THE STOLEN PIECE

CHAPTER 37 - EVA'S VOICE

GABRIEL

-We can go and buy it.

    -I don’t want to go out… And I want to stay here and chat some more with you.

    -Eva I…

She already had the phone in her ear.

    -Maria! Hi! Sorry, there’s a lot of noise around you. Can you go to a quieter place?... No, well okay fine. I talked to Gabriel and he wants sushi… Yes, he knows you are busy, but he really wants some… So I will text you the sushi orders, bye!

I glared at her.

    -I want sushi?

    -Yes you want some… And I’m starving.

She took a box of cookies from the cabinet and walked towards the coach.

    -Come join me.

As I walked she opened the cookie box and started texting.

    -TWINS YOU LIKE SHRIMP?

As I sat down the twins opened their door…

    -Why?

    -I’m ordering some sushi, you prefer the one with shrimp or crab?

    -Shrimp!

    -Crab.

    -Okey one of each.

    -What else are you ordering?

    -I’m kind of in the middle of a private conversation with Gabriel so if you mind giving us space?

    -But when we were fighting you said this place was tiny?

    -Yes, but go back to your room.

    -No…

    -Then I’m canceling your sushi…

    -Come on Daniel, we can wait in our room.

They went back to their room.

    -Lately, you have become more…

    -More what?

She said as she laid her head on my lap and ate cookies. She had a spark in her eyes… I felt as if I had seen this before but…

    -Do you feel like watching some cartoons or should I search for a movie?

    -I think…

    -A romantic movie it is.

I hadn’t even spoken and she was already selecting a cheese movie. She was acting strange.

    -”David why is Eva acting like this?”

    -”Like what?” 

    -”I don’t know… she used to be sweet and attentive… What happened to her?”

    -”She has been like that for some days now, but you haven’t been around or more like awake to be exact… So you haven’t noticed. She is now really annoying.”

    -”I can see that..”

    -Who are you talking to?

    -I was talking with David…

    -He is annoying, but not as annoying as Daniel.

    -How did you..? How did you notice?

    -You're yes got…

I stood up and looked at her.

    -How did you notice that?

She sighed and sat.

    -I have been taking less of the serum, so… I got back some of my abilities. I still take some, but I have noticed some of my senses have increased.

    -Did you tell Maria about this?

    -Not yet…

    -That could be dangerous Eva, what were you thinking? What if the wrong amount of serum affects you? Or endangers Maple?

    -Well I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong…

As she said that, she kept looking at me as if she was trying to find something.

    -What are you…?

    -You don’t know, right?

    -Clearly, I don’t know anything that’s happening right now…

    -You are so cute when you look that clueless… Come on, sit with me, I will look for an action movie and I will give some of my cookies to you.

I was confused and my thoughts were trying to find some sense to this… “She is back to her annoying self… But I haven't sensed Maple at all.” “I don’t know much about how the serum works, but I will definitely talk with Maria about it.” “Can we have some of those cookies? Are the ones that taste like pretzels right?” Zeus was now distracted by the scent of the cookies. I knew he was not going to stop until we had some. I sat and took the box from her hands. 

    -That's my Gabriel.

She laid down and I just kept eating cookies while watching some superheroes fight or something.

    -We could be that couple…

    -Are those a couple?

    -Yes look how he looks at her, I bet that they will kiss.

    -Why would they…

And they did kiss.

    -I told you.

    -But how do you know that? They were just looking at each other.

    -Yes but the love in their eyes was noticeable… just how you look at me.

Her big brown eyes were looking directly at me. She lifted her arms and touched my cheek with his fingers.

    -I know we are not mates…

    -Eva…

    -No, Gabriel is fine… I have been thinking about that all these years. I finally accepted. We are not mates.

As she started to tear up. I wasn’t sure what to do… I started brushing her hair but her curls started tingling between my fingers and I ended up pulling it more than brushing it. She sat without breaking eye contact with me.

    -What I’m trying to say is I know we are not mates… but we can be together right? We can try to be together… You haven’t found your mate after all these years, and we have now each other for years. We also lived together for most of those years…

    -Eva I…

    -I promise I tried to forget these feelings, Gabriel. I promise!

