Unexpected Mates

Chapter Four

I wake up in the morning and slowly realize that I can hear the sound of muffled voices. It’s not a few people talking, but rather a large group with all of their voices humming together. I look around me and instantly panic.

Where am I? I ask myself as I take in the unfamiliar surroundings. The bed is fluffy on its own, and with the super stuffed duvet on top, it feels like I’m lying in a cloud. The headboard is dark wood, matching the nightstands, dresser, and desk. It’s the art on the walls that make the pieces click together. A painting of a wolf is featured across from the bed, taking up a space of honor as it’s the first thing people would see when they walk into the room.

I’m in a real life mansion.

Werewolves exist.

Gabriel’s a werewolf.

My parents are also werewolves.

My brother is one too.

Gabriel thinks I’m his mate.

Because I’m a werewolf. Apparently.

That last one sends my heart racing. There is no proof whatsoever that I’m a werewolf, but maybe this is like Alcoholics Anonymous where the first step to healing is admitting you have a problem. Maybe my first step to acceptance is admitting that I’m a werewolf. It’s impossible to believe though. I mean, clearly I’m a human. I’ve got two legs, two arms, a normal mouth, and a nose that can barely smell what’s across the room let alone track down my next kill. Also, I’ve never turned into a wolf, which should be the biggest red flag of all.

A knock on the door pulls me away from my thoughts.

“Come in,” I call out, not really thinking about it. I probably shouldn’t be letting people into my bedroom when I’m in a strange house, but for whatever reason, I don’t even hesitate. Despite all of the craziness that has happened, I feel safe here. I know that Gabriel won’t let anything happen to me. Or, at least I hope he won’t. He said he wouldn’t, and I trust him on that at least.

The door opens and Clem pokes her head inside, “Good morning, gorgeous.”

“Good morning,” I grumble, my voice evidence that I slept hard last night.

“It’s a beautiful day today. I wanted to wake you up ages ago but Gabriel growled at me like I announced I wanted to kill you, so I decided to let it happen naturally.” Even as she mentions her cousin growling at her, she doesn’t stop smiling.

“Gabriel growled at you?” I ask, finding that exciting despite my mind telling me it shouldn’t be.

She nods, “Oh yeah. I guess most mates are like that, but it was so crazy seeing Gaby react that way. I mean, before you got here he was all ‘I’m a man and I don’t care…’ and now he’s like ‘I have a mate and she’s the light of my life’,” her voice goes deep each time she imitates him.

I frown, “Is that good or bad?”

Clem plops down beside me on the bed, “Oh, it’s great. A mated wolf is a strong wolf. Some packs look at it as a weakness, like the bond will distract the alpha, but we like to think that the pack is safer with a mated alpha because his mate is part of the pack, you know? Like, he’ll never do anything to hurt his mate, so he’ll do everything to keep her safe, which means the pack will be safe too. Make sense?”

“I’m not part of the pack, though,” I tell her, frowning.

She laughs, “You don’t need to worry about that right now. Everything will be taken care of before you even know it.”

Rather than asking what she means by that, because I’m pretty sure I’m not ready to hear the answer, I look closer at the bag she’s holding and realize it’s mine. I don’t know how it got here, though, since I left it at the hotel yesterday. Clem responds to my confused gaze by explaining, “Your parents figured you’d want some clean clothes to wear, so they brought your bag over this morning.”

“Are they still here?” I ask, feeling anger turn in my stomach. I’m not prepared to see them yet. After yesterday, I’m not sure how long it’ll be before I’m ready to resolve this. At this point, all I can think about are the lies they’ve been telling me all my life. I just can’t get past it at this point. To be fair, it’s only been a handful of hours, but it already feels like a lifetime.

“Nope. They figured you’d need some time still. They left the bag and asked us to tell you that they’re sorry and hope you’ll call them so they’ll know if you’re okay or not.”

I bite my lip and look down at the bedspread as I trace my finger over the intricate design. “I’m not sure if I’m ready to call them, but I don’t want them to worry. Do you think a text would be too impersonal?” For some reason, this makes Clem laugh.

