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Gabriel POV

I’m trapped, stuck in my thoughts that keep cycling as I try to find a solution to two impossible problems.

When I got back from the hospital, I locked myself in my room, paced the same five feet of my bedroom floor, and made myself crazy with worry.

If something happens to Summer…

No.

I couldn’t even consider the possibility of Summer being severely ill.

But why else would Healer Elijah have sent her away if there wasn’t something horribly wrong with her?

My stomach churned with anxiety as I checked my phone again.

Nothing.

No news from Summer or her parents.

I continued to walk the same path on my floor, idly wondering if I’d eventually make a rut in the floor.

Summer’s well-being was my top priority, but my brain couldn’t help but agonize over the two gigantic issues that had been eating away at me this past month—my political marriage to the Alpha King’s daughter and the fear of Summer being exiled. If I couldn’t find a way out of my arranged marriage with Olivia—a deal that would help protect us from the Rogues—because we’d made love, Summer could be exiled from the pack for obstructing this marriage. Even if it was just that once, some of our Elders might consider it breaking wolf law.

Ever since Summer and I spent the night together, I’d been racking my brain, trying to find a way that I could protect my pack without the help of the king to ensure that I could be with my Mate—also to ensure Summer wouldn't be exiled. I’d spent many nights at my desk, contacting Alphas of tribes WaterLock was aligned with, but none of them could spare any warriors.

Next, I thought about bringing in warriors from the Pyregate Kingdom—their soldiers were known for being strong and formidable—but I didn’t have the money or the resources to do so.

How was I going to make sure WaterLock was protected and have Summer in my life at the same time? If I didn’t marry Olivia, my pack wouldn’t be protected from the threat that seemed like it was breathing down our necks, ready to pounce at any moment.

Two days ago, another Rogue wolf attack occurred. When I heard the news, it made me dizzy with fear. The victim had been a seventeen-year-old girl with long black hair. The Rogue had killed her slowly, dragging out her pain.

Even if Summer wasn’t sick, she was still in danger of being harmed by one of those monsters—for a second time.

And what if Summer was exiled because we spent the night together?

One week ago—during one of our family’s nightly dinners that Axel had made a rare appearance for—I’d asked my father if a member of our pack were to interfere with my marriage with Olivia, even if it were in a small way, what would happen to them.

My father gave me a suspicious look, then explained that the pack member would be exiled without trial since they had knowingly put our pack in danger. Our entire pack knew about the Rogue wolf threat, and if they were to hinder our deal with the Alpha King—in any way—then they would be breaking wolf law.

Then, Axel had said something that made my stomach drop and caused cold dread to wash over me.

My brother said, “Don’t worry, Gabriel, if someone were to stand in the way of your marriage with Olivia, I’d kill them myself. Isn’t that my job as your Beta?”

He had said it like a joke, but there had been a flash of violence in his eyes that made me choke on my dinner.

His words had been another reason I hadn’t told him about me and Summer sleeping together.

No one could find out that Summer and I had had sex.

What if I wasn’t able to stop the Elders from exiling her? I would follow her into the woods, of course. And so would her parents. But could four of us really survive hungry packs of Rogue wolves? They would sense we weren’t like them and single us out.

The memory of Summer being bitten by that Rogue wolf haunted me. Her piercing screams of pain plagued my nightmares. And the image of her lying on the rock, not knowing if she was going to survive, exploded into my mind.

What if I couldn’t save her a second time? Summer couldn’t be exiled. It would be more damning than a death sentence.

The weight of my worries crushed me until I was suffocating under their pressure.

A knock on my bedroom window interrupted my racing mind.

Could it be…

I whirled around before I finished that thought. The sight of Summer standing outside made my body numb with relief. Rushing to the window, I threw it open, the pane of glass vibrating dangerously.

“Summer, I'm so happy to see you,” I said and helped her inside.

When Healer Elijah told Axel and me to leave the hospital earlier today, the Mating bond urged me to push past the healer and see if my Mate was all right with my own eyes. Ultimately, I fought the bond and left the hospital, assuring myself that Healer Elijah and her parents would take good care of her.

Now, my Mate stood in the middle of my room and looked down at her white sneakers instead of meeting my eyes. Her long hair was dripping water down her back, still damp from a shower. When she looked up, her eyes were wide with apprehension. She bit her lip and absently rubbed the scar on her arm, something she only did when she was nervous.

“Summer, what's wrong? Did…did Healer Elijah give you bad news at the hospital? Are you…all right?”

My mind didn't even want to consider the possibility of my Mate being sick. She didn't appear to be ill. Sure, her face was a little paler than normal, and her eyes had dark circles under them, but that could just be from lack of sleep. I was pretty sure I had the same purple bruises under my eyes from staying up worrying about her being exiled and trying to find a way to protect my pack that didn’t entail marrying Olivia.

“I have something, um, really important to tell you,” she said and nervously cracked her knuckles. “It's going to be…shocking to hear.”

She really is sick.

My fear spiked, and I had to grasp onto the side of my bed frame to fight my dizziness. I took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.

I had to stay strong for Summer. She needed me more than ever right now.

“Would you…do you want to sit down?” I asked, gesturing to my bed.

“Um, yeah, okay. Thanks.”

She sank down onto the white comforter and clasped her hands together. Her left leg bounced with nerves.

I put a reassuring hand on her leg, gently stroking her thigh, trying to give her a small amount of comfort.

She let out a long deep sigh and laid her head on my shoulder.

I wrapped my arm around her and kissed the top of her head. The Mating bond hummed with happiness that I was finally close to her again. It had been driving me crazy with the need to see my Mate over this past month.

