THE STOLEN PIECE

CHAPTER 62 - THE MISSING KIDS II

GABRIEL



I cleaned my tears and turned back slowly. Then I saw her. She was with two other guys, but it was definitely her.

-Go on, I’m just saying hi to a friend.

One of the guys gave me a strange look but then he kept walking while the other one followed him. She then ran and grabbed my hand.

-Are you alright? I thought I wasn’t going to see you again…

-What are you...

I wanted to speak but she interrupted me again.

-Your brothers, are they fine? Did the wolf see them? I’m so sorry Gabe I really wanted to help but I wasn’t feeling as strong as I usually do so I had to run and…

-What are you doing here?

I finally was able to ask her.

-I just arrived with my litter, but we are getting to another place by the morning… Wait, why are you here? How did you find me?

-I…

-That wolf took you into her pack, right? She thought you were her mate…

She then touched my neck and shoulder like she was looking for something.

-She didn’t mark you? Didn’t you mate?

-No…

-So as I thought… She was strong and fast… Her parents probably didn’t like the idea of you being mated to their daughter… Did you have a bad time there? Wait so some members took you in with us right?

She said with a huge smile.

-We are trained to protect the weak and I’m glad we are all in the same head space. I would also have done the same if I saw a human during an attack.

-Why?

I said with tears in my eyes… I was still dealing with the pain of all my pack members and the pain of knowing that these kids… All of these members were part of us and they didn’t even know.

-I’m so sorry Gabe! I promise I really wanted to protect you... But I was weak and I…

As she spoke she also started crying.

-I didn’t know what to do, I lost so many things I didn’t want to lose you too.

She hugged me and I felt heat coming toward my body. I pushed her off a bit and touched her forehead.

-Crystal, are you feeling fine? You are burning hot!

-Oh that, don’t worry, that's my normal temperature, we werewolves are usually hotter than humans.

I knew that, but she was beyond hot.

-I don’t think it’s normal…

-No don’t worry Gabe I swear it is.

I wanted to take her to see a doctor but I didn’t even know where to find one.

-So how is my group treating you? What litter helped you?

-Good, they are all really attentive. I was found by John and Mia, they also have some friends called…

-Dean, Lilith, William, and Diana.

She interrupted me. As if she was remembering something. She seems relaxed as if she was letting something go.

-Yes.

-They are really good trackers, not so good at fighting, but the six of them are some of the best trackers I have known.

-I didn't know that…

-Well yes, but it is kind of hard to be always close to them, they fight so much between them it gets tiresome.

-I know! They fight for really small things!

-Those are mates for werewolves.

She said with a kind of disgusted face.

-I thought Mates was a good thing.

-Yes… Well I mean they can be, but they make you pass sometimes a really hard time. But it’s fine because it is supposed to be, right? It’s better than driving crazy and ending up being killed by your own family.

Okay, that was also true, sometimes mate rejections or the loss of your mate could drive you crazy, turn you into a rouge and you end up being killed by your own pack. But that incident passed even less in the past years.

-But that isn’t that common, right?

-I’m not sure, here we avoid that problem by choosing our mates as soon as we turn 18.

I was shocked, so all of them were mated… Not by the moon but by their own election?

-Why would you…. They say that a mate is something wonderful and the bond and…

-If you find it and if they want you back it is, if not you are just destined to die.

She said with a serious face.

-But at 18 isn’t too young to choose someone?

-And what if they wait and their mate rejects them, I’m not sure if you felt the mate bond with the wolf… but if you were really her mate I’m sure she was in a lot of pain when she couldn’t claim you.

She said as if she was thinking of something...

-How are you so sure?

I said and she got tense.

-I have heard stories…

-From who?

Something was off with her, she didn’t look into my eyes.

-Let’s talk about happier things. Like are you planning on going back to the city with your brothers?

-I am not sure, The guys told me I can’t go yet…

-The attack…

She said more to herself than to me.

-I forgot! Gabe, it was really good talking to you but I must go now, my litter is waiting for me.

As she said that she stood up and I could see her shoulder thanks to the moonlight. She wasn’t marked… so she didn’t have a mate, but she told me that all of her pack choose a mate as soon as they turn 18… Could she have been rejected? “She did tell you she was weak,” Zeus said. “And?” “No one wants a weak mate, when it's your real mate it's fine but maybe she wasn't chosen or even rejected by her mate,” Zeus spoke with anger. He wasn’t understanding the situation and it was just so confusing. I stay there, trying to absorb what I just heard. She was also part of this place, so her brothers were werewolves… Then I remembered the picture! Could she have been one of those kids I saw? I tried to remember but it was all blurry. Then I heard a familiar voice… Mia was talking to someone and her voice was approaching the spot I was. Before they arrived I added some more wolfsbane to my clothes and skin.

-There you are!

She said looking at me with a not-so-happy Jhon behind.