She seems to realize that I’m not laughing with her and she soberly says, “I think they’d be happy with a bag of garbage as long as it came from you.”

I scoff and roll my eyes. “You would say something like that,” I say with a laugh even though part of me feels like my heart is being torn out of my chest. I don’t want to put my parents in a position where they’d be happy with garbage. No matter what they’ve done in the past, I still love them. They’re still my family.

“Yes, well, that is life,” Clem says, as though that explains her sense of humor. “Anyways, I’m going to head downstairs. You should take a shower or a bath or whatever and get dressed. Then come down and join us.” As she says this, she bounces up to a standing position. I’m quickly realizing that Clem radiates happiness wherever she goes. I don’t know how I’ll feel about it later in our friendship, but in this moment, it’s exactly what I need.

“Um, what about shampoo and towels and stuff?” I ask, digging through my bag and finding only my clothes.

“Everything you need is already in the bathroom. We have guests in the all the time, so every room is equipped with everything you should need.”

I stand up and give her a quick hug, which is really unlike me. “Thank you so much,” I whisper.

“For what?” she chuckles as her arms squeeze me back.

I shrug, “It’s just nice having a friend through this.” I pull back, “I mean, my parents aren’t exactly high on my list of people to get advice from, and I feel like Gabriel has his own expectations from me. It’s a lot of pressure, and I guess I don’t feel that way with you around. You make everything easier. You know?”

She rubs my arm and tells me, “None of us can even imagine what you’re going through. It’s basically unheard of for a Were to reach adulthood without turning. The fact that you didn’t even know what you are is unbelievable. We’re all here for you, and none of us want to push you too far too fast, especially Gabriel.”

She heads toward the door and pauses, “Oh, and about Gabriel having expectations? Just try not to worry about it, okay? He’s so excited about finding you that it might seem like he’s moving too fast, but just be honest with him. He’d never intentionally do anything to make you unhappy. Like never never.”

She walks out and I’m left staring at the door, taking in what she just said. I think it might have been the first serious moment I’ve had with her. Shrugging it off, I head to the bathroom and nearly groan in delight. The towels are the softest I’ve ever felt, and the showerhead looks more like it’s a waterfall than a shower. The shampoo, conditioner, and body wash are brands that I’ve heard of but could never afford to buy. I’d like to think that I don’t put value on things based on how expensive they are, but there’s a part of me that’s almost giddy to be trying them.

Once my body and hair feel squeaky clean and ultra soft, I step out of the shower. I feel more refreshed than I have in a long time, which I didn’t expect after yesterday. I pull on a pair of jeans and a sweater before pulling my hair into a french braid so that when it dries I can loosen it and it’ll be wavy. I don’t want to wear makeup today, so I don’t bother with it.

I give myself a once over, evaluating what people will see when I walk downstairs. There’s no telling what they’ll think about me. I’m pretty enough, but I’d never make it as a model or anything. That shouldn’t matter, though, right? I mean, we’re all adults.

This isn’t high school. The words repeat over and over in my head as I walk downstairs, praying this will go okay.

I follow the hum of voices to the kitchen, where I find at least fifteen people gathered around the island. Almost like they can sense that a stranger has entered the room, everybody quits talking and turns to look at me. I gulp, taking in all of the new faces in front of me. From the back of the crowd, Gabriel makes his way to my side, smiling the entire time.

“Good morning,” he says softly, standing only inches away from me, as he takes my hand in his.

“Good morning,” I whisper back, looking up into his dark eyes. I don’t know if I should he holding his hand or not. It seems like it will send mixed signals, but there’s something so right about how it feels. I just can’t seem to force myself to pull away.

His smile grows even wider, like he knows what I’m thinking. Gabriel looks so different like this. It’s a complete turn around compared to the scowling guy I first met yesterday. Or should I say the scowling wolf? I’m not sure. I’m still confused about the whole ‘inner wolf’ thing. Still, one thing that I know for sure is that I haven’t seen him smile like this until right now.

“How’d you sleep?”

I grin, enjoying how happy he sounds. “I slept really well. That bed was amazing,” I say. “How did you sleep?”