“Before you say anything, I just want to tell you that I’m sorry for not stopping things a month ago,” I said, needing to get this off my chest. “You were in a vulnerable state after what happened, and even though the Mating bond was powerful, I should have fought it harder. It was the best night of my life, but that’s not worth you being confused and upset this past month.”

“Gabriel…” she trailed off and squeezed my hand. “Thank you, that was sweet of you to say. But I don't blame you. I felt the effects of the Mating bond, too. I don't think we could have stopped ourselves if we tried.”

She swallowed nervously, and her leg began to bounce again.

“Whatever you need to tell me, we will figure it out. Together,” I said and squeezed the side of her body against mine.

She pulled away slightly to study my eyes.

“Promise?” she asked.

“Promise.”

I tried to look confident and secure. Summer needed a support system right now. But on the inside, I was beyond terrified. My brain was jumping to the worst-case scenarios, rapidly flipping through the names of the ailments that couldn't be cured by a healer or a witch.

Summer took my hand and faced me.

Whatever it is, I'm going to help her through it.

“Gabriel, I—”

Summer was interrupted by an impatient knock at my door.

“Yo! Dude, open up. It's me.” Axel's loud voice was clear even from the other side of my door.

Summer looked at the door and then back to me. She froze for a moment, looking like an animal caught in a trap.

“Shit,” I muttered.

Why did Axel have to knock on my door now? My Mate needed me.

A pang of guilt hit me in the stomach as I imagined Axel outside my door, waiting for me with his hands in his pockets. Even though Axel had been disrespectful toward Summer by cheating on her, I knew it wasn’t right of me to sleep with Summer the same night it happened. I should have fought the Mating bond for my Mate’s sake and for my brother.

The right thing should have been to spend the night comforting my Mate after what she had just gone through and the next day I should have had a conversation with Axel, telling him about the Mating bond and warning him that if he ever treated Summer with disrespect again, there would be hell to pay.

But over this past month, I’d barely seen Axel. He’d been extremely secretive, and he was never home. The times I’d seen him, our parents were always around. It had never felt the right time to blurt out that my Mate was his ex-girlfriend.

“Come on, Gabriel. Open up,” Axel said through the door. “It’s graduation night! Joshua’s having another party. Just because you’re in an arranged marriage doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun.”

Disgust crawled over me. How could he be thinking about parties and girls right now? As far as he knew, the woman who he had been considering marrying a mere month ago was still lying in a hospital bed.

“If you don’t open up, I’m coming in! You’re going to that party tonight instead of being your usual boring self,” my brother called. “Just because you're Mom and Dad's golden boy, doesn't mean you can't have a little bit of fun.” There was an edge of bitterness in his voice.

Typical Axel. He had been MIA for a month, but when there was a big party, he would be the first one there and the last to leave. And he wanted to drag me with him.

“Hold on, Axel!” I shouted.

“I’m coming in there in five…four…” he began to count down, as if this were some sort of game.

When the knob to my door turned, my stomach fell to the floor.

I hadn’t locked the door.

Shit!

If Axel found Summer in here, he would know something was going on between us. Would he be vindictive enough to tell the Elders that Summer knowingly put the pack in danger? I’d like to think he wouldn’t, but I couldn’t say for certain. And I wasn’t going to take a gamble on Summer’s safety.

Axel’s words from one week ago ran through my head.

Don’t worry Gabriel, if someone were to stand in the way of your marriage to Olivia, I’d kill them myself.

Icy fear washed over me.

Would Axel actually kill her? Would the rage of finding his first serious girlfriend in my room and the fact that Summer and I had risked the arranged marriage deal that would protect our pack make him snap?

Would he actually hurt Summer? Attempt to kill her?

Axel’s insistent pounding on my door made my head ache.

“Three…” Axel said, dragging out the word.

There was a sour humor in his tone that made me sick to my stomach.

“Summer, you have to go.”

“But I have something really—"

I cut her off as my brother shouted “Three!” and the doorknob continued to turn.

Don’t worry Gabriel, if someone were to stand in the way of your marriage to Olivia, I’d kill them myself.

Kill them myself…

Alarm bells went off inside my head, and the only thought in my mind was to protect Summer. I had to get her out of my room no matter what.

All of this took me half of a second to decide. The knob was still turning slowly.

“There’s no time,” I whispered and grabbed her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes. “As your future Alpha, I’m ordering you to leave.”

“Gabriel, there's something I have to tell you. I don't give a shit about Axel finding me in here.”

There was a determined set to her jaw and I realized I had to do something drastic.

I had to get Summer out of my room before Axel discovered her here. When we found out we were Fated Mates, I researched the term more thoroughly. One of the articles I found explained that when a Mating bond was broken, the two people were overcome with the need to distance themselves. The pain from a broken bond was increased through nearness.

My entire being shied away from what I was about to do, but it was the only way to protect her from being exiled and made to live with the same kind of wolves who attacked her.

Also, how could Summer and I even be together without putting WaterLock in mortal danger?

For the sake of my Mates and WaterLock’s safety, I had to shatter both of our hearts.

“Summer Golding, I reject you as my Mate.”

Pain ripped through my heart. My entire body was burning with agony. Someone must have lit my soul on fire. I blacked out for a moment and when I came to I registered Axel saying “Two”.

No!

Immediately, I regretted what I'd done.

Summer clutched her chest, and her face crumpled with agony. Before I could stop her, she rushed across my room and swung her leg over the windowsill.

The sound of my door swinging open distracted me, and when Axel strolled into my room, I was alone.