Page 7 of The Alpha's Stolen Mate

I walked out of the meeting room with only one thought in my mind.

There must be another way.

Chapter Three: Press Your Luck

Gabriel POV

“Should we ditch today?” Axel asked me from the passenger seat of my old truck. “Maybe hit up a casino?”

I was driving us to school, and like every other day, we passed by Val's Diner, a small grocery store, and the car repair shop that ate up most of the money I got from my side job fixing up my friend’s computers at school. The route to Brindle Creek High was as familiar to me as my name. Pride washed over me as my brother and I coasted through our small town. The Alpha King's daughter was wrong yesterday. Brindle Creek wasn't a dump. Sure, some of the buildings could use a new coat of paint or some landscaping, but our pack members were good, hard-working shifters. The people of Brindle Creek made the town what it was.

“No, man,” I answered as I stopped at a light. “Today's our last day of exams.”

Axel chuckled and lightly punched me on the arm.

“I was just kidding, dude. Relax.”

I tried to smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace. Ever since Axel turned eighteen two months ago, he'd been going to the small casino in town every so often. I'd been with him twice, and each time, he spent more than five hundred dollars. Sometimes he won big, but other times he would lose it all. Axel had a part-time job at the car repair shop, but he didn't make enough money to blow a paycheck in one night. I was worried that it might become a problem and tried to keep a close eye on him.

“Did you study for your history exam?” I asked as I put my blinker on to turn.

“Yes, Dad,” Axel joked and rolled his eyes.

This was our ongoing joke. He thought I worried about him too much. And maybe I did. But after his parents passed away so young, I had assumed the role of a protective brother. Axel was too reckless for his own good.

If you're so protective of him, why do you keep thinking about his girlfriend?

I shoved that thought into the back of my mind.

“If you get an A on your test, I'll give you a gold star,” I said sarcastically.

“Can I have a pony, too?”

“Only if you eat all your vegetables at dinner,” I quipped.

I flashed him a sardonic grin as I drove into our school's parking lot. Brindle Creek High was a small red brick building with a faded yellow lawn. With graduation only a month away, handmade posters reminding seniors to purchase their caps, gowns, and tickets were hung up on the bulletin board by the parking lot. Part of me couldn't believe Axel, Summer, and I were about to graduate soon.

Last night, I dreamed of a long-forgotten memory of the three of us starting first grade. That was only a year after Axel's parents died in a car crash. He was quiet that first day of class, even when the teacher asked him a question. Summer and I would do all his talking for him. Eventually, Axel started speaking up little by little.

First grade was when the three of us became a tightly knit group. But when Axel and Summer started dating, I gave them their space. Over the past two years, I’d been avoiding spending any time alone with Summer. I had this irrational fear that I would confess my feelings for her. Then, the thought of Axel would shove itself into my mind, and my guilt would pound me over the head with a hammer.

I shook my head and quietly sighed as I turned off my car. Why was I overthinking everything lately? Maybe since high school was ending and everything felt like it was about to change? I needed to get a grip. My Computer Science exam started in fifteen minutes, and I had to have a clear head so that I could focus on difficult questions about programming, algorithms, and databases.

I opened my door, but Axel cleared his throat before I stepped out.

“There's actually, uh, something I wanted to talk to you about.” There was a nervous edge to his voice.

My mouth became as dry as a bone. Did this have something to do with Summer?

The door creaked as I closed it, shutting Axel and me into the truck again.

“What's up?” I asked. “Everything all right?”

“Yeah, things are great, actually.” Axel smiled and rummaged in the pocket of his jeans for something. “I just wanted you to be the first one to know.”

“Know what?”

He pulled out a little black velvet box, and my stomach lurched with horror.

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