Of Beasts and Wolves

Chapter 5: Out With the Old

Max didn't expect to have so much fun packing her belongings, but Gavin had her laughing and smiling so much that she forgot about everything that had transpired recently. She took down all of the drawings and doodles and paintings that she and Jessica had created to liven up the drab little bedroom that Max had called home for the past 5 years. She wanted to put them into a scrapbook, or perhaps hang them up in her new room, so she set them down very carefully in the bottom of her suitcase. Frowning when she realized that the papers would get crumpled and wrinkled as she added more belongings, she glanced over at Gavin to get his opinion. He was crouching down inside the closet, going through some of the papers that had been stuffed inside the drawers of the desk. Most of it was just old schoolwork, but every now and again, he would hold something up for Max to look at and decide whether or not she wanted to keep it. She usually shook her head no, but as he got down to the bottom of the last drawer, he began pulling out photographs of her parents. She was glad that he didn't ask whether or not she wanted to keep those, though she did wonder why he froze and stared wide-eyed at the first picture he found. Whatever the reason, he quickly shook himself out of it and looked up to meet Max's gaze.

"I don't want these to get damaged," he told her. "I'm going to go into the house to see if I can find a folder for them."

Max nodded at him and gestured with the colorful papers that were once again in her hand. "Will you please see if you can find one for these too?"

Gavin stood up and, after gently setting the photos down on top of the desk, crossed the room toward Max with a smile. Setting her own papers down, she walked into his arms and closed her eyes with a happy, contented hum. She felt a little ridiculous, especially since she'd been so opposed to finding her mate in the first place. But this felt so good, so right, and so natural that she couldn't help ut enjoy it. And, having had no experience with the mate bond previously, she thought she could be forgiven for being so blasé about it before she'd actually experienced it. How was she supposed to know it would feel this good?

"Of course I will," Gavin answered, pulling away from the hug just enough to drop a kiss on the top of Max's head. "Will you be alright if I leave you alone for a few minutes?"

Leaning back in his arms, Max gave Gavin a skeptical look. "Aside from Jessica, I've basically spent the last five years alone. I think I'll be okay for a minute or two."

"Smarty pants," he teased. "You've been through a lot today. I just don't want to leave you alone if you're still trying to process everything."

"Oh." Max flushed a bit at that and felt rather silly for getting so defensive. She wasn't accustomed to not having to defend herself, and had reacted instinctively to his question. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, leaning her forehead against her mate's chest and breathing deeply. "I guess I'm just so used to..."

"Sweetheart, look at me," Gavin interrupted gently, leaning back so she couldn't hide her face against him. He waited until she peeked up at him before smiling and saying, "You don't have to explain anything to me, and you don't have to apologize. I understand."

Max nodded and lowered her gaze again, feeling slightly better with her mate's reassurance. "I'm sorry I got so defensive. I'll try to be better about it. Just... be patient with me?"

Gavin pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Of course. But you still have nothing to apologize for. If it makes you feel better, though, apology accepted."

"It does. Thank you." Leaning up on her tiptoes, Max kissed his cheek before stepping back and out of his arms. Grinning now, she teased, "Weren't you going to go look for something?"

"Yeah, I was." Gavin poked his tongue out at her, which sent her into a fit of giggles. "Brat. I wanted to make sure you were okay first.."

Max tried to stifle her giggles as she teased back, "Gosh, it's almost like you like me or something. What is wrong with you?!"

Gavin pulled a face, crossing his eyes, scrunching his nose, and flaring his lips out ridiculously to bare his teeth, which sent Max back into peals of laughter as he said, "SO many things. Want me to make you a list?"

"No!" she cried, playfully pushing him away from her and swatting at his arm when he pouted." Go see if you can find some folders, please!"

Gavin continued to pout at her as he exited the room, opening his eyes as wide as they would go and blinking rapidly as though about to cry. His antics made Max double over with laughter, and he paused briefly at seeing it, smiling softly and thinking to himself how glad he was that she could still find joy and laughter, even after everything that had happened.

"She won't be so happy when she finds out what you..."

"Shut it, Rowan!" Gavin snapped, irritated now with his wolf's interruption. "I'll tell her when the time is right."

"She's not going to thank you for hiding it from her."

"I'm not hiding anything!" Gavin insisted. "I just want to protect her."

"Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that."

