The Alphas Assassin (Complete)

Reuniting Friends

*Ariella*

Gabriel let out a groan as he scraped his teeth back over my collar bone, being careful to not mark me as he begged for entrance to my skin like every time before. He knew the rules. No marks.

Even still, I wanted to beg for his actual mating mark now. It would repair our bond fully and help both of us heal much faster. Unfortunately, my conscience and even the wolf within me would never forgive my actions had I agreed to marking one another before I spoke to him about what was going on. I would seem even more pathetic being executed for treason baring the fresh mark of the Alpha I was supposed to kill…

He sighed, his shaking breath sweeping over my skin as his body began to relax. His mouth was hot against my collar bone, his tongue replacing the coolness of his breath. His tongue and lips trailed back toward my chin and then smashed into my lips hungrily. I giggled against him as his hands wrapped tightly around me and he let out a playful growl as he kissed me.

When I cupped my hands around his cheeks he looked up to me. His eyes sparkled, but there were still bags underneath them and he still looked exhausted. There was no sunlight coming through the window yet, and when I glanced at the clock it was a quarter to 5.

“Let’s go back to sleep…” Gabriel whispered as he caught me looking at the clock on his bedside.

“Yeah…” I agreed as we slowly adjusted from our position. I felt the wet pool beneath us as we moved. Gabriel pulled the blanket from the bed where he had finished. Then he crawled back into bed, pushing me over as he climbed in. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me back against him tightly. Then we settled into the soft bed as he pulled just the thin sheet over us. We had both been sweating, it was too hot for the comforter we had messed up.

Another hour later and I awoke, parched, tracking my tongue over the cottony feeling of my mouth. I carefully pulled Gabriel’s arm from around my waist and pulled myself from the bed.

I felt his hand snatch my right wrist quickly and when I looked back he looked like a child losing his best friend.

“Gabe-.”

“You’re not leaving… right?” It was almost an order and a question. The first part was hard and commanding, the second part was soft and unsure.

“I’m just going to get some water.” I responded as I leaned down, catching his cheek with my left hand and planting a gentle peck on his lips which he followed as I pulled away.

“Promise you aren’t leaving…” he whispered up to me. He still hadn’t let go of my arm.

“I promise, sweetheart.” I whispered back into his lips before another peck, “Would you like some water too?”

He made a smacking noise with his mouth as if he had suddenly realized how thirsty he was and nodded. “Y-yes please…”

“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

I slipped on a shirt of his that was laying over the lounging chair in his room. A black cotton t-shirt that was far too big on me. I pulled open the door and slipped out quietly. I noticed after just a few hours some of my senses had begun to improve. My ears were more sensitive, my nose was picking up the familiar scents of the house as I moved quietly down. Most of the staff wouldn’t be up for another hour or so, even Beth and Esen usually wake up about 20 minutes from now.

The house was almost silent besides the snores of a few members. The halls still dark and only lit by the occasional crack in the curtains boasting the early morning sunrise as it rose over the estate.

In the kitchen I found two tall glasses and filled them with a few cubes of ice and water before turning back to the door.

I turned my back to push out of the swinging door as it swung in on me and I was stopped by Beth.

She looked at me, stunned before she threw her arms around my shoulders.

“ELLA!”

“Shh!” I hissed trying to keep my glasses from spilling. She pulled away and placed her hands on my shoulders looking me over, as if for damages before she began to scold me like a mother to her delinquent child.

“Where have you been!?” She hissed back in a hushed voice. “Gabe’s been looking everywhere for you! We’ve been looking everywhere!”

“I… needed to leave for a bit… get some things figured out.”

“But so abruptly? With no contact or warning? Why-…” she paused and looked into my eyes, “Does Gabe know?” She sidetracked.

I nodded. Then held my arms up slightly making his shirt shift on me. “The shirt doesn’t give it away?” I chuckled, she smiled.

“When did you get here?” She asked.

“A few hours ago, but we’ve stayed in his room…” then I thought a moment. “Has… has he been okay…?”

