Chapter 2

-Violet’s POV-

I didn’t know what to do or even think the moment he gently ran his fingers over my cheek.

I stared into his light brown eyes and immediately felt relief wash over me, but that relief was short lived.

Fear washed through my body, I did not fear Gabriel, I was afraid of the man who stood behind him.

“What is going on here?”

He growled as Gabriel turned around to face him, keeping my hand in his.

“Alpha Arthur, it’s always a pleasure. I want to thank you for inviting us once again this year, if you hadn’t I might’ve never met this glorious creature.”

He turned back to me with adoration in his eyes and brought my hand up to his mouth, placing a kiss on the back of it.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Arthur questioned as he narrowed his eyes.

“Well, as you know I’ve been mateless for a very long time. Thanks to you I no longer have to look any further.”

It took Arthur a few moments but when he finally caught on to what was happening he snarled in anger.

“No!”

He exclaimed as reached for my free arm and pulled me towards him.

“She’s mine.”

He growled at Gabriel and held my arm tightly, pushing me behind him.

“Let me go, Arthur.” I growled.

He looked at me in shock, never have I ever given an order to Arthur.

“What? You would go with him? Over me?”

He asked.

“It wasn’t so hard for you to choose them over me.”

I replied, nodding towards his brides.

“I-I…you two are mates?”

Gabriel’s question hung in the open air before I sighed and faced him.

“Were, we were mates.”

“This isn’t just like a-a human divorce. This is real, it’s going against Fate.”

“We aren’t mates anymore because there’s no spark, Arthur broke our bond when he mated two other females.”

I explained quietly.

“What the hell were you thinking? Don’t you know that if you mate any other females besides your true mate she could die?”

He asked as he simultaneously pulled me close to his side.

“Wh-what? My wolf is strong so I assumed she would be fine. Sure I knew that she would be a little hurt but I thought she was ok with it.”

Arthur tried to explain.

“Violet, you need to tell me how you feel. Are the effects of what he’s done still wearing down on you?”

Gabriel turned to face me as he asked me this question.

“I still feel when he touches them or makes love to them but, it’s wearing off day by day.”

I replied, it still pained me to say those words. The man I thought loved me, loved two other women. I was nothing to him.

“Do you see what you’ve done? She’s grown weaker because of you.”

Arthur stood there dumbfounded.

“Violet…I know we’ve only just met but I want you to come and stay with me and my pack, after all we are mates and I don’t think I can leave here without you.”

He pleaded with my hands in his, smiling down at me and waiting for my reply.

Clap

Clap

Clap

The noise resounded through the quiet ballroom and we all turned to face Dylan, drink in hand sauntering over to the middle of the dance floor.

“The Alpha’s Violet has found her nate everyone, how…coincidental?”

A cruel smile spread across her face as she waltzed up to Arthur, placing a kiss on his cheek and looking me square in the face.

“What are you talking about?”

I replied slowly, what was she doing?

“We all know what game you’re playing at Violet. The Alpha no longer has any need for you, so you what? Play house with another Alpha? Pathetic. There’s no way the gods would grant you such a gift.”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, snarling as he brought me into his chest.

“There is no need to listen to such filth. C’mon Violet, we’re going home.”

He took my hand and led me towards the entrance of the ballroom, turning around once to address Arthur.

“I suggest you keep your puppy on a leash.”

“Violet! This isn’t over Violet! You know what this means Gaby! You know how this ends!”

Arthurs frantic calls echoed off the walls as we left the ballroom.I followed Gabriel out to his car, but as I looked back to the ballroom I started to second guess myself.

If I left, I was leaving my friends, family…pack behind but as I looked back to Gabriel I knew it wasn’t a mistake.

He was my mate, and hopefully he thought I was good enough for him.

“I’m sorry I took you away like that, I just couldn’t stand his voice anymore. The way they treated you…”

Gabriel sighed, shaking his head in disapproval.

“It’s alright, I was going to run away anyway.”

I shrugged.

“You were?” He asked.

“Well it’s a good thing you didn’t, otherwise I never would’ve found you.”

He smiled at me and I had to look away to keep myself from kissing his beautiful face.

“So where do you live?”

I asked, changing the subject.

“A few hours from here, but I’m originally from Montana so most of my family lives there.”

I nodded and continued to look out the window. The car swerved a little and my head hit the glass.

“Ah,” I rubbed my head gently,

“I’m sorry, I’m a little…distracted, angry is a better word. Would you mind talking to me? I need to keep my head if I’m going to drive us home.”

I nodded and tried to come up with something to say.

“Uh, my mom and dad haven’t talked to me since I left home to go and live with Arthur.”

I spoke and his shoulders sagged a little.

“That’s depressing. May I ask why?”

I looked back out to the window and sighed.

“When I was seventeen my dad trusted me to take over the Alpha title as he’s the Alpha of a little pack near Tacoma, Washington. Our pack was small, about forty to fifty people and he thought I was more than capable of running pack life. I agreed, but I didn’t know if that’s what I wanted. Arthur came to town one day because he was searching for some stone, instead he found me and he asked me to come back to his pack with him. I told Arthur that if I was leaving we all were, he told me he didn’t have a big pack so my mother snuck me out one night and told me to leave. She wanted me to have whatever opportunity I wanted. So I did, I left. I tried to call but every time I did…no one would answer. Soon Arthur enrolled me in school and I saw he had lied. He took me back to the pack house and told me to pick a room, there were over three hundred rooms, surely there was enough room for fifty pack members. I tried to convince him but…he’s just so damn hard-headed, he told me I was Luna and I had no right to make decisions so I stood by and watched him play his games.”

I finished speaking and looked back to Gabriel who was watching the road intently with concern and slight frustration etched into his face.

“I’m so sorry.”

Hetook my hand and we drove on, just like that.

Hand in hand, for miles on end.