Refusing to respond to his wolf's taunts, Gavin only shook his head and ended the internal conversation. He'd always gotten along with Rowan, always listened to and appreciated his advice and guidance. Rowan was like his conscience in some ways, and his guide in others. He usually helped keep Gavin grounded and sane, helped him sort through problems and find the logical next step to take. But this time, he didn't think Rowan was right. That, or else the human side of him was exerting more influence than it usually did. Rowan didn't want to lose Max either, but Gavin was terrified that she would hate him for what he'd done. He didn't see how she'd ever be able to forgive him or most past it, which was a big part of the reason why he didn't say anything. The tug of war struggle between himself and his wolf wasn't making things any easier, either.

Now, however, was not the time to dwell on it. He wanted to get Max's things packed up and get her moved out of the house that should have been hers. He also wanted to beat her foster father's face in, but he'd let the Alpha's decision stand and allow that to be punishment enough. For now, he was satisfied seeing the frowns on her foster family's faces as he walked inside and saw some of his fellow Sentinels standing guard, making certain that William, Melissa, and Taylor took only what had been allowed by the Alpha. The family was clearly upset, and Taylor kept throwing glances at the Sentinels and sniffling, no doubt hoping that one of them would take pity on her and not make her share the same fate as her parents. But not a single one of them paid her any attention, except to tell her to get a move on. One Sentinel standing in the corner by the front door kept intoning the countdown, minute by minute, making sure they knew how very little time they had left to enjoy being inside this house with all the possessions they had bought with what should have been Max's money.

Heading upstairs to go and search for folders, Gavin greeted the Sentinel standing at the base of the stairs with a smile and a handshake, and got a smile and a head nod in return as he loped up the stairs. Feeling no qualms whatsoever about going into the former bedrooms that had belonged to Max's foster family, he began going through drawers and closets, hoping to find what he was looking for. He found the folders he wanted in Taylor's room, no doubt extras that she'd kept on hand for school work and projects and such. Carrying two of them in one hand, he went to exit the room and was stopped short by William's bulky frame standing in the doorway.

"What the hell are you doing in my daughter's bedroom, you p*****t?" he demanded, looking far less tough than he probably thought he did with the split lip the Alpha had gifted him along with the dark purple bruise high on his cheekbone from Gavin.

"Please," the younger man scoffed, shouldering his way roughly past. "I have no interest whatsoever in your spoiled brat of a daughter. I suggest you get your mind out of the gutter and quit trying to pick fights you won't win, and focus instead on gathering the things your family will need to survive. You don't have much time left."

William glowered at Gavin, but didn't respond, and the young wolf grinned to himself as he descended the stairs again, feeling the weight of William's stare between his shoulder blades. He shrugged it off and kept going, wondering how on Earth Max had ever managed to put up with these people before remembering that until today, they had basically ignored her and pretended as if she hadn't even existed.

That train of thought was just going to anger him again, though, so he rolled his neck and just continued on his way, shaking his head as he heard Taylor whining to her mother about the unfairness of it all. Of course the spoiled b***h would believe that she was the victim, when it was her parents that had stolen the money from Max and used it to make themselves seem richer and more important than they actually were. Granted, the actions of William and Melissa weren't Taylor's fault, but she had chosen to look down her nose at Max too, and had never tried to befriend her. In Gavin's eyes, she was as much at fault as her parents were, and he didn't feel in the least bit sorry for her that she had been lumped into the same punishment.

Stepping outside again was like a weight being lifted off his shoulders. He hadn't noticed it at first, but even the atmosphere of the house was like a wet blanket, smothering and uncomfortable.

"That's because Max feels that way about it. You're picking up on our mate's feelings through the bond," Rowan told him helpfully. "That's good. It means the bond is growing stronger."

"Will we be able to mind link eventually?" Gavin wanted to know.

"Eventually, yes. That comes with time and trust."

He was excited to be able to fully explore the mate bond with Max, and hoped that she would enjoy her life with him. They already had so much fun together, he didn't see how anything else could be possible. It was like she had filled a void inside him that he hadn't ever realized was there. While it was true that he'd know they were meant to be together, he'd had no idea that she would quickly become so important. Yes, he'd been 'in love' with her, or at least thought he was; but feeling this now? It was so much more intense, so much more in every sense of the word, that he couldn't even begin to describe it. He barely knew her, but he already felt as though he would die to protect her, and that was a sentiment that he knew he and Rowan shared.

As Gavin got closer to what would soon be Max's old bedroom, he could hear her singing quietly, and he stopped just outside the door to watch her sing to herself and dance around the room, her arms held up as though she was dancing with him already. Her eyes were closed, and the expression on her face was far away and dreamy, and all he wanted to do was scoop her into his arms and carry her away from everything and everyone that had ever hurt her.

