We hadn't left the training grounds. Gabriel's arms still wrapped around me. The afternoon sun blazed overhead, turning the practice field into an arena of sweat and violence.
"I want to visit Lily while you're gone," I said against his chest. "My friend in the city."
His body tensed immediately. "A human friend."
"She owns a bookstore. She knows about werewolves—"
"You want to leave?" Gabriel pulled back, his hands gripping my shoulders. "Now? When we could be attacked at any moment?"
"She's been my friend for years. I just need—"
"What you need is to stay here. With me." His amber eyes blazed with something raw—jealousy mixed with desperation. "We've already lost so much time. The weeks I was gone, the years before we found each other."
"You're leaving too," I reminded him. "River Moon Pack—"
"That's different. That's for us. For our survival." His hands slid down my arms, fingers interlacing with mine. "Every moment we have left matters, Katherine. Why would you choose to spend it with someone else?"
Nate's derisive snort cut through the air like a blade and Gabriel's head snapped toward his Beta.
"Problem, Nate?"
"Just appreciating the performance, Alpha." Nate leaned against the weapons rack, his smile sharp. "Very touching. Very... dramatic."
"Don't be jealous," Gabriel shot back, his voice edged with cruel amusement. "Just because you've never experienced a mate bond doesn't mean you should mock those who have."
The words landed like a physical blow. I can see Nate's jaw clenched, his eyes finding mine for one burning second before he looked away.
"Yeah, right," Nate said, his voice deadly quiet. "How could I possibly understand?"
Gabriel turned back to me, dismissing his Beta entirely. "Fine. Visit your human friend. Truth is, it might be safer there than here. Barrett's wolves could strike at any moment."
"Thank you—"
"Nate goes with you." It wasn't a request. "Every second. No exceptions."
"Of course," Nate said, pushing off from the weapons rack. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious mate."
Gabriel's arm tightened around me.
"That's exactly right. She's precious. She's everything." He looked down at me, his expression softening. "Three days. That's all. Then you come back to me."
I nodded, letting his certainty wrap around my doubts like a bandage. Then time shifted into a march.
The following days blurred together—war councils, strategy sessions, Gabriel stealing moments between meetings to press me against walls, to remind me with desperate kisses that I belonged to him.
On the third afternoon, he dragged me from the pack house without warning. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
He drove like a man possessed, beyond pack boundaries into human territory, until we reached a lake resort tucked between mountains. Wooden cottages dotted the shoreline.
A few humans walked distant paths, but Gabriel led me to a secluded stretch of beach, away from the occupied areas.
"It's beautiful," I breathed, watching sunlight dance across the water.
"I've been thinking about bringing you here." Gabriel pulled me toward the treeline, his excitement palpable. "The woods go on for miles. Perfect for running. Shift with me. Run with me."
My blood turned to ice.
"Katherine?"
"I can't shift."
The words hung between us like a confession of murder. Gabriel stared, his face cycling through confusion, disbelief, and finally, hurt.
"What do you mean you can't?"
"I have never shifted. Probably because of my father’s death."
"That's impossible. Adult wolves need to shift. Without it, we—"
"Go insane? Lose ourselves? I know." My voice cracked. "When Father died, something inside me went completely silent. For years, nothing. Like something died in me with him."
"Years?" Gabriel's voice rose.
"I think the mate bond woke her. When we met, she came roaring back." I met his eyes, letting him see this one truth among all my lies. "I can hear her now, feel her. But shifting... I'm terrified."
"Why didn't you tell me?" The hurt in his voice cut deeper than anger would have. "This is huge, Katherine. This matters."
"When would I have told you? Between you leaving for a month? Coming back with news of war?"
"Every moment. Any moment." His hands cupped my face, forcing me to meet his eyes. "I want to know everything about you. Your struggles, your fears, your secrets. How can I be your mate if you hide parts of yourself?"
The irony nearly made me laugh. Or cry. Maybe both.
"I was ashamed… What kind of wolf can't shift?"
"My wolf. My mate." His thumbs stroked my cheekbones. "Broken or whole, shifting or not, you're mine."
The possession in his voice should have comforted me. Instead, it felt like drowning.
"What if I'm never ready?"
"Then I'll love you anyway." He kissed me hard, possessive. "Human or wolf—you're mine regardless."
I kissed him back, grateful and terrified, because loving him felt like stepping into the sun—blinding, overwhelming, and somehow bringing me back to life.
I could feel Elsie inch closer, curious instead of afraid. For the first time, I believed I could shift—not to please him or prove anything, but because beside him I was safe enough to try.