Beloved

6

Gaia was jolted out of a troubling dream when her alarm sounded. It took her a few moments to remember where she was. She turned on her bedside lamp and grabbed her dream notebook and pen to jot down what she could recall of her dream.

*surrounded in darkness, running hard, an unknown enemy close on my heels, further behind I could still hear fighting, ahead of me a light became my beacon and I pushed myself to reach that light before they - whatever 'they' happened to be, could catch me, I was almost at the light, it was a gate (?), a portal (?) I could see colors beyond the brightness, one more step and I would be able to ... able to what? music interrupted the vision*

The music had been her alarm, a tinkling bells option in the phone's package. Gaia finished her entry, then she quickly made her bed and hurried to use the bathroom, braid her hair, apply deoderant, and brush her teeth, before changing into her workout clothes.

All her clothes besides her undergarments and socks were second hand, and much of what she had she'd had to alter to fit her slender frame. The last time her mother had brought home clothes for her she'd assumed Gaia would be going through a final growth spurt. Neither height, nor her mother's curves seemed to be part of the genetic mix Gaia inherited.

Gaia didn't mind that her mother bought her second hand clothes, or that they required alteration to fit her. She was grateful to have a few changes of the items she used regularly for school and training, and a couple of nicer things for social events and special occasions. Her mom splurged for new on undergarments, socks and shoes, though.

Dressed in gray sweatpants, a t-shirt, and an oversized hoodie against the spring chill, Gaia carried her shoes down to the main level, sitting on the stairs to shove her feet into her trainers and tie them.

Dante was descending the stairs from his wing of the house. He glanced at her, "You're on time. Good. Let's go."

"Good morning," Gaia scurried behind him, shutting the door behind her and climbing into the back seat. On the way to training he stopped to pick up Angelica. This confused Gaia. She frowned, but kept silent.

As Angelica sashayed to the car dressed in gray spandex and a pink top, Dante got out of the car to open the door for her. She gave Dante a kiss by the open door, smirking triumphantly as she slid into the front passenger seat. She didn't even acknowledge Gaia's presence behind her.

Randal waved at them as he climbed into his own car, having followed his twin out of their house.

Gaia winced, stifling a groan at the sharp twinge of pain that small show of affection erupted in her gut. She realized in that moment that Angelica and Dante both knew Gaia was feeling the affects of the mate bond being trespassed upon by another, and that neither cared they were harming her. She'd always thought Angelica was as kind and sweet as she was beautiful, but this didn't seem to be the case. And Dante... he was breaking her heart.

They arrived at the training grounds with just enough time to fall in with their groups.


Gaia waved at her friends as she joined the group she ranked with. Her two friends were in the ranks above hers, as was everyone else in the senior and junior years, but it didn't really bother Gaia that she might never be a warrior. Patrolling the territory and possibly fighting didn't appeal to her as it did to her friends. There were other, equally important actions she would be doing in case of attack, such as helping to gather the young and elderly to safety, or defending the bunkers and providing medical care.

Every morning started with a run. Gaia's group ran a mile, then broke from the group to stretch warmed muscles before reviewing techniques, learning new ones, and breaking off into pairs to hone skills. The run did her mind good. When they began reviewing the training, she focused her energy.

Dante's group ran ten miles, easily surpassing the other three groups more than once before theirs was the only group on the track. They would train in human form for a short period, then left the main field to train their wolves.

Training for those still in school, and the parents of young school-age children, ended at seven, giving them plenty of time to breakfast and prepare for their day.

As soon as Dante parked in front of the alpha mansion, Gaia ran up to her room, closing her door behind her. She shoved out of her clothes, throwing them into the hamper, and hopped into the shower to scrub the grime and sweat off her skin and out of her hair.

Clean and patted dry she stepped out of the shower. She moisturized her skin, applied deodorant, brushed her teeth again, dried her hair, then stepped out of the bathroom to dress. She only had twenty minutes to grab something to eat before they would leave for school. She gave herself a once over in the mirror, sweeping the front of her hair into a barrette at the back of her head leaving a slender lock of loose curl at each temple to frame her heart shaped face.

Jeans, long sleeved shirt, a jacket draped over her arm. Again she carried her shoes downstairs, well worn, dingy white hightop chuck Allstars, putting them on at the bottom stair. She'd been planning to grab something quick from the pantry, where she'd seen a stash of granola bars, but lifted her nose to inhale what smelled like a full breakfast cooking. She left her jacket and book bag at the stairs and went to see what was going on in the kitchen.

