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18th December, 2017

Alpha Gabriel's Territory, Nivadia

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I woke up in Gabriel's arms never having felt so safe and well rested despite the fact of sleeping on the floor. I had turned over during the night, resting my head on the dent between his neck and shoulder with his arms wrapped around me. He was still asleep when I woke up. His mouth curved into a small smile when he occasionally breathed in breaths of my scent. I didn't want to wake him up but when the others began to rise I knew I had to wake him. The sun was peaking in through the mouth of the cave and the silence of the night was being replaced by the gentle trickle of chirping birds and animals waking for the day.

I reach my hand up to his face and traced his jaw, feeling the sharp bone against my finger. Gab's face shifts slightly, causing me to quickly withdraw my hand. I lay still for a long moment before I push against his hold on my waist, suddenly feeling suffocated. The words slam into me with a blow to the chest, I'm acting like someone who isn't engaged to another man. Not him. Gab's arms fall from my waist and I rise from the ground. My movement wakes him up the moment I start to walk away, I can feel his eyes on my back.

"Where are you going?" He asks in a low sleepy voice.

My shoulders tighten when I feel my body react to his voice. I mumble that I'm going to wash in the lake down the hill before grabbing my backpack.

"Not by yourself you aren't. I'll come with you" Gab says before getting up from the ground, stretching his muscles shirtless.

"I want to go alone" I reply back sharply.

I feel the others tense at my tone while Gab looks at me for a moment, assessing my change in behaviour. I avert my eyes from Gab and look to the men in the cave, all of which finding spots of dirt or packing up much more interesting then Gab and myself.

"Lycanthrope's aren't the only creatures in this forest, Sarah. Things far more deadly than us or Rogues" Gab warns.

I look down at the floor. Guilt begins eating away at my heart, not from sleeping beside another man or enjoying it, but guilt from not feeling guilty about it. Not in the slightest.

"Alright," Gab says.

My eyes snap to his in surprise.

"Alright?" I mirror shocked.

He nods before sitting back down on our bed rolls. He reaches for a piece of cooked meat and begins chewing at it. He looks up at me raising one eyebrow, as if asking me if I'm going to leave or stand there all day. It snaps me out of my trance and I leave the cave. The environment settles around me and I notice the chirping of birds have stopped their singing and I suddenly feel like a mouse in the lion's den. I look behind into the cave about to walk back in there and ask for Gab to join me but the guilt is still there and it doesn't seem like it's going away. I begin to wonder what made the birds stop singing and whether the cause is me or something much more deadly.

I take my first step into the wilderness, Gab's words following me like it's very own monster. What could be worse than Rogues and Werewolves? I know exactly what could be worse! I was not shy when it came to zombie apocalypse and horror movies. As I make my way down the mountain side every snapping twig and animal call morphs into creatures growling and bones breaking. I begin looking around the woods every second scanning my surroundings, expecting to see a monster from my nightmares. I make it ten meters from the cave before giving up and calling for Gab. I wait a few seconds before seeing him casually stroll out of the Cave's mouth with a half eaten apple in his hand and a lazy smirk on his plush red lips, slightly wet from the apples juices. I grumble thanks before stomping back down the hill, his laugh following me. He reaches me with a few long strides before matching my pace, leaving me to pick through my emotions in silence. After a few minutes a thought comes to mind.

"What do you know about Emilia's mother?" I ask, breaking the silence.

He looks at me slide long before saying, "she was the closest friend of Alpha Ralph's mate before she got pregnant with Emilia by Alpha Ralph. After Emilia was born she was outcasted to the omega position. Being pregnant by her Alpha ruined her life, that's certain. Other than that I don't know much, Your Ladies old pack is private at the best of times. Why do you ask?" He questions.

"I was talking with Em a few weeks ago when her old pack came up in conversation and she explained what happened to her mother. She told me that this Alpha guy forced himself on her and in the process got her pregnant. From what I gathered her mother was raped and shunned from her family simply because she wasn't the one in power" I explain to him.

He looks at me, knowing there's as reason I brought this up. I continue with a sigh, "Is there any way we can bring her to our pack? Some way to reunite her with Em?" I ask.

His eyes soften slightly when I say our pack before he looks out into the forest contemplating. He stays silent for a moment before looking back at me.

"It would be a serious thing to move her to our pack, Sarah. I've heard rumours that Alpha Ralph still visits Emilia's mother in her house next to the boarder. How much does this mean to you?" He asks, tone serious and eyes solid green.

"Very serious Gab, it would mean the world to me," I reply with a soft voice.

"Then it is done, I promise the moment we get back to the Palace I'll send word to Ralph" he vows before looking forward and tells me that the river is close.

