Gabe went back into the house, and I grabbed my bag from the car and walked down to the cub house. Before I entered the building, I heard the revving of motorcycles and looked towards the garage to see Gabe and two other guys I didn’t recognize tearing out of the garage on their bikes. I hoped they caught him, but I couldn’t help but worry about Gabe. I had already lost Susie. Despite my conflicted feelings, I didn’t know if I could survive losing Gabe too.
Chapter Seventeen
“Come on in, Chloe.” The doctor stood in front of the cell door. “Isn’t Gabe coming?”
“Not yet. I stopped by the bar for a couple of beers before returning to the compound. While I was there, I smelled the peppermint scent which seems to cling to my attacker. I ran out of the bar before he could approach me, but I saw him staring at me as I pulled out of the parking lot. When I got back, I told Gabe what had happened. He and two other guys went roaring out of the garage.”
“Ah, I see. He took the enforcers to try and catch the guy.”
“The enforcers?”
“Yes. Brady and Benjamin. They’re twins. Almost as tough as Gabe. When there’s trouble, they are the ones Gabe looks to for help.”
“Oh. I haven’t met them yet.”
“You will, soon enough. Now, as much as I hate to do this, I need you to get in the cell. Just because last night’s changed occurred without any violent incidents, we can’t just assume tonight’s change will be the same way.”
I sat my bag down on a bench near the cell and walked through the barred door. “I understand, I guess. Better to be safe than sorry.”
“That’s right, Chloe. Hopefully, there won’t be any problems, but we need to be certain. How are you feeling? Any pain or burning sensations? Anything unusual?”
“No, not really…except I had four beers and didn’t feel a thing.”
The doctor laughed. “That’s normal, dear. It’s one of the perks of being a wolf. You can drink a lot before it starts having any effect on you. I guess it’s only a problem when you want to get drunk.”
Lucky me. No more drowning my sorrows in beer. Was there anything still sacred? “Do you think I will definitely change tonight?”
The doctor frowned. “Dear, to tell you the truth, I am not sure of anything when it comes to you. I tell you what, while we wait on Gabe to come back…or for you to change, why don’t we talk a bit. I need to get some information from you in order to do my research anyway and now’s a good a time as any.”
“Okay.” I settled onto the cot inside the cell and waited for the doctor’s questions.
“What do you know about your family?”
“Not much. I don’t know anything about my father. He was long gone by the time I was old enough to remember anyone.”
“What about your mother?”
“I was with her until shortly after my 13th birthday.”
“Did she die?”
I snorted. “As if. No, she just went crazier than usual, so they locked her up in a mental institution.”
“Did she have periods of instability often?”
“You mean did she go nuts a lot? It was here and there. Sometimes she was fine. Normal even. Others, not so much. Toward the end, she seemed to be having longer periods of being crazy than she used to.”
“Was there anything specific you noticed about these times? Anybody in particular around? Or was there something she did that led up to them?”
“Not that I can remember, but I was just a kid and didn’t really pay attention to those things. I just knew enough to stay out of her way.”
“What was her name?”
“Amelia Jackson.”
The doctor stiffened and frowned. “Chloe, I’m going to ask you something that may sound very strange, but it’s important.”
“Okay.”
“Did you mother age?”
“What do you mean did she age? I mean of course she did!”
The doctor rose from the bench on which she’d been sitting, and walked closer to the cell. “Chloe, think about it for a minute. Close your eyes and go back through your memories of your mother. Did she get older as the years went on, or did she seem to look the same?”
I did as the doctor asked and closed my eyes and tried to remember. Try as I might though, I couldn’t really answer the doctor’s question. All I could see was someone who didn’t look very much like me. My mother always joked that I looked like my father…whoever that was. I didn’t find the joke funny. I just remembered her being tall and beautiful, exotic even, with flowing black hair and dark eyes. She seemed to never change. My mother was just…my mother. “I’m sorry Doc, I just keep seeing her the same way, but I can’t say it’s because that’s really how she always looked. It could just be that it’s how I want to remember her.
“It’s okay, Chloe. I understand. Just knowing her name is a big help.”
“Why did you ask me if she aged?”
“I don’t want to say anything now in case I’m wrong, and I very well could be. Let me make sure first, okay?”
I nodded my head. I couldn’t imagine what could be so bad that she didn’t want to tell me. If it was that terrible, maybe I didn’t want to know.
The next hour or so passed with the doctor and me just making small talk while we waited for something to happen. The more time that passed without Gabe’s return, the more I began to worry. Surely, he was okay. I mean, Gabe was a tough guy, and he had two other guys watching his back.
Suddenly, I felt a flare of heat flicker along the surface of my skin. “Uh, Doc, something’s happening.”
“What is it?”
“I’m starting to feel hot.”
The doctor nodded. “The change may be coming.” She tapped her finger on one of the bars as she stood there in thought. “Why don’t we try something? Last night, you changed back because you didn’t want to be a wolf all night. I know it wasn’t a conscious effort, but an instinct, but let’s see if we can recreate something like it. I want you to try to keep from changing. Can you do that?”