Dante, his hair still damp from his own shower, was plating up eggs, hash brown potato bites, rye toast, and bacon for each of them. He turned around with the plates in hand, grunting when he saw her entering the kitchen.

"You're quicker than I thought you'd be." He set both plates on the island and opened a drawer for utensils.

Gaia felt blood heating her cheeks, at once pleased with his observation and embarrassed it pleased her. She slid onto the same stool at the island she'd occupied at dinner the night before, thanked him for the fork he proffered and began to slice up her over medium eggs and slices of bacon into bite sized portions which she scooped onto her toast.

Dante watched her swipe the toast in the yolk, scooping a bite of egg and bacon on it before bringing it to her mouth. He caught himself admiring how her eyes fluttered closed when she enjoyed what she put in her mouth.

"Mmm, this is good, thank you. Do you eat like this every morning?" Her eyes widened as she realized she may have overstepped one of his boundaries.

"Um, yeah, most mornings. Some days I make oatmeal instead of toast. Why? What do you usually have for breakfast?"

"Usually cereal, sometimes with fruit."

Dante's brow twitched in thought. "That doesn't sound like much."

"Yeah, I'm usually hungry long before lunch."

"Same."

Gaia gaped at Dante, "Really? Even after all this?"

"Yeah. I usually take a couple granola bars with me to get me through the day."

"Hm. I figured that's what I was going to have for breakfast."

An eyebrow lifted as he eyed her. "A granola bar?"

She nodded, "Mhm, well, maybe also one of those bananas you've got over there," Gaia shrugged, scooping one last bite together.

He cleared his throat, then said, "Well, here we have a full breakfast."

They both carried their now empty plates to the sink. Gaia quickly rinsed and loaded the few dishes into the dishwasher, while Dante grabbed his granola bars. Then they grabbed their things and headed to his car.

Dante picked up Angelica again before school, and again Gaia stifled her body's reaction to the affection between her fated mate and his girlfriend. She wondered what the point of having her move in with him might be. It seemed unnecessary to her, and she couldn't fathom a reason for it beyond moving in together being what fated mates usually did upon finding each other.

If he and Angelica wanted each other, why not go through the process of rejection? Or was he planning to do so in the future? If so, why wait? If not, why continue his relationship with Angelica?

Gaia shook her head to let go of the train of thought before she acquired a headache, and saw they were already in the parking lot at school. As soon as Dante had parked, Gaia took off her seatbelt, grabbed her bag and left the car, gently closing the door behind her. She practically tripped over herself to get away from them, and the thoughts she couldn't quite get out of her head.

She bee-lined straight for her friend's lockers, relieved to see they were both already there. Just as Darla turned to greet her, Gaia dropped her bag and wrapped her arms around Darla, catching Darla off-guard.

"Hey, what's all this?" Darla draped her arms around Gaia's shoulders, "What's going on?"

Darla shared a look of concern with Lucas, who began to pat and rub Gaia's back.

"Hey girlfriend, are you okay?"

"No," Gaia lifted her head, "but this isn't the place to talk about it."

Darla and Lucas both frowned, exchanging another look over their friend's head. Lucas asked if she would be joining them after school.

"Probably not. He doesn't want either of you anywhere near his house."

Lucas asked, "He doesn't want us near his house? Does that mean you've moved in with him?"

Gaia nodded, unable to say the words that were lodged at her throat.

Darla said, "Well, that's good, right?" Then she saw Dante entering the hall holding hands with Angelica, and tapped Lucas' arm to get his attention. "Oh. I guess it's not that great."

"We're here for you, Gaia," Lucas gave her a half-hug, rubbing her arm. "If you can't come with us to the library, call us later. Okay?"

Gaia nodded, then got her supplies out of their lockers. At warning bell Lucas walked the two girls to their first period saying he'd see them at lunch.

Darla and Gaia slid into their seats with just two minutes to spare. They quickly got themselves situated for the class to begin, books and notebooks out, pens at the ready.

As usual, Dante and Colton walked in just as the bell rang, taking their seats at the back of the classroom.

Out of the corner of her eye Gaia saw her friend side-eye the Beta as he walked in, noting the flush rising in her cheeks.

Darla mouthed, "He smiled at me."

Gaia's mouth twitched a small smile for her friend, happy for Darla's happiness. She sincerely hoped neither of her friends experienced anything with their mates as she was with hers.

