Gabby (Safe Haven Wolves Book 1)

by Sherry Foster

  Heaving a huge sign I glanced over at Gammon. I saw he had Mia’s face buried in his chest. I guess she was not a huge fan of fighting. I walked back toward my jeep calling over my shoulder to Sam not to kill his new nephew. Shrugging my shoulders, trying to get the tightness to loosen I snorted, “That went well, shall we go check on Gabby?”

  I heard Gammon chuckle as he stripped out of his clothes. Just before he changed I heard him whisper to Mia, “I like your new nephew much better than Sam’s new nephew.” The last thing I saw before Mia changed was a look of startled realization. I think she had not realized she was gaining a nephew. Of course, we were all assuming Gabby would prove to be her niece. But really? Who else could she be with those looks.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Gabriella

  The last two days I have spent making list and researching. Stormie wanted to come over yesterday but I was still freaked out about the events from a couple of days before and was just not up to the company. The wolf pair are still hanging around my cabin. I think they sleep here. They showed up the day Stormie came over to cook and last night made the third night they have been around. I have not gone outside. If I am honest I will admit I am scared to try to go outside. What if they are waiting to eat me?

  I know, it is probably crazy, but I would rather be crazy and alive than sane and dead. Stormie put her foot down yesterday. She accepted my request for no company yesterday but insisted she would be here today. She said Trey has been out of town for two days but was coming home last night. I finally told her last night about the wolves on my porch. She just snickered and told me she would be here this morning. I don’t know how she plans on getting in, cause I just can not see myself opening the door with two wolves on the other side.

  I am a bit afraid to see Stormie again. Google is not my friend after all. All the research and I could not find a valid site concerning my rabbit hole. Everything I read though, points to the inescapable conclusion that I need more information. Humans should not be able to hear, see, or smell like I can. Wolves can, humans can’t. But, and this is a big but, if I was not human I would know it.

  I wonder if I could find a way to casually slip questions into my conversation with Stormie? I have thought about the conversations we have had since I got here. Stormie has slipped up several times with her comments. At least, I think they are slip ups. Otherwise she is in some conspiracy to drive me crazy. Oh crap. That could very well be what is going on. Maybe her brother does not want to seem like a bad person so he did not run me off himself, but he could have Stormie … I stop that train of thought. I am back to the wolves on the porch and the fact humans can not see so perfectly at night.

  Our kind, those words, so long forgotten, play in a continuous loop in my head. Little pup, our kind. I think information like hey you and your sister aren’t human is pretty important information. Why would Uncle Josh have called me a little pup and said my hearing was as good as the rest of our kind if we were human.

  I turn to glare at the door. I can not see the wolves on the other side but I know this is all their fault. If they were not hanging around with their four huge feet I would never have thought about that conversation long ago. I was happy just wondering why those strange guys kept chasing me. Ok, fine, I was not happy being chased half my life. But, I was sane! Now, I am not so sure about my sanity anymore. I wonder if Trina is insane also. Maybe insanity runs in the family? That is probably what happened to my parents. Maybe they never died. They may have just been committed to an insane asylum.

  Shoulders slumped I drag my feet as I wobble into the kitchen.

  I need caffeine so badly. I have enough Dr. Peppers to last a couple more days. I have never been a coffee drinker. I have not felt much like eating the last couple of days but I made myself anyway. I never know when I may have to run and I have to keep my strength up. Getting weak and wobbly because of stress will not give me much of a fighting chance if I need one.

  As I twist the top on a Dr. Pepper I hear a car coming, but it does not sound like Stormie’s car. In fact, I hear two cars. My breath hitches in my throat before whooshing out. I creep over to the window and look out. I do not know the first vehicle, a jeep, but the second one is Stormie’s car. My phone starts to ring. I look down at the porch and see the two wolves trotting down the steps toward the jeep.

