said. The corners of her lips twitched upward, the movement barely perceptible.
“Probably not,” she said, but her eyes sparkled at me, then she looked away.
“Goodnight, Gabriel,” she said.
“Goodnight, Sophie,” I replied, shutting the door behind me.
I climbed into bed, a smile spreading over my face as I stared at the ceiling of the
hut. I had seen it there—a flicker of hope, of amusement, of love in her eyes. It made my heart race as I tried to fall asleep, setting my alarm, hoping to be up before her in the morning.
I was glad when I did wake up, brushing my teeth and shaving quickly before going into the kitchen to start breakfast. I felt slightly nervous waiting for her to wake up, wondering what her mood would be, if it would be back to a stony silence.
“What are you doing?” came her voice from behind me. I turned to look at her, grinning at her appearance. I had never seen anything half as adorable as her messy hair and puffy eyes, her hands on her hips as she stared at me standing over the stove.
“I’m cooking. Do you like eggs?” I asked.
“Yes,” she grumbled, coming hesitantly into the kitchen. “Do you know how to cook?”
“Yes, Sophie, I know how to cook. Sit down,” I said, gesturing at the table. She took a seat and watched me as I finished cooking, sliding an omelet onto a plate and handing it to her along with a fork.
“Did you poison me?” she asked, looking up at my face with a small smirk.
“I gave you a love potion. Eat up.”
“A love potion,” she repeated, snorting as she started to eat. I sat down across from her to do the same, occasionally glancing up at her face. She looked up and blushed.
“You shouldn’t look at me like that,” she chided.
“Like what?”
“Like you want to undress me.”
“I’m...sorry,” I said, stumbling over the words. “I can’t...help it. I just...”
She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand as if trying to hide it.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said.
“Okay. Good.”
“What are we doing today? Going hunting?” Sophie asked. “I suppose we’re supposed to stick together?”
“It would be natural for us to stay together given how much strength I will have when you are near.”
“So what?”
“We can’t go out into the woods. Harley threatened me to stay away from the zombies. I don’t know what we’re going to do about them, but I’m not risking bringing you or anyone else there. But, uh, it’s Sunday morning, so...I have something to do.”
She lifted an eyebrow at me.
“Like what?”
“Well—” I began, but then the door burst open, and Jane and Chelsey flew into the room before I had time to issue a warning.
Chapter 4: Sophie
“Hi, girls,” Gabriel said as the twins threw their arms around him at the same time. I watched as he ruffled their hair, a genuine smile on his face. It made him look softer despite the scars as the girls pulled back to look at me.
“Hi,” one of them said.
“Hi,” I said to them, looking between the two. They were identical, pretty, one of them with long blonde curls and the other with her hair cropped short.
“So which one of you is which?” I asked them.
“I’m Jane,” said the girl with the short hair. “This is Chelsey.”
“Can we go swimming today, Mr. Gabriel?” Chelsey asked, looking up at him excitedly.
“That’s a long walk,” Gabriel said. “You guys up for a hike?”
“Yes!” Jane said.
“We miss the woods,” said Chelsey. “It’s weird being in the village.”
“You’re safer in the village,” Gabriel said. “Do you have your swimsuits?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Go outside while I change,” he said. I watched his face, how warm his features looked, and for an instant I felt what I used to feel for him. I pushed it away as he turned his eyes to me, hoping he couldn’t see it in my expression.
“You don’t have to come,” he said, almost sheepishly.
“Can I?” I asked.
“Of course,” he said with a grin, another real one. I had to look away from him as he got dressed, and a moment later we left the hut, following the girls out to the woods.
“Are you boyfriend and girlfriend now?” Jane asked, looking curiously between us.
“We’re not—”
“Yes,” I said, casting a glance at Gabriel, who cleared his throat.
“Yes,” he repeated. “We are.”
“That’s good,” Jane said. “She’s pretty.”
“She’s very pretty,” Gabriel agreed. “She’s beautiful.”
I found myself blushing, looking at the twins. They exchanged a glance and giggled, and Jane whispered something in Chelsey’s ear that made her laugh even harder.
“Are you two gossiping about me and my girlfriend?” Gabriel asked.
