6 #MY_BLACK_KNIGHT 6
Happen 6
As Produced By SheriffSquinty
Theme: Glued Up
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I sighed, fighting the urge to sink to the ground. Some part of me had known I
wouldn’t be able to avoid this confrontation but I still had no desire to deal with it right now.
“I know,” I replied quietly, my Wolf whining in the back of my mind. She disliked the looks on some of my packmates’ faces. Tentatively, I raised my head up and
scanned the group, making eye contact with each one of them. Fortunately, some of the looks seemed closer to concern than downright animosity. Perhaps pack
affection was winning out.
My gaze finally met Will’s. To my relief, his blue eyes contained worry forme and nothing else. He gave me a slight nod of reassurance and I tried to force myself to relax. If Will was on my side, then surely some of the others would understand,
too.
In an instant, Alpha Brett and my father were standing on either side of me, eyes roaming over me to assure that I was uninjured. My father gently took hold of my hair and moved it to the side, examining my neck.
“He didn’t Claim me.” I muttered self-consciously, aware of the many pairs of eyes fixated on my pale skin.
A murmur rippled through the group and I detected their relief intermingled with confusion.
“Did he….did yourej-” My father began before Alpha Brett could speak, then
abruptly cut off. I sensed my father’s hesitation to say the word ‘rejection’. Even with his hatred for Gabriel, he knew that one wolf rejecting another was an
excruciating process.
“No. We just…talked. Then he said he had a pack emergency and he left.”
Alpha Brett’s mouth hardened into a grim line. “He left his Beta to continue the Meeting after he followed you. The Beta had to call it short because of an
emergency. Must be serious if they would leave so abruptly.”
I noticed some of the other wolves whispering and grumbling among themselves. To force us to attend the Meeting only to call it off was an extremely impolite
gesture.
“What all did he say?” Alpha Brett was back on the Mate subject now. I looked
down at the ground, remember how it felt when Gabriel called me ‘his’. I felt a light blush rise on my cheeks.
“He basically just confirmed that I’m his Mate, and wanted you guys to respect
that.” My Wolf writhed in pleasure at the thought. “And he said that he’d be seeing me soon.”
I felt the air thicken with tension as the entire pack stiffened. “He’d better not come here, to our territory,” I heard someone snap.
“If he does, we’ll just take him out. We have the advantage here,” somebody else cut in, although they sounded unsure.
“It’s not really Skylar’s fault, she can’t control who her Mate is…” a younger she- wolf muttered.
“She should have just rejected him. Then he wouldn’t follow her here.” That was Anne.
*
Hall Of Supernatural Stories
*
“Seriously? That would only piss him off more. There’s no telling what he would do if she rejected him,” Will replied, coming to my defense.
“Yeah but-” Anne began heatedly.
“All of you, silent!” Alpha Brett snapped. That quieted them immediately. “Will is right. Making him angry would only guarantee trouble. Now that we know that he wants Skylar as a Mate, we can use that to our advantage.”
I didn’t like the way that made me sound like an object, but I knew he was right. It was possible that my presence would help protect the pack.
“If he cares about her, he won’t want to hurt her by harming her pack.” He continued, musing.
“Well he didn’t exactly proclaim his deep feelings forme or anything,” I muttered, embarrassed. I wasn’t sure what had been going on in Gabriel’s head and I didn’t
think it was safe to assume anything.
“That’s because he’s a cruel twisted bastard without any feelings,” I heard someone hiss angrily.
My head snapped up and my eyes fixated on the wolf that had spoken, Julie. Anger
surged through me at the insult to my Mate and I felt my Wolf snarl in fury. I clenched my fists to keep from growling out loud. I couldn’t help my strong
emotions despite my dislike for Gabriel. Instead I fixated on her with a furious glare that left her blinking in surprise.
“Skylar, calm down,” Alpha Brett said, resting a hand on my shoulder. I realized that everyone had seen my little display of anger and I quickly looked away,
embarrassed. I didn’t need them turning against me.
“I’m sorry I….my Wolf and I don’t exactly agree on this.” I gritted out as I attempted to explain.
“That isn’t your fault. Your Wolf is designed to want him. Insulting your Mate will only infuriate her.” He tossed a dark glare at Julie.
“What do I do? What do we do?” I asked, looking from him to my father. My
father’s expression was a mixture of worry, confusion, and anger. I knew that, as my Mate, Gabriel should be my issue to work out…but, with the danger his pack presented to mine, the Alpha would want to be involved. It was certainly an
unusual situation.
