The Lost Werewolf's Mate

Briefing Gabriel

Gabriel replayed Thomas’ report in his mind while heading to his office. A lost and amnesiac she-wolf on their lands? What could this mean? Was it a trap? Gabriel’s mind raced with questions as he tried to process the situation.

“Zeus, what do you think? A lost amnesiac she-wolf that just stumbled on our lands while I was away? Weird coincidence!” Gabriel asked his inner wolf, trying to keep his voice calm.

“I don’t know, Gab. It could be a trap, or it could be something else entirely. We need more information before we can decide,” Zeus replied, always calm.

Gabriel nodded, taking a deep breath to calm his racing thoughts. He knew Zeus was right. They needed to gather more information and assess the situation before deciding on the following action.

Gabriel got to his office before the other members of the leadership team. He continued his conversation with Zeus over mind link.

“Zeus, what if she’s in danger? We can’t just leave her in the dungeons.” Gabriel said, his voice laced with concern.

“If she’s defenceless, then yes, we have a responsibility to help her,” Zeus said.

His two closest pack members, Gamma Thomas and Beta Matthew, took their seats near a window with a view of the south side.

“We need to find out more about her,” Gabriel said to Thomas and Matthew, his voice laced with concern. “We need to know if she’s a threat to the pack or needs our help and maybe even asylum. Thomas, care to fill us in?”

Thomas started. “So, it was the strangest thing. Jared, Brian and I were on patrol duty on the western border. We caught a faint whiff of a she-wolf. It was hard to tell exactly where it was coming from. We investigated further. The smell was faint, but it became clearer that they were hurt, whatever or whoever it was.”

Thomas looked at Gabriel and Matthew. They were nodding and inviting him to continue.

“While we examined her, we saw she had blood and no visible injuries or scars. It’s weird, dude. Despite being unconscious, she emanated a sense of power and strength that was impressive. We then quickly returned here and brought her to one of the medical cells in the dungeons. Dr. Cassandra came quickly to look at her.”

Gabriel leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, his gaze intently on Thomas. “And what did Doc say?”

Thomas shifted in his seat. “She couldn’t find anything physically wrong with her. But there was something strange about her scent. She said it was like nothing she’d ever smelled before. Her scent is faint for all of us. She doesn’t smell like a rogue. The she-wolf regained consciousness this morning but doesn’t remember anything.”

Matthew snorted. “Great. So, we’ve got a mystery amnesiac she-wolf on our hands. What do we do with her?”

Gabriel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “We keep her here for now. Until we figure out who she is and what she’s doing here. It’s unsafe for her to be out there, amnesiac and alone.”

Matthew rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because we don’t have enough to deal with already. You know there’s an increased rogue presence around the Blood Moon pack, right? And now we have to play babysitter to some mystery she-wolf.”

Gabriel’s tone was firm. “She’s under our protection now. We care for her until we can ascertain whether she’s a threat.”

Thomas nodded in agreement. “I agree. Plus, it’s not like we can just let her go. She wouldn’t survive out there on her own.”

Thomas sat up straighter. “And in the meantime, we should watch her closely.”

Matthew smirked. “You just want to spend more time with her, right?”

Thomas almost growled at Matthew, and he startled himself. “Shut up. Not every decision I make, or support is because of that. I think it’s the humane thing to do.”

Both Gabriel and Matthew looked at each other surprised. It wasn’t like Thomas to get riled up. He was the chill one of their trio and evened the others out.

Gabriel stood up, signalling the end of the discussion. “OK, I’m going to go see her.”

Gabriel stood up quickly and with a sense of urgency, almost startling Thomas and Matthew. Following his lead, together, they made their way to the dungeons.

As Gabriel approached the entrance to the dungeons, he felt his heart racing with anticipation. He never could have imagined the sight that awaited him.

As he stepped into her cell, her stunning beauty struck him. Her stunning beauty struck him as he noticed her dark hair cascading down her back, framing a face that could only be described as breathtaking. And then he laid eyes on her toned and athletic body.

But as Gabriel drew closer, he saw that the she-wolf was restrained to her bed, a precaution he had implemented. And yet, as he gazed upon her delicate frame, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was essential. Could this magnificent creature genuinely pose a threat to the pack?

