THE STOLEN PIECE

CHAPTER 03 - Mom & Dad

GABRIEL

As soon as the branches stopped moving, I saw a movement coming down at a high speed. We all jumped back and it landed where we were standing. I smiled and lowered my head a bit.

-Good morning mom.

She smiled back.

-Good morning babies…

She walked towards us.

-Don’t you think it’s too early to bother Eva?

I gulped. Then I saw Maria taking a step forward.

-I will answer your question if you tell me what you did to our phones.

Maria’s voice was clear but a little lower than normal. Mom smiled and started clapping.

-You finally understood it.

She was happy with her little joke. Maria looked confused.

-How did you do it?

-How? Easily, I called the company and blocked your phones so they will not work until I say so.

-You can’t do that! It’s my phone. That must be illegal!

-Well, I pay them so legally, they are mine.

-But I use it!

Maria was about to cry.

-Well, if you want to use it again, think twice before arriving after your hour.

And there it was. I knew we were not getting away with that, it was so good to be true. I sighed and looked at mom. Maria was now crying a bit while Sam… He was looking at the sky.

-So, mom, what can we do to get our phones back?

She looked at me.

-You don’t need phones Gabe, so don’t look at me as if I’m stealing something.

-You are! How am I supposed to communicate with the future Alphas?

-Gabe, your dad didn’t use a cellphone. If it is something important, you can use the phone in the alpha’s office.

-Mom!

-If you want to speak with your friends, behave as you should, so don’t lie and tell me you can’t speak with the Alphas if you need something from us then just use the link. If you stay at the distance that is allowed, you don’t need a phone to communicate with us.

-No one uses the mindlink now mom! How am I going to see the makeup videos and the…

As Maria listed a bunch of nonsense videos, I got it!

-Mom, we need to use the wifi for classes and homework.

Maria’s eyes sparkled at my sentence.

-Yes mom, we need wifi for that!

She said with a big smile.

-Don’t worry, I will be in the room with you and the computers, so I will make sure the wifi is used for educational purposes only.

She smiled at us. I heard steps and smelled Dad’s scent approaching. Maria also smelled him and ran and hugged him.

-Daddy! Mom is being extra mean to us!

He smiled at her and walked towards us.

-Your mom is just trying to teach you a lesson about responsibility, and as Alpha’s offspring, I hope you learn from this.

He said while looking at mom. “I bet mom put him up to this, that doesn’t sound like Dad.” Zeus was right, he was as scared of Mom as us, I can’t imagine having a mate like that.

-Well you can stay here as much as you want, but remember your times.

Sam quickly took a step forward and opened his mouth for the first time. He looked as if he had just resolved our problem.

-We can’t keep track of time without our phones!

I face-slapped myself. I really thought he had something but he was just… Sam.

-Don’t worry baby, your phones show the hour time, don’t need a signal for that.

He looked at his phone to check and then looked at me.

-At least I tried, right?

-Yes at least.

Dad took mom’s hand and kissed it, and then they both walked inside the house. I sat on the ground and then my shirt was thrown at my face by Maria.

-Dress up now.

I put the shirt on without complaint, I was tired and didn’t complain. Maria lay next to me, and Sam laid his head on Maria’s legs. We stayed there feeling the cold of the ground and the air that was getting warmer.

-Let’s promise to do this every year.

-Do what?

-This Sam! Do nothing but together. Haven’t you noticed that we do this always around this time?

Maria was right, we actually have done this for a while… More like they joined me. I usually come and do this at this time of the year. The ground is cold and the air blowing is getting warmer. That feeling tickled me.

-I like the idea.

I said as I patted Maria’s head. I heard Sam laughing.

-Me too.

-STOP TOUCHING MY STOMACH SAM!

So that’s why he was laughing. Maria was moving a lot to avoid Sam’s hand.

-Maria, you are heavier than you think, so you are hurting me. Please stop moving around.

She lifted up her head and then pushed it into my stomach. I whimpered, then she stood up.

-Boys ruin everything!

She walked towards the house.

-Girls are so delicate and they take everything as a personal attack.

-You know she hates it when you poke her stomach.

-Please man! She doesn’t have any fat, my finger bends when I press it!

-She still doesn’t like it…

-I don’t mind when people punch me in the stomach, it is firm and I’m proud of that.

I just rolled my eyes and felt Sam using my stomach as a pillow.

-I’m going to miss this.

-Miss what?

-Being here with you, and Maria.

-Why are you planning to find your mate and leave?

