Chapter 6

I almost didn't like it.

"Just relax, Gabriel," I said as I ran my hand through his hair. He leaned in closer as my touch was soothing to him, but I miss the spark I felt when I found out he was my mate.

Though it wasn't enough to forgive him for the way I was treated by him for the past few years, that is for sure.

Gabriel, let's just take things slowly,once at a time. I said to him,and he looked very relaxed under my touch.

"What do you think the pack will think of us?"? I asked him, and he looked up at me with a furrowed brow.

"What do you mean"? He asked me to look him in the eyes.

Have you forgotten that you single-handedly destroyed my reputation? What?  Do you think the whole pack will accept a slut for their Luna? I asked, looking him straight in the eyes, and he growled back at me.

"Don't call yourself that," he said, and I narrowed my eyes on him.

"I didn't. You did," I said pointedly, and his face fell before he laid his head back on my lap. He moves his hands around my waist, and I let him do it, hoping that some intimate contact would calm him down from throwing a tantrum when I left.

"I am so sorry; I will never forgive myself for what I did to you," he murmurs, and I rub the back of his neck to soothe him gently. His emotions are throwing the fuck out of me.

"This doesn't actually matter for now." We have to think of a way to describe how this will look. I sighed, and he looked up at me again.

"I will kill anyone who says anything bad about you," he says firmly. I can't help but giggle. He looks up at me in awe and watches me.

Do that again, he says.

Do what?

" Laugh. It was beautiful," he says, shaking me a little.

Well, I can't just laugh on command. It doesn't walk like that. He lifted his hand up and tickled my side, making me laugh until I could barely breathe.

Ok, ok, stop. I yelled at him, and he pulled his hand back quickly. I looked at him, and he had a wide, beautiful smile on his face.

"I could listen to that forever". He murmurs, reaching up to run his thumbs down my cheeks.

Rachel? Where are you? My mom links with me and pulls me out of my daze. I stood up suddenly, making Gabriel fall over.

"Sorry, that was my mom; I have to go. I said this as I was heading towards the door. Before I could get close to the door, a pair of large pants had wrapped around my waist, pulling me into his strong embrace.

"No, tell her you are staying with me. Gabriel growls at me. He sounds more like a wolf than a man. I turned around and met his dark eyes, which showed that his wolf was in charge. I took a deep breath and held his face in my hands.

I will come back tomorrow, okay? I need to talk to them and explain things. I tried to reason a little with him; he held my hands in his kissing palm like he did earlier.

"You promise to come back tomorrow? I nod, my stomach sinking at the thought of what I am getting myself into.

Yes, tomorrow, his eyes were back to normal as those of Gabriel as he let go of my hands.

See you tomorrow, little mate. He said he was leaning in to take a sniff of my scent as he placed a gentle kiss on my neck. I smiled at him gently before leaving the room. I take a deep breath of fresh air before I find my way out of here.

Rachel

On getting home "What took you so long? My mom asked with a worried look on her face as soon as I walked in through the door. My dad was with her, standing at her back, staring at me worriedly, and I sighed before entering the kitchen.

My parents know that I easily get hungry once I am stressed out.

Gabriel tried to persuade me to stay; he has been acting so strange. I said this while I opened the fridge to pull out some snacks for myself. Suddenly, my mom grabs the food from me and starts preparing something else while my dad pulls to sit beside him inside our kitchen.

"You mean he wasn't treating you like a piece of trash like he does? My dad asked irritatedly and was somewhat angry.

Sweetheart,why didn't you tell us it was that bad from the start? My mom asked with a sad and worried expression. There is a pang in my heart at the thought of hurting her.

He is our Alpha son; what would you have done to him? I asked while trying to avoid their gaze. My dad sighs and crosses his arm over my shoulder, pulling me into his embrace while he plants a kiss on my forehead.

"You know we could have spoken to the alpha about it; you heard what he said today. He wouldn't have tolerated his son's behavior towards you, mate, or known mate. My dad pointed it out, but I just shook my head.

"If he was going to change, I wanted him to do that on his own, not report him to his father. That would have made matters worse; he needs to grow and learn how to be a good Alpha in the future. I know doing this all these years probably hurt your feelings towards me today, saying what I did about trying to leave the pack. But I want to know that it has nothing to do with the both of you. Only Gabriel, I said, met both of their gazes. They both nod in agreement while my mom places a plate of food in front of me.

"We know, sweetheart. We just feel bad for you; you know, we have been excited about you finding your mate. And then you got that little shit." My dad said it angrily, snatching a carrot off my plate. I growled at him, and he chuckled back in response. He munched on it happily. My mom watches us with a warm and affectionate look.

"You know, a few days ago, when he was spewing bullshit at me like he normally does, I told him his mate would be disappointed at having him as her mate and that I hope she would never accept him." I said with a little giggle, which got both my parents laughing.