“There isn’t a lot we can do for now. We can increase patrols around the border, but that’s never stopped him before. He’ll want to keep an eye on you sooner or later.” The Alpha replied, deep in thought.
The idea sent an odd shiver through my body. I attempted to ignore it.
“It’s going to be up to you, Skylar. He’s your Mate. It’s your decision. Fate chose him for you for a reason.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead with one hand. “I have to tell the rest of the pack. It’s my duty to inform them of any potential threat.”
I opened my mouth to protest but shut it quickly. I was not the type to argue with an Alpha and he had a good point. My Wolf didn’t want to think of Gabriel as an enemy. Unfortunately, his past actions had made him such to the pack.
Unfortunately, I knew a lot of my packmates might think of me differently after
they found out. I would definitely be the newest gossip and most of them would
not think of mein a positive light after finding out the identity of my other half. It was a depressing thought, as one’s pack was basically an extended family; after
growing up with these wolves and trusting all of them implicitly, seeing judgment in their eyes would be tough to bear.
“All right,” I replied, sighing with resignation.
“Don’t worry Skylar. It isn’t your fault, we don’t choose our Mates.” My dad reassured me quietly. “The pack will have to understand.”
“Nobody will give you a hard time.” Alpha Brett said, tossing a stern look over his shoulder at the group huddled behind them. Most of my packmates still seemed
uncertain and avoided my gaze.
*
As Produced By SheriffSquinty
*
“Okay,” I muttered shortly. I didn’t really believe their words; yesterday, if I’d
found out that somebody had Gabriel for a Mate, I would have felt the same way the others felt now.
Sighing yet again, I steeled myself for the days to come.
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I spent the rest of that day and the next three days cooped up in my room,
attempting to avoid confrontation. It wasn’t necessarily the bravest way to cope
with things but I needed the time alone to think. The logical side of my brain and my Wolf were at constant odds with each other. Despite my misgivings I could not keep Gabriel’s perfect face and dark eyes out of my mind. He haunted me every
second of the day and kept me tossing and turning at night.
It was constant turmoil. The pain of resisting the Mating pull coupled with my
inner battle made me stressed and unable to sleep. The few times I ventured out of my house to eat at the pack hall with my parents, I felt the stares on me and heard the barely decipherable whispers. Nobody was outright antagonistic but I’d never liked being the center of attention and it only made things worse.
At first, my mother was constantly by my side. I could tell she was torn between
being elated that I found a Mate and horrified that it was…well, that I didn’t exactly have the kindest, gentlest soul for my other half.
After I repeatedly told her I needed the time alone to think, she finally got the message and I was left to my own devices.
Needless to say, perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to leave me alone. My Wolf paced back in forth and frequently sent me images and primal urges that I didn’t want.
Embarrassingly enough, I often enjoyed the mental images then consequently spent the next several minutes feeling guilty about it.
I was going stir-crazy, aimlessly pacing my room or blankly staring at the TV.
Therefore, it was very fortunate that Maria showed up a few days after I got back
to talk some sense into me. I heard an impatient rap on my door before the brunette entered my room, staring at me sternly.
“I knew I’d find you trapped in here. I understand staying in here the first day or two but this is getting ridiculous, Skylar!”
“Hello to you too, Maria,” I replied grumpily.
She huffed before settling down beside me on the bed. “I’ve come over twice
before, but your parents said you didn’t want to talk! Are you okay? I’m worried about you….I’m always the first one you talk to!” Her dark eyes looked slightly hurt.
I shifted position to face her, feeling chastised. “I’m sorry I…I just feel awkward going in public and I wasn’t sure how you felt about….things.”
“Things? You mean how I feel about your Mate being that jackass Alpha of the Black Mountains Pack?”
Coming from anyone else I probably would’ve taken offense from the insult to my Mate, but since it was Maria my wolf just felt mildly irritated and I easily squashed her reaction.
“Yeah…that. It’s just I didn’t plan for it, you know? And everyone is looking at me differently.”
“Not everyone. Will and I are worried about you. It isn’t your fault anyway, you don’t choose your Mate.”
“But part of me wants him, Maria. A pretty big part. And he’s so horrible yet I still want him, how screwed up is that?”
Understanding glimmered in her expression. “He’s your Mate, Skylar. It would be even more strange if you didn’t want him. He’s destined for you.”
