Claimed

Chapter 36

After a couple of hours the sun is now at its highest peak, as my drenched hair adds a heavy weight to my tiny shoulders. Gabriel, noticing my discomfort allows me to rest again. Sitting on a patch of grass underneath a Willow tree I fan myself with my fingers, trying my best to cool my body down from  the scorching sun.

"Mother was right."

Gabriel: "What was she right about? She can be quite a stick in the mud about everything. Driving me mad in my own home."

"My hair. It needs to be cut. It is literally weighing me down."

Gabriel: "I have a knife in my backpack if you want me to cut some off."

"No!"

He chuckles, shaking his head at my response.

Gabriel: "Xael would kill me if I changed your appearance without his permission."

"He would."

My lips turn upwards into a smile from thoughts on my love before I begin to frown again.

Gabriel: "We do not have much longer Winnie. Just a few more steps I promise."

"Everything hurts Gabriel. I'm exhausted."

Gabriel: "I could carry you, but I do not want to incur the wrath of Xael for touching you. Now get up."

"Gabriel I just need more time."

Gabriel: " As future werewolf queen you can't show weakness in the face of diversity. It is unbecoming of royalty and frankly quite pathetic."

"Why are you being mean to me?"

Gabriel: " Winnie I'm trying to help you. You don't understand how dangerous it is within those castle walls. They feed off of weakness."

Leaning down in front of my face he grabs my arm roughly pulling me up with a hard yank.

"You're hurting me!"

Gabriel: "Do something about it! Don't just whine about it. Xael isn't here to save you."

He continues to shake me, his grip becoming tighter around my slender arms.

"Stop!"

Closing my eyes tightly, teeth clenched the pain soon lessens as a loud whooshing sound comes past my head. Opening my eyes I see Gabriel a couple of feet in front of me on the ground, groaning in pain. Checking around me I see nothing out of the ordinary, as I am now unsure whether to crouch down or hide.

"Gabriel."

I whisper softly to him as he continues to writhe in pain. Slowly rising up fully I grab a pointy branch off the ground. Waving it around nothing happens as I hear nothing unusual.

Dropping the stick I run to Gabriel, now hunched over coughing.

"Is that blood?"

Catching his breath he continues coughing, finally finding his voice.

Gabriel: "What did you do?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing."

Gabriel: "So you say. I just got hit directly in the face and stomach. I'm spewing blood and I think I have a broken rib.

"Uhh, I didn't do it?"

I couldn't have done it.

Gabriel: "We must hurry to the kingdom. I can't transform with broken bones. We are both vulnerable now."