Knowing that the twins would be given a Deputy to watch over them at all times was comforting and Gabe would make damn sure that he was given the duty as much as possible. He wanted to be near his mate at much as possible.
*
1st December
In the morning Deputy Jake drove Kira to work whilst Deputy Mac came over and watched over Lilah. Given that they were taking extra precautions it also meant that their meetings with Carly would be put on hold, just until things had settled. Kira was half sad and half relieved.
Lilah was a little rattled about the rabbit but Kira wasn’t sure how she felt. She hoped the rabbit meant nothing. She thought about it all day at work and decided it did mean nothing. It was just a random critter attack.
When her shift ended she was excited for an entirely different reason. Her date with Gabe. She freshened up a little in the bathroom at work and impatiently waited for Gabe to pick her up.
Throughout the drive to his house and during dinner Gabe was a little subdued. Kira asked him if anything was wrong but he kept telling her it was nothing. He didn’t want to be drawn but Kira was determined to make him talk.
After dinner they sat together in his family room and Kira put a hand on his arm and sent soothing thoughts through him.
“Something’s wrong. I can tell.”
Gabe put a hand on her knee and rubbed absently. He relaxed into her soothing powers and sighed. “It’s my aunt…”
Kira said nothing and waited for him to continue.
“She keeps writing to me, she wants me to visit my dad.”
He looked at her awkwardly and she made encouraging noises. “Whatever it is you can tell me. You can tell me anything… mate.”
Buoyed by her declaration Gabe told her in a rush about his history. His human mother Claudia had come to America from Spain when she was a child with her baby sister Ana. Their parents had died and the only family they had lived in Washington. When Claudia was 19 she had met and fallen in love with a wolf shifter just a year older than her called Daniel. The wolf was convinced Claudia was his true mate. She apparently was less certain but at his pushing she went along with him. Within a matter of weeks they were mated, bonded and Claudia was pregnant with Gabe. But things didn’t work out very well…
Ten years later when his aunt Ana turned 19 Daniel realized his attraction to her. Daniel tried to ignore it at first but he couldn’t control himself and the overwhelming urge to be with her was too much. Daniel realized that he had made a mistake and that he had taken the wrong sister for his mate. He had felt love for Claudia as he would for any family members and foolishly mistaken that as the love for a mate.
Daniel and Ana started an affair. Ana wanted to be with Daniel but refused to break up his family and insisted he stay with her sister and nephew. At this point Daniel was bitter at being bonded to someone other than his true mate and started drinking heavily. Inevitably Claudia found out about the affair and confronted Daniel. They had a heated argument and Daniel influenced by the alcohol lost his temper. He lashed out with his claws and killed Claudia.
Daniel was arrested and imprisoned for murder, leaving Gabe to be raised by his aunt. Gabe left his home pack as soon as he could, to get as far away from his father as he could, and found a pack that would take him in.
Over all the years Daniel was in prison his aunt stood by him and when he was released a month ago they finally mated and bonded.
“Apparently my aunt is pregnant and now she expects us to just be on big happy family. What a fucking joke.”
Kira ran her fingers through his dark hair trying to comfort him, trying to temper the rage he felt. Her wolf whimpered for their mate, for all the pain he carried within.
“That man, that fucking monster murdered my mother. You know he never once said he regretted it, never once said he was sorry. And my aunt? It’s like she doesn’t even fucking care that she’s gone. They’re probably glad because at least now they get what they want, they get to be together. It’s like my mother never even fucking existed.” His wolf whined at the loss of her, even when he was young he had never been close to his father. His mother had been his whole world.
Tears sprang to Kira’s eyes as she shared in his grief, as she felt the love he still carried for his mother. “I’m so sorry Gabe. So sorry.”
He laughed hollowly. “You sure you want to mate into my family? We’re like a really bad soap opera.”
“I love you Gabe.”
He stared at her in shock for a few seconds before pressing a kiss to her lips as his wolf yipped ecstatically. “I love you too.”
She beamed as her own wolf gleefully pranced around like a puppy.