  Looking down at my phone I see Stormie’s name on my caller id. I look over at my door. All the locks are still engaged. Why did she bring more people with her? I am barely hanging on to my sanity as it is. The last thing I need is more people around me. My breathing seems loud to my ears. I notice my hands are trembling as I answer the phone.

  “Hello?”

  Stormie’s voice on the other end of the line seems too happy. “I brought my brother to meet you. And he brought, um, a couple who may, I mean, they would like to meet you also.”

  My eyes are darting around the room. The cabin only has one door. Why did I rent a place with only one door? I could go out the window but, wolves. Must not forget the wolves. My eyes dart back toward the jeep. Three people are getting out. I have never seen the two males before and the female, at least I assume it is a female, is behind the biggest male I have ever seen, so I can not see her very well. Stormie is getting out of her car and walking up to the driver of the jeep. He is not a small man either but he is no where close to the giant who got out of the passenger side. Something about him pulls at me. He has to be the most gorgeous man I have ever seen. I close my eyes and open them again. Yes, Stormie is hugging the small wolf. How many pet wolves does this woman have? Although, if my rabbit hole research is right, they may not be real wolves at all.

  “Hello, Gabby? Are you still there?” I forgot I was on the phone with Stormie until I hear her voice.

  “Yes, yes I am here. I really don’t want to meet anyone. Please make them leave.”

  “Gabby, honey, open the door. I swear no one will hurt you. I will beat them up if they do.”

  I hear the biggest man laugh. He has a nice laugh. The two men and the woman are hanging back, I think they are waiting on Stormie to approach the house. I guess they have been told I am wary of strangers. I swallow past the lump in my throat as I try to figure out what I want to do.

  Unlocking the door was probably one of the hardest things I have done in awhile. Before I unlock the last lock I look back out the window. The two men and the woman are still by the jeep. They do not look as though they have gotten any closer. I don’t see the two wolves anywhere. Nervous I search the surrounding area again, still not seeing the wolves. I can barely see Stormie where she is standing on the porch, just waiting on me to open the door. One last lock and I ease the door open a crack. Stormie smiles at me and hangs up her phone.

  “I missed you. Can you teach me to cook some more. David really liked the chicken spaghetti. I told him you would teach me to cook chili next. Can you teach me to cook chili today? We had to eat at the diner last night. I don’t want to eat at the diner tonight. But I think mom is cooking for us so we are suppose to eat there. Maybe teach me to cook chili tomorrow. Are you coming to eat at mom’s house tonight? Can I come in? Would you like to come outside? I have people who … ”

  Just then the driver interrupted her, “Stormie, how in the hell do you expect to introduce her to anyone if you keep talking? You don’t even give her time to answer the first question.” He was laughing so that seemed like a good thing.

  “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. Gabby, that is my brother Trey and beside him is Gammon and”

  But I did not hear the rest of what Stormie had to say. I finally saw the woman for the first time. As the blackness claimed me the only word I could manage was “Mommy?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Trey

  She was beautiful. My mate was so damn beautiful. I barely heard Stormie as she rambled on about, whatever it was she was rambling about. I finally realized if I did not say something Stormie could go on and on about nothing. I was not expecting what h
appened next. No one could have expected it.

  As Stormie finally introduced Gabby to us we watched her lose all color in her face. Her hand lifted as though to touch Mia. As she lost consciousness her last word was “Mommy?” Stormie grabbed for her as she fell. I was on the porch reaching for her before Stormie could lay her down. As I picked her up in my arms and headed into the house, Mia and Gammon right behind, I heard Stormie calling David on her phone.

  Mia was almost incoherent in her worry. I could hear Gammon trying to reassure his mate, but at the moment I was much more worried about my mate. She had dark circles under hers eyes, as if she had not been getting enough rest. I knew I should have told Stormie to come over here yesterday despite Gabby telling her not to come. I don’t think my mate would have turned her away. As soon as I lay Gabby down on the couch Mia starts trying to push me out of the way.

