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It was like having the breath knocked out of him. What could she have meant by that? Gabe was so consumed with his thoughts that the rest of the ceremony passed in a blur.
“I’m happy to introduce the newly mated alpha couple, Mr. and Mrs. Everett,” Jeremy said at last. “I hope you will all join them in a Tumblewild pack run.”
And that was that. The ceremony was, by most accounts, over. Mariam and Trace exited the stage and disappeared into one of the many changing tents that had been set up. When they emerged, both had already shifted, prompting others in the audience to walk toward the other changing rooms or just begin disrobing where they stood.
Not a pack member himself, Jeremy followed tradition and excused himself from the stage, likely to eat some of the delicious-smelling food or return to wherever he was staying in town.
Gabe turned to reach for Ella’s hand again, but she was following Jeremy. She didn’t even look back to where he was standing. He wanted to follow her and clear things up between them. He definitely wanted to ask her what the hell she meant about finding happiness one day, butsuddenly Samantha was in his way.
“Hey, Gabe,” she said, blocking his view of Ella. “You’re going to shift and join the run, right? Do you want to run together?”
“I need to speak with Ella,” Gabe said, moving to go around her, but she caught his arm.
“I spoke with Ella earlier,” said Samantha. “She said she didn’t have a problem with it. With any of it, Gabe. We can be together, and she’ll be happy for us.”
He blinked a few times, confused. “Samantha, we’ve been over this. We’re just friends. That’s it. You know I’m only interested in finding my true mate, and now she’s here.”
“Really?” Samantha huffed. “If she’s really your true mate, why is she fine with you being with me? Her wolf would have prevented her from offering us a chance to be together. Clearly, she doesn’t feel the same way you do.”
Gabe’s heart sank at the possibility. If what Samantha said was true, Ella must not think he was her true mate. It was one more thing they’d need to get settled.
Samantha’s eyes shifted to something over Gabe’s shoulder, causing him to turn around. Ella was watching them. She was talking to Jeremy, but every few seconds she slyly looked their way. A slow smile crossed Samantha’s face when Gabe turned back to her.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” she said. She stood on her tiptoes and threw her arms around Gabe’s shoulders. Her lips pressed against his, hot and needy. He was momentarily stunned but withdrew with a scowl as soon as he registered what was happening.
“What the hell, Samantha?” he growled. His wolf wasgoing nuts and close to forcing a shift. The animal pushed to the front, showing in Gabe’s eyes, and talking through him in a deep voice. “You’re not to touch us, female.”
His words were so sharp that Samantha visibly flinched. The whole exchange had drawn more than a few curious looks, and she blushed up to the roots of her hair. Samantha ducked away, likely embarrassed by the forcefulness of his rejection. Gabe’s heart hurt for her, but she had no right to force herself on him like that. It was unacceptable.
Our mate is gone.His wolf had tucked himself back inside Gabe’s body, but the urgency of his words said he was ready to shift if he gave consent. The wolf was right; Ella and Jeremy were both missing.
Behind Gabe, the alpha pair howled their invitation for everyone to join in on the pack run. All around him, shifted werewolves answered and joined the couple. Gabe felt his wolf prodding him to shift and follow. The alpha call was too much to resist when given within earshot. If he didn’t comply, the beast inside him would override the decision and force the shift anyway.
Against his will and better judgment, Gabe removed his clothing and shifted, joining the other wolves in celebrating the mating of their alpha.
__________
The run was exhilarating, but Gabe couldn’t focus on the happiness in the air or the sweet-smelling dirt beneath his paws. He couldn’t shake the sight of Ella standing with Jeremy, watching as Samantha took advantage of him. He wanted to know what they were talking about and wherethey went. He wanted to explain the unwanted kiss, which made him angry enough to push his wolf to run even faster. What had Samantha been playing at by doing that?
Finally, several hours later, the run began to wind down. The mated pair led the pack back up the hill toward the alpha house. Gabe usually tried to shift in one of the changing rooms, but he didn’t really care about modesty at the moment. He just wanted to find Ella as quickly as possible.
Once his clothes were hastily thrown back on, Gabe raced to the alpha house and flung the door wide open. Something was wrong; the air inside felt quiet. Too quiet.
Her smell, like flowers and sunshine, was still there, but he knew she was gone. But that didn’t stop him from running around and checking all the room anyway.
When he opened the door to her bedroom, Ella’s bags and her book on the nightstand were gone. Instead, two notes sat on the bedspread. One was for Mariam, and he set it back down without reading it. The other was addressed to him.
Gabe,
I’m going back home with Jeremy. He thinks he may have found a good chosen mate for me. I’m sure we’ll see each other again when I visit Mariam sometime, and I hope you find all the happiness in the world with Samantha. She seems really nice.
Please don’t think you have to contact me. I’m not changing my mind.
Best wishes,
Ella
Gabe reread the note a few times, trying to make it make sense. Ella was gone. She was rejecting their mating bond to go and mate with another male, which put both him and his wolf on edge.