-I was telling John that it was probably hard for you to see that many wolves, but don’t worry they are not going to hurt you. We will stay by your side and protect you.

I stood up and didn’t say a word. I followed them back. John walked close to me. As if he knew something. I just hoped the wolfsbane I applied was enough to cover my scent. We arrived where the rest of their group was and Mia ran toward the girls. John grabbed my arm and stopped me.

-I am not sure about your story, you actually don’t talk much about it. But I’m sure it’s not all as Mia says… But you can trust us. We are not going to mistreat you or use you. So don’t go away alone. We are not in the city and the enemies could be looking for us and they will not think twice to kill you.

As he stopped talking he walked toward the group. “They care for us. Even though they think we are human.” Zeus said. I knew they were good kids, they looked young, and I’m sure the rest of the werewolves here were also good members, but someone has given them really wrong information and deprived them of their destiny and pack life… I needed to find that Racoo guy and the one they called Mom… I know they are the ones behind all of this and they are the ones responsible for these attacks. I sat somehow far from the rest of the werewolves, and Dean came and joined me.

-Don’t let bad memories take away your happiness… Believe remembering things or thinking what if… Never gets you anywhere.

He said with sadness.

-You also regret things?

- Not so much as regret it, but I get some flashbacks… But right now I’m not sure how much of them are true and how much was just made up by my mind.

-Like what?

He looked around and then he looked at me.

-This stays between us if you tell someone something…

-Don’t worry I won't say a word.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

-I remember a woman, she looked a lot like me. I had a memory where I fell and started crying and she came running towards me with tears in her eyes crying, she apologized for not keeping a better watch. And I remember her scent; it was sweet and relaxing… I also remember a man, he came late and played with me… and I could swear I remember John also, every time I got flashbacks of him he was with an older girl as if she was his sister… Then I just remember fire and cries, I remember my Mom’s embrace and then a cold that spread through my body… But I’m not sure of how much is true because I also remember a man telling me that my aunt was royalty, that she was the second hand of the king so…

Then it hit me! That's why I thought Dean looked familiar! He had Sabrina’s eyes! His skin was also similar but his hair was dark with waves. He looked even more like Sabrina than Harvey… He also looked younger than Harvey.

-You are not imagining it or making things up! That’s true all of that is true I actually…

-What is true?

Mia’s voice made me jump a bit.

-That your voice is annoying.

Dean said to Mia with a smirk.

-Shut up Dean! Stop teasing me and don’t teach Gabe that stuff!

I wanted to tell him he wasn’t making things up, it was all true, his memories of his parents… He had Alpha blood! Well, I knew one of Sabrinas’ brothers was an Alpha I wasn’t sure about the rest but Sabrina was the daughter of an Alpha so he had to have some Alpha blood! He had family waiting for him and he didn’t even know! Sabrina is going to be so happy when I tell her I found her nephew!

-John! Tell Dean to stop saying bad things about me to Gabe!

Then it hit me. I had killed some of these kids, during the attacks I had hurt and killed… My own members. They are part of us, just as Dean is Sabrina’s nephew, the rest could be someone else's lost family… They are kids that were missing, the kids that we were trying to find! They are the missing members of the packs, and we are killing them! “How can we stop these?” Zeus was worried, it was not going to be easy, and tried to convince them we were on the same team and that their lives were a lie and that they were abducted… Some had memories as Dean, but what about the ones that were so little they don’t remember… How will they react to that truth? Could they actually believe us? I looked at them laughing and joking between them… I had to protect them, and not just them but all of these members. “Should we escape and tell the Royal pack what you just found out?” Zeus said. It wasn’t a bad idea, but I wasn’t sure where were we, and if I shifted what if they had more members spread and they catch me, they will not let me live if they know I a werecat, and with them using catnip I was just going to shift back just like the attack in the River meadow pack… I was convinced the amount of catnip they used forced my shift. “I think the best thing we can do is let them guide us towards our pack and they mindlink everyone so they know the situation.” “But what if they attack? We can’t ask the Royal pack to stay put and not defend themselves.” Zeus was right… I needed to think of a plan… and fast. I wasn’t sure how much time we had. I could feel the cold climate increasing, so we were getting closer to the north and to the Royal pack. The next three days passed just like the others but I didn’t see Crystal again, but I also didn’t see the guys that had my shorts so she must be around just like them. Then I felt the atmosphere change, Mia wasn’t talking that much, and Lilith was actually biting her hair even more. Diana stopped singing and the guys didn’t take their eyes off them. John approached me.

-We just got our orders. We are tracking down the kids and taking them to the city with Mom…

He said with a tone I hadn't heard coming from him.

-You are coming with us, you can help us carry some kids, and then we are letting you go into the city so you could start your new life.

-You are taking me into the battle?

I said surprised.

-Yes but the six of us are just taking the kids and taking them. Other members will fight for us so don’t worry you are going to be protected.

He said to me with a serious face.

-When is the attack happening?

I asked.