Page 36 of The Alpha's Stolen Mate

Gabriel and I shared a look, and my breath caught in my throat.

I scanned his face, truly taking him in, noting the small differences six years had made.

What would it be like to kiss him now that he has a beard?

My heart quickened, and my gaze fell to his lips for a fraction of a second.

Gabriel noticed, and his expression darkened with desire.

With effort, I tore my eyes away from his and looked down at my hands.

Why the hell was my body reacting this way to him? Gabriel had broken our bond. So, why did it still seem like our souls were connected? Was it just because I’d spent my whole life loving him, even these past five years when I hated him, too? I didn’t want to crave his touch. I didn’t want to remember what his soft yet firm lips felt like on mine.

Unhelpfully, my mind conjured up the memory of Gabriel shirtless, wearing only loose black sweatpants. What did his body look like now? Was the V-cut in his hips even deeper?

Stop.

Nothing romantic could ever happen between Gabriel and me again. The animosity and anger I held for him just went too deep. When I had needed him most, he had broken my heart and sent me away from the only home I’d ever known.

I let out a long, slow breath and made a promise to myself that I’d never allow Gabriel back into my heart.

I had to change the subject. I needed to think about something else other than the fact that my intense attraction to Gabriel hadn’t faded with time.

“What happened with Axel after I fainted?” I asked the question I’d been avoiding. “Do you know why he was so aggressive? His attacking us couldn’t have been just because he found out you and I slept together six years ago…could it?”

Gabriel’s jaw clenched, and his brows furrowed.

“Axel ran away like the coward he is,” he said. “And I do have a theory about why Axel reacted the way he did. I had asked him to meet me tonight because I was going to tell him that when I became Alpha, he wasn’t going to be named my Beta.”

I gasped.

“Why?”

“Axel is away from the pack for weeks at a time,” Gabriel said and scrubbed a hand down his face. “For the past few years, I’ve noticed that he’s not interested in helping improve our pack or even in the people of WaterLock. Axel is like my brother, but we’ve really drifted apart. The only time he ever talks to me is to ask for money. Then, last week, my mom invited Axel and me over for dinner, and I caught him sneaking around in my dad’s home office. When I confronted him, he didn’t have a good excuse. Tonight, I was going to tell him that in order to stay in WaterLock, I was going to conduct a formal investigation on him to make sure he hasn’t turned traitor.”

Cold fear settled into my stomach.

“You can’t mean…” I trailed off and rubbed the scar on my arm.

“Yes. As he was making his escape, Axel spoke to me through our mind link. He told me that he would get revenge on me, and then couldn’t help bragging about the kind of connections he has. I think he’s been working with the Rogues for a while now. I think Axel was angry about finding out we slept together, but I think he was going to leave our pack either way tonight.”

“You think Axel is going to join forces with the Rogues?” I asked with horror seeping into my voice.

“Yes, I do.” A muscle ticced in his jaw.

His murderous glare made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, even though it wasn’t directed at me.

“But I don’t believe Axel will stop there. I think that once he joins the Rogues, he is going to share all of WaterLock’s secrets to help them take over our pack.”

Chapter Twelve: Splitting Headache

Gabriel POV

I have a five-year-old son named Grayson.

I needed to keep repeating this information to myself until it fully sank in. As I strode through the halls of the compound's hospital, I tried to maintain a neutral expression, even saying hello to a few healers. One of them asked me if I was all right after the fight, and I assured them I was.

But on the inside, I was panicking.

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