Gabriel’s POV
I thought I was going to lose it when I saw Aria run away. Annie barely stopped me from going after her. She told me to let Nick handle it, but I was afraid he wouldn’t catch her. When he told me he got her, I could finally breathe normally again.
“I can’t believe she ran away,” Annie said quietly.
I didn’t know what to respond, so I just continued to stare through the window, waiting for them to return.
“What if she rejects him?” she asked and came to stand by me.
“He will probably go back to being an even bigger man whore than before,” I chuckled.
I knew how hurt he would be. It would kill him. He really cared about her. But it was easier to joke around than to tell Annie the truth.
“He was a man whore?” she smiled and raised her eyebrow.
“Pretty much,” I said.
“What about you?” she asked me, smirking.
I turned to her and gave her my most seductive smile. “Women love me.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I bet they do.”
I turned back towards the window and saw Nick and Aria coming back. He was holding her hand. That was a good sign, right?
They walked back inside, and Annie ran toward Aria and hugged her. “So, are you two together?”
“You knew?” Aria asked her.
“I am a wolf, A,” she responded and led Aria towards the couch. “I recognized it, but I wasn’t sure until Nick told me.”
Nick and I walked behind them and took our seats. I looked at him and he gave me a small smile. I could see it hurt him when she ran away, but he was pretty calm, so I guess they talked about it.
Aria nodded and wrapped herself in a blanket.
Annie looked between me and Nick. “So, what happened?”
“We decided to take it slow,” Nick smiled. “But no more giving me heart attacks by going out with other men.”
Aria smiled but Annie smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. “What about you, ladies’ man? Will you be going out with other women until Aria is ready?”
I froze and looked at Nick. He was pissed. Oh shit, this was not going to end well. What the hell, Annie?
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Nick growled.
“Gabriel told me you are a man whore,” she said, looking angrily at Nick.
“Annie!” I said, shocked. “What the fuck?!”
Nick clenched his fists and growled at me. But before he could yell at me, Aria interrupted us.
“It is okay, Nick,” she said calmly. “You have a past. And I am not angry about it. And I wouldn’t be angry if you wanted to be with someone else right now. I am making you wait, and it is not the nicest thing. So, of course, you can be with other people.”
We all looked at her with shocked expressions on our faces. I admired her. She was so full of understanding. It was amazing.
Nick stood up and walked over to her. He kneeled in front of her and took her hands in his. He smiled brightly at her, and I could see how much he loved her already.
“First of all, thank you,” he said smiling. “Thank you for your understanding. I am one lucky man to have you by my side. Second, there is no way in hell I would look at another woman, let alone be with her when you exist.”
“It is okay, Nick,” she smiled back. “We all have a past, and it wouldn’t be fair of me to judge you for yours.”
Nick’s shoulders tensed and I knew exactly what he was thinking. What kind of past does she have? But Nick said nothing. He just gave her a hug and sat back on the sofa.
“So, movie?” I asked, breaking the small tension in the room.
“Yeah, but before that, I need to say something,” Annie interrupted and turned to Nick. “If you hurt Aria, I will make you suffer. And I am one hundred percent sure Gabriel would help me and do something even worse than me. So be careful.”
I covered my mouth with my hand so Nick wouldn’t see me smile. Annie is one fierce wolf. But it was kind of funny when she threatened people. She was not wrong, though. I would kill him if he hurt one hair on her head. But I knew him well enough to know he won’t, despite being a man whore up until a few days ago. And he knew me well enough to know what I would do to him if, by any chance, he did hurt her.
To my surprise, Nick laughed. “I believe you, Annie. And I am glad my mate has you to protect her. That way I know she will never be alone. Thank you, Annie.”
She looked at him with a shocked expression. I think she expected him to get angry. She was ready to fight.
Aria just looked between them with a confused expression. But she didn’t say anything. She turned to me and pointed at the TV.
“Movie, please,” she said. “Before they start to fight over me.”
Annie and Nick both laughed, and I played the movie.
