Stalked by the Alpha

Part 18: Rocks and Other Burdens

I waited anxiously on my bed until I heard a quiet knock on the door. By then my hands were stinging from twisting them in my lap, a nervous habit I had picked up a year or two ago. My gaze had remained fixed on the door the entire time, flinching whenever there were voices in the hallway. The knock startled me, and I carefully unfolded my legs and walked over to the door. I carefully looked in the peephole, and some of the tension left my shoulders when I was met with a familiar face. Slowly I swung open the door and faced John, who was looking more serious than usual. 

I opened my mouth to start asking him a question but he cut me off, "You ready?" I just nodded and shouldered my bag, my hand smarting when I did so. I glanced down and saw to my surprise that several of my cuticles were bleeding from my constant twisting. I hadn't even noticed. John and I walked down the hallway, with John putting a protective hand on my shoulder and hustling me along a little faster. The hallway was deserted, with most students at dinner, but I could still feel eyes on me. I gripped my bag tighter in my hand, ignoring my nails cutting into my hand and cowered into John's side involuntarily. My shoulders curled over and I shook myself. 'Get a fucking grip, you weak girl,' I thought viciously and stood up straighter, taking a step away from John as we left the hall. My grip tightened even further and I could feel the blood dripping down my palms, but I kept my face in an impassive expression, something I had mastered while I was working for Floyd. My eyes stared straight ahead but I was high alert, noting any motions in my head and calculating an escape route. John sniffed the air and frowned, reaching over and forcibly opening my grip, growling when he noticed the blood. I just took my hand back and stuffed it into my front pocket.

"Is Gabe in the car?" I glanced at John out of the corner of my eye. He stiffened and shook his head. 

"He couldn't make it," he looked over at me like he was going to say something else, but then changed his mind and faced forward again. That made sense, but also worried me. From what I knew about John, the more uncomfortable he was, the less he would say. There was no way I was going to pry it out of him, so I just swallowed the lump of fear that had risen down into the pit of my stomach where it resided like a rock. 

We made it into the car with no problems, and I slid into the passenger side of his car, which smelled like nacho cheese and Paige's perfume. It was a disgusting combination and it made me even more eager to see Gabe. I had been trying to put my finger on what he smelled like to me, because it was incredibly distinctive. I had finally realized during one of my classes earlier in the day that it was my grandma's house. He smelled like baking bread and the lemon scented dusting spray she always used and the only place I truly felt safe. It was probably the reason that he could calm me so well. 'He could calm you even better if he was here, but he's not,' the small vicious part of my brain that always sounded a lot like Floyd reminded me. I swallowed another lump of fear and it came to rest beside the other one in my stomach. 

We drove into the packhouse driveway and another lump joined the others when I saw Gabe's sleek black car parked in the driveway. If he was here, why couldn't he come pick me up? Was he okay? We pulled to a stop and I waited until John had carefully put the car in park to slide out of the passenger side with a quiet word of thanks. When I walked up the stairs into the house, for some reason I was afraid. It wasn't like earlier today with Floyd, but it was a quieter, more insidious fear. There were doubts piling up in my mind and joining the weight in my stomach, making it hard for me to walk. I didn't know where Gabe was so I walked up to the first person I found, which was a smiling woman holding a vase.

"Excuse me?" My voice sounded croaky, but if she noticed, she didn't say anything. She just gave me a warm smile and said, "Hello Luna, how can I help you?"

I ignored the title that she gave me and cleared my throat, then said, "Can you direct me to wherever the Alpha is please?"

"Of course! He's in his office. You're just going to want to go that way," she pointed to the left, "and his door is the last one on the right side."

I nodded my thanks and then set off down the hall, the trepidation in my stomach making it hard to walk. There was something in me that told me there was something going on that I didn't want to see. Taking a deep breath, I walked in front of the large oak door that was adorned with a gold plaque with Gabe's name. I knocked quietly, but got no response. There was noise from inside and I turned the handle and opened the door.

What I saw was somehow a surprise and exactly what I was expecting to see. Gabe was sitting in his chair, alive and well, and his mouth was firmly attached to the mouth of a blonde who I recognized as Natalie, the same girl from breakfast that one day. The rocks that had been gathering up in my stomach were suddenly fighting to make a reappearance as my chest crumpled. A strangled sob left my mouth and I spun around, closing the door on the pair of them. Staggering down the hallway, I tried to fight the tears that were in my eyes while also trying to fight Floyd's voice that was crowding my brain. 'Of course he would cheat, you aren't worth it.' 'Maybe he would like you better if you weren't such a whore.' 'It's your fault.' There was a part of me that knew none of those things were true, but Floyd's presence in my mind was stronger than that. There were running footsteps from behind me and I closed my eyes and once again coached my face into the impassive mask I wore so often. He would not see me cry, because that was exactly what everyone in my life wanted from me, to see me weak. There was a tentative hand placed on my shoulder and I turned around. Gabe was standing there, looking heart wrenching and beautiful and from the look on his face, he could see the tears in my eyes and right through the mask. 

"Evan-" he started but I didn't give him the chance.

"I should have known. You're no better than he is." I turned on my heel and walked away, finally letting a tear fall. 

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Well, Gabe fucked up big time. Let me know what you think of the story so far! Vote and comment! Thank you so much!

kath