Chapter 74

"Elliot!"

Lori squealed as she ran up to him. Elliot hugged Lori back tightly.

"You're alive!"

He whispered as he held on to her.

"In the flesh."

Lori said as she slowly broke away.

He looked okay. Tired but okay.

Lori surveyed his cell. It was clean, there was a bed and a table with some leftovers. He looked like he was eating well. He smelled clean too.

"I was so worried! That was so stupid... let's never do something that stupid again."

He warned and Lori chuckled.

"You mean you biting me? I definitely agree."

She said as she hugged him again.

She turned to look at Gabriel who was standing and watching them from the outside like a guard on duty.

She gave him a pleading look but he didn't budge.

"Gabriel..."

She started and he shook his head.

Elliot tugged at Lori's sleeve.

"Lori... he has to do what he has to do."

Elliot said and Lori shook her head.

"He's also the alpha. His word is law."

Elliot sighed.

He rubbed at his tired eyes. He didn’t look like he was sleeping well, with the huge eye-bags underneath his eyes. He must have been very stressed, worried sick and tired.


"You wouldn't understand. Just know that it's not his fault.."

He said and Lori shrugged.

She chose not to believe that. Gabriel could free Elliot if he wanted do, but it seemed to her that Gabriel himself didn't want to free Elliot without meting out some form of justice.

Some punishment to make him seem fair and unbiased.

Lori didn't get the point of it, no matter how hard she tried.

Elliot saved her.
She didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if he didn't.

"I've decided on what to do with you."

Gabriel finally said and Lori and Elliot's eyes darted to him.

"Are you going to set him free?"

Lori asked and Gabriel shrugged.

"Depends."

He beckoned to Draco who came forward with a key.

Draco walked into the cage and unlocked Elliot's silver cuffs.

Elliot and Lori's eyes met in confusion.

"What's going on?"

Elliot asked as he looked at the silver cuffs on the floor of the cage.

Was Gabriel really letting him go?!

No way. There had to be a catch.

He looked at Gabriel and found that glint in his blue eyes. The sign that suggested he wasn't quite done with him yet.

"If you want to come back to the pack, as a full member, go out there and retrieve your brother."

"What?!"

Lori and Elliot exclaimed at the same time.

"I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself. To come back to the pack and have all your betrayal to the pack forgiven. All you have to do is bring back your brother."

Elliot nodded.

Of course. There was a catch.

"Alive or dead?!"

Elliot asked and Gabriel smiled.

"Preferably alive. I do have some questions to ask him I'm afraid. It'll be a shame to let him die without asking."

"Okay."

"And if I do that, all will be forgiven?!"

He asked and Gabriel nodded.

"Yes. Almost like nothing ever happened. A clean slate."

Elliot nodded.

He was considering it. It would be hard to find his brother but he hoped it wouldn't be entirely impossible.

"And if I don't find him?!"

He asked and Gabriel grimaced.

"Well then... you can consider yourself an omega."


*******************


They were led to a small table in a quiet restaurant, Kate had picked it out. A table set for three.
It was a late hour for dinner, most of the tables were empty. Kate pulled out her chair and sat, her father sat across from her. The only light in the room was from a few well placed candles.

A waiter approached them and, without saying a word, poured them wine and left the bottle. No menus. He had ordered for them in advance. There would also be no interruptions from wait staff aside from the bringing and clearing of the courses.

“Do you think he’ll come?”

Kate asked nervously as she touched the neckline of her dress.

Her father gave her a glance.

“Why won’t be?”

Kate shrugged.

“It’s impromptu. Asking him for dinner like this… he might be suspicious.”

Her father scoffed.

He ignored her.

Kate smoothed over her dress again, she had made sure not to leave any detail out. In her dress, in the way she looked, she hoped she looked every bit as presentable as she wanted to be.

Her father glanced at her again, he looked at her pitifully.

“Kate… you can have any man…”

He started and she glared at him.

“He’s the one I want!”

She snapped.

“And no. No I cannot just have any man!”

She added as she took a swig out of her wine.

Her father looked away.

Who was he to understand his daughter? She had him wrapped around his finger and he was utterly clueless when it came to her.

Or matters relating to the affairs of her heart.

“Very well then..”

He muttered.

He watched as she finished her glass of wine, slightly worried that she had drank way more than he wanted her to.


“He’s here.”

Kate’s father whispered as Gabriel’s grandfather walked towards their table.

Kate stood up eagerly.

A little too eagerly.

“Mr Caine!”

She said enthusiastically as she stretched out her arms.

Reginald Caine smiled warmly and lightly hugged Kate.