  “Please, let me see her, please, I have to, oh my gosh, why didn’t we, please, please let me.”

  I look at Gammon. “I don’t think we have to worry about her not being Mia’s niece. This is just not how I expected it to go down. I wanted to know who she was, but this was a bit much.”

  He knows, he should know, how hard it is for a mate to step back in a situation like this. Not that either of us had ever encountered a situation like this. He has his hand on Mia’s shoulder. When he sees me looking at him he shrugs. He has no idea what I should do either. I do not want to step away. I can not step away. I can, and do, squat down so I am beside Gabby’s head. Mia wiggles her way onto the couch, sitting near Gabby’s ribs. She has, at some point grabbed Gabby’s hand and is frantically rubbing it.

  I start when something wet touches my arm, looking over my shoulder I find Stormie is holding a washcloth out to me.

  “I don’t think Gabby will want to wake up to you and Gammon standing over her. I really think you should both back up. Let her see my face when she wakes up first.” Stormie made sense with her comments, but she was bucking a male who had just seen his mate lose consciousness and another who was watching his mate completely lose it. Mia was whimpering and I knew no one would easily get him to walk away from his mate in such obvious emotional pain.

  Mia had taken the washcloth from my hand and was gently wiping Gabby’s face. I was watching Gabby’s face and saw when she started regaining consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered for a moment. She muttered a couple of inaudible words before saying, “Watch out for the vampire in the basement.” When her eyelids opened, and she saw Mia, she gave a tiny scream, eyes rolling she shuddered and passed out again.

  “Ok, so maybe she does not need to see your face when she first wakes, Mia.” Stormie muttered. “Vampire, where in the world did the vampire come from?” Stormie looked at me, eyebrows raised.

  I just shook my head. For one thing we only knew three men who we called vampire and they had no problems with sunlight, so no need to hide in anyone’s basement. They were not the vampire from stories, rather genuine aliens. As in not from Earth, alien. And they did not refer to themselves as vampires. I considered them friends. However, knowing how protective Gammon is of females I did not want Stormie to mention the vampires around Gammon. After all, they do drink blood. Not shifter blood. Our blood can make them extremely ill. When they came to visit they usually stayed with me. But they were not in town at the moment. The last I heard from them they had settled down in south Louisiana in a little town called Slidell. They were tired of the cold of the Rockies. I doubted Gammon knew any of them, living in the wilds of Alaska. To my knowledge Dracula and his hunters had never been that far north.

  I am not sure what Gammon saw during that exchange but I felt his stare. Looking at him I saw he was eying me suspiciously. He gave a half nod, eyes narrowed, “Vampires?”

  “I do not, nor have I ever, kept a vampire in the basement.” I am not sure what he saw on my face, or perhaps it was Stormie’s face that gave it away. The next thing I knew Gammon face palmed himself. He knew, I could tell, he knew of vampires. They are not native to our world. I know from my friendship with the three men, or perhaps more correctly, the three aliens, others of their kind had come and gone over several thousands of years. They never stayed long, we Earthlings were a rather superstitious bunch and prone to manhunts, or monster hunts. So it would not be unheard of for Gammon to know of them. But I am as certain as I can be he does not know my friends. I hope.

  “We will speak later of your vampires. Mia, come, we will go outside and leave Stormie alone with the one they call Gabby. Trey, I can not tell you what to do in your territory. However, I can, and do, with witnesses, claim this one as family to my family. As such, I would appreciate it if you also would remove yourself from my niece’s presence until such time as Stormie can calm her down and allow Mia back into the room.

  Ah, the one small detail I had forgotten in my search to find where my mate came from and who claimed her as family. Until she turns twenty-one her family can overrule her mate in terms of her safety. They can not undo a mating, they can not turn a mating down. But they can, and usually do, keep the male and the female separate until the female turns twenty-one. I would not buck Gammon on this request. Mostly because I agreed with him. I think Stormie needs to be the first face she sees when she comes to again, and probably the only one.

