How had I ever thought he could kill someone in cold blood like that? Let alone someone he knew I cared about.
He wrapped his arms around me and held on tight, face buried in my chest, but I still heard every awful word that he said next. “He wanted to know who you were. What pack you were from because he didn’t recognise you.” His fingers dug into my back. “Tombs wasn’t one to go after non-humans for no reason, but he was so fucking angry I didn’t dare tell him anything.”
Rage flooded my veins, white-hot, and it took all my control not to shift on the spot and hunt that fucker down. But I knew he hadn’t told me the worst of it. Felt it in the way he clung to me, heard it in his voice. “What happened then?” I asked, voice deceptively soft.
“He asked me again, told me it was my last chance and that I wouldn’t like what came after if I refused.” He took in a shuddering breath before going still in my arms. “He whipped me. Tied me up in front of the rest of the group as an example of what happens when you break the rules and put the safety of the group at risk.”
I took a deep breath in as the horror of his words registered.
As a shifter I was used to a fair amount of violence. I’d had to fight for the right to become alpha. But I’d never wanted to hurt someone like I wanted to hurt Caleb Tombs in that moment.
I want to kill him.
Break every bone in his body and tear his throat out until there’s nothing left of him.
“Rys.”
I hadn’t realised how tight I was holding Gabriel until he said my name. “Fuck, sorry.” I eased my grip and ran my hands gently up and down his back instead, as though I could soothe away the hurt Tombs had inflicted.
But now I knew, I felt the evidence through the thin material of his top.
I needed to see.
“Show me,” I whispered, stepping back and gripping the bottom of his T-shirt. I waited for his consent, only drawing the material up when he nodded.
My hands skimmed bare skin as I lifted it higher. His abdomen was all smooth muscle, a fine line of black hair trailing down into his pyjama bottoms. I traced my thumb over it, focusing on that instead of the anger churning inside of me.
Gabriel moaned as I skirted lower, dipping under the waistband until I brushed the base of his cock. I wanted to linger there, wanted to coax him back to the hardness he’d had in the hallway, but we both needed to get this over with before we could move past it.
Reluctantly sliding my hands back up his body, I lifted his top higher, tugging it over his head when he lifted his arms up.
His chest was as firm as his abs, a light dusting of hair over tight muscles. I leant down to kiss along his collarbone, his scent calming some of the rage in my veins.
Gabriel sighed, pushing into my touch as I thumbed over one nipple and then the other. His fingers found their way into my hair, tugging sharply when I used my teeth instead.
“Turn around.”
I kept kissing him as he did as I asked. Soft presses of my lips against warm skin, along his shoulders, across the back of his neck, only stopping when he had his back to me.
When I saw the extent of Tombs’ punishment, I wanted to tip my head back and roar to the Goddess, because how dare he do this toanyonelet alone Gabriel.
He was mine.
Mine to love.
Mine to touch.
Mine to fucking protect, and I’d failed spectacularly.
While I’d turned tail and run off into the trees, I’d left Gabriel to facethis. Left him to suffer alone at the hands of a fucking monster.
Rage and guilt warred inside me.
The urge to shift rippled under my skin, but I fought it. I hadn’t been there for Gabriel then, but I sure as fuck would be here for him now.
Fighting back the wolf inside me, I dipped my head and kissed the first raised scar marring the otherwise smooth skin of his shoulder.
I’d always thought my instincts had let me down when it came to Gabriel. That I’d put all my trust in someone that didn’t deserve it. But my wolf knew. Knew better than I had, because Gabriel went through all this to protect me when I’d abandoned him.