Quietly, so as not to startle her, he crept up behind her and smoothly slid into the place she'd unknowingly created for him in her arms. Surprised, Max's eyes flew open, but as soon as she saw her mate, she relaxed against him and rested her head on his chest, again singing quietly as they swayed together in the middle of the room. He didn't know what the song was, but it was light and lovely and sweet, and Gavin hoped he could convince her to sing it for him again.

When she stopped singing and their movements slowed and eventually stopped, they continued to stand in the middle of the room together, his arms around her waist, hers around his shoulders and her head still resting comfortably against his chest. He loved how small she was and how well she fit against him, and even as he thought it, she sighed and said quietly, "I love being in your arms. It feels so good."

"And I love having you in my arms," he told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and smiling when she sighed again. "What was the song you were singing?"

When Max lifted her head, Gavin was startled and sad to see tears in her beautiful golden eyes. "My mom used to sing it to me when I was little, and when I'd have nightmares, she'd sing it to me to help me fall asleep again. It's called You Are My Sunshine."

"It's beautiful," he told her honestly, bringing one hand up to her cheek to gently wipe away the single tear that had fallen. "Will you sing it for me again?"

That made her smile, and she nodded happily and started singing again, louder this time so he could hear her.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

You make me happy when skies are gray.

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you.

Please don't take my sunshine away.

And in the night, dear, as I lay sleeping,

I dreamed I held you in my arms.

When I woke up, dear, I was mistaken

and I hung my head and cried.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

You make me happy when skies are gray.

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you.

Please don't take my sunshine away."

When she finished, Gavin shook his head as if he'd been in a trance, his eyes wide and dilated. Her voice had absolutely mesmerized him in a way he'd never experienced before. Chalking it up to the mate bond, he only smiled at her and kissed her temple. "That was lovely," he told her. "Thank you for singing it for me."

"Thank you for asking me to," she said shyly, unaccustomed to people actually listening to her or enjoying her company. "This all seems like a dream. A really good dream that's too good to be true. I'm afraid I'll wake up and you'll be gone and I'll be alone again."

The sadness in her voice hurt Gavin's heart to hear, and he reached out to pull her close. "Never," he told her fiercely. "You'll never be alone again as long as you want me close."

"Forever?" she asked so quietly, he almost didn't hear her. But when he realized what she'd said, he couldn't help the fierce grin that took over his features.

"Forever sounds good to me," he told her happily. "What do you say we finish packing your things and get you moved into your new room so we can get started on that forever?"

Max nodded, eager to begin her life with her mate and experience more of the happiness he'd introduced her to.

They worked together companionably for the next half hour or so until everything that Max wanted to take with her was packed safely in her suitcase. Gavin wouldn't let her carry it, but when he put it down to close the door behind them, she gleefully picked it up and ran down the stairs before he could catch her.

They were brought up short by the sight of William, Melissa, and Taylor being escorted out of the house by the Alpha's Sentinels, and they paused to watch the procession head down the road, ignoring the hate-filled glares sent their way by Max's former foster family. William's glare was full of malice and promised retribution if he ever saw either of them outside the pack walls again, but Gavin stared back at him and slowly brought up one hand to flip the man off.

Max gasped and batted at his hand in an effort to get him to put his middle finger down.

"What?" he asked with a shrug. "He deserves it."

"I know... but still. You shouldn't be so blatant about it."

"What's he going to do? He's been banished by the Alpha himself. If he ever comes back here, even if he is seeking revenge, it'll be a death sentence for him and his family. And he knows it. He won't risk their lives to soothe his ego. The mate bond won't allow it."

Max shook her head and pulled his hand down to lace her fingers with his. "Let's just go. Please? I don't want to be near this house any longer than I have to be."

More than willing to appease his mate now that William was further away and no longer a threat, Gavin took the suitcase from Max and curled their fingers together to lead her back to their house, each of them excited to start their lives together. He could feel the tension drain out of her body the further away they walked, and he felt bad about standing there with her for longer than was strictly necessary. To apologize, he brought their joined hands up to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of hers. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I didn't realize how anxious you were just being there."

But Max shook her head and pulled him to a halt, bringing their hands up to her mouth to kiss the back of his. "It's okay," she told him. "I didn't know I was anxious, either. Not until I saw them leaving. Being with you sort of made me forget about all of that."

"Good," he told her fiercely. "I don't ever want to make you feel like that again. I want you to be happy as often as possible." When she smiled at him, he smiled back at her and said, "I love your smile. I want to see it as often as possible."

"So far, I've smiled more today with you than I have in the last 5 years combined. So thank you for that. The rest of it we'll figure out together."

"That sounds really good," he told her, more than happy to figure things out together. And, together, they walked off toward their new start, each looking forward to the process of getting to know one another and strengthening their bond.