Then Rebecca turned to Natalia. She was smiling. Rebecca hugged her as well, which was a complete surprise because Natalia almost fell backwards dragging Becca down with her. If it weren't for Gabriel's quick thinking, they would have both wound up on the ground in a tangled mess. "Thank you!" She wanted to tell Natalia how she misjudged her but this was not the place; that conversation would have to be later.
Natalia fixed her glasses which were lopsided on her nose and straightened her baby blue shirt and matching skirt. "Your welcome, but thank Lucky. He’s the one who gave up a favor." She packed her things and headed back to the school.
Rebecca turned to Gabriel. Her wolf got excited at the idea of being close to him, and Rebecca felt a little betrayed as she wondered where the anger was over his threat to her family. She sighed heavily. "You and I are connected." She offered with resignation. "I can't deny that, and for some strange reason my wolf trusts you with her life. Being that she is integrated into me I guess that means I should trust you." Gabriel nodded, his eyes veiled.
All three of them knew that they would have to figure out this situation but Rebecca’s mind was too emotionally charged to even begin to start that hurdle. "Whatever it is between the three of us we’ll have to put it aside until later because I need you in my pack, Gabriel."
"I’m yours, milady." His grin was that of a boy who found a lost toy. He picked Rebecca up and spun her around in a hug. Not fully trusting him she was ready when he tried to kiss her and put her hand on his lips to stop him. "I didn’t say I’d be with you, I only said you are initiated into the pack on Lucky’s recommendation that you’re a good person. For now, we have business to take care of."
The grin faded into hurt, then understanding. "What business?"
"For the past three days there has been someone following me. I spotted him Saturday morning, then Saturday night and Sunday as well. Today, I felt his eyes on me here at school. At first I thought it was you, Gabriel. But it’s a different feeling I get when you stare at me. His is more sinister, scary." Rebecca shivered. “I think it’s time to go on the offensive.”
Gabriel nodded, "is he here now?" He was already scanning the horizon, just as Lucky had done earlier.
Rebecca looked too, "No, I think he left. But he was watching before all this happened." She pointed at the place where the air barrier once stood. That was another issue she was going to have to investigate. How in the world could she work elemental magic as a werewolf? As far as she knew, that was unheard of. How could she work magic at all? Until yesterday, she hadn’t even known she was from a family of witches.
"I’ll look into it for you." Gabriel promised as he took her hand and kissed it softly. "No harm will come to you as long as I’m breathing."
"Well then, let's keep you breathing for a very long time." Rebecca laughed as she shoved him away. The laughter was meant to cover the feelings his touch created in her body. Her mind was set on Lucky but her body desired Gabriel. Rebecca glanced at Lucky out of the corner of her eye. He looked sad and worried.
"I’ve got an idea since we’re obviously going to miss the second half of our school day. I think we should go on a field trip to the Refuge. Are you both up for it?"
"Shouldn't we try to figure out who is following you first?" Gabriel asked, more concerned over her safety than taking a trip downtown.
Lucky stated at the same time, "perhaps training would be a more suitable alternative to school?"
Rebecca looked at them both. "I’m going. You two can do whatever you like." She started heading toward the parking lot. They both followed her continuing their arguments which she simply ignored. Thanks to her wolf she was getting used to ignoring voices.
‘I heard that!’ The wolf snapped.
‘You need to stop eavesdropping. This is my time and your time is the full moon.’
‘It doesn’t work like that for an alpha.’ The wolf retorted.
By the time they got to the parking lot the arguments were gone and they all seemed to be on board with the idea.
"You do know that the Refuge is a nightclub right?" Gabriel asked in his usual snarky tone, it appeared things were falling back to normal.
"Of course, but I also know that a family runs a restaurant for lunch there during the day. It’s after two and I figure this is a good time to ask some questions. Better than asking them when the nightclub is open, don't you think?" She responded simply
"Ah!" He tapped his index finger to his forehead. "Good thinking." After a moment he flicked his thumb over his shoulder to indicate his motorcycle. “I’m afraid I only have room for one on my bike. But I would happily let you hop on back and take a ride with me anytime.” He wiggled his dark eyebrows.