-Well…

-Come on Sam, I bet your mate is going to be Eva, so don’t worry you will be here with us for the rest of your life.

-Gabe I don’t care, with a mate or without a mate I’m leaving. I need to see what else is out there.

-So are you planning to leave your mate?

-I would ask her to join me, and if she doesn’t want to, well I would still leave.

-What if mom asks you to stay?

-She already did, but that didn’t stop me from getting money for my trip.

Everything clicked at that moment… the pictures and the money! He is using me to pay for his trip, and he is still trying to leave us! I stood up and while I did that Sam’s head hit the ground.

-That hurts Gabe, a heads-up wouldn’t kill you.

He looked at me and gasped. I knew I was mad, I could feel Zeus’ anger. Our own brother was betraying us! He was still trying to leave us and this is worse because he is using us to achieve it!

-YOU DON’T SAY A HEADS UP WOULDN’T KILL YOU! BECAUSE YOU ARE KILLING ME! YOU ARE LEAVING THE PACK, YOU SELF-CENTERED KID! YOU DON’T CARE FOR OTHERS AND YOU DON’T CARE WHAT EVERYONE ELSE FEELS!

-Gabe breath I…

-YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK TO ME NOW! AS FUTURE ALPHA I WILL NOT DEAL WITH SELF-CENTERED QUITTERS!

I couldn’t keep seeing him. I ran into the forest and went to my usual spot and started hitting mountain rocks. I knew that after crushing some I would feel better. I kept going and going. I saw the sun, it was already getting down. Mom is going to be all over me again… Then I notice someone near. I lift my face so the scent could be stronger and I identify it.

-Hi Dad.

-Are you done, Gabe?

-Not yet.

I continue punching rocks. And my dad walked and sat on some already smashed rocks.

-You know you can’t continue doing this, right? You are going to crush the mountain before your problems are over.

-I don’t do this that much dad.

-Well the smashed rocks give the wrong impression then.

I looked around and, yes, maybe I had punched more than I thought… but it’s not like this was made in one year, more like five years… Okay, there were still a lot of rocks. I stopped punching the rock.

- Do you have a better way?

I asked him.

-Your mom.

-I’m not punching mom.

-No that’s not what I wanted to say! More like being close to your mom calms me, her scent relaxes me and I can get myself together just by being around her.

-I know that being around mom is relaxing, but I don’t think she is that relaxing, no offense.

He laughed.

-Well that’s normal, she is your mom, but I was trying to tell you that when you find your mate she will help you with the work and with the emotional tasks.

I rolled my eyes.

-Yes I’m again with that mate thing, but trust me, I lived long before I met your mother and my life changed at the exact moment I saw her.

-Well, you never looked for us.

-Gabe don’t start with that…

-And you don’t start with the mate thing. I have been told by Nelson that you hated the pressure of the parliament of finding a mate.

-Well that was different. I’m not pressuring you but just trying to get you with an open mind about the subject…

-You know that you have two others that don’t want a mate right?

-Yes… but Sam, it's not that he doesn't want it, he just doesn’t care, and Maria…

He let a low growl…

-Let’s don’t think too much about your baby sister… But you… You are going to need that support, the position you are going to take isn’t easy and the help of your mate would be a lifesaver…

-You think that I can’t take this position without a mate?

-Gabe stop doing what your mom does… I never said that, I’m just trying to help you with the knowledge I have to learn during my life so you know beforehand and you can be more prepared and become a greater Alpha than what I am.

I understand what my dad was trying to do… But I still didn’t want to think that I needed someone else, I had been through a lot with the people I had, and now with my dad and Nelson in my life, plus all the members of Aegean and the other packs, I didn’t need more. I had the support and trust of many werewolves.

-I know what you are thinking and I know the trust of the pack is good support, but…

His eyes started sparkling.

-When you meet your mate everything will change, and you will have new priorities.

-Dad you know the kingdom comes first.

-Well…

-Are you telling me you would change the kingdom for mom?

-Wouldn’t you?

-Okay my mom is a special case, but a stranger…

-Believe me when you meet your mate with the first look she isn’t going to be a stranger.

-But I wouldn’t change my kingdom…

-Yes I believe that.

My dad said with a big smile, I wasn’t sure he was speaking seriously but I had enough of this topic.

-Since you are not smashing rocks, let’s go back home. Your mom is also sad and she isn’t giving you the signal back but I believe the food tonight is going to be great.

-I don’t think so.

-Trust me, son.