After class was over Gaia and Darla parted ways outside the door as usual, Darla rushing since her next class was across the school and upstairs, and Gaia walking with the flow since her next class was down the next hall and down the stairs. Halfway to the stairs. Gaia heard someone behind her calling her name. She turned to see Beta Colton striding toward her, and paused so he could catch up.

"Hey Gaia, thanks for stopping."

"Beta Colton, what can I do for you?"

"You don't have to use my title," he grinned good-naturedly, "I just wanted to ask you to sit at our table at lunch, you and your friends."

Gaia's eyes widened, "You want us to sit with you? Why?"

Colton chuckled, "You're Dante's mate. Of course you should be sitting with us. And definitely bring your friends. Especially the pretty one." With a wink, he turned and jogged down the hall toward the stairs.

Gaia watched him bound up the stairs two at a time until he disappeared from view, then continued on to her class. Once in class, she quickly sent a text to her friends, then put her phone away and turned it off. The physics teacher had a strict rule about phones.

At lunch she found Lucas and Darla waiting for her near the lunchroom entrance.

Darla and Lucas both spoke at once with Lucas stating what Gaia had texted and Darla wanting to know exactly what had been said.

Gaia addressed Lucas first, "Yes, we've been invited to eat at the alpha's table." Then she shifted her eyes to Darla, "Colton invited us. He knows I'm Dante's true mate, which means Dante or Angelica told him... And he thinks you're pretty."

Lucas rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Are you sure he didn't mean me?"

Darla squeed, bouncing on her heels before bopping her friend on his arm, saying, "He meant me, dork." Smiling brightly she linked arms with both her friends and dragged them into the cafeteria.

Gaia noticed Dante across the room holding hands with Angelica, walking together with her twin, Gamma Randal. Angelica had her free hand on Dante's upper chest.

Dante's attention wasn't on them, though. He was watching her. He cockily bobbed his head at her, his mouth curled in a smirk as he entered the dining hall.

Gaia asked, "Do we have to?"

Darla said, "It would be rude not to."

Lucas said, "It will be fun!" He handed her a tray.

Gaia thanked Lucas for the tray, conflicted that her friends were so excited. She wanted to be happy for them, but she was running out of mate-and-his-girlfriend-free space, and she didn't like it.

After they filled their trays they walked to the table where Beta Colton was standing, waving, at them. Randal was just sitting down. Angelica and Dante were already eating, holding hands under the table.

"Gaia, come on over. Your friends are welcome, too," Colton said cheerfully.

Well, there was no backing out now. Gaia straightened her back and walked with her friends to the alpha's table. Colton pulled out the two empty chairs to either side of him, and Randal slowly pulled out the empty one beside him, peering over his shoulder.

Gaia and Lucas took the seats between Randal and Colton, leaving Darla sitting on the other side of Colton with two seats between her and Angelica. Who was currently sharing with Dante a meal that had obviously been brought from home, made up of what would go on one of those fancy cheese and meat platters with the crackers and fruit.

__

Dante had been training since he was eight, which was young, but he was the future alpha. He worked with the elite warriors and his father's Beta and Gamma, though he'd surpassed their abilities in human form more than two years prior. He was now training his wolf, though, and this required all his strength and control to keep Cordut from taking control and claiming Gaia.

Training with his wolf had been extra difficult this morning. Cordut wanted to go to Gaia, insisting she was suffering. Dante understood she was suffering in theory, because that's what he'd been taught about the bond. He was both grateful and impressed she was masking it so well, but going to her would hurt Angelica.

Through the strangely enhanced bond he was already forming with her, he'd sensed Gaia putting all her energy in focusing on her work-out and decided this was exactly what she needed. Maybe she could become a warrior, after all. She'd have a better chance finding a second chance mate if she put herself out there.

Once back home he'd gone straight to his room, shed his clothes at his hamper, then got in the shower. Once out of the shower and dried, he brushed his teeth, and styled his hair. Then he dressed in jeans and a henley before grabbing his phone and leaving his room.

He wasn't surprised to see Gaia wasn't downstairs, yet. Girls couldn't help giving themselves more to do, and even though he knew Gaia didn't wear make-up, not that she needed to, he could smell she indulged in at least some of the so called "self-care" girls seemed to have an affinity for. And it wasn't like he expected her to cook after she said she couldn't.

No, wait...

He paused, his hand on the refrigerator door, as a thought occurred to him

... she'd said she 'didn't cook'. Interesting. It was possible her wording was intentional, and she was capable of cooking but preferred not to.