Lucky growled dangerously beside Rebecca; an odd reaction from someone who made it perfectly clear he didn’t want this to evolve into the real thing. Perhaps it was his way of simply staying in character. Whatever it was it gave her a little hope. "We’ll take my vehicle, thank you very much." He grabbed Rebecca’s arm, rougher than expected, and started dragging her towards the SUV.
"Ouch!" She snapped between gritted teeth, resisting the instinct to pull away from him. That would do very little to preserve the cover they were trying to create, not to mention she had a funny feeling that if she did show he was hurting her, Gabriel would get involved.
"As for you." Lucky turned to Gabriel when Rebecca was safely in the vehicle. "We’ll do fine without you."
"I’ll simply follow you if you don't let me come." Gabriel stated the obvious.
Lucky opened the driver's side door, the look he gave Rebecca before responding to Gabriel spoke volumes in his displeasure at the situation. He was going to have to get over it. She needed to rebuild her pack if she had any hope of getting revenge for the massacre.
"Besides, I know the owners pretty well." Gabriel continued.
“Hop in." Rebecca said without letting Lucky respond.
Lucky refused to look at either Rebecca or Gabriel for the first few minutes of the drive across town. She didn’t have to be a mind reader to know he was not happy.
"So why are we going to the Refuge?" Gabriel inquired leaning forward from the back seat so that he could touch Rebecca’s arm. The tingles that sparked from the innocent touch were electric. She reacted by pulling her arm closer to her, pretending to shiver.
"I want to check on a lead about my mother." Rebecca managed a weak smile, even though she wasn’t feeling it. She was tired, no, exhausted. Her mind actually hurt. Her body felt run down; as though she had been driving it one-hundred miles per hour for days on end with no rest in between. She had to admit, though, she felt safer with Lucky and Gabriel by her side. Her wolf may not like to show weakness but Rebecca was more concerned with survival than asking for help.
"Oh?" Gabriel sounded interested, which was a change from his 'I don't give a damn persona.' Rebecca was convinced his bad boy attitude was what made him so attractive. She wouldn’t admit his dark hair, tan skin, and solid physic had anything to do with it.
‘You’re lying to yourself.’ Her wolf smiled in her mind.
‘Don’t you ever take a rest?’ Rebecca rolled her eyes inwardly.
‘Not when he’s around.’ And with that the wolf sent a charge of desire through her body.
‘That’s NOT fair!’ Rebecca sank deeper into the seat and closed her eyes, focusing on relaxing and pushing back the sparks the wolf sent through her body. When her emotions were in check she opened her eyes and responded. "My parents were killed ten years ago and one of the last places my mother visited was the Refuge. I want to know why."
Gabriel was silent for a moment, which was, as far as she could tell, not typical for him. "I know what it’s like to lose your parents."
Rebecca could see pain in his eyes. Gone was the sarcastic spark, replaced with a sadness she was very familiar with. "I’m sorry." She wanted to probe but knew from experience that sharing this type of story was personal and he would share when he was ready.
"Losing a father you were estranged from for the last two years isn’t the same." Lucky pointed out flatly.
The look Rebecca shot Lucky was deadly. His comment was insensitive and uncalled for. "It doesn't matter if he was close to his parents or not, a loss is still a loss."
"No, Lucian is right. Tomas and I were never very close and I’m sure the loss is nothing like what you felt." Gabriel acknowledged Lucky’s statement. “Tomas was never a good father, but he didn’t deserve to die like he did.”
"Tomas? As in pack alpha Tomas?" Rebecca asked; confused as to why his own father disowned him. Rebecca started to worry about her decision to let him join her pack. Whatever happened had to be terrible for a father to send away a son.