Aria’s POV
I had so many questions that needed answers.
Nick is my mate?
I have a mate?
Why was I so afraid of being with Nick?
Annie and Gabriel knew?
Why didn’t Annie say something to me?
Why did I need to be protected?
Why would Gabriel care if Nick hurt me?
Why did Gabriel care so much about me?
Why did I have a feeling they were hiding stuff from me?
And if they did, why were they hiding them from me?
My head was spinning, and I couldn’t focus on this movie. I didn’t even know what it was about. I could hear Annie and the guys laughing so it must be a comedy.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Nick looking at me from time to time. I guess he felt my confusion and fear. He said he could feel my emotions a little bit.
I didn’t want to talk to him about it. He wouldn’t tell me anything, I was sure of it. They were hiding something from me, and I was going to find out what it was.
I had to learn everything I can about Claudia Richardson. And not from Gabriel. He was not going to share anything important. None of them will. Not even Annie. I felt like she knew something as well.
But where do I start? Maybe I could ask Gabriel some innocent questions about her. Like what job did she have, how old was she, something like that. He probably wouldn’t lie about that, right?
The movie ended and I was pulled away from my thoughts by Nick’s voice.
“That was a good one,” he said. “Funny as hell.”
“I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard while watching a movie,” Annie added and the guys agreed.
I quickly smiled and agreed with them.
I looked at the time on my phone and saw it was already 11 pm. I was exhausted.
“Gabe, your house is amazing. What did your grandma do to be able to afford all of this?” I heard Annie ask Gabriel.
Well, thank you, Annie. I could kiss her right now.
“Why the sudden interest?” Gabriel asked and smirked.
Oh, come on. Just tell us. I wanted to rush him, but I knew that would be suspicious.
“I’ve wanted to ask you since we came here, but something always came up,” she smiled and looked between me and Nick.
Nick laughed and I gave her a small smile, trying not to show how nervous I was. Just answer, Gabriel.
“I am sorry my love life came in between you and this amazing house,” Nick said and yawned.
My heart was thumping in my chest. Come on, Gabriel. Give me something to go on.
“You should be sorry,” Annie smirked at Nick. “I am a curious wolf and I have been admiring this house for hours and I haven’t been able to ask anything until now.”
Gabriel laughed and shook his head at them. “She was an architect. She designed everything herself, actually.”
An architect. That was awesome. I wished I knew her so I could ask her everything about it. I wanted to study architecture and it would be nice to know someone who could tell me more about it.
“That is so cool,” I said, interrupting their conversation.
Gabriel smiled at me. “You think?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I want to study architecture one day. My grandma always thought I would be a healer like her. And I learned a lot from her. So, I could do that too. But I would like to go to college and study architecture.”
“You will,” Nick smiled brightly at me.
I smiled back and looked around the house. Annie was right. It was impressive. She was also a talented interior designer. Everything perfectly matched.
“I have more questions about this house, but they will have to wait because I am so tired,” Annie sighed.
“Let’s go to bed,” I said.
Nick and Gabriel nodded, and we got off the couch.
“Can I hug you before I go?” Nick asked me nervously.
I smiled and nodded. He gave me a huge smile before wrapping his huge arms around me. I felt even smaller in his arms. I hugged him back and we stayed like that for a few moments.
I felt safe and peaceful but fear quickly took over and I took a step back.
“I will see you tomorrow,” Nick said and kissed my cheek.
“Good night, Nick,” I said and smiled back at him.
He quickly left and I noticed Annie had already gone to her room. I heard Gabriel in the kitchen, and I walked over to him. He was loading the dishwasher and putting away leftovers from dinner.
“Do you need any help?” I asked him.
He turned to me and smiled. “No, thank you. Go to bed. I will finish this and lock up.”
“Okay. Good night, Gabriel.”
“Good night, Aria.”
I went upstairs and took a shower before climbing into my bed.
Tomorrow I will find out anything I could about Claudia. And I knew just the person who could help me do that. Ian.