“I can try, but I don’t know if it will work.” My skin grew hotter by the minute, but luckily, I didn’t feel any stabbing pains yet.
“But Chloe, if it gets to be too much, if the burning is too intense or you start hurting, just try to relax and stop fighting it, okay?”
“Okay, Doc, but I don’t know how much I will be able to relax if there’s a repeat of yesterday. I seriously thought I was dying.”
“I know, Chloe. Hopefully, tonight won’t be as bad.”
I lay down on the cot and tried to concentrate on not shifting. I thought the burning might have lessened, but I couldn’t be positive. It could have been just wishful thinking. I concentrated so hard on not shifting, I must have missed the sound of the motorcycles, because I didn’t know Gabe was back until he walked through the door.
“How’s our little cub doing?”
“Still human,” I quipped. I sat up on the cot and admired the view. Hey, some part of me was still human and appreciated sexy when I saw it.
He stuck a key from the ring he held into the door’s lock and twisted it. “How are you feeling?” Opening the door, he entered the cell, letting the door clang shut behind him.
“I’m fine outside of being a little hot. Did you find him?”
Gabe shook his head. “I’m afraid not. He didn’t park at the bar because we were able to trail him through the park, but he must have had a bike or a car parked on one of the paths because we lost him about mid-way in. He probably left right after you did. He might have even followed you here.”
“I don’t think so. I kept an eye on my rear view mirror all of the way here, and I never saw anyone.”
“There are a lot of hills between here and town. It’s possible he trailed you without you seeing him. I’ve got the twins out doing a sweep. If he’s out there now, they will find him.”
Gabe settled beside me on the cot. “So, no pain tonight?”
“No. I'm ju
st feeling a little warm but no pain.”
“That's good. Usually the pain that accompanies a change lessons to some degree after a few times, but your situation is so unique, frankly I'm not sure what will happen for you.”
“Speaking of unique situations,” the doctor broke in, “Chloe and I are trying an experiment. I asked her to try to stop the change if she can. She's to stop though if the pain starts up.”
Gabe cocked an eyebrow. “Do you think she will be able to do that at this stage?”
“Honestly? After what we saw last night, I say anything is possible.”
“But the effect of the moon will be at it strongest tonight.” Gabe shifted his weight on the cot. He seemed a bit restless, some part of his body was constantly moving.
“Gabe, are you okay?” This was the first time I seen Gabe when he didn't appear to be in total control.
“I'm fine, Chloe. The full moon rises, and its influence flows through my blood, urging me to shift. The pack will soon gather outside for the run.”
“Don't you need to go with them?”
He smiled and patted my leg. “No, as Alpha, it's my responsibility to stay with you. I can shift at will and even though my wolf longs to run and howl at the full moon, I can do so another night.” He turned and looked at the doctor. “You, however Dr. Matthews, can go run free. If I need you, I will call.”
The doctor hesitated at the cell door. “Are you sure?”
“I know Chloe's differences intrigue you, but they will still be here in the morning, and the full moon will not. There's no point in both of us missing it.”
“Good point!” The doctor hung her lab coat on a hook by the door and left the building.
“Gabe, when you came into my house yesterday, didn’t you break down the door?”
“Yes, why?”
“Because when I went back home today, the door was fine. It even looked like it had been painted.”
Gabe laughed. “That’s because Hector hung a new door and painted the door and frame to match.”
“He hung a new door?”
He shrugged. “The old one kind of got messed up when I crashed through it.”
“So I wasn’t imagining things?”
“Nope.” Gabe shifted on the cot. “So, Chloe, you want to tell me why you're so afraid to be involved with a guy for longer than one night?”
The question rocketed out of left field and smacked me into stunned silence. How did we go from talking about my busted door to my busted heart? He’d warned me that I couldn't run from him forever, but catching me when running was impossible shocked me. I never imagined he would do such a thing.
“Didn't see that coming did you? See, here's the thing, I know we have to come to terms with what is between us in order for you to truly feel like you belong here. And there is something getting in the way of that. We need to deal with whatever it is.”
I crossed my arms and twisted my body so that my back faced Gabe. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
Gabe gently grabbed my arm and twisted me around to face him. I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore the shock that always accompanied his touch. “Yes, you do, Chloe. What happened to you? Who hurt you so badly that you treat men like we are throwaways?”
“I do no such thing!”
“Chloe, when was the last time you spent more than one night with the same guy? Have you ever?”
“That's none of your business!”
Despite the fact that I was yelling at him, Gabe remain calm. Why is he asking all of these questions? Why can he just leave me alone?
“Yes it is, Chloe, and do you want to know why?”
If I could have shaken and nodded my head at the same time, I would have. I had an idea of what his answer would be, and it scared me. No, it terrified me. “No,” I croaked.
“Too bad because I'm going to tell you anyway. I'm falling in love with you, Chloe.”
Oh God. He said it. He really said it. I opened my mouth to speak, but he stopped me by placing his finger on my lips. They tingled where he touched me.
“That's not all. I think we are mates. I believe it's part of why we feel that little shock every time we touch.”
