Chapter 19
Gavriel put on his clothes in silence, his expression unreadable. Once he stepped out of the cave, he gave Osman and Melva a brief order.
“Wait here for Althea. Escort her back when she’s ready p>
[Seriously, just go back to her!] Chaos, his inner wolf, grunted in his head, clearly irritated.
Gavriel’s jaw tightened. His damn inner wolf had never been this vocal before. For most of his life, Chaos remained quiet, only surfacing during battles or moments of rage. But ever since he met Althea, Chaos wouldn’t stop.
Constant. Relentless. Always pushing.
His face darkened as he growled inwardly. ‘Zip your mouth, you beast p>
Chaos only huffed in response. [You can shut me up, but you can’t shut down the bond. You crave her just as much as I do. She’s our mate! Go back and have more fun with her!] Chaos’s voice echoed inside him, wild and unrestrained.
Gavriel clenched his jaw. His wolf was getting bolder, saying things he was never used to hearing, much less thinking. He was losing control. He had never been like this with any woman before. Never this vulgar. Never talkative. Never… involved.
Before Althea, his encounters were cold and detached. He’d take what he needed, emotionless, barely speaking, never kissing, never bothering with foreplay. It was a quick release, and he never once finished inside.
But with Althea, everything was different.
He found himself doing things he never imagined himself doing. Craving more than just her body. Responding to her in ways he couldn’t explain.
[Of course she’s special, you idiot. She’s our mate! Also, how long are you planning to keep spying on her emotions like a coward p>
Gavriel stopped in his tracks, fists tightening.
Since the moment he marked Althea, he began to sense her emotions. He could feel when she was angry, frightened, hurt or even… confused by him. She, on the other hand, should be able to feel him too. But he’d trained himself to block the connection so she wouldn’t sense his own emotions.
And the mind-link… he hadn’t taught her how to use it. They were supposed to be able to speak directly into each other’s thoughts, read each other’s intentions, especially in close range. That was the nature of a mark.
But what troubled Gavriel most was that, even when she was close, even when their bodies were entwined, he still couldn’t read her thoughts.
He should be able to.
After all, he had marked her. Their bond should have given him access not only to her emotions but also glimpses of her mind, especially during moments of intense closeness.
Unless… unless Althea somehow knew how to block it. But that was impossible. She was wolfless. A mere human.
She shouldn’t have any knowledge or ability to resist a mind-link from a Lycan like him.
Yet she did.
Chaos growled low in his head, frustration simmering. [Because she’s not some weak she-wolf you can control. She’s not like the others and you know it. I could feel it when we marked her. You felt it too. There’s something different about her p>
It was true, Gavriel did feel something was off.
As soon as he returned to camp, he summoned Simon.
“What is it, Alpha?” Simon asked, bowing slightly.
“Assign someone to investigate Althea’s mother,” Gavriel ordered, his brows creased in thought. “I want every detail. Her origin, her bloodline, everything. Not just that she was a slave from another continent, bought by Cain. I want the full truth p>
Simon nodded firmly. “I understand,” he said before turning away to carry out the command.
The sky had started to darken. As usual, his men didn’t bother with tents. They were used to resting while sitting, even in rough terrain. Normally, Gavriel wouldn’t care for such comforts either.
But yesterday was different. Althea had just recovered from being poisoned, and despite his coldness, his instincts demanded she be protected and well-rested.
His eyes drifted to the large carriage, big enough for Althea and her maidservant to sleep comfortably inside.
[Admit it. You want to sleep next to her.] Chaos’s voice cut through his thoughts, smug and unrelenting.
Gavriel clenched his jaw and ignored him.
One of his warriors approached and bowed. “Your Majesty, the Queen Mother sent word that she will handle the arrangements as you requested p>
Gavriel gave a slight nod. He opened his mouth to speak further but paused.
The warrior began to step away. “Alpha, I’ll take my leave p>
“Wait p>
The warrior turned back. “Alpha p>
Gavriel’s face darkened slightly. His voice came out as a quiet command. “Prepare a tent p>
The warrior blinked but quickly bowed again and left to carry out the task, bringing a few servants with him.
[That’s more like it! We won’t fit in that small carriage anyway!] Chaos beamed triumphantly in his mind.
‘Damn you,’ Gavriel cursed under his breath.
His inner wolf only chuckled in response, full of smug satisfaction.
Gavriel released a heavy sigh and glanced toward the darkening horizon. His thoughts drifted home, to the palace. He could already imagine the strain it would cause his mother to welcome Althea there. Not as a slave, but as someone given a room right next to his.
He rubbed his forehead, tension creeping in. He needed her close. That was the truth.
It wasn’t just desire, it was the bond. The pull. The connection that tugged at his chest when she wasn’t near. He hated it, resented it, and yet… he couldn’t fight it.
Althea was his mate.
But the royal council and the elders… they wouldn’t accept her so easily. He already knew what was coming. Arguments. Outrage. Demands to treat her as no more than a slave. Some might even suggest throwing her into the dungeon to remind her of her place. And the worst of all, they’d push for a forced rejection of the mate bond.
[Grrrr!] Chaos growled sharply, the sound rumbling through Gavriel’s chest. Fınd the newest release on.net
[Don’t you even dare! If you reject her, I swear I’ll go berserk. I won’t shift, I won’t come out at all! You’ll stay wolfless, without even the form of a wolfman. You’ll be human. Forever. Consider me dead inside you p>
The threat hit hard, and Gavriel knew Chaos meant every word.
As a Lycan, he had the rare ability to shift between three distinct forms: his original human form, his full wolf form, and his beast form, often referred to as the wolfman. That final form, a powerful hybrid of man and beast, made him far stronger than ordinary werewolves.
To lose access to that… to lose Chaos… would be a devastating price. And Chaos wasn’t bluffing.
He let out another sigh, dragging a hand over the back of his neck as irritation bubbled inside him.
‘Why does this woman complicate everything?’ he thought bitterly.
But deep down, he knew the truth… she wasn’t the problem.
Gavriel’s eyes suddenly sharpened, his senses snapping into full alert. A low, warning growl rumbled from his chest. He felt it through the mark, Althea’s emotions. There was a spike of fear.
Danger p>