It would have been so much easier if she'd been raised in the pack. If she'd heard about the mate bond from her earliest years if she'd seen the adults around her blissfully paired with their soulmates. If she'd grown up in a pack, she would have recognized the signs, she would have felt them strongly, and she would have known without a doubt that she had found her mate the day their eyes met in the classroom.
But she hadn't. She'd grown up secluded not only from wolves but from other humans. He had to be patient. He had to show her slowly, but surely, that they were destined to be together. That she could relax and trust him.
Only two days had passed since her uncle had attacked her. Her wounds were all completely, and almost miraculously healed. Only pink-silvery scars remained as a reminder of the brutality she’d suffered. They sat together at the little table in front of the window in Cora’s cottage, drinking bitter coffee out of paper cups.
"Honorera,” he started abruptly, as if he’d been holding the thought in and could no longer contain it. “I want to take you to my home. I want to take you to meet my parents."
"Your...but…” Her mind scrambled for a handle on the unexpected request and came up with the most absurd protest. “What about school?"
He added another teaspoon of sugar to his coffee and lifted it to his lips, staring at her over the rim of the cup. "You can't go back to school, not here. If you really want to finish school, we can enroll you from my home. But really, Honorera, you are too smart for high school. You should already be in college-level courses."
"Why do you say that?"
"I've read your essays. I've seen your report cards. You are wasting your time in high school." He moved his chair closer to her and covered her hand with his own. "What do you say? Will you go with me to meet my family?" He asked hopefully, giving her his best puppy-dog eyes. For a man who murdered for a living, he was surprisingly good at using the innocent, pleading expression to get his own way.
He looked deeply into her dark, chocolate-brown eyes, and saw real fear there. "What if they don't like me?" she whispered. "What if...I don't like it there?"
"First of all, I know they will like you. They will love you. They will probably smother you in affection.” He reached for her hand and stroked his thumb across the back of her knuckles. The touch was both comforting and disconcerting at the same time. “And if you don't like it, I will take you somewhere else, anywhere you want to go." He frowned and added, "Just not back to your uncle."
She shook her head. "No, I don't want to go back to my uncle." She chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment. It didn’t seem like she had many choices at the moment. If she didn’t go with Gabriel, she would be homeless. Not to mention, for reasons she couldn’t explain or define, she wanted to go with him. She had the insane feeling that she would be willing to follow him anywhere. "Okay, I will go with you, if that's what you really want."
"Really!" He jumped up in excitement, "Wow I didn't think you would agree so easily. This is wonderful Honorera, wait until I tell my mother we are coming! You have made me very happy." He leaned forward spontaneously and kissed her, being gentle and careful despite his enthusiasm.
After he broke the kiss, she touched her lips and sighed. "It's just like in my dream..." she said absently.
"Your dream?"
She blushed. "Yeah, I've been having this dream..."
"In the forest by the rock, in the twilight?" He asked, his fingers tightening around the small hand that was still clutched in his.
She looked at him sharply. "How did you know?"
"I have them too. I started having them as soon as you came of age." He stroked her cheek. "I kissed you in the clearing."
Her eyes widened in fear in wonder. "What is this?" She whispered.
Gabriel didn’t have an explanation.
**********
"Hi Mom," Gabriel spoke into his cell phone quietly. Honor was still sleeping, and he didn’t want to wake her up.
"Gabriel Shepherd! Do you know how long it's been since you called me? Do you know how worried we've been?" His mother barked through the phone.
Gabriel chuckled. "Sorry," he said, but his voice was unrepentant.
"Fine. Now talk. Tell me everything. Did you find her?"
"I found her mom,” he let out a satisfied sigh.
"Oh, my Goddess and stars! Oh, I'm so happy, I'm crying. Tell me. Tell me everything."
"She's... she's perfect. She's everything I ever hoped for. Beautiful. Smart. Strong. But..."
"But? But what?" Gabriel could hear his mother's anxiety over the phone.
"She has no wolf. She can't shift."
"Oh. Well, that's a little sad, but certainly not the end of the world." He could almost see her round shoulders shrugging off such a detail.
"And... she wasn't raised in a pack. She doesn't know anything about werewolves or mates."
"Wow... so, have you told her? Did you show her?"
"Yeah." Gabriel ran a hand through his already sleep-tousled hair, making the mess even worse.
"How'd she take it?"
"Umm... She likes my wolf. I think she likes the animal better than the man." His mother laughed on the other end of the line, and he continued, "Really, she's pretty confused. And mom... she's been hurt. She's been hurt badly in her life."
"Hmmm," his mother said, and although he could practically hear the wheels turning in her head, she kept her opinion to herself.
"But I have good news. She's agreed to come home with me and meet the family."
"What?! Really! That's so fabulous! So exciting! Wait until I tell your father!"
"Just, mom... please be gentle with her. Don't, you know... overwhelm her."
Mom snorted, "Gabriel, give me some credit, please! I'm not completely insensitive. I'll make sure everyone is on their best behavior."
"Okay. We'll be there in a few days. I love you."
He ended the call and looked over to the bed where his little mate lay sleeping. Her dark hair was splayed across the pillow, her cheeks were pink, and her full lips were slightly parted. She had kicked the blankets off, and the t-shirt she’d borrowed from Gabriel had ridden up around her hips and bunched around her waist, leaving her gorgeous legs entirely exposed to his hungry gaze.
His heart thudded heavily in his chest. He’d waited ten long, lonely, miserable years to find this angel. For the first time in forever, he had a reason to live.