Gabriel flinched slightly. It was odd seeing him so vulnerable. "Not anymore." The forced smile spoke volumes.
"So if he was your father why am I the new alpha, wouldn't it have made more sense for you to become the new alpha?" It seemed a logical choice.
"That job stays in the pack, I was exiled. Besides, my father sired many other wolves. I’m hardly special." Gabriel said the last part with a hint of bitterness in his tone.
“Everyone is special in someway.” The moment the words escaped her lips she regretted them. She sounded just like Savannah in that moment. Her sister’s positive nature had a habit of rubbing off on her sometimes. Thankfully no one responded.
"But now we have something in common." Rebecca offered a weak smile. "And your mother?"
"Died while giving birth to me." Guilt clouded his eyes for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by the mask he wore.
"That’s terrible. I guess that makes you an orphan, too." Getting to know him was giving her insight into his self-protection mechanisms. She was beginning to understand his sarcasm, his careless attitude, and the way he grabbed moments when he could.
"I was until you offered me a place in your pack. Hopefully you’ll also consider some of the other rogues that were exiled from Tomas' pack. Then we’ll all have another family, all of us."
Rebecca couldn’t help but notice Lucky’s knuckles turning white on the steering wheel or the tick that started near his temple. He was holding back from the conversation and she understood why. He was stepping back from the idea of there being more between them. It made her sad but she couldn’t force him to jump into a real relationship with her. She didn’t even know if she really wanted that. Her feelings were getting jumbled up and turning her inside out. And then there was his fiancé to think about. Rebecca was not the home wrecking type.
She focused her attention back to Gabriel. Somehow Rebecca knew the conversation would wrap around to the subject of the other rogues again. She had to admit he was loyal. And he cared about the rest of his kind. The more time she spent with him the more she began to like him. He may come across as being cocky and irritating but he had more layers than she first believed.
Lucky parked the vehicle in front of the Rufuge's front entrance. The street was oddly quiet during the day, nothing like the crowds that visit at night. There were no bouncers manning the doors, but customers were slowly coming in and out because the club owners offered meals until about five o’clock in the evening. Gabriel and Lucky both got to her door at the same time. She simply rolled her eyes and opened the door for herself.
"I can take care of myself, boys." She pushed them both aside and led them into the club/restaurant. She didn't know what she was expecting but it wasn’t this. From the outside it looked like a run down biker bar, but inside it was more like a rustic ski lodge; which was slightly out of place in the hot Phoenix climate. There was a stone fireplace that took up one corner of the club. The stage where a country-western band was performing a sound check took up another wall and a bar ran the length of the wall on the opposite side. The rest of the bar was full of tables and chairs which circled the dance floor. She had to admit it was larger than it looked from the outside.
Gabriel made a quick beeline to a beautiful exotic woman who was behind the bar. Her jet black hair was long, straight, and whipping around her olive colored face from the air conditioner's breeze. The smile that graced her face upon seeing him reached her dark eyes and Rebecca felt something twist inside her.
Chapter Fifteen
~ "In all secrets there is a kind of guilt, however beautiful or joyful they may be, or for what good end they may be set to serve. Secrecy means evasion, and evasion means a problem to the moral mind."
~Gilbert Parker
Rebecca
"Angelique, my sweet, how are you?" Gabriel's voice held genuine affection and Rebecca bit her tongue. She made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t interested in anything more than friendship with Gabriel, so she had no right to feel jealous. She decided to push the emotional burst off on the wolf.
"Gabe!" Angelique jumped over the bar and flew into his strong arms. He chuckled when she planted a kiss on his cheek. It was obvious that the two of them were very close.
‘You need to claim him as he has made his claim on you, otherwise you risk losing him.’ The wolf advised.
‘For the last time, this isn’t your business.’ Rebecca chided the wolf in her mind.
Angelique locked eyes with Lucky and her smile got wider, if that was possible. "Lucian, too? Wow I must be a lucky woman to have you two strong men in my restaurant this afternoon."