He wasn't expecting the conversation at breakfast. Blindsided by the rush of pleasure her compliment erupted within him, and how adorable she looked when she realized she had overstepped boundaries, he'd answered her questions. Breakfast was a benign enough topic, and he'd learned something about her.

When they went to pick up Angelica the second time, he could sense Gaia's discomfort with his more intimate affection with Angelica. He didn't like that his actions were hurting Gaia, but he didn't want to hurt Angelica any more than he already had.

Once at school he'd barely parked and Gaia was out of the car in a flash. He watched her disappear into the building, not noticing Angelica had been talking to him and was getting upset with him for not paying attention to her.

"I'm sorry, princess, what were you saying?" Dante shifted his gaze to Angelica's pretty green eyes ringed in a halo of red and gold lashes.

"I was asking why she needs to be in the car with us? Can't she walk or something? She stinks!"

Dante did his best to not scowl at her, "I'm not having her walk to and from training and then school. I had her move in with me to hold out until I can safely reject her, I'm not going to be a rude host by mistreating her, Angelica."

Angelica huffed and rolled her eyes, "Whatever," she reached to drag her finger up Dante's arm," Colton's birthday is coming up. Wanna be my date?" She smiled, the tip of her tongue sticking through her teeth.

"Yeah, we can do that."

Angelica leaned forward to kiss the tip of his nose, "Just so you know, Gaia's not invited. It's our date, and I don't want her there."

He could agree to that. "Sure. Ready to go?" He hadn't yet noticed any males taking even a passing interest in her, but didn't trust his wolf should any other male try anything with her.

Angelica agreed, slinking out of the car, hoisting her bag to her shoulder. As they walked together, she grasped his hand and held his arm, clutching him to her.

Inside the school Dante saw Gaia still with her friends by their lockers. Lucas giving her a hug brought Cordut to life, and Dante had to fight to calm him down. He didn't think there was any potential attraction between the two, and he was pretty certain Lucas was gay, but Cordut didn't want any males near her.

He walked with Angelica to their lockers and her first class, catching up with Colton on the way.

"Hey man. Ready for another fine morning in world civ?"

"Do you really think she's the one?"

The Beta had been sensing for some weeks his mate likely went to school with him, and was anticipating his birthday this weekend. He was inviting the entire school, and every one of the girls. He was fired up to find his forever, and already had everything planned out.

"I'm feeling really drawn to her, and I get the feeling she likes me, too," Colton grinned.

"Try not to get too attached. Your mate might be some other girl."

They were both silent as soon as they walked into the room, passing the entire classroom to sit in the back. It was only fair given their height.

Dante noticed Gaia sitting very still, seemingly paying him no mind, but he'd locked on her 'summer beach' scent down the hall, and noticed her heart rate and breathing pattern shift before he entered the classroom. He noticed the slight flush in her cheeks, the way her hair tumbled down her back in a cascade of waves and loose curls.

He slid into his seat and opened his notebook as the teacher began class. They were covering eastern Europe, which interested him as he had roots in that region of the world.

As they were exiting the classroom, Colton said, "I'm going to invite her to the table for lunch."

"Sure, whatever. See you later." Dante hurried to see Angelica.

Later, on the way to lunch he noticed Gaia and her friends heading into the cafeteria. He saw her notice him and lifted his chin, one of his cheeks twitching a small smile involuntarily. He and Angelica went directly to the table. They set their things down and Angelica opened her bag to retrieve the lunch she'd made them. He took the bag from her and set everything out for them, letting her sit.

"Let's see what we've got here."

"Haha, I told you in the car," Angelica peered up at him through her lashes.

Dante wracked his brain trying to recall what she'd talked about in the car other than not wanting Gaia to go to Colton's birthday party. Opening a container he recognized the makings of a charcuterie without the fancy cutting board. He appreciated the time and effort she'd put in to packing this mini-feast, thanking her with a chaste kiss as he sat beside her.

Angelica placed her hand on his thigh and squeezed. Dante slid his hand with hers, interlocking her fingers with his.

"I'll be coming over for dinner again, tonight. Maybe I can spend the night."

"You're not spending the night, Angelica. I will pick you up and drop you off. That's it."

Colton was the first one to join them, "Heyooah Dante, Hi Angelica, hey Dante she said she'll sit with us." His smile cracked his face in half, and he craned his neck to watch the crowd.