  Soon we are all gathered outside, Mia sobbing quietly on Gammon’s chest, Gammon looking lost in terms of what to do about his mate. My grandparents should be back soon. They went to get something to eat. I shift my feet and hope they hurry. Grandmother would be much better in this situation than either Gammon or myself.

  I had no idea what to say to Mia so I do what any guy would do, I put some distance between myself and Gammon. Gammon glares at me, he knows very well why I am backing away. But my thought is what if Mia were to turn her attention to me next. I mean, at some point she is going to realize that even if Gabby does accept her, Gabby is destined to live here in my territory, not in hers. She has maybe four months to spend with Gabby before she turns twenty-one. Four months to catch up with a lifetime of memories.

  I know, and I am trying to come to terms with the fact Gabby may choose to go with Mia and Gammon back to their territory. In one way that will be the best thing, she will be protected there as she would no where else in the world. And since my wolf has determined she is our mate, I will not have to worry about that aspect. She can refuse to return here, to my territory, and that is one option open to her that she may choose, for a little while. But not even Gammon would let that go for long. Her wolf, once called forth, would insist upon finding her mate, and Alaska is far from the Rocky Mountains. Too far for her to travel alone. Her wolf would try to make her seek me out though. Even if she had to take control to find me. And that would make her vulnerable to anyone who found her before she found me.

  Had Gammon found her before my wolf she would have stayed in his territory, unmated, until the next time I showed up at the school to pick up Cara. But he did not, and that changes the options available to Mia. I wonder briefly if she could have true mated to another if she had met someone else before my wolf sensed her in our territory. Not that it matters now. When she turns twenty-one she will be my mate. Even Gammon will be on my side for that outcome. To lose a true mate before it is official can drive a wolf mad. An insane wolf is not what anyone would want.

  I think back to the night Stormie was taken. If we had not found her in time, if the other wolf had been able to force mate her before we found her. The outcome would have been far different. I probably would have had to kill my beta and best friend. His wolf had true mated to her, her wolf had accepted the true mating, to lose each other at that point would have driven them both mad. That is the reason no real Alpha would ever interfere with a true mating. Even when the female does not know, or seem to know, the wolves in both seem to know. I sigh.

  My attention is captured by a noise, when I lift my head I see my grandmother and grandfather coming back. They were not gone nearly as long as they s
hould have been. I raise my eyebrows in question but before I can say anything grandfather shakes his head.

  “You know you need to beat that young pup Sam has staying with him. That is the most disrespectful, arrogant, worthless pup I have seen in a long time. Oh, yeah, congratulations, Sam said he is part of your pack. If Sam lets him live long enough to mate Cara you will have your work cut out for you. Where did you find such a worthless one and how did he get mated to Sam’s niece? I thought she was at the school since, well I don’t know when you took her back. But I do know that pup was not there the last two mornings when your grandmother and I ate with Sam.”

  I snarled and glared over at Gammon. “He was a gift.”

  Grandfather barked his laughter, “That is one terrible gift. You should ask for an exchange.”

  By this time grandmother had seen Mia sobbing on Gammon’s chest and had drawn close enough to them to offer her comfort. It took mere seconds for Mia to go from sobbing on Gammon’s chest to wailing in grandmother’s arms. Gammon’s eyes widened when the volume increased and he began slowly backing away from the two. Soon he was all but hiding behind grandfather warily watching his mate. I looked back at the two women. I wondered briefly how long Gammon and Mia had been together. His actions surprised me. I know they have been together a few decades, more than two. I would have thought, being the strong Alpha he is, he would have insisted upon staying to comfort his mate. I look over at grandfather to see what he thought of the situation just to see him and Gammon slowly putting more space between themselves and the women. My eyebrows shot up and I wasted no time at all in joining the two.