12. Gabriel
Chapter 12
Gabriel
“ W hat the hell, Gabe? Brinley is the witch you brought back?” Rosalyn asked the second Brinley took off. “Why did you shout at her?”
Gabriel glared at his sister. “I told her not to come up here.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s a witch, Rose.” He threw his hands out to his sides. “You know, like the one who did this to you?” He pointed at her body.
Rosalyn didn’t flinch at his harsh tone. She lifted her chin in a silent challenge and dismissed Brighid. After she left, Rose and Gabriel continued to stare at each other, neither willing to back down first.
“I don’t know what they did to her,” he said in a softer tone, “but she doesn’t remember anything, so I don’t trust her.”
Rose sighed, her shoulders drooping. “That’s why she seemed lost. You should’ve seen her face when she walked in and saw the solarium. She didn’t even notice me at first.”
“I don’t want to see her face. I don’t want anything to do with her.” He glanced away.
“Liar.” Rose crossed her arms and went to sit on her settee. She looked exhausted, and he knew standing too long was nearly impossible anymore.
“No, I’m not.” He sat next to her, feeling her flushed cheek with the back of his hand. “How are you doing?”
She shrugged, pulling her favorite blanket over her lap. Her face was warm, but she was almost always cold. It was the main reason he moved her up to the solarium. The sunlight helped with more than just her melancholia. When he lifted his arm, she shifted to lean against his side.
“Paint anything new this week?” He glanced around to the stacks of canvases.
“You’re not changing the subject,” she said. “Why didn’t you tell me about Brinley?”
He took a deep breath. “Because she doesn’t remember anything. I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”
With a relenting nod, she whispered, “I started painting the lake house.”
She pointed to the half-finished illustration of the home they’d frequented with their father as children.
The one she could no longer visit.
Instead of dwelling, he pressed a kiss to her temple. “I can’t believe you remember it well enough to paint. You were, what, ten the last time Father took us?”
“Eleven,” she whispered. “It… was just before he died. Just before my twelfth birthday.”
Gabriel closed his eyes and tightened his hold on his sister. The girl who’d lost too much too early in life. Who would lose everything if he didn’t break this curse by her next birthday.
“Two and a half months,” she said, as if reading his mind. “You can’t push Brinley away. If you’re going to do this, you need her. We all do. I… I can’t believe that was her.” She looked on the verge of tears. “Gabe…”
“I know.”
“I didn’t even recognize her at first, and she definitely didn’t recognize me.” Rose shook her head. “How?”
So, he launched into the story. He told her about the tug he’d felt, the guidance from the moon goddess, and how he’d stumbled upon the attack. How it had led him right to the girl they’d been seeking for years, but she didn’t remember him, any of them.
“You’re right,” he said. “I can’t push her away, but she hates us. She thinks she’s a prisoner and that I slaughtered that village. When I tried to tell her about Keir, she started throwing a fit, and we’ve been fighting ever since.” Gabriel played with the edge of the blanket. “She’s stubborn and frustrating. Nothing like I remember.”
“Liar,” Rose repeated, chuckling quietly. “Do you remember the fight you got in the last time you saw her?”
He ignored her. Of course he remembered. It was one of the worst days of his life for multiple reasons.
“You really love her, don’t you?”
“What? How did you jump from us not being able to stand in the same room for more than a couple minutes without yelling at each other to me loving her?” When she opened her mouth, he lifted a hand and continued, “No, I don’t. Absolutely not. She’s?—”
“Pretty.”
“Yes—no! I mean, well, technically speaking, yes, she is attractive, but that doesn’t mean I want to?—”
“Goddess above.” Rose pulled away from him, pivoting to face him more. “You’re a goner.”
“And you’re the worst,” he mumbled. She knew him too well, could see right through his defenses.
At that, she laughed harder, and it was such a welcome sound that he didn’t care if it was directed at him. He grabbed one of the throw pillows from the floor and playfully smacked her with it.
After a moment, she grew quiet. “You still care about her.”
Gabriel sighed, wanting to deny it. Instead, he whispered, “Of course I do.”
Rose frowned and reached for his hand.
Footsteps rushing up the iron stairs had them both stilling. Gabriel jumped to his feet, claws extending as he stood in front of his sister.
Paxton appeared on the pathway, rounding the tall plants and panting like he’d run all the way here from the other side of the village. Gabriel rushed to him, retracting his claws, and he didn’t even need to turn to know Rose was following him.
“What’s going on?” Gabriel asked.
Rose didn’t stop until she had an arm around the beta’s waist, as if she was going to support him when they all knew she couldn’t hold his weight if he was truly struggling.