“He’s been worried sick… we all have been…” She confessed, her shoulders drooping with sadness. “I mean, he’s taken the brunt of the worry, he’s been stumbling around like a corpse since you left… he won’t eat, he’s hardly had water. The doctor said he has EBD, he hasn’t kept up his usual day routine, he’s been really fatigued, he can’t even go up stairs without feeling weak, I don’t think the cut on his hand has even healed all the way…”

“I really did a number on him…” I sighed as I crumpled, trying to hold back tears. “I was diagnosed with EBD too after the rejection… I’ve been experiencing the same…”

She nodded. “Are you staying…?”

“I… want to… but…”

“Ella…” She started, “He’s lost without you… You belong here, in our pack, as our Luna…”

“I… I want to stay… but Gabriel and I have to talk about a lot of things before that decision can even be made. And then it depends on if he and everyone else accepts me.”

She sighed, “Everyone here adores you… Ella…” she smiled, “Gabriel… told us what happened to your pack… as far as I’m concerned, you will always be an honorary member of ours… regardless of what you choose…”

I set the glasses on the counter beside me before throwing my arms around her shoulders and squeezing her. She responded by squeezing me back.

“You have no clue how much that means to me Beth…” I whispered in a sobbing voice.

“We love having you here…” she whispered back.

We both sniffled as we pulled away from each other.

“I’m gonna get back to Gabe…”

“Is that for him?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank goodness.” She breathed. ”I don’t think he’s taken a sip in days.” She rolled her eyes. “Stubborn as always.” I laughed and nodded.

“Can you have the kitchen staff send up something light when they get in?” I asked.

“Of course!”

“But… keep this on the DL… I don’t want a lot of people knowing I’m back…”

“Oh… why?”

“It’s… it’s complicated… but just… Let Gabriel and I rest for a bit and… when we wake back up I’ll try to explain what’s happening, okay?”

“I trust you Ella…” she relented.

I chuckled, “You can call me Ariella now, or just Ari.”

She smiled and nodded. “Okay, Ari.”

We shared a small giggle before I turned and grabbed my glasses of water and continued back through the quiet house to Gabriel’s room.

When I cracked the door open to his room he stirred. His eyes quickly shot up to me as if I had startled him. As soon as he realized it was me his face dropped back into his pillow and I could see a relieved grin wash over his face.

“Thank you.” He whispered as I set the glass beside him, taking a sip of my own as I watched him gulp down his water like his life depended on it.

“You’re gonna drown yourself.” I teased as I set my glass on the bedside table.

“Lemme drown in you…” he mumbled in a tired voice as he reached his hand to my waist, pulling me gently so I’d come back to the bed.

I giggled but his fingers pushed at the hem of the shirt I wore as I climbed into bed until the shirt came off over my head, ruffling my hair as it fell down my back and shoulders. His hands slid up my thighs and over my hips to my waist, exposing now cooled skin to the warmth that radiated off of him. I let one arm dig beneath the pillows below us and our legs pressed together as he pulled us tighter. My other hand placed gently on his arm that was slung over my waist.

He buried his face back into my chest before he settled back into the bed. Stilling almost instantly as he fell asleep. I sighed, watching the side of his face relax into bliss as he soaked in my presence and touch. The corner of his lip curled into a sleepy smile. His dark hair ruffled against my breasts.

A bemused chuckle escaped my chest as I admired his sleeping face, enamored by his strong jaw line and long lashes. Even though he still looked sickly and tired, he was so incredibly handsome. The disheveled look of his hair and shadow of his unshaven stubble only added to his ruggedness.

His lips parted just a sliver as he fell into a deeper sleep, his eyes beginning to shift beneath his closed lids as he moved into REM sleep.

I brought my free hand up from where it still sat on his arm and gently moved a lock of dark hair from where it tickled at his eyebrow. Then I gently raked my hand through the thick head of nearly black locks, massaging his scalp with my fingertips and eliciting a contented moan from him against my chest.