Alpha Gideon’s deception

Thinking about Sam

Two weeks pass without any new mysteries. Jesse does her best to keep an eye on Gideon and his activities, but she doesn’t overhear him talking to the mystery woman any more. He’s either avoiding chérie, or is taking careful steps to talk to her out of earshot. Faith is avoiding Jesse too. The omega acts respectful and polite still, but limits her chat to two or three word sentences at the most. It appears Faith feels embarrassed about her emotional outburst, and is keen to avoid any mention of it altogether.

With no new developments, Jesse focuses some of her nervous energy on wedding planning. Not that she has much of a choice in the matter. Now the date is set, her mother is concentrating on getting everything ready for the big event. Her parents have a savings account with a not insignificant amount set aside just for her future wedding and her mother is keen to help her spend it sooner rather than later.

While Jesse does her best to appease her mother and start arranging things, her heart isn’t in it. She can’t muster the necessary enthusiasm to dream big. Every time she pictures her future wedding day, all she can think of is committing to Gideon for the rest of her life; the thought makes a feeling of dread slowly sink in. Why should it matter what band is playing? What difference will the flowers in the bridal bouquet make to her? None of those things will make the day feel any less daunting.

Feeling overwhelmed, Jesse appoints Cassie as her maid of honour, and leaves her and her mother in charge. Her best friend knows her tastes quite well; she is more than qualified to pick a colour palette and send out invites.

Gideon is no help either, leaving the planning entirely to her to handle. Regardless of the topic, he seems to have no strong preferences either way. Jesse can't even get him to share his favourite colour with her. They have been in each other's company for weeks now, but in spite of him sticking around virtually every day, barely leaving her side, he still feels like a stranger to her.

Their personalities couldn't be more different, so the two of them frequently clash. Gideon is strong willed, domineering, somewhat traditional in his views, very physical in the way he expresses his affections. Jesse is stubborn and strong willed too, but she's a career woman with zero desire to become a stay at home mother. Her love shows through conversations; opening up to one another and showing vulnerability during long talks by candlelight. It’s something Gideon seems loath to do, and his attempts at public displays of affection only serve to alienate Jesse further.

Eventually, the both of them settle into something of a ceasefire. Jesse gives up her desire for depth, sticking to idle small talk whenever she's around him. For his part, Gideon has given up his attempts to kiss her in public, choosing to simply hold her hand instead.

His efforts at physical intimacy now exclusively surface in more private settings, but he hasn't been very successful so far. While Jesse consents to kissing him, she hasn't allowed him to take things further just yet. Her wolf is still missing and hasn't made any signs of resurfacing. Without her companion by her side, intimacy feels wrong, not in the least because she still doesn't experience any physical attraction towards Gideon.

Even though they aren't getting into fights any more and are carefully trying to appease one another, their relationship still isn't built on a steady foundation. They are now a month and a half away from committing to another for life, but romance isn't anywhere to be found yet. In spite of all this, Jesse does her best to ignore the feelings of doom and gloom, hoping against all hope that any day now, Amethyst will return. She tries to tell herself that once her wolf is back, sparks will finally fly and she will fall head over heels with him.

Somehow.

Still, in spite of her best efforts to get along with Gideon, Jesse can't help but feel thrilled when he announces he will be travelling back to his pack to pick up necessary supplies and manage his duties as Alpha. It seems the four packed suitcases have finally run out of clothes. Her fiancé won't be gone for long; barely longer than a day. But to Jesse, who has been unwillingly joined at the hip with him since he arrived, twenty-four hours without him is plenty. She can't wait to enjoy some time to herself, away from the hustle and bustle of the pack and away from Gideon’s constant prying eyes.

Early in morning, after the visitors have packed up and left — and Gideon has displayed a teary eyed and emotional goodbye to her — Jesse gets ready to leave the confines of the pack area. Her mother tries to persuade her to spend the day doing wedding prep, but Jesse holds firm. She has already decided the day's agenda. She wants to return to the forest.

She knows the chances of bumping into Samuel are slim to none. But she still feels the urge to head to the forest regardless. It’s a fool's errant. She doesn't have an aim, no goal she's hoping to achieve here, she simply wants to see him. If there is any chance of that happening, she has to take it.

The stunning stranger has lived in her head rent-free for two weeks now, and no matter how hard she tries, she can't seem to stop thinking about him. It's an impossible crush, one that can't lead anywhere, yet it's been immensely difficult to shake it.

If she ends up spending all day in the forest without seeing anyone, at least she can tell herself she tried. Perhaps it will give her closure and help her finally move on.

This time around, Jesse prepares herself for the forest trip, not taking any chances with the wildlife. She has become all too aware of just how fragile she is without her wolf. No forest run on this occasion, no— a forest ride. She hasn't gone into the forest on her motorcycle before, but she's an experienced rider and trusts her bike to weather it without difficulty. Even on difficult terrain she will still be able to move much faster than before, and speed away from a bear should she encounter one.

Wasting no time leaving her house, Jesse gets a backpack ready, grabs a coat and heads off before her mother has a chance to try and distract her with wedding magazines. Speeding on the empty main roads, she reaches the forest in no time. She slows down once asphalt turns into gravel and the road doesn't look quite so well maintained any more; she's feeling a bit insecure about her riding skills. It's tricky to navigate the bends in the road, along with occasional obstacles. Playing it safe, she stops every now and then to move obstructing tree trunks and branches out of the way. As keen as she is to reach the lake where she met Sam, she has every intention not to get herself injured this time around.

Even with the occasional stop gaps, she still makes good time reaching the lake. The closer she gets to the location, the more anxious she starts to feel.

In the run up to this visit she’s been focused on preparing herself for the disappointment of finding the forest empty. Approaching the area now, it dawns on her that she never prepared for the alternative. What if he is there? What should she say? What does she want from him? Friendship? Yes, friendship would be good — but how does one befriend a perfect stranger in just one meeting?

If she were to be perfectly honest with herself, she'd have to admit to herself that she wants more than friendship. She wants him to take one look at her and fall heads over heels with her. Yes. But she can’t voice this, not even to herself — it's not the kind of thoughts an engaged woman should have about anybody but her mate.

Still, when she approaches the lakeside and sees a figure over at the other side, her heart skips a beat regardless.

Is it him? Could she really be that lucky?