Page 66 of The Alpha's Stolen Mate

“Why don’t you go for a walk?” my mom suggested. “You’ve been cooped up in this house for the past week. It would be good to get outside, wouldn’t it?”

“But what about Grayson…I’m sure he’ll wake up soon. After he fell into the pool last night, I wanted to be there for him this morning,” I said.

“I’ll take care of him. I’ll tell him that you will see him after your walk. Mia is at the hospital with your father. I have nowhere to be right now. Take some time for yourself, Summer. Moms are allowed to have alone time, too. Don’t feel guilty about needing some time for yourself.”

She’s right.

I hugged my mom and rested my head on her shoulder.

“Thank you, Mom. Do you mind making Grayson breakfast? I want to take a long run in my wolf form. It’s my favorite way to think,” I said.

“Of course, honey. Take your time. I’ll whip up some of my cranberry almond scones Grayson loves. You can have one when you get back.”

“You're the best, Momma.”

I hadn’t called her that in a long time.

We stayed like that for a moment longer—just holding onto each other.

Not even five minutes later, I was running in my wolf form in the woods behind Gabriel’s house. The sun was slowly rising over the trees, and my paws crunched the colorful leaves.

Strangely, I didn’t feel sad, angry, embarrassed, or heartbroken.

I was confused.

As I ran through the woods, I tried to make sense of everything.

Why would Gabriel enter into an arranged marriage with the Alpha King's daughter when he had been working on his own plan for so long? He had access to warriors that seemed to be just as good as the Royal Guard. And I knew that Gabriel wasn't lying to me about his plan to defeat the Rogues. The night I helped him with his battle strategy, I'd seen proof that his warriors were almost ready to fight.

Why would he enter into a marriage with Olivia for members of the Royal Guard if he already had his own warriors? Did Gabriel attend the pack meeting where his dad announced the arranged marriage? Did Gabriel not know about his own arranged marriage? Was that even possible?

I slowed down and considered that thought.

Obviously, I was missing information. Even if Gabriel was lying to me in some way, I needed to talk to him. I wanted to give him a chance to explain his actions and see if we could talk things through. I couldn’t run away from him. Not again. Not anymore. Because we had a son together, Gabriel and I needed to at least be civil toward each other.

And I refused to give up on Gabriel before he even had a chance to defend himself.

I hadn't been paying attention to my surroundings. I froze when I looked around me. I'd just entered a clearing with a small stream. Along the bank of the water were flat rocks…flat enough to lay down on.

It can't be…

No, this wasn't the same clearing where I had been attacked when I was sixteen. That was in WaterLock's territory—which was thirty minutes away. This was just another stream.

But that didn't stop the memories from hitting me like a well-aimed punch.

Images of the Rogue wolf lunging for me and the blinding pain as he bit into my arm jumped into my head…

But then Gabriel had saved me. Even though he’d only had his wolf for a few weeks, he fought off a fully grown wolf to save my life. After I woke up in the hospital after being attacked, it had been Gabriel I wanted to see, not Axel, not anyone else.

I needed to talk to Gabriel. I owed it to him—and even more so to myself—to talk through everything.

I dropped Gabriel's clothes I'd been carrying in my mouth. When I left the house, I planned to walk back in my human form to give me even more time to organize my thoughts. After I glanced around to make sure I was alone, I transformed back into my human form and dressed quickly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement to my left.

My neck burned with anxiety as I spun around. I scanned the area, looking for a possible threat, but the woods were calm and quiet.

Why does it feel like someone’s watching me?

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