Chapter 10
Gabe
The castle was a frantic hive of activity.
I’d been hauling trunks and bags to the trucks since the sunrise, my muscles screaming against the weight after another night of the Bondbreaker.
Usually, the cool mountain air of the Half Moon territory would have kept me sharp, but today, a heaviness settled on my shoulders.
Alpha Jaxon was by the transport, his face a mask of authority. I ignored the need to hunch my shoulders and to submit to his power.
“This is the last one, I promise!” Mavy chirped, dropping a heavy designer duffel at my feet. The Princess was a spoiled brat, excited about a party, while I was fairly sure I was dying. I hoped I’d find my mate and he’d free me of my Cinderella duties.
“Ten minutes, Mavelin,” Jaxon said, his voice dropping into that timbre that demanded obedience. “Be at the gates.”
I rolled my back to shake off his command. My spine popped satisfyingly, and I relished my strength. I grabbed the bag from her, my forearms burning, and nearly collided with a shadow in the hallway.
“Ady, I’m dying here,” I huffed, though my heart softened the second I saw her.
Adea jumped, her back hitting the wood paneling. She looked… worse. Her eyes weren’t on the luggage; they were fixed on the front door like she was bracing for a monster to burst through it.
“Sorry, Gabe,” she whispered. “I was just… thinking.”
“Yeah, well, knock it off. It’s not good for you,” I muttered, stepping back out. The “two-day” clock Jaxon had set was ticking down to its final hours.
“Morning, Adea,” Jaxon added as she followed me out. She gave him a stiff nod.
I threw the last bag into the back of my Challenger.
Jaxon leaned against his Jeep, watching us.
“Do me a favor, Gabe? Keep an eye on my daughter. I’ll be in meetings with the Table and with all the unmated males in the North, I won’t be able to keep an eye on her.
I’d ask Shane, but I have a feeling he’ll be chasing skirts. ”
Like I don’t have any plans.
“No problem, Alpha.”
“Appreciate it.” He looked at Adea, then back to me, a flash of something—pity?—moved in his eyes.
If the Goddess didn’t speak by your fourth year, you were expected to stop dreaming and start settling.
I’ve always been the oddball, so I’ll wait for them until I grow old and gray.
But to Jaxon, I had one year left of usefulness before my transition into a rogue or madness begins.
Most found their mate, or took a chosen.
I don’t know what I’d do yet. He was from that generation where if we didn’t have a big claiming moment, we were hopeless.
My phone buzzed. My stomach churned with dread before I even looked.
Shane: We’re pulling out. If she tries to run, call me. Let me know the second you cross the border.
I stared at the screen until the words blurred.
Shane wasn’t asking for an update; he demanded it like she belonged to him.
I looked at Adea, who was staring at the woods one last time.
I didn’t need to ask her what happened. I already knew.
Shane was a lunatic; he was a smart, cold-blooded ass who viewed her as property, and he’d gladly remove any obstacle that stood in his way just to have her.
He’d been stalking her every move, and he somehow thought I’d help him.
I’d be the first to help my girl run, but I had to play the part.
I tapped, ‘Sure. About to head out,’ to appease the headcase.
Dick.
I shoved the phone into my pocket and headed for the car. Time to get this show on the road. I threw my arm over her shoulder and she looked up at me wide-eyed as I leaned down. “Let’s run away,” I whispered.
She smirked, and we dashed to my Challenger.