Suddenly A Beta's Daughter

Chapter 2: Lose One To Gain Another

Gabrielle POV:

I've never felt more relief in my life than when I managed to get back home without a single person seeing me. The first thing I did, after taking a shower and putting on my nightclothes, was check my phone. No wonder why no one saw me. It was 1 am. Then I noticed all the missed calls from Dina, Steph's mom, and calls plus texts from Steph. Between the 2 of them, they must have called about 30 times. I opened my messages, and the last text I got from Steph was, "Where are you? Call me, it's an emergency." Usually, I would just think she broke a nail, but the calls from Dina had me a little worried, so I called, and she answered immediately.

"Do you have any idea how worried we all were about you? Where are you? Dad's out searching the neighborhood. "

"Hey hey, slow down, I, um, had a bad headache, so I went for a walk, and time just slipped me by." I can't tell her I turned into a giant wolf and was running around the woods with a dude.

"I've got her, tell dad she's home." I heard her tell someone in the background

"Stephanie! What's wrong? What happened?" She went silent on the other end, and it made me a little worried. "Come on, Steph, you're making me scared. Why all the calls?

"There was an accident. Gabi, I'm so sorry, we tried to find you."

"What accident? Is everyone okay?" I could hear her crying, and that made me panic, Steph hardly ever cries. "Steph?" I managed to choke out. She let out a shaky breath but still didn't say anything.

'Knock knock'

"That must be dad." I went downstairs and peeked out the window, and sure enough, Mark was standing there. As soon as I opened the door, he engulfed me in a tight hug.

"Don't you ever disappear on me again, do you hear me?" He pulled back just a bit and looked down at me. His eyes were red and puffy, I could tell he'd been crying, and I'm not sure if it's because of the so-called accident or because of me disappearing. He placed a kiss on my forehead and let me go completely. "Go put on some shoes we have to leave."

"What happened?" He looked down, refusing to meet my eyes. "Dad, please." And then it hit me, Mom's not home, none of those calls were from her either. I should have noticed sooner, but I didn't. I heard Ivery whimpering in the back of my head, and suddenly, it felt like I was shifting all over again. I fought the tears that threatened to fall, "where is my mom?"

"I'm sorry baby, but we have to go."

Running on autopilot, I grabbed a random pair of shoes and followed Mark out the door. Everything from the car ride to walking through the halls of the hospital, all of it was just one big blur. Dina and Steph were talking to me, but I could barely hear them. I walked up to the observation window and looked through it. My mom was lying there, covered in bandages and bruises, hooked up to all types of machines, but my focus was set on the one that let me know her heart was still beating. I let out a shaky breath before turning to face everyone.

"What happened?" I was surprised by how steady my voice came out. Steph came up beside me and held onto my hands, but no one said a word. It was almost like they were afraid I'd break.

"It was a hit and run. She's got a few cracked ribs, her left arm and leg are nearly shattered, and she has severe brain damage." I looked towards the stranger who spoke and was in total shock. "There is a small chance that she could wake up and recover, but they won't know the exact odds until the brain swelling goes down." His voice was soft but deep and masculine. It was filled with empathy, but what bothered me most was his appearance, I could even feel Ivey trying to get a read on him.

Standing at at least 6 '9", he had short black curly hair and deep blue eyes that were staring right back at mine. He was an incredibly handsome man with a well-defined jawline under a short beard, and even through his dress shirt and pants, I could tell he was extremely fit. 'He's a wolf.' So he is. I could tell just by looking at him who this man was, and with that added info from Ivey, things were starting to click. Just to be sure, though, I pulled my eyes away from him and looked at Dina

"Sweetheart," Dina walked over, so she stood in front of me, motioning for the man to come closer while she stood between us. "This is Robert Black." Ivery ears perked up as she eyed the man closely, while Dina was watching me closely, looking for a response, I suppose, but I already knew who he was. "He's your Dad."

"HI Gabi," he looked nervous, running his hand through his thick locks. "Is it okay if I call you that?" I nodded my head, hoping if I kept quiet, someone would tell me why he was there. "When your mother got in the accident, I got a call from the police and her insurance. She gave them my contact information in case of any emergencies where she wouldn't be able to care for you."

"What?" I looked at Dina confused then at Mark, and they both seemed at a loss, but I still had to ask. "What does that mean?"

Dina held my hand, "it means that until your mother recovers," she hesitated a bit and looked up at the man, "You legally belong to your father. You have to go with him."

"WHAT! I don't know this man. Why can't I stay with you? You and Mark are my parents!" Dina started crying, and Mark tried his best to calm her down. I glared over at the man, softening only for a second at the hurt I found in his eyes. "You can't just come here and take me."

"Gabi, please, you have to calm down. "

"You don't get to tell me what to do!" I yelled back at him. It's too much, all of it. I just need something to stay the same.

'I understand that you are upset, but you have to calm down.' How dare he invade my mind.'Your wolf is going to take over if you don't get your emotions in check, breathe.'

That's when I noticed Ivey pacing back and forth in my mind, snarling and a pain in my palms, my claws. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down before looking back at him. Ivey was still growling lowly, but she was just laying there, staring at him

"Why can't I stay with them? You are nothing but a stranger to me, I need to be with my family."

"It's not my fault," he whispered, but I heard it as clear as day.

"What?"

"She never told me she was pregnant. Neither of them admitted that you were mine, but I should have known."

"Neither of them?" He looked over at Dina, I could see a bit of anger in his sad eyes. "Mom, what is he talking about?"

"All these years, she knew how to contact me, but she never thought to let me know." He looked back down at me, "11 years ago, I came looking for her, and she sent me away with my tail between my legs and had her friend cover for her." It looked like he was trying to keep his emotions in order, but his eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I saw her with you, and I thought you were mine, but then you ran to the pair of them yelling ‘ mommy, daddy’. None of them said anything. They let me believe that you were their child instead of your mother's." He insisted through gritted teeth.