“But I can’t stand him! He’s…well, you know.”
Her expression grew more solemn. “I won’t lie to you. Our pack hates him. He’s done horrible things. You have a difficult decision ahead. But that doesn’t mean you can beat yourself up over something that’s out of your control.”
“But what’s wrong with me that Fate chose him as my other half?” I glanced at her morosely. I realized how bad that sounded, but the pity party was in full force.
She reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Maybe
you’re meant to help him. Make him less of an asshole. You know, cure him of his douchebag-ery!”
I couldn’t help a small smile from emerging after that, and Maria grinned in return. “That’s better. Besides, I’m making you get out of the house tonight. We can forget
about all of this for a couple of hours. Get away from the pack for a bit.” I frowned, puzzled. “You mean like go for a run?”
Her smile was devious. “No, silly. We’re gonna go out on the town.”
On the other side of the mountains that encircled our valley was a human city. It
was a decent-size settlement that was about a thirty minute drive; the only ways
there were to run or drive on a very small road that we kept hidden so the humans wouldn’t find it. The road was tough to navigate as it wound through the mountains but with our quick reflexes it wasn’t too bad of a drive. All the wolves my age
attended high school there, since our pack village was too small to have its own high school. Of course, I had finished high school over a year ago.
Each week a group took the truck and went to town to buy necessary supplies and groceries that would take care of the entire pack for a week. Of course we could eat fresh meat in our wolf forms, but otherwise we needed the same type of sustenance as humans.
It came in quite handy having a human town nearby, as many wolves worked there at least part-time to earn a living. Also, the city had electric and cable companies
that we had contracted to set utilities up in our pack village many years back (it
had certainly been an interesting experience having humans in our home and all of us having to act like them). I was glad, because I didn’t know what I would do
without cable or wifi. Or running water, for that matter.
The humans knew there was a village in the mountains but they never tried to find it. Instead, we came to visit them. A couple times in the past we had gone to one of the clubs down there just to hang out. I didn’t go as often as the others. The clubs
were fun enough for a short time, but they were so crowded and sweaty!
Our parents, fortunately, didn’t care that we went. What danger did humans pose to werewolves? At this age we were expected to take care of ourselves, although my parents were a bit stricter than some.
“So you guys are going clubbing?” I asked, somewhat interested. I hadn’t been in awhile and part of me needed the distraction.
“Not sure yet. Maybe we’ll shop, maybe we’ll eat somewhere, or maybe we’ll go dancing. Point is, you’ll get to have fun!”
“But my parents-”
“Already told them we were going to hang out with some friends from high school. At first they didn’t look too excited but I think I might’ve convinced them. You just have to talk to them before we leave.”
I sighed, glancing around. What would I even wear? I could tell my Wolf had no desire to leave and be around humans but I didn’t care what she wanted, she was driving me crazy.
I wondered if Gabriel would like the idea of me going to a human town. I
immediately quashed the thought; I should not let the fact that I had a Mate now
affect my decisions so easily. It wasn’t like I was going to town to meet a guy. In fact, the thought of meeting a guy now was almost…repulsive.
“Come on, they let you go on grocery runs all the time and you went to high school there. I doubt they’ll care if you go hang out with us for a few hours.”
“It’s just with this whole Mate thing they’re feeling all protective.”
“What, like he’s gonna come snatch you as soon as you leave? Hate to break it to you, but when he wants to come snatch you he’ll do it even if you’re in the middle of our territory.”
She had a point. When Gabriel wanted something, his pack got it. I sighed, and
Maria took that as an affirmative. Beaming from ear to ear she flounced over to my closet and began to dig through all of my clothes, attempting to find the perfect
outfit. She came out with a ruffled red top, a black skirt (thankfully not too short), and some heels. A bit dressy for my taste but I was sure she thought she was toning it down for my sake. Besides, her fashion sense was far better than mine.
“Who else is coming?”
“Will and Jake, so far.”
I stood up reluctantly. Perhaps this was for the best. I needed to get out of the
house, assuming my parents let me go. They were being overprotective but surely they wouldn’t stop me. Some fresh air would dome good and I’d been to the
human city hundreds of times during my high school years. It wasn’t dangerous. I resolved to make a concentrated effort to have fun.
As long as it could help distract me from thoughts of Gabriel, surely this was a good idea.
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#Tobecontinued….