He considers his answer before responding. “As well as I could after finding my mate,” he finally says, shrugging a little. I suddenly feel guilty about how unfair this must be for him. He didn’t ask for a mate, if that’s actually what I am, like me. His entire life, he’d probably been thinking he’d meet his mate and they’d be together instantly. That’s just not possible with me.

“Anyways,” he says, rubbing his hands together before turning around and wrapping one arm around my shoulders. “How about I introduce you to some of the pack?”

I nod and listen as he introduces everyone to me. First there’s Oliver, the big guy who carried me from the basement yesterday. Next comes Lucie, a woman who is, by birthright, second in command. As far as I can tell, it’s just like how Gabriel is the alpha because his father was. The rest of the people either help keep the pack running smoothly, are their mates, or are family friends.

Gabriel takes me through the long line of people until we get to an older couple.

“And last, but not least, are my parents. Mary and Conrad.”

“It’s very nice to meet you both,” I say, shaking each of their hands.

Mary pulls me into a hug and squeezes hard. “It is absolutely incredible to meet you. I’ve been praying for so long that Gabe would find his mate soon and then here you are. I am just so incredibly thankful.”

I blush and tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “Thank you for saying that,” I say, not sure exactly how to respond. Honestly, I’m probably not the girl she’d been praying for, but now seemed like the wrong time to say that.

“So,” I say, turning back to Gabriel, “are you an only child?”

He smirks, “One of eight. There’s also Hannah, Rebecca, Sarah, Ben, Joseph, Caleb, and Tobias.”

My jaw drops. “Eight? There are eight of you?” I am absolutely shocked. Mary is a petite woman. I had a hard time imagining her round with Gabriel, let alone eight babies. Obviously they weren’t all in there at once… right?

“Oh my god, you weren’t like a litter of little werewolf puppies, right? Is that what happens? A woman gets pregnant and houses eight babies for a few months?” I pause in my panic and shake my head, “No, wait, that doesn’t make sense. Jamie and I were single babies. Of course that’s not what happens.”

Everybody is laughing as I finish, clearly finding my distress amusing. I can’t say I blame them. I’m not dumb, but so much has happened in less than a full day, and my mind is struggling to make sense of it all.

“My entire family is full of multiples, actually,” Mary explains. “I had two sets of twins, one set of triplets, and then Hannah was my only single baby.”

“The lone wolf, if you will,” Gabriel jokes.

Mary whacks him on the head, “Stop calling her that!”

Gabriel smiles sheepishly and holds his hands up, “I’ve been trying not to say it to her face.”

“Try harder,” Mary demands, though her smile lets us know that she’s not nearly as upset as she sounds.

“Anyways,” Conrad steps forward and takes both of my hand in his, “it’s a pleasure to meet you, Avery.” He’s a little larger than Gabriel and absolutely dwarfs me.

“It’s nice meeting you too, sir,” I say, my voice coming out softer than normal. A deep, rumbling laugh comes out of him, sounding like it starts in his belly and rolls out of him. His strong hand claps me on the back as he tells Gabriel that he’s found a sweetheart of a mate.

I blush and my cheeks feel like they’re on fire. Mary wraps her arm around Conrad’s and she leans into his side. “Leave the poor girl alone, Connie,” she says. The way Conrad looks at her is like she personally hung the moon. With every word that leaves her mouth, it’s like I can see him falling more and more in love with her.

It’s intense.

“I’m so sorry about him,” she says with a small smile, as though she’s immune to the way he’s looking at her.

I send her the best grin I can manage, which I’m sure isn’t as great as I hope it is. “No apologies necessary. It’s been nice to meet you both.” One thing I’ll say for my parents is they succeeded in raising me with plenty of manners.

Mary releases Conrad and pulls me outside with her. Attached to the kitchen is a porch, and walk out to where a dozen small tables are set up, each with two chairs and a little plant sitting in the middle. We sit down and a minute later, a girl looking to be around my age comes out with two coffee cups and a pot of coffee.

“May I pour you both a coffee?” she asks softly, avoiding eye contact.

