THE STOLEN PIECE

CHAPTER 56 - MATES

GABRIEL



I exited the main house and caught up with Maria.

-Are you alright, are you hurt?

I picked her arms up and started checking for scratches or signs of blood, bruises…

-I’m fine Gabe.

She said, taking her arms away from my hands.

-You can’t possibly be okay Maria, you confronted an enemy and you haven’t shifted in years! How is this possible? When did it happen? How? Did you get immune to the serum? Is Nova alright? Are you in any pain? Who knows about this? Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you leave the pack territory? Are you crazy? You could have died!

As I spoke she only looked at me. Then she took a deep breath and looked into my eyes.

-Breath Gabe you are turning blue, you need to breathe…

-Stop it, Maria you are trying to change the topic, again…

-I’m not but it's physically impossible to answer all of those questions at the same time.

-I… am just…

-I know, I was too, I wasn’t sure but I learned a lot in the city.

Okay now I was shocked, this has been happening since then?

-Maria you need to explain even more.

Maria looked around and then she looked at me.

-Not here.

I looked around and saw members doing their own stuff, they were not concerned with our presence but Maria kept looking at them.

-You want to go into the office?

-Isn’t Harvey there?

-Yes he is probably there… And Mat is in our room.

-How is he? The wound didn't look too deep, so…

-Yes they just stitched him up and then we left the hospital. He actually fell asleep and that’s why I took him into our room.

-Was that the only reason or did you also interrogate him?

I rolled my eyes at her.

-I just asked him some questions, but I still don't know how it was possible.

-Let’s go to some private place… Lately, you have members everywhere.

-We need the extra protection, Maria.

-I’m not saying we don’t but I feel like I am being watched 24/7.

-That's the point.

-I like my own space and lately it is hard to have it.

I tried to think of a place that wasn’t as patrolled so we could talk… “I know where we could go.” Zeus said and then it hit me I knew what place he was talking about.

-Come follow me.

I said to her as I started walking to my thinking place. As members walked past us they lowered their heads at me and I just nodded at them.

-They changed their attitude a lot around you.

-Yes they did.

- I knew they would, but I never thought they would even bow when they saw you.

-They better, I have beaten their asses at least one time during training. They know who the leader is.

-I was about to mention that…

She ran a bit and then she pinched my stomach.

-You lost your belly.

-What belly?

-Please Gabe during the city you did get a bit chubby.

-What? NO!

-Yeah, and it was adorable.

“Did we really gain belly fat?” I asked Zeus. “Well we didn’t shift as often and definitely you stopped training, and you also ate too many pastries.” As Zeus spoke I remembered the shop… and Crystal’s sacred face when she saw Eva shifting…

-I know this place! it’s your tantrum place!

Maria said, pointing at the rocks.

-It’s my thinking place.

-Please Gabe, when you got mad you came here to punch rocks, that's a tantrum.

-It is not…

-Can I tell you a secret, I always wanted to try it.

As she said that she struck the rock with her fist and then she let out a whimper. The rock looked intact, and she was grabbing her hand.

-That did not go as I planned.

I walked toward her and took her hand in mine. It looked red but it didn't look broken or with cuts. When I confirmed that it was just swollen I let her hand go and walked toward the rock.

-You did it wrong, and you are so out of shape.

I said as I punched the same rock. I heard the rock cracking and when I took my punch back I saw a hole in it with pieces falling down.

-How is it possible, I did just the same thing!

-The real question is how is it possible for you to shift… Since when did you stop taking the serum?

Her expression changed, she now looked serious. She jumped towards a high rock and sat down. She looked at the stars, and then she looked at me.

-Just please don’t get mad.

-Why would I get mad?

.

.

.

MARIA

I was scared to tell Gabe what I did in the city. I know he wouldn’t approve of it and I still had to do it, but… “At least if he gets mad there are a lot of rocks near him.” Nova said, her voice made me jump a bit, I was still not used to hearing her in my head again. I missed her so much but it was just strange to share your mind with someone else all the time.

-Just please don’t get mad.

That was the only thing I could say to Gabe.

-Why would I get mad?