“Wouldn't being in love make us mates?”
“Not necessarily. You can fall in love with someone and not be their fated mate. We can fall in and out of love just like other humans, unless we’ve found our mates. Wolves mate for life.”
“So Emily and Hector?”
“Are mates, yes. They are the only mates in our pack. We have couples who have married and even have children together but they are not actual mates with each other.”
I hoped if I could keep talking about everyone else he would forget about attempting to get me to reveal what happened in my past. “Well, what happens if they find their mate? Do they divorce the person they are married to?”
“They are very careful about trading blood with anyone. Those couples are perfectly happy with things exactly the way they are and do not wish to find their mates. They don't want to give up the love they share with their spouses.”
“So you and Beth aren’t mates?”
Gabe laughed. “Of course not! Beth is like my sister. We've been friends since we were kids.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I just am. I feel absolutely nothing when I am with her. Mates usually sense each other in some way even before they get confirmation.”
I started not to say anything, but I just couldn't help it. Maybe it was mean and petty of me, but after the dirty looks, pointed remarks, and the conversation in the pantry, I just couldn't resist. “You might want to tell her that.”
“Oh Chloe, she already knows.”
Damn, sometimes men were just plain dumb. “No Gabe, I don't think she does. Haven't you noticed how she's been acting?”
“She has been a little strange lately.”
“A little? She can't look at me without glaring. She hasn't said one welcoming word to me since I met her. And this morning, she pulled me into the pantry and informed me that you were not available.”
“She did what?” Irritation turned down the corners of his mouth.
“She told me in no uncertain terms that everyone in the pack knew the two of you were meant to be together.”
“Oh boy, that presents a problem.”
“You think?”
“We've always spent a lot of time together because we were friends, but I never intended to give her the impression we were anything else. I mean, I've never even hinted at the possibility.”
“So you never even kissed her?”
“Absolutely not, and I’ve never wanted to.”
Part of me wanted to jump up and down for joy. There was still a part of me though that wanted to get as far away from Gabe as I possibly could. I had sensed that day in my kitchen that Gabe was dangerous, I just hadn't realized how much.
A sudden pain stabbed through my Belly. Oh shit.
Concern clouded Gabe's eyes. “What's wrong?”
I took a deep breath and willed the pain to go away. “Pain.” The breath didn't help, and the pain spread. I clenched my fist, my nails digging into my palm. “I don't want to shift!”
Gabe put his fingers beneath my chin and tilted my face towards his. “Stop fighting it, Chloe. The wolf is part of you now.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. “But I don't know how to do this! I don’t know if I can!” And I didn’t just mean shifting at this moment. I didn’t know if I could be a werewolf and still live with myself.
“Chloe, werewolves aren’t evil. We are people too. It’s not the wolf that makes us what we are. It’s the person inside. If a wolf is vicious, it means the person himself is that way. The majority aren’t snarling out of control beasts. You saw that yourself last night. You were still you...just furry. Let your wolf guide you. She has great instincts.” He stood up and pulled the t-shirt over his head. “I'll go first so you can see what it's like for me. Then you relax and le
t yourself shift. Let my wolf comfort yours.” He unzipped his jeans before I remembered he wasn't wearing underwear. I averted my eyes just before he tugged down the denim.
He chuckled as a red flush crept across my face. “You may as well get used to it, babe. You'll be seeing the entire pack in the flesh at least once a month.”
I looked back at Gabe, but I kept my eyes above his waist, even though I was so tempted to take a quick peek.
“You ready?” He asked.
I nodded and gasped as the muscles on his body began to ripple. Pain stabbed through my arms and legs as though they were the ones going through the change while I watched Gabe’s bones and features rearrange. The beauty of the fluid motion of his transformation from Gabe to wolf astounded me. In less than a minute, he completed the shift. A huge black wolf with blue eyes stood on four legs before me, and I could have sworn he was grinning. Another pain swept through me, and I doubled over from the strength of it. Gabe’s black snout nudged against my leg, and then he laid his head on my knee and looked up at me.
“Okay, okay. I will try to relax, and let it happen, but I don't know if I can.” I scratched him between the ears and then stood up. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and willed myself to relax. I imagined a snow-white wolf running through the woods. I felt something inside me shift and opened my eyes to find myself staring at Gabe face to face.
Why couldn't it have been that easy last night?
You made a conscious effort tonight to accept your wolf, and it allowed you to stop fighting the change.
Will pain always signal my need to shift?
For your sake, I hope not. But like the other cubs, I'm hoping you will be able to shift or not shift at will, though it may take you one or two more moons. But then again, considering you shifted back to human last night before dawn, it may not.
I wish we could get out of this cell. My wolf whined, and I paced back and forth across the floor.
Gabe nuzzled his nose against my neck. I know it's difficult to stay in this cramped space when your wolf yearns to be free, running wild in the woods. However, even though you show no signs of loss of control while shifted, I think it's best if we play it safe another night.
Fated Mates: The Alpha Shifter Boxed Set (12 Book Bundle) (Insatiable Reads) Page 119