“Um, I would actually like some orange juice, if that wouldn’t be too much trouble?” I say, fidgeting with the ends of my shirt. I don’t know if she’s the equivelant of a waitress or if she was just being nice and offering some coffee.

“Of course, Miss,” she says, immediately returning to the kitchen. When she returns, she pours me my juice and prepares Mary’s coffee like she knows what to do by heart.

“I’m Avery,” I tell her when she finally looks at me.

She blinks a couple times before saying, “My name is Regina. Most people call me Ginny. You can call me whatever you want though.”

“Which do you prefer?” I ask, tilting my head.

She considers my question like it’s the first time anyone has ever asked it. Finally she answers, “I suppose I prefer Ginny, Miss Avery.”

“Then that’s what I’ll call you, and I’d like for you to just call me Avery in return,” I tell her softly. It feels so wrong to have the authority that I’ve been given simply by being Gabriel’s so called mate.

“But I’m an Omega. I can’t call you by your name,” she says with wide eyes.

I frown, “I don’t really know what an Omega is, but I do know that I’ve been called Avery my entire life and I don’t plan on stopping now. I’d really prefer to be called Avery, okay?”

She nods warily and lifts her tray, “Is there anything else I can get for you right now?”

We both shake our heads.

“Then I will return shortly to refill your drinks.”

When she’s gone, I notice that Mary is looking at me with a curious gaze.

“I’m sorry if that was against the rules or something,” I say, not really feeling very sorry at all. What kind of person would I be if I pretended to be comfortable with something I’m not? I can’t apologize for that.

She smiles. “Nothing is against the rules around here. There are customs that we tend to follow, but that’s all they are - customs. In fact, I think a lot of our pack could use somebody like you speaking up for them.”

I send her a curious look and she continues, “Our Alpha line has been unbroken for hundreds of years. It’s the longest reigning lineage of any pack in the United States. Truthfully, that doesn’t mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but people get set in their ways and then they raise their children to be the same way they are. It’s a cycle that I wasn’t brave enough to break. It’s a benefit for the pack that you weren’t raised to fear the Alpha’s power. So many of our people treat the Alpha like a god. It’s time for a change, and I know you’re the one who will do it.”

I gulp, “I don’t really know how to do any of that. I’m not some savior for your people.”

She laughs, “Of course not! I’m not trying to pressure you or to suggest that we need saving. It’s just that you have an independence that few Werewolves have ever known. The way you can look at life is completely different than what many of us have experienced. You bring value to the pack simply by being you.”

I want to tell her that I’d rather be human. I don’t want to be of value to the pack. I don’t want to be someone’s mate or to shift or to be an Alpha. I just want to be the girl I was back in Arizona.

She simply grins like she knows exactly what I’m thinking and lets us move to a new conversation.

We’re talking about my home in Arizona when Gabriel finally comes out and sits with us.

“What are you talking about?” he asks, scooting his chair as close to mine as possible. Our legs are brushing by the time he stops.

“Avery was just telling me about Arizona,” Mary says.

“Did you like it there?”

I frown and tilt my head for a moment, considering the question. “No, I don’t think I do. I mean, I love it because that’s where my home is, but it’s not really a place to love. At least, not for me. There is some amazing scenery, but it’s hot and I’m miserable most of the time and it makes sixty degrees feel like an icebox in the winter.”

“Well what do you think of Astoria?” he asks.

I shrug, “It’s fine, I guess. I’ve only seen the hotel, a coffee shop, and here. But it’s pretty.”

Gabriel stands and holds his hand out to me, “Come on, then.”

I grab his hand instinctually, not surprised by the small shock that zaps me when our fingers touch, “Where are we going?”

“I’m going to show you around,” he says, leading us to the staircase.

“Oh, you don’t have to,” I say, despite actually wanting to go.

He just shakes his head, smiling at me.

“Go grab some shoes and I’ll meet you at the door.” He walks away and I’m left blinking at his back.

I snap out of it and run upstairs, digging in my bag. I packed the wedges I wore yesterday, some flipflops, and a pair of sneakers. They were at the bottom of the pile, though, since I didn’t really expect to wear them. Finally, I run downstairs and slip them on once I reach the door.