He called to the guard, “Tommy, can you please get these restraints off this she-wolf?”

The guard complied, quickly releasing her. She started rubbing her wrists instinctively.

Gabriel approached her slowly, making himself seem as non-threatening as possible. “Are you OK, is this better?” he asked softly.

The she-wolf’s eyes fluttered open, and she looked at him with fear and confusion. “Who are you? Where am I? Why are you holding me captive?” she asked, her voice weak.

“I’m Gabriel,” he replied. “I’m the alpha of this pack, the Moondance pack. Why we’re holding you captive? It’s partly for your security but also ours.” He paused, hesitant about how to proceed. “We don’t know who you are, where you came from or if anybody is after you.” He whispered, not wanting to scare her. For reasons unbeknownst to him, he wanted nothing more than to make her feel safe.

The she-wolf’s eyes widened, and Gabriel could tell she was surprised. “Please,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Let me go.”

Gabriel shook his head to stop fixating on her eyes. He could feel that she was fearful but too tired to fight. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But we can’t let you go until we know more about you.”

He stepped closer, trying to calm her down.

“We’ll take care of you,” he said. “We need to know who you are and why you’re here.”

Alpha Gabriel felt conflicted as he kneeled before the exhausted and amnesiac she-wolf. He desperately wanted to know more about her, to understand why she was running and what had led her to this dungeon. But he also didn’t want to scare her away or make her feel more vulnerable than she already was.

He couldn’t help but feel drawn to her as he gazed into her deep blue eyes. Her eyes were like a Blue Moon, so rare and beautiful. He took a deep breath before speaking, trying to choose his words carefully.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, hoping to reassure her. “You’re safe now.”

The she-wolf searched his face to determine if she could trust him. She felt so lost and alone, and the last thing she wanted was to fall into the hands of someone who would hurt her.

“I don’t know who I am,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I don’t know why I was running or here. All I know is that I was scared. Scared of being chased, scared of what might happen to me. I felt scared for my life.”

Gabriel felt a surge of anger washing over him. How could anyone be so cruel to someone as vulnerable as this she-wolf? But he pushed his emotions aside and focused on comforting her.

“It’s okay,” he repeated, trying to control himself. He didn’t want his Alpha aura to scare her. “You’re in my pack now. We’ll take care of you.”

The she-wolf looked at him skeptically, unsure if she could trust him. “Why should I trust you?” she asked, her voice trembling. “I don’t even know who you are. I was restrained to my bed, and now you want me to trust you?”

Gabriel felt his heartache at her words. He knew he had to prove himself, to show he was different, and he wanted to do right by her.

“I know it's hard to trust a stranger, especially one who had you restrained,” he said, gripping his hair in frustration. “But I mean you no harm, I promise.”

The she-wolf heard her wolf as he spoke. She urged her to listen to him.

“Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

Gabriel smiled reassuringly. “That’s good,” he said. “Did your wolf convince you to give me a chance?” He said, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded.

He suddenly noticed that he could not smell her. Not only did she not have the stench of a rogue, but she also did not have a distinct smell - like other wolves. Yet she felt familiar.

“What do you think, Zeus?” he whispered to his wolf, hoping for guidance.

Zeus was pragmatic, as always. “I don’t know, Gabriel. There’s something different about her, but I can’t put my paw on it.”

The she-wolf looked at him and asked, “What happened back then? Your eyes fogged over.”

Gabriel was surprised at her question. “That’s how I knew you were talking to your wolf earlier when she convinced you to trust me. When wolves use our mind link, we enter into a trance-like state. We can connect with our inner wolf and talk with them.”

The she-wolf’s eyes widened with curiosity. She inquired, “What did you talk about with your wolf just now?”

Gabriel paused, wondering if he should tell her everything.

The she-wolf felt him hesitate and looked down. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked about that.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. You’re free to speak your mind with me. I’m just trying to figure things out.”

They sat in silence for a moment, the only sounds being the soft echoes of the dungeon. Then Gabriel stood up, brushing off his pants. “I have to go now, but I’ll come back to check on you soon.”

The she-wolf nodded, her eyes following him as he walked away, longing for him to stay here with her.