“We already knew that you were together. We saw you kissing once...”
“Did you?” Gabriel asked in amusement.
“Yeah, it was kind of gross,” Chelsey said. “At first we thought—”
“We thought you were eating her face,” Jane whispered. I laughed.
“I wouldn’t eat her face, girls,” Gabriel said.
“Do you guys love each other?”
I swallowed the knot in my throat, opening my mouth to speak, but no words would come out.
“I love her very much,” he said, glancing up at me. “Cover your ears, Sophie.”
“What?” I asked him.
“I’m going to tell the girls a secret and I don’t want you to hear. Cover your ears,” he said with a wink. I lifted my hands to my head but didn’t press my hands fully over my ears. I could hear him speak in a low voice to the girls.
“I want to tell you guys this, but you can’t tell anyone else, okay? Promise me.”
“Okay,” both girls said at once, excitement in their faces.
“I’m going to marry her one day,” Gabriel said softly. “But I need your help.”
“Help with what?” Chelsey asked, eyes wide.
“I’m not very good with girls,” Gabriel admitted. I had to hold back a laugh as I watched them talk.
“We know that. You were eating her face,” Jane said dryly.
“I was not...eating her face,” Gabriel said defensively. I struggled to keep myself from laughing.
“You were, too,” Chelsey said with a wicked smile.
“I was not.”
“What do you need our help with?” Jane asked curiously.
“I need you two to help me make her fall in love with me,” Gabriel said, eyes darting up to meet mine. “You know way more about girls than I do. I might need some tips.”
“We can help,” Chelsey said in a confident tone. “You have to write her love letters.”
“I’ll start with that,” Gabriel said. “But listen—she can’t know that you’re helping me, okay? And she’s pretty smart, so don’t ask her too many questions or she’ll catch on to what we’re doing.”
“Are you really going to write her a love letter?” Chelsey asked. Gabriel glanced up at me with a smile.
“Sure,” he said. “I think I can do that.”
I felt something flutter in my chest as he stood up and gestured for me to put my hands down.
“Done talking about me?” I asked as he came toward me, our eyes locked together. My heart started to pound in my chest and I pulled my gaze away from his, continuing to walk through the trees.
“Yes,” he said, still looking at my face. There was a slight smirk on his lips that I could see out of the corner of my eye. I shot him a look and bumped him with my hip.
“Shut up,” I said to him. He laughed as the girls caught up with us. As soon as we heard the sound of water, they darted ahead, running full-speed through the trees toward the pond.
“Wait!” Gabriel called. “Don’t get in the water without me.”
“Hurry up then!”
He let out a sigh and I looked over at his face.
“Since when did you become a dad?”
“Uh, they kind of attached themselves to me,” he said. “I couldn’t get away from them. Eventually, I just gave up. So now I’m—I have no idea what I’m doing
, ever, with any of this. But they wanted to go swimming...”
“You’re sweet to them,” I said.
“They’re sweet to me,” he replied as we came in view of the pond. The girls were already in the water, flapping and splashing around, giggling as Gabriel and I went to sit down on the rocks.
“Are you coming?” Chelsey asked.
“No, I’m not swimming today. Be careful—stay on this side of the pond. The other side is too deep for you.”
“No way!” Jane said. Gabriel shook his head in exasperation as they swam to the other side and I laughed. He stared deep into my eyes, his visage lively and dancing and filled with warmth and love.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“You seem pretty confident that I’m going to marry you.”
“Because you are,” he said simply.
“I don’t even like you that much.”
“I know,” he said with a smile, watching the girls swim. I stared at his face, marveling at the softness there in his expression. His gaze drifted, glancing down at my lips for a moment.
“We should probably kiss,” he said. “So they believe us.”
“I think they believe us, Gabriel,” I said, my voice coming out shaky.
“Yeah, but...just to be sure,” he said, bringing his hand to my jaw, pulling my face to his. He paused just before our lips met, so close that I could feel his breath on my lips.
“May I?” he asked softly, his thumb tracing my bottom lip.
“No,” I said, barely able to get the word out. He pulled back and gave me a soft smile.