“You ready?” Gabriel asks, walking up beside me.

I nod, feeling excited to see the city. We walk outside and Gabriel leads me to a shiny black Range Rover that makes my eyes go wide. The only Range Rovers I’d seen were either online or on the side of town we rarely visited.

“Wow,” I say, feeling a little embarrassed that I was so excited to ride in it. I’d done my best my entire life to not be impressed by wealth, but I think there will always be something exciting about getting to experience things I can’t afford.

Gabriel walks up and opens the door for me. I climb in, awed by the soft leather interior. Once we’re driving down the road, he notices the way I’m inspecting every detail of the car and he chuckles.

“Don’t tease me,” I pout, trying not to laugh.

He shakes his head and smiles, “I’m not teasing you.”

I grin, “Yes, you are, but it’s okay. The nicest car we ever had was when I was seven or eight. Dad got Mom a brand new car. We had to sell it about a year later because they couldn’t afford it anymore, but it was fun while it lasted.”

I watch his smile turn to a frown and wonder what part of that upsets him.

“Are you okay?” I ask eventually.

“I just wish you could’ve had everything you wanted,” his voice is so soft I barely hear him.

I laugh a little, unable to stop myself. Leave it to somebody who’s always gotten everything they wanted to think that anything less is a loss. “I don’t want everything that I want though,” I tell him. “I’m happy with having what I need. If I got everything I want, I’d never know what it means to truly look forward to getting something, and I’d be ungrateful for what I do have. I’m blessed to have been given what I was, and what I wasn’t. For all of the hardships, I’ve always been fully aware that it could’ve been so much worse.”

He’s still frowning, but my words seem to have put him at ease. “Well, now if you want anything, all you have to do is say the word and I’ll take care of it,” he promises.

“Don’t spoil me too much, Gabriel. You’ll create a monster,” I tell him before turning to look out the window.

We’re silent after that and, after a minute, I feel his hand on mine, weaving our fingers together. I nearly pull my hand away until I realize that it actually feels nice. He feels nice. So I let him stay.

“Alright,” he says as we start passing a few buildings, “do you have any idea where you want to go?”

I quickly start rattling off every place I can think of, “The Astoria Column, the trolley, a couple of bakeries and a restaurant that I read about in an article online, and definitely the Liberty Theatre,” I pause, thinking about anything else there might be. “I think that’s it…” I trail off, not actually sure if that’s all.

It takes me a moment to realize that Gabriel is laughing at me.

“What?” I ask, feeling self-conscious.

“I just never took you for one of those kinds of people,” he says, shaking his head.

“What kind of people?” I ask, defensive now.

“A tourist,” he starts laughing again as I cross my arms in front of me and glare at him. The way he sais ‘tourist’ was like it was dirty.

“Why is it funny that I want to learn about the town you spent your entire life in?” I ask him. “I wouldn’t tease you if you wanted to go sightseeing around Tucson.”

My words and tone are enough to make him realize that he’s gone too far. He pulls the car over and parks next to a curb beore turning toward me. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I wasn’t trying to. It’s just that you’re nineteen and I figured you’d be more interested in seeing the beach or something, not sightseeing.”

“Oh,” I say, realizing he wasn’t trying to attack me. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but for some reason I get so defensive around Gabriel. It’s like, no matter what he says, I think he’s noticing something wrong with me. Normally I’m really laid back and calm, but around him I feel like an electric current just waiting for the chance to shock somebody.

“I know we don’t know each other very well yet, but I feel like I’ve known you my entire life. You don’t get it, but I will never try to hurt you. I won’t laugh at you, or try to make you feel bad. Doing so would be like stabbing myself. I can be an i***t sometimes and not realize that I’m saying something dumb, but it’ll never be on purpose, okay?” he cups my cheek in his hand and brushes some of the hair away from my face.

We spend a minute staring at each other, lost in the other’s gaze, until a loud truck drives by us and breaks my concentration. I clear my throat and pull away.

“We should go,” I say, opening my door and hopping out.

The air is crisp against my skin and I shiver slightly as a soft breeze passes by. Gabriel’s arm comes around my shoulders and we begin walking.