Looking at Dina, she looked guilty. She knew, all this time, I thought he just didn't want me. Mom, Mom, kept me from him.

"Oh babycakes, don't look at me like that. It wasn't my place. Your mother believed it was for the best." I went to hug Dina. I might be angry at her for helping Mom, but I still loved her. Steph and Mark joined in, and knowing that I have to leave makes me super sad.

Robert cleared his throat, and I pulled away from the group to look at him. "We should probably head out, Marie can't have any visitors, and it's already late."

"We're leaving now." I began to panic a little.

"No. I'll take you back home so you can pack up and get some rest, and we'll leave tomorrow… well later today."

"Okay," I started wiping at my eyes and gave everyone another hug.

"Mom, can I stay with Gabi?"

"Um, I don't know, dear."

"It's alright, she can stay. I'm sure Gabi can use someone familiar close by."

'If you know that, why are you taking me?' He looked at me but didn't respond, his eyes giving me a silent, 'enough'.

"Come on, girls." He turned and walked off, Steph and I followed arm and arm silently behind him.

The car ride back to the house was deadly silent. I could see that he wanted to speak to me, but I don't think he could with Steph there. When we got to the house, Steph and I led the way up the steps and inside. I guess I can't avoid him forever.

"We don't have a guest room, so you'll have to stay on the couch." I watched as he slowly looked around our small home. Come to think of it, I don't even think he'll fit on the couch. "What time do we have to leave?"

He took a seat on the arm of the couch and looked at me. From this angle, we were almost at eye level. Figured the only thing I got from my mom was her height. Just reaching 5' I'm used to everyone being taller than me, but looking at him, that's just cruel.

"I have a meeting to go to at noon, so if I wanna get you home an-"

"This is home."

"Excuse me," I didn't explain myself, though I'm pretty sure he didn't need an explanation. He was probably just mad I interrupted him. Steph elbowed me on my side, but I wasn't going to stand down. "Right, my apologies, if I want to get you there and settled, we'll have to leave about 9:30-10 o'clock. That should give you enough time to get your things packed up." I nodded my head before dragging Steph up the steps behind me

"You didn't have to be so rude to the man," Seph stated as she walked in the room wearing my pj's that were just a smidge too small for her.

'She's right, you know. He didn't do anything wrong.' 'Quiet you. My life has done a complete 180 in just a few hours, and now he's taking me away from everything I know.’

"Gabi-kins", she waved her hand in front of my face to get my attention. "What's going on in that head of yours, huh? Not still hearing voices' Are you?" She laughed a little at her joke.

I was just about to respond, but Ivey cut in, 'You can't tell her.' 'Why not.' 'Because it's not safe, for either of you. Wolves stay separate from the humans." I don't know what she meant about it not being safe, so I decided it was probably best to listen. 'Duh, I give great advice.'

I rolled my eyes at her.

"Relax, I'm not going crazy. It's just been a long day. Let's get some sleep."

I didn't get a wink of sleep last night, I just laid there listening to Steph snore softly. I could even hear him walking around downstairs. When the sun started making its way into the sky, I figured I might as well start packing. I walked across the hall to Mom's room. Her room was always spotless. I start to fight back tears at the memory of Mom hooked up to all those machines, so I quickly go into the closet and take her two large suitcases and bring them back to my room.

I checked the time on my phone and it was 8 o'clock. Great, it's a little over an hour to pack my life away. 'It's gonna get better, right Ivey?' 'Sure thing, you have me now. I'm the one thing you can't get rid of if you try. We'll make it through this together. Just try to give him a chance, I don't think he's a bad guy.' 'I don't either, I just don't want to go.' Sighing, I pulled out the suitcase I had from under my bed and started packing

About half an hour later, I heard Dina and Mark come into the house. Steph must have heard them too because she started to wake up.

"Morning Gabi-kins", she managed to get out with a yawn. "How long have you been up?"

"I couldn't sleep." Steph climbed off the bed and sat next to me on the floor where I was trying to get my clothes to fit in the bag. "Your parents are here."

"I know, I swear that lady does not have an inside voice." We both giggled, and she picked up a blouse and started to help me fold. Thanks to Steph and her organizational abilities, when 9 o'clock came, I was finished packing. Afterward, we just sat on the floor side by side silently until Dina came up to get us.

'Knock knock' Dina came into the room. "I made breakfast. You girls should probably come and eat." We followed her down the steps into the kitchen where Robert and Mark were sitting at the table talking over a cup of coffee.

“Morning girls, sleep well,” Mark asks us.

“No,” I mumbled, going up to him and snuggling into his side. “Morning Dad.”

Mark gave Robert a guilty side eye, but I tried not to pay him any attention. “Everything is going to be okay. Are you all packed?” I nodded my head. “Okay sit down and eat, I'll go get you bags and put them in the car.” Mark got up from his seat and gestured for me to take his place. He placed a comforting kiss on my forehead before making his way up the steps.

"Let me help." Robert followed behind. A few minutes later, while we were eating breakfast, they came back downstairs. Robert carried the two large suitcases while Mark had my small one, the gift bags that I never got to open, and Timothy, my stuffed turtle. He must have grabbed it off my bed. He even doubled back for the shopping bags I left by the front door.

After breakfast, they all walked with me out to the car for our last hugs and goodbyes. Dina and Steph started crying, and that made me tear up a bit. Robert just stood holding the passenger side door open patiently waiting. 'It's time to go’ I got into the car, and we started to drive off. "It's not goodbye forever, you know, you'll see them again."

"Not soon enough," I mumbled.