“If only he knew…” Nova said she wasn’t happy with my actions either. This wasn't going to be easy but I had to explain my story, if not, Gabe wouldn’t understand it and would never leave me alone about this topic. Sam would have understood it… I looked up and tried to feel him, but it was an emptiness inside me that made me look back at Gabe.

-I will get mad if you don’t start talking.

I sighted.

-I… You know how I felt about mates right?

He made a strange face.

-I’m not sure… I remember you told me about Mom and Dad, and even…

-Yes, I know how your mate makes you a better person and pushes you… I see that in the mates in the pack… But have you seen human relations?

-What?

-Back in the hospital I knew human couples that we're married, some were happy some were not. They don’t have mates, they choose each other and they fight to keep their love alive each day. They don’t have that instant bond, they don’t feel attached to each other, and they don't feel the pain of the other one. We have so easy to be in love with our mates because we are literally bonded to them, our feelings get nourished by the feeling of the mate bond…

-I don’t understand, are they a couple but not mates? Back in the howlers, your friends' parents were mates, they were happy, right?

-Yes they were happy, but no they were not mates in the sense we see mates. They didn’t see each other and instantly fell in love, they chose each other and worked to see if they fitted as a couple… Like in the movies.

-That stuff is true? I thought it was just to add drama…

Gabe had a confused face. He usually never questions things we are taught. He sees them as laws and he goes on by following the laws we grew up in.

-No it’s real, they fell in love with the person they chose, sometimes they even fell in love with the wrong person and then they decide it’s not working, leave them and choose another partner.

-I thought second chance mates were really rare…

-They are not mates, as we, with the blood oath and shared feelings with the mate bond. They chose to be in love and work to stay together because the feeling could fade away… Or they could fall for other people.

-That's crazy!

Gabe was now mad.

-Dad would never leave Mom for others or I would kill him on the spot!

-Gabe I’m not saying that, I’m talking about human relationships.

-Well they sound awful and insincere, when you choose someone it is forever not to leave them when you get bored or fall for someone else that's just madness.

-But they are free Gabe! They can leave their partner any day but they decide not to! That’s the beauty of their relationship, they change together they are not forced to change because they want to… Because they freely love each other and not just because of the mate bond.

-But they could leave their partner.

-Yes, that’s why they take care of the relationship and they need to find ways to keep their partner's love and take care of the relationship so the love doesn't escape.

-Nothing? Not a mate bond or something? What about the sparks when mates touch? Can’t they identify their partner with them?

-They can feel sparks, but are not as clear as when we feel them, they can have butterflies in their stomach…

-What? like real butterflies?

-No just a feeling tingling on your stomach.

-Maria why are we talking about this, it’s just so strange… Why would someone want something like that? Something that can end in an instant without a warranty.

-Your trust in the person you choose is the warranty.

-With a blood oath, nothing is a warranty.

-Gabe, they are not like us… They are…

-Why are we talking about humans Maria? What do they have to do with you?

I was afraid to say it out loud, but I knew that if I didn't say it Gabriel would never understand it.

-I envy their freedom.

-What freedom? Do you want to leave the pack?

His face was pale and scared.

-No, but since the day I turned 18, I felt that I hadn’t control of my own life, my destiny. If Lucas was my mate I had to leave the pack and go with him. He is the only heir to the howlers pack… and I can see how an amazing Alpha he could be and I will not deprive the kingdom of that. He is smart and novel, he is ready to take a pack under his command… But I wasn’t sure what I wanted then and suddenly my life was going to the howler having all the Luna responsibilities, having pups so they can take the pack after… What if that wasn’t something I wanted? Something I liked… Because of who my mate was, that was my destiny now, I couldn’t accept it.

-Maria leading a pack…

I jumped off the rock and landed next to him.

-I know you say it isn't that hard, but you chose it for yourself! I don't! I wanted to be with my family, travel some packs… Maybee, I decided to go back and live a normal life with a job and human neighbors, away from all the pack rules and all the laws… but at age 18 my destiny was forced on me. And when we were in the city Taylor made me feel seen, he didn’t know if I liked him or who I was but he…

-Wait…

Gabriel’s voice changed, it was deeper and gave me chills, but not good chills. I could see his ears and a golden glow in his eyes.

-Are you talking about the Taylor that always took you home? the Taylor that talked to you on the phone? Taylor was a man? A human man?