“The two guards at the gate said a rogue was here.” Paxton dropped his own arm around Rosalyn, likely attempting to offer the same assistance. Though, in his case, he really did often help her around the house. He’d carried her from the kitchen to this room two floors above countless times without any trouble, not to mention he helped her down to her favorite courtyard whenever she felt up to it and Gabriel was busy. “They caused all sorts of panic.”
“A rogue got in?” Rose asked.
Pax shook his head. “No, they said she was leaving.” He held Gabriel’s gaze as he said, “They knew it wasn’t one of ours because she didn’t shift after crossing through. But no one reported seeing someone new come in…”
“Fuck!” Gabriel ran a hand through his hair, his heart hammering in his chest with fear. “Rose, lock the door behind us. Do not let anyone in if you don’t know them. I’ll send Joel or Daciana to make sure you and Brighid are safe.”
She looked up at the man next to her. “You’re not staying?”
“Not this time,” Pax said.
“I need his help to go after her.” Gabriel pushed past them toward the door.
“Wait, you’re going after her? How’s that going to help?” Rose let go of Paxton. Her face paled. “You’re going to kill the rogue before she reaches the others.”
“I’m not killing anyone.” Gabriel reached the hallway, waved Paxton to come out of the room, and then he grabbed the doorknob. “It wasn’t a rogue. It was Brinley.”
“Because you scared her off?” Rose put a hand on the door to keep him from shutting it. “How are you going to get her back here?”
He hesitated. “I don’t know. I’ll figure it out, but first, I need to find her. There really are rogues out in the forest; it’s not safe.”
Nodding, she said, “Go. I’ll be fine.”
Without another word, he took off with Paxton. The door clicked shut behind them, and he thanked the moon and stars that she didn’t argue with him.
“I thought you said you wouldn’t confront her again today,” Pax said as they raced through the hall of the second floor and down the next set of stairs.
“I didn’t.” Gabriel all but ripped the front door open and stormed into the last fading light of the day. “But she found her way up to Rose’s room, and I lost my temper.”
“Dammit, Gabe.”
“I know.” He ran down the street in the direction of the gates. Pax had been right; it was chaos out here. Gabriel didn’t slow, but he searched for his other friends. Spotting Daciana near one of the wells with a handful of others, clearly trying to calm them down, he raced to her.
“Sir.” She inclined her head, as did the rest of the group.
“It wasn’t a rogue.” The words were more for those surrounding her. “I’m taking care of it, but please let people know that it was not a rogue infiltrating the village. No one is in danger. Except the woman who left, so I’m going after her. Daciana, please go to the house.”
She nodded in understanding. He was grateful he didn’t need to explain more. There might not be any danger of rogues at the moment, but with people panicking, things could escalate. Quickly. It wouldn’t be the first time if they decided to charge the alpha’s home, demanding answers and safety.
A few of the villagers started asking questions, but he didn’t have time. His ears pricked at the sound of a wolf howling somewhere outside of Zareia. He met Paxton’s eyes, and his friend nodded, confirming his suspicions.
They took off once more, ignoring everyone else. When they neared the closed gates, he yelled, “Open them. Now.”
One of the guards went to the wheel and began opening the gate.
He tore his shirt over his head, kicked off his shoes, and pulled his pants down, leaving on just his underpants. Shifting with clothes on was fine but uncomfortable. The fabric disappeared, changing along with them, and then reappearing when they shifted back into their human forms, but he could still feel it as a wolf. Like an invisible constriction. Most stripped down to their underthings if possible.
The only reason he took the time to do so now was because Paxton was yelling at the guards to move quicker while also undressing.
Gabriel growled to get their attention, but then, a different sound created a hush. A woman’s scream that made his heart stop. His chest tightened, as if he could feel her fear from this far.
“Hurry,” he said in a low tone. “She wasn’t a rogue.” He moved toward the forming gap. “We’ll be back with her. Keep this open for us, but do not let anyone else in who’s not part of the pack. Understood?”
The men nodded.
Gabriel didn’t hesitate any longer. The moment the gate was pulled far enough, he slipped through. He shifted immediately and started running toward the trees, knowing his best friend would follow.
Another scream echoed in the night, and something deep inside Gabriel cried for Brinley. Darkness had started to descend, but he didn’t need the light to find her. He could sense her, feel her. For weeks, he’d fought that tug in his gut, but now, he let it lead him.
Because he knew without a single doubt that it would take him right to her. Just like the night he’d dragged her away from that burning village.