Chapter 3 - Trauma and huge life choices.

Gabriella

“I guess I don’t have to ask if you arrived safely?” Gabriela could just hear the amusement in Venus’s voice as she flopped down on her mother’s favourite chair in her bedroom.

“Do you remember that guy I told you girls about?” She frowned, knowing that as soon as she told them the teasing was going to start, but she didn’t keep any secrets from her two sisters and when they couldn’t remember, no matter how much she tried to explain, she decided to just come out and say it. “Well, he’s my damn mate!” Her voice was soaked in frustration as she told them what happened and how she found out. They were squealing with laughter on the other side of the line and Gabriella almost wished she hadn’t told them, but she needed her besties to tell her what to do!

“A lot of help you two are!” She gave up in the end when her friends wouldn’t stop teasing her. It really was an enormous problem! If her pack found out she had found her mate, they could insist that she accept Lucienne and force her to stay, couldn’t they? She had to speak to her uncle first thing in the morning to find out what her options were and decided to go to bed early so she was rested and ready to face the new day and her mate. She could smell his scent in the house and knew that he wouldn’t leave, which meant she had trouble falling asleep. When she eventually did fall asleep, her dreams were haunted by toned muscles moving around her and driving her hormones to the brink of insanity.

Lucienne smiled as he eavesdropped on her conversation with her friends, and he didn’t feel guilty in the least that he was doing so. He had been keeping an eye on her since the day she decided to go away to school. It was part of the job he was given to protect their future pack Alpha. Now that she was his mate, it would actually make his job so much easier! He fell asleep on the couch in the living room while imagining their life together. Here, in their territory.

Gabriella woke up in the early hours of the morning and took a shower, putting on her favourite pair of denim shorts and a bright pink crop top. Sandals rounded off her outfit and she bounded down the stairs only to find Lucienne making breakfast.

“Good morning, beautiful.” He smiled as he put a cup of coffee down on the counter for her, but before she could reprimand him, her best friend from school bounded into the house. Her fiery red hair bounced around her face, Zion and Gabriella had been best friends since they were babies and a rush of memories flooded Gabriella’s mind as Zion clamped her arms around her friend.

“What are you doing here?! My mom told me only this morning that you were here!” She beamed excitedly and moved around to the other side of the counter where she started to help Lucienne cook. Gabriella explained to both of them what she was doing here, but that she planned on going back to her life in the city as soon as possible, which made Lucienne look furious as he put a plate of food down in front of her.

“Did you even think of talking to me about leaving?” He growled as their eyes locked and Gabriella felt even angrier at the mate bond that had now forced her to make decisions she felt she wasn’t ready to make yet.

“Uhm …” Zion stepped in. “What did I miss?” She looked amused as the two kept glaring at each other.

“My mate here seems to think she can leave our pack and our territory and live life as a human!” Lucienne growled again and Gabriella could see him clenching his hands so tightly into fists that his knuckles had turned white.

“Excuse me? Did you just say your mate? When did this happen?!” Zion squealed excitedly before noticing the clear tension between the two. “Oh, okay,” She took a step back before finding her way around the counter. Giving Gabriella a quick glance, she quickly excused herself and disappeared out the back door.

“When were you planning on talking to me about leaving?” Lucienne growled, but Gabriella wasn’t going to be phased by his show of strength.

“I didn’t think I had to discuss any of it with you. We might be destined mates but we aren’t mated yet.” She sighed, sat back, and crossed her arms over her chest. Lucienne’s eyes ran over her and they filled with lust.

“We are mates, or are you ready to reject me already?” He growled and when she didn’t answer, he stormed out, leaving her alone for the first time since she arrived. She knew that he wouldn’t go far, but she was grateful for the reprieve from his intense gaze. She mind-linked her uncle to come and see her and was relieved when he told her he would be there in a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, she didn’t like what he was telling her. She had two options; accept Lucienne as her mate and stay, or reject him as her mate and still stay, since taking care of her pack had absolutely nothing to do with finding her mate!

Venus

Venus hadn’t told her best friends that Bradley wasn’t doing too well, and while she sat with him in the doctor’s office her heart sank to her shoes. They knew he was basically on borrowed time, but they never imagined their time would officially be up. She wasn’t even thinking about what would happen if her only client died. All she could think about was how totally unfair life had been. Bradley was the kindest person she knew. He spent his fortune on all sorts of charities and loved helping those less fortunate than him. It sometimes surprised her that he had any money left at the rate he gave it away.

“I’m sorry Bradley.” The doctor gave them a moment alone while they processed what was happening, and then Bradley had to be Bradley.

“Okay, it’s time for that final bon voyage party I told you I wanted to have.” He grinned, but Venus could see the sadness in his eyes.

“I didn’t think you were serious about that.” She felt shocked. He wanted to have a formal charity event for his favourite charity. One of those events she hated more than anything in this world, but she would do it if it meant it made him happy one last time. Over the next week, she made all the arrangements and, since his health was deteriorating fast, they could only hope that he would make it. She hated the fact that he would joke and tell her if he didn’t make it, she would at least have finalized his funeral arrangements. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. There were no romantic feelings between them, but she loved him. The party was booked for the night that Gabriella left town. Melody had her big debut as the junior chef in their restaurant on that night.

Venus helped Bradley to bed after a beautiful evening and gave him a chaste kiss on his forehead before saying goodnight. It had been an evening filled with bling and champagne, so when the call came in the morning that his nurse found him dead in his room, Venus was shattered. Gabriella was dealing with her own issues at home and she didn’t want to upset her friend. She knew if Gabriella knew Bradley had died, she would rush right back home. She also didn’t tell Melody because her friend looked so incredibly excited about her new job that Venus didn’t want to spoil her good mood.

She went to the house and started with Bradley’s funeral plan. He had a very carefully laid out plan that they worked on a couple of months before when they found out that his condition had worsened. Since Melody was at the restaurant so much, and Gabriella was away, there was no need to hide her tears when she was at home. She would go to the funeral on her own and tell her friends what happened after all their lives were a little more settled.

Gabriella

Gabriella could tell that something was wrong at home, but she was so distracted by her own problems that she felt really guilty for not paying proper attention. Lucienne was still staying in her damn house and she hadn’t decided whether she would accept him or not. It had been a week since she arrived back home, and she couldn’t avoid him any longer. Zion tried to be a buffer between the two of them, but it was now affecting Gabriella’s relationship with the pack since she was in a constant bad mood.