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Oh. Right. I had forgotten it was Friday, but it hadn't occurred to me that the auto shop would be closed for the weekend anyway.
I sighed, relenting a little at his thoughtfulness. He threw me a conspirator's grin, clearly enjoying my conceding to his plan. All traces of irritation over being rejected seemed to disappear, almost like it never happened.
"Fine. We can go get my car, but that's it. I appreciate you helping me as a member of the pack, but clearly, this thing between us isn't going to work out. I'm sorry I wasted your time."
Neil snorted. "Is that what you think? Ella, nothing has changed for me. Sure, my wolf is hesitant because you smell like that asshole on your couch, but that's a problem I can handle. He’s an omega and a pretty laidback one atthat. I bet if you told him you want to break your mating bond, he would roll over and do it.”
I looked away. Gabe would break our bond if I asked him to. He had said as much already. Did I really want to be mated to someone who would give me up so easily? Neil smiled and took my hand, enveloping it in his larger one. “I’ve been waiting for someone like you, a female who wants the discipline and structure that someone like me can offer."
Something in me wanted to protest, but a bigger part couldn’t deny how my heart somersaulted when Neil took control. Something about his easy possessiveness was appealing, as much as it felt weird to admit. I chewed on my lip and frowned.
His eyes darkened as they landed on my mouth, but he didn't try to cross the center consul again. I doubted his wolf would let him, anyway.
"You'll see, Ella. You'll be my good girl, and I'll be the man you need to keep you in line."
The words were both a promise and a threat, and I shivered at the intensity of his voice. Why did it feel like he could look inside my head and know exactly what I wanted to hear?
"Come on," he said, snapping me out of my trance. "Let's go get your car."
I nodded, still slightly in shock from the impact of his words. Neil must have sensed my apprehension because he squeezed my hand reassuringly before shifting into gear and guiding us back onto the road. The drive to Neil's house was surprisingly short, given how much tension filled the air between us.
I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but for some reason, I hadn't considered that he would be living with Jeremy in the alpha house. Unlike Tumblewild, the alpha house in Dark Claw wasn't much bigger than a typical home. From the outside, I would’ve guessed it was about 3,000 square feet, with maybe five bedrooms. It certainly wasn’t large enough for the last leadership team to live together, which led to the pack administration building another house down the street for the former beta couple. But then again, the former alpha and beta both had families. Maybe this was just a temporary situation until Jeremy and Neil found mates and had kids of their own.
Neil seemed to be dead set on finding a mate, at least.
I could feel Neil's gaze, almost like he was reading my thoughts.
"Thanks for the ride and for getting my car," I said. "Do you have my keys?"
"I do. Just know that after we’re mated, that hunk of junk is being replaced with something new and safe.” He handed me the keys, completely unaware of how upset I was becoming.
"Well, thanks again," I choked out. I hurried to exit the truck and beelined to my car, grateful to be back inside the familiar space again. To anyone else, it probablywasjust a hunk of junk, but the car also belonged to my mother, and I wasn't getting rid of it. No matter who I ended up mated to. I brushed away the tears forming in my eyes, angry with myself over how defensive I was over a silly car.
Neil tapped gently on the window, but I didn't bother rolling it down. I could hear him fine through the glass. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, Ella. I just want you to besafe. I'll have a room ready for your friend at the Feldman Hotel. Send him over there when you get home.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Neil's growl stopped the words from forming. "My future mate isn't spending the night with another male. Either you're staying here, or he's leaving. Don't make me go and get you. I'll be waiting for confirmation that he's checked in from the front desk. If I don’t hear from them soon, you should pack a bag for yourself because I’ll be on my way over. Otherwise, I’ll pick you up after work so we can have a proper meal together.”
For the first time I could remember, I struggled not to give someone my middle finger. Instead, I nodded curtly and turned over the car. Thankfully, it came to life without issue.
“I mean it, Ella.”
I pulled away from the alpha house without answering. Despite the horrible feeling that I was betraying Gabe, every part of my body hummed with the guilty pleasure of receiving the possessive instructions. Maybe Neil was right. Maybe I was meant for someone like him.
__________
I'm not sure what I expected to find when I got home, but Gabe pretty much hadn't moved from the couch. He was almost halfway through the book and barely glanced my way when I walked in. The only sign that anything was amiss was the stark whites of his knuckles that stood out from gripping the pages too hard.
Gabe didn't say anything until I was standing in front of him, and then he finally looked up with an unreadableexpression. “You took a while. What happened?"
I took a deep breath and told him the whole story, including my wolf speaking with Neil's and the confusion I felt over what to do. Gabe listened without interruption, his face changing from confusion to disbelief and then to sadness as I spoke. When I finished recounting the events, Gabe stood up from the couch and began pacing around the room.
"So, you're just going to let him tell you what to do?" he whispered. "You're just going to sit there and take orders from him? Ella, I'm trying to be understanding, I want to be patient with you, but you have to know... my wolf is telling me in no uncertain terms to go and rip his throat out."
My eyes widened at the threat. This was not the Gabe that I knew. I doubt it was the person Mariam had come to talk about as a brother, either. And despite the violence in his words, his voice hadn't raised a single octave.
"Do you have feelings for him, Ella? He's practically a caveman, you know. Before Randy came along, he practically forced himself on Justine at one point.”
I knit my brows together. “That’s a pretty serious accusation. Are you sure?”
