Stalked by the Alpha

Part 24: A Decision

I slowly backed away from the mirror, pressing my shaking hand to my mouth. How could he have found me? He had always told me that his network of 'connections' was vast, but there was no way he could have found me on the other side of the country. I had to get out of here. I couldn't put Gabe into any danger. He meant too much to me and if he died I knew there was no way that I could survive alone. Suddenly a knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I squeaked in fright and jumped, hitting my back against the paper towel dispenser. I ran over to the mirror and ripped the heart down, stuffing it into my purse as quickly as I could.

"Evan?" Gabe's deep voice filtered through the door. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

I stared at the door, frantically trying to come up with a way to get out of this situation. My flight or fight instincts were in high gear and if I was being honest with myself I couldn't remember the last time that I had chosen fight. I didn't think I could survive like that. Another knock echoed throughout the bathroom and I frantically wiped the tears off of my face, probably smearing Paige's wonderful makeup in the process and straightened my dress, then went to open the door. Gabe stood in the doorway with a concerned expression that made me want to cry all over again, but I managed a smile and said,

"Yeah sorry, I'm all good now. You can go sit down and I'll meet you in a bit okay?" I placed my hand on his muscular bicep, ignoring the now familiar jolt of pleasure that always came with any physical contact and tried to subtly move his body toward the dining area. Not surprisingly, my efforts did nothing to move his massive muscular body and he looked at me with worry in his green eyes.

"Well, I actually already paid. I felt your stress and anxiety through our bond and I thought that it would be a good idea to get out of here. The food is already boxed up and waiting at the front of restaurant." He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, a little embarrassed and I wanted to punch him for his thoughtfulness, but I couldn't let myself get distracted. I needed to keep a level head or Gabe would get hurt, and I would have no one but myself to blame. 

"Okay, well I just need another minute and then I'll be out okay? You can go wait in the car." I tried to smile convincingly at him.

He shook his head and said, "No that's okay. I want to make sure you're feeling all right, so I'll wait here for you and then we can walk out together." 

I groaned inwardly, while still trying to keep a smile on my face. "Okay, that works too!" My face must have looked slightly pained because Gabe's eyes narrowed and he stared at my face critically, trying to read my expression. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked and I simply nodded, and then shut the door and leaned over, trying to catch my breath. The tension in my chest was overwhelming and the pain was enough to drive me to put on the emotionless mask that I had grown so fond of over the past few years. It was a saving grace that I needed. The plan would only work if I could play along. 

I swung the door open and carefully walked out, schooling my features into an impassive expression. Gabe held his arm out to me and I loosely took it, keeping our embrace as casual as possible. He shot me a quizzical glance that I ignored and continued to stare straight ahead, my eyes flicking around hyper actively, trying to look for any threats or even worse, Floyd himself. My spine was straight and I could feel a trail of sweat rolling down my back. My legs were trembling, and I was sure that Gabe was going to say something, but he didn't. We picked up the food and walked out to the car. I was trying to hurry him without being obvious, and he silently allowed the pace to increase.

I slid into the car and tried to buckle my seat belt with shaking hands. Buckling proved to be impossible, and I was still struggling when Gabe suddenly reached over and buckled it for me. I glanced up and saw Gabe staring at me with unreadable eyes. I straightened up and clenched my hands in my lap, staring straight ahead. 

"Hey, we aren't leaving until you tell me what's wrong. You might as well start talking." His deep growling voice broke the silence and I cringed inwardly. I didn't want to tell him what was wrong, because I didn't want him to get hurt. Plus the longer we sat in the parking lot the more danger we were in. So I hurriedly blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"I just got a bit overwhelmed from the date and I panicked, that's all." It wasn't exactly a lie, I was panicking, but the note had put all of the date jitters into 2nd place on my list of concerns. 

"Hey," he turned my chin and I was forced to look into his gorgeous eyes. "I was freaking out too okay? This is the first time that we've done something like this and maybe it was too much pressure for the first date. We can just go home and relax okay?" He smiled and then leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine and I allowed myself one more time to give into the warmth and sensations that he was creating in my body. The kiss was short and sweet and meaningful and made Floyd that much scarier. Gabe pulled away and then started the car while I fought back tears. 

We pulled into the driveway and Gabe parked, then came around and opened the door for me to slide out. He took my hand and we walked into the packhouse where I wasn't the least bit surprised to find Paige waiting with a barely suppressed look of glee on her face. I smiled quietly at her and then turned to Gabe. 

"If you want, we could watch a movie or something?" He sounded so hopeful and my heart clenched painfully when I realized that what I was about to do would hurt him. But I had to, for his safety. And mine, but mostly his.

"Sure, let me go get changed okay?" I managed through the lump in my throat.

"Yeah sure! We can just meet in the living room in maybe half an hour. Does that sound good? Oh! What movie do you want to watch?"

I turned back to him from the base of stairs, "Surprise me." And then I walked up the stairs and closed the door to my room. I took a shaky breath and then starting slipping out of the date clothes, changing into a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt, along with a pair of my old worn out sneakers. I grabbed my backpack and shoved everything that I could into it and zipped it up. I checked the clock and realized that I only had 10 minutes to go. I scribbled a note to whoever found it, 'He was there on the date. I'm sorry, but no one else is getting hurt because of me. Live your life well.' 

 I slid open the window and clambered up onto the window sill. The drop wasn't a long one, but the living room faced toward the front and I couldn't risk anyone seeing me. I slid over to the drainpipe and climbed down, ignoring the feelings of deja vu of the first time that Gabe and I met. Hitting the ground with a huff, I shouldered my backpack and walked as quickly as I could down the driveway and onto the street. It took me 15 minutes to get to the highway, and then I finally let the mask and the tears fall. 

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I'm back! Sorry for the break, I had a lot going on. I know that some people might wonder why she doesn't stay with Gabe because he could protect her, but she doesn't understand how powerful a wolf is yet. If you liked this chapter, vote! If you have any suggestions, comment! Thank you!

kath