The river indeed comes into view, it's winding stream bending in a serpentine movement. Gab tells me that he'll turn around while I bath. I watch his back for a long moment before nodding, comfortable with the fact that he won't turn around. I undress from my riding gear and fold it neatly on the grass next to my backpack. I rummage through it and find the bar of soap Vanya packed. I walk to the shore of the river, about to take a step into the water when my body freezes, my foot suspended in air. My vision tunnels as my mind sends me back to the last time I was in a river. The day I came here I almost drowned. I can still feel the water stretching my lung and the jagged rocks scraping against my skin, the darkness of the deep and the stunned silence of the water. My chest tightens and my body begins to shake as the memories come crashing into me like the push and pull of the current in that river. The bar of soap slips from my hand and quietly thuds onto the grass. I feel soft fabric encase my shoulders before I'm turned around and hands cup my face. A burning tingle spreads across my left wrist. I look into Gabriel's green eyes which seem to shine with bright light. His entire face is illuminated by it. In his eyes I see the mossy water bed I clung to for my life when the water gripped my body and tried to drag me down into its depth. He mouth is moving but I can't hear it. A thrum of power spreads through my body, it cocoons me. My breathing deepens as I focus on the comforting thrum coursing through me. I let it flow as it pleases. I don't fight it like I have the other time. I do the opposite, I welcome it. It sings to me like a mother would her daughter, I am here, I am here, I am here, you are safe, I am here.

I close my eyes as I listen to it's comforting lullaby. I feel Gab's hands suddenly rip from my face. The lack of contact slowly brings me back to the present. The first thing that comes is sound, the quick flapping of wind against my ears. Then my sight, instead of Gab or the river I see the top of the forest, green tree tops stretching out kilometres in every direction. I am momentarily mesmerised by the sight until I realise where I am. My eyes snap to the ground but the glowing of my wrist catches my attention. The symbol of The Child of the Moon glows with the intensity of the Sun, the tingling caresses my skin like it's alive. I look past my body and see how high I am off the ground. Gab looks like an ant on the forest ground. The others warriors run into the clearing and look at Gab then up at me. Gab is shouting up at me but I can't hear anything over the wind against my ears. Fear begins to make its way into my thoughts but before it can root itself the magic talks to me again. Ask me of anything, but do not fear me. I stumble over my words before saying one word.

Gabriel.

My body slowly falls back to the ground, the wind decreasing to a soft breeze. My feet gently touch the ground, my legs wobbling slightly until the wind comes back and supports my body. I look down at the mark on my wrist in amazement before whispering a gentle thank you to the magic. It caresses my cheek with a loving breeze before a whisper in the wind sings, I am at your command, summon me and I will be there. I feel the magic inside of me travel into the depth of myself and curl up into a sleeping form once more.

I look up from my wrist and see the warriors staring at me in amazement. Gab takes a step forward before hesitating, his right foot pausing its movement. A wide, beaming smile stretches my mouth as I look at Gab. It seems to be the all clear he was looking for because he rushes to me and engulfs me into a hug. I become all to aware of my nakedness only being covered by my riding jacket and so does Gab as he lets out a low growl. I watch as the warriors quickly avert their eyes before backing up and walking up the hill. Gab pulls back and cups my face with his large calloused hands. His expression asking a million of questions.

"What happened?" Gab breathes, his thumb gently brushing my cheek.

His question sends me back to how I felt seeing the current moving in the river. I looking away from his intense stare before answering.

"The last time I was in a river was when I came here. I almost drowned that day and I- the memory of it was suffocating me just like that water did" I tell him with vulnerability lacing my voice.

"I'm sorry Amore, I had no idea," he sighs before giving me a gently kiss on the forehead.

I lean my head in his hands and close my eyes, sighing. It never felt like this with Adam. I never felt like I was dying and being reborn all at once with him. Not like he was my poison and salvation all in one. I have never felt so utterly loved and protected before. And that- that realisation is more scary than drowning or monster in the forest.

"We should go, I'm sorry for making us late," I apologise and take my face from his hands.

"You never have to apologise for something like that, your fears shouldn't be something you feel guilty about," he tells me before walking to gather the clothes that were scattered around the opening from the wind.

I watch him gather my clothes then hand them to me, his eyes never leaving my face. I offer him a small smile before motioning him to turn around. He rolls his eyes before giving me his back. I quickly put my clothes on, realising that I am just as dirty as I was to begin with. Although I don't think I'll be going into any lakes for some time now. I tell him I'm done and we walk back to the cave where all the warriors are waiting in their wolf forms, which I'm grateful for. I can't help but feel embarrassed about earlier. I hear Gab shift behind me and a moment later a wet snout nudges my hand. I turn to Gab and stroke the silky black hair between his ears. They fold back and his eyes close before a purring sound rumbles his chest. I chuckle before walking to his side, hoping on his back when he lays down. As he rises I tug my backpack straps tighter around my shoulders. When he feels me settle Gab jumps into a sprint, the others going into their formation around us. I lean forward and rest my torso on his back. I wrap my arms around his neck and whisper a thank you into his ear before kissing his neck. A soft whimper escapes his mouth before his chest puffs up. I smile and close me eyes, enjoying the feeling of how his muscles move against my body.