“Kate! You look splendid!”

“I hope you didn’t dress up this much for dear old me!”

He exclaimed and she smiled bashfully.

“Oh this old dress!”

Kate scoffed.

“It’s nothing…”

She muttered.

Reginald turned to her father and bowed slightly.

“Alpha.”

Kate’s father shook his head.

“Oh you don’t have to call me that.”

“Nonsense.”

Reginald exclaimed.

“I take pride in the old customs. Many don’t.”

“And that’s why your pack has lasted this long!”

Her father said and Reginald chuckled.

The three of them settled back in their seats and the waiter came back to pour them more wine.

Kate watched as her father and Gabriel’s grandfather make small talk. They were not as close in age as they would like, in fact Gabriel’s grandfather was at least twenty years older, but the old man still looked very fit.

She didn’t want to resort to such scheming, such theatrics, but Gabriel had forced her hand.

She thought she was making progress with him… and then somehow the Lori bitch had come out of nowhere. Back into his life and he had quickly discarded her.

All those times when she came over to visit, to comfort him, she even offered him help, with the secret hope that all his efforts would be futile, yet she still put in the work.

Now the girl was back in the picture. Kate knew she had to do something. She could go back to Europe like a dog licking her wounds or she could do something about it.

As far as she knew Gabriel’s grandfather didn’t know. He probably already knew his grandson had a mate, but he must have imagined that she was a werewolf.

Well… he would be in for quite the shock.

“I know… I know that there must be something up. It’s not often that I get invited to dinner by one of the biggest alphas in the country.”

Reginald stated and her father nodded.

“Yes… it isn’t. I do have a rather delicate matter to discuss with you.”

He glanced at his daughter and she nodded her head.

“I believe in the past I’ve made my intentions clear. About a marriage alliance between my daughter and your grandson….. I understand now that there are obstacles in place to that…”

Reginald nodded eagerly.

“Yes. Yes. I remember. But it seems Gabriel has found his mate.”

“Really?”

Her father urged and Reginald sighed.

“I don’t know much about her… he wouldn’t talk to me about it and that’s quite unusual.”

“Well… of course he wouldn’t.”

Kate answered as she chuckled.

Reginald raised his eyebrow.

“Do you know something?”

He asked and Kate nodded.

“Gabriel and I are quite close. And yes, I do know who his mate is. I think that’s the reason he hasn’t told you about her yet.”

“But why wouldn’t he?!”

Kate shrugged.

“Well… I hate to be the one to break it to you but she’s not a werewolf.”

There was a dreaded silence on the table. Kate’s own father didn’t know.

Reginald froze.

“She’s not even human.”

“What is she then?”

Her father asked curiously.

“She’s Naphil.”

“A nephilim?!”

Reginald repeated as all the color drained from his face.

Kate nodded.

“Yes. That was why he hid her from you.”

Even her own father looked surprised.

“Hnmm… I thought they were extinct. I’ve never seen one before.”

Kate shrugged.

“You’re not missing much. She’s quite plain. No powers too.”

“None?!”

Her father exclaimed and Kate nodded.

“She looks, acts and smells very human.”

Reginald finally regained his composure.

“Their kind had been thinned out. Spread thin… the blood must have been diluted a lot. She might just have a fraction of the power the nephilim possess.”

Her father nodded in agreement, his eyes glinting with amusement.

“Yes!! I’ve heard of the wonders their blood can do.”

Reginald’s mind went back to that time he visited Gabriel. He remembered that peculiar smell that was all around baby Emilia’s room.

Back then.. he couldn’t match the smell to a supernatural, but now, he remembered why it smelled so familiar.

He had met nephilims before. Long time ago when he was much younger.

He still had the scar from one of the fights he had with one.

Was his grandson really thinking of marrying one?!

“Gabriel cannot marry her or make her his Luna. Mate or not. Our customs state that the chosen Luna must be a pure bred werewolf.”

Kate shrugged.

“It doesn’t seem like he wants to honor that custom. They seem quite taken with each other.”

Reginald shook his head.

“Oh he’ll honor it alright. He has fought far too much to be alpha to give it all up for one alien woman.”

He turned to Kate’s father.

“The marriage alliance. Don’t you worry about it. I will speak some sense into my grandson and we will move on with the plan right away.”

Kate’s father nodded.

“It will be a great union indeed. Can you imagine the two of our packs united?!”

He glanced at his daughter who was smiling bashfully.

“We’d be unstoppable!”

Reginald answered.

“Let’s make a toast to that.”

Her father said as he raised his half empty glass.

Kate raised hers too, a small smile of satisfaction on her perfectly painted lips.