"Okay," Dante shrugged. He popped the bite of cracker, meat and cheese combo in his mouth.

Angelica tilted her head and smiled sweetly at Colton, "Who's joining us?"

Dante momentarily paused chewing. He hadn't mentioned the extension of invites to Angelica.

Colton jumped in at his alpha's hesitation, "Didn't Dante tell you? I asked Gaia and her friends to join our table."

Angelica turned to look at Dante. She smiled and batted her eyes coyly, "Why no, he didn't mention it."

"It'll be a good way to get to know our future luna." Colton stood up just as Randal joined the table.

Randal took his seat, leaving a chair between himself and Dante, "What's going on?"

"Gaia, come on over. Your friends are welcome, too," Colton said cheerfully. He pulled out the two chairs beside him.

Randal's brow knit, clearly stunned, "Okay, no seriously? What's going on?"

Angelica whispered, "Colton thought it would be a good idea to invite Gee-ah and the losers to our table."

Dante rumbled a low growl, "Her name is Gaia. And her friends are Darla and Lucas." He articulated the individual inflections and vowels precisely. He didn't tolerate bullying as a rule, he wasn't about to allow even his chosen mate to stoop to petty bashing.

Randal frowned at Angelica, "Wait, um, uh, what?" Then he noticed Lucas taking a seat beside him and he muttered, "Oh, we're doing this. Huh."

Dante watched Gaia sit between his beta and her friend Lucas. She wouldn't be sitting directly across from him, but he'd have to fight keeping his eyes off her. He watched her thank Colton for inviting them, mesmerized by her eyes flitting to everyone at the table, lingering momentarily on him, a whisper of a caress, glimmering silver in the mid-day sun beaming through the lunchroom window, before sliding to his right.

He was startled by a blackberry hovering in front of his mouth. Angelica was telling him to open his mouth. He turned his head to look at her and opened his mouth. As he was chewing he picked up a strawberry and lifted it to her mouth, watching her lips part and close around the fat berry. She hummed happily.

He knew she was distracting his attention away from Gaia, and doing her best to make Gaia jealous. His princess couldn't seem to help herself, but so far she was honoring his request that she not physically harm Gaia, though he didn't appreciate her taunting, either.

He was so wrapped up in letting Angelica distract him, he hadn't noticed anyone else join the table, and he almost didn't hear his head warrior ask Gaia if she was okay with the relationship between himself and Angelica. Dante shot a warning glance at Brent before casting his gaze toward Gaia.

Her eyes were on him as she considered the question. "I'm not troubled by love."

Angelica rubbed his arm, wriggling happily in her seat.

Darla suddenly scooted her chair back and left the table. Colton stared after her, then got up, following her.

"Well, that's good, because these two have been in love for a long time, and I seriously doubt your little bond is any match for what they have naturally," sneered Heather, Brent's girlfriend.

"Okay." Gaia shrugged.

Beside him, Angelica huffed and began packing up the containers, putting them back in her bag she'd brought them in. He stood up when she did and gave a nod at everyone at the table as he left with her.

"I can't believe he did that! What was he thinking, bringing her and those two she hangs out with to eat with us? He knows the situation. And what was that crack about 'getting to know the luna?' I'm your luna!"

Dante wrestled with Cordut, who was demanding to put the redhead his human insisted on kissing in her place.

"Princess, yes, but he's certain that Darla girl is his mate and if so, he intends to mate with her and they'll be joining us soon anyway. May as well start it now."

"You seem to be getting comfortable with having Gaia around everywhere you go."

"She is a pack member. It would be hard to avoid her."

"You could banish her."

"I am not going to banish her! What has gotten into you?"

They reached her locker and she opened it to put her lunch cooler away.

"I'm angry. I'm angry at the goddess, I'm angry with you, I'm angry at this whole... whatever you want to call it. Dante, dearest, you promised me I would be your chosen luna if you were given another by the goddess, and the fact we're second chance mates proves she knew we'd be a good match, so I don't agree that you should hold off rejecting her!"

"Princess, we talked about this."

"Yes, but I don't like it. I was set on getting you now, and it's not fair I don't have you!" She stomped her foot and her face screwed up as tears welled in her eyes.

He stepped toward her, pulling her to his chest, "Angelica, Princess, you have me. Right now I need you to be patient. Rejecting her now would risk her life and everything in me is telling me to wait on this. I have to do this, and I'd really appreciate your respect of my decision."

"I don't like it!"

"You don't have to like it. I need you to respect it. Play nice."