    -I never asked for…

    -I know, but… I made a promise to myself that if you found your mate I will back up immediately… but that didn’t happen…

    -But I wasn’t looking for my mate…

    -Mates don’t look for their mates they found each other! Like my Mom and my dad! They were meant to be and they found each other without looking!

    -My Dad did look for Mom…

    -No Gabriel he didn’t! He was forced to go on a fake trip to meet with some of the strongest packs to see if he found his mate! He for some point even considered having my Mom as a mate, you know that? Even after meeting your Mom, he considered having a different Luna! My Mom wasn’t sure but if the King asked you to be his mate what could she do? So when she came to take your father as a mate she found my Dad… And they bonded just like that… Without looking for each other fate brought them together.

I was angry, confused… she must be lying! How could anyone consider another mate different from my mom! She was the best Luna the Kingdom had had! And Dad… 

    -You are lying Eva, stop the nonsense.

    -I’m not! Janet told me all of this! Your Dad visited my mom’s pack and agreed to take Mom as his mate and…

    -Stop this Eva!

    -I’m just trying to explain that mates aren’t that easy… And you needed me there and I want to be there for you… So if we decided to try… We can go out first and when you feel sure I will completely stop taking the serum and you can mark me! 

    -WHY WOULD I MARK YOU?

    -SO NO OTHER WOLF WOULD CLAIM ME AND WE CAN BE TOGETHER!

Then it clicked…

    -You are taking the serum so you don’t find your mate…

She was now crying hysterically.

    -Yes! I don’t want to be apart from you, I don’t want anyone that isn’t you! I don’t want my life to change or my feelings for you to change! Maple’s really mad with me… On my eighteenth birthday when I discovered we weren’t mates, I was crushed… I couldn’t breathe… My mom tried to calm me. She told me how most of the young pack members were out on training for the week and that probably one of them could be my mate or even one of the twins! Could you imagine? Me! mated to one of the twins and having to love them just because of a mate bond? I didn’t want that or any other mate! I wanted you! Maple was sad but she told me she was sure we would find our mate… But I didn’t want a mate… I wanted you… That’s when Mom told me about Maria and her story with Lucas… She found her mate, someone she didn’t like and now she was forced to drink something so she wouldn’t go rogue… I wanted that… not the rogue part of being forced to drink a serum for all my life, but I didn’t want to find my mate. What I wanted was to give you time and make you love me even if it took me years to make you fall for me I was going to try it… but if you found your mate I was going to give up.

    -Eva I had no idea of…

    -I never told anyone my reasons, I think Mom suspects them, but I kind of closed myself and tried to be the perfect Luna for you. I learned to cook and I tried to support you in everything you did! When you told me your dad was sending you on the trip with Sam… I knew he was trying to push you to find your mate just like they did with him… And making you take Sam… Who also hadn't found his mate was proved enough…

    -He told me I need to greet the kingdom’s packs and learn about the experience of their Alpha’s and Lunas…

    -Come on Gabriel, they could have written you a letter with tips or could have all gone and visited our pack… You were out there to expose you to more females, females that don’t always visit our pack because they are not warriors because they are not that strong for whatever reason… I didn’t want you out there… I didn’t want to lose you, so I asked your Dad to let me go with you, but he said no. I knew having me take the serum was a problem so I  was not an option, it was dangerous for the packs to know that wolfsbane could suppress our wolves… But if you mark me, I could stop taking it and Maple would feel connected to Zeus and even if my mate… The mate the Moon Goodes thought it would be for me, nothing would happen because I will have your mark and we will be together forever!

I was sad and confused… Mad? Dad and Mom's situation was on my mind and… “Eva just declared her love for you… Not that we kind of not knew that… But I never thought it would be so intense.” “Shut up Zeus! You are not helping!” “So?” “So what?” “Are we considering Eva and Maple as a mate?” “WHAT?” “If we have a Luna it would be easier to take the Alpha position… and she is respected. She has acted with maturity and her food is delicious, and I kind of like her.” Zeus had a point, I did love Eva, but…

    -Please Gabriel I will be all of what is expected of a Luna!

    -I need to think about this. 

    -¡Yes!

She jumped off the couch and hugged me.

    -I will do my best! And we'll be together forever!

I heard the door opening and Maria entering with Lucas. Both looked at me with a confused look. 

    -It’s not what it looks like…

    -We are together!

I was confused and looked at Eva’s smiling face.