Chapter Twenty-Nine

**OLIVER**

I sighed in relief as I opened the door to the cabin. As I entered, the sweet smell of delicious food drifted up my nose and caused my mouth to water. The increasing growling in my stomach was a sudden and sharp reminder that I hadn’t had anything to eat throughout the whole day. I smiled and threw my bag across the back of the couch and headed for the kitchen where I could hear Gabriel humming to himself. He smiled cheekily at me as I opened the kitchen door, his cheeks flushed from the steam and exertion of the feast he had prepared.
“You’re back so soon,” he said as I pulled him into my arms and kissed him, cutting off whatever he was going to say.
“I’ve missed you,” I said.
Lessons with Shanice meant that I had to leave early and return late, and spend hours on end learning about the river goddess and her ways. The more I learned, the happier I was that I didn’t find a way to get rid of the moon goddess, and that left unanswered questions in my mind as to why Jamie had had to die, and my parent's role in his death.
Gabriel’s lips claimed mine in a soft kiss. “I’ve missed you too.”
“This looks divine,” I said as Gabriel set a plate of Mac and cheese in front of me.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said as he settled into the seat next to me with his plate. “I was hoping we could spend some quality time together. We don’t get to see each other much these days.”
“I’m sorry…”
Gabriel shook his head vehemently. “No. I’m glad that this thing we had initially thought to be a curse has turned out to be a blessing,” he said.
I laughed and shoved a spoonful it l my mouth. “That makes me wonder how you never knew that Shanice was a custodian for the river goddess.”
Gabriel raised his hand in mock defeat. “I don’t care who my people worship. Moon goddess, sun goddess. They’re free here. So, when Shanice asked for the rundown cabin by the river, I just gave it to her, no questions asked.”
We sat and ate our food in companionable silence. I closed my eyes and savored the taste of the food in my mouth, and I smiled to myself, happy that I had chosen right to follow Gabriel back to his pack. Here, I was free, I was happy. I was grounded. Thoughts of Samantha filtered through my thoughts, and my smile was immediately wiped away. If only I had grown a backbone sooner and decided sooner, Samantha might have lived. It hurt me that I hadn’t been able to attend her funeral and that I never reached out to her brother to extend my condolences. I wondered what he thought of me.
“What are you thinking about?” Gabriel asked, his voice filtering through my thoughts.
I sighed and put down my spoon, food suddenly became stale in my mouth. “Samantha…”
I smiled wistfully as I watched Gabriel’s face fall. He slowly chewed the food in his mouth and lowered his spoon to his plate. Silence reigned, and both of us were burdened with our memories of the situation. Gabriel let out a heavy sigh and straightened in his chair.
“I sometimes think about her too…” he said.
“Do you feel guilty?” I asked. “Maybe just a little bit?”
Gabriel clasped his hands together and nodded. “Yes. I…sometimes wish that I had never shown up at your condo, that I had never met her.”
Sudden pain surged through my heart. “Gabriel…”
“If only I had ignored my wolf’s yearning for his mate, she might have lived. I would have lost you, but she…” his voice broke and his lips quivered. “She would have lived.”
I took his hands in mine, my vision blurry as I shed tears. I realized that we both carried guilt from a situation we barely had any control over.
“It’s okay…”
“Do you feel any guilt?” He asked. The question hit me square in the chest.
I lowered my head and nodded. “Yes. I sometimes feel that maybe…”
Gabriel’s ears suddenly perked up and he pushed himself up from the chair. His face had hardened and his eyes had changed to an unnatural golden color signifying the presence of his wolf.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, standing with him.
“My attention is needed at the border. I need to go,” he replied and headed for the door.
I turned to follow him. “I’m coming with you.”
“No,” he said firmly. “Stay. I don’t know how bad it is. It might be a safety issue.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but before any words could make it out, Gabriel had made it out the door. I immediately followed him, sighing in disbelief as I saw him shift into his wolf. I ran out the front door and gave chase, our food had since gone cold and lay forgotten on the small dining table. I gave chase, following him out and into the woods, enduring the snapping of twigs in my face and the irritating cobwebs. When I finally burst out at the border, a small party had already formed, most in their wolf forms.
Gabriel had shifted back and now stood amongst his pack members…naked and proud. I blushed a little and looked away as he threw on the shorts that someone had immediately handed to him. His eyes met mine, and he sighed, I cocked my brow at him and approached. As I got closer, I gasped as I came face to face with the bloodied bodies of two people.
Laying on the hard forest floor, was the body of a young man with his arm hanging in by a thread, a huge gash on his chest, and unconscious. And kneeling protectively over him, red eyes and growling at anyone who dared to come close, was an even younger woman bleeding from a wound in her side.
“What happened?” Gabriel asked, his voice firm. “How did they get in?”
I sighed and moved towards them. “That’s not the question you should be asking now, Gabriel. They need medical attention. Immediately.”
“Oliver, we don’t know who they are, why they’re here, or how they got here.”
“And you’ll get your answers when they’re in a better condition and can speak.”
Without waiting for him to contradict what I had said, I signaled to the patrol guards who were staring awkwardly at us both. They looked to Gabriel for approval and he nodded in resignation.
“If this goes south, this is on you,” he stated.
I smiled and kissed him on the lips. “Of course.”