Page 35 of The Alpha's Stolen Mate

We were silent for a couple of minutes. Even though Gabriel had been one of my best friends growing up, and he was the father of my child, we hadn’t seen each other for six years. And the last time I’d seen him was when he broke our bond.

I played with the white blanket covering me, trying to figure out what to say.

“Grayson,” Gabriel breathed out, making my head jerk up. “That’s what you and your mom said. Our son’s name is Grayson.”

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“He’s five?”

I cleared my throat and nodded.

Gabriel ran his hands through his hair.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant, Summer? All those letters I wrote to you…Did you not read any of them? I’ve been trying to get in contact with you ever since you left.”

My stomach burned with rage.

“Why didn’t I tell you? Hm, let’s think about it,” I said sarcastically and tapped my pointer finger against my chin in mock thought. “Maybe it was because before I could get the words ‘I’m pregnant’ out of my mouth, you rejected me as your Mate!”

Gabriel’s mouth dropped open.

“That’s what you were going to tell me the night of graduation?” he asked in astonishment.

“What did you think I was to tell you?” I snapped and rolled my eyes.

“I thought you were going to tell me you were sick. That’s where I thought you were all these years. Your father told me that you were severely ill and were being taken care of by a talented healer up north,” Gabriel explained.

“Oh. Yes, well, I guess I can see why you thought I was sick,” I admitted reluctantly and looked away from him. “It was my parents' idea. They were scared I might be exiled if anyone were to discover Grayson was yours. And, honestly, they were probably right. My going away was the Best option to keep Grayson and me safe. And you, for that matter. I don’t think we could have found a solution to keep all of us from being exiled for breaking pack law, even if you gave me a chance to tell you about my pregnancy the night you rejected me.”

Gabriel's face grew somber.

“You’re probably right about it being the safest option. But I am so incredibly sorry that you had to care for Grayson all by yourself,” Gabriel said. “I’m sure being a single mother and being away from your home was one of the hardest things you had to do. From now on, if it’s all right with you, I want to have a relationship with Grayson. I want to provide and care for him like a father should. Like any parent should.”

My first instinct was to tell him no. Gabriel rejected me. He shattered my heart and left me to glue the pieces back together on my own. I wasn't going to allow him to do the same thing to our son.

But was it right to keep Grayson away from his father? Was that fair to do to my son? I went back and forth with myself until my head was pounding. Right now, I couldn't make a concrete decision on this.

“We can talk about you meeting Grayson…later. With kids, you have to take these things slow. I don’t want him to be overwhelmed. Especially with everything else going on in his life,” I said.

“I understand. You know what’s best for him.”

We were quiet for a moment, and then Gabriel scrubbed a hand down his face.

“I'm a fool for rejecting you,” he said quietly.

Anger made my stomach churn.

Really? Is that all he has to say? This man broke our Mating bond and all he can say is that he's a fool?

My anger turned into something even worse.

Pain.

I didn't want to feel sad about Gabriel rejecting me as his Mate. My resentment for him was easier to confront than the agony he had made me experience.

“No arguments here.” I crossed my arms and lifted my chin.

His lips twitched.

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