Chapter 2 The Visit
766 Words
My heart hammered so hard I was certain Gabriel could hear it through the door.
The handle turned slowly.
I stood frozen beside my table of maps, every muscle locked tight. For one ridiculous second, hope surged through me. Maybe he finally wanted to talk. Maybe he'd discovered the mate bond. Maybe all these years I'd been wrong.
The door opened.
Cold night air drifted into the cabin.
And there he stood.
Gabriel Stein. Future Alpha of Silver Crood. My mate. The man who could destroy me without ever raising a hand.
Moonlight spilled across his broad shoulders. His dark hair looked almost black beneath the silver glow. He filled the doorway completely—power, confidence, authority. Everything I wasn't.
His eyes swept across the cabin. The maps. The notes. The plans. Something flickered across his face. Surprise. Then it vanished.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
His gaze settled on me. For a moment neither of us spoke. The mate bond stretched between us, tight as a wire. I hated that it still affected me this way. Hated that some stupid part of me was still waiting for him to choose me.
Gabriel stepped inside. "You disappeared."
I blinked. That wasn't what I expected. "What?"
"You left the celebration."
My confusion deepened. "So?"
His jaw tightened. "So people noticed."
People. Not him. People.
The tiny spark of hope inside me dimmed. Of course. I should have known better. Gabriel wasn't here because he cared. He was here because future alphas noticed everything in their territory. Even insignificant omegas.
His attention shifted around the room again. "What is all this?"
I swallowed. "Nothing.”
One dark eyebrow rose. The gesture should have annoyed me. Instead, my stomach flipped. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.
Gabriel moved closer to the nearest wall, scanning the maps. The lists. The sketches. Plans for housing, food storage, training areas, medical facilities. His expression shifted slowly.
"What is this place?"
I hesitated. No one knew. Not my stepsister. Not the few wolves I occasionally called friends. This dream belonged only to me. But somehow the words escaped anyway.
"A sanctuary."
Silence.
Gabriel stared at me. "A sanctuary?"
I nodded. "For wolves no one wants."
Something flashed through his eyes…gone before I could name it. "No one wants?"
I laughed softly. "You know exactly what I mean." If there was one thing I was asides from being hardworking and fragile, it was stubborn.
His expression hardened. Neither of us spoke for several seconds. Outside, wind rattled the trees. And the next thing that came out of him was a wild laughter, I stood there like a puppet folding my arms, he saw my expression remained the same, and paused.
"You're serious."
"Yes."
His gaze returned to the plans. "This would take years."
"I know."
"A fortune."
"I know."
"Most packs would never support it."
"I know."
“This is pathetic.”
Something about his stare made my skin prickle. Like he was seeing me for the first time. Not the kitchen worker. Not the omega. Me. The feeling was far more dangerous than cruelty. Because it made me want things I couldn't have.
Gabriel exhaled. "You should get back."
There it was. The distance. The coldness. The reminder of who we were. Future Alpha. Omega. Nothing more.
I folded my arms. "Why?"
"The Blood Moon Hunt is approaching."
"So?"
His eyes narrowed. "So the entire territory is preparing."
I couldn't stop the bitterness. "Then I'm sure someone needs another floor scrubbed."
His expression darkened. The words slipped out before I could stop them…years of hurt packed into a single sentence. For a second, something dangerous flashed across his face. Not anger. Guilt.
Then it disappeared.
"I didn't come here to argue."
"Then why did you come?"
The question hung between us. The bond pulsed. Once. Twice. Three times.
Gabriel looked away first. "I don't know."
The answer stunned me. For the first time in my life, Gabriel Stein sounded uncertain. And that frightened me more than his arrogance ever had.
A distant howl echoed through the mountains. Both of us turned instinctively. Warrior patrols. Changing shifts. Normal.
Except Gabriel's expression sharpened immediately. His Alpha instincts returning. The moment was gone.
He stepped toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."
My chest tightened. Tomorrow? Gabriel never sought me out twice. Never.
Before I could respond, he disappeared into the darkness.
Leaving me alone inside the cabin. Alone with my thoughts. And a question I couldn't answer.
Why had he really come?
Because something in his eyes tonight told me this wasn't over.
Not even close.
- Writer
