Gabriel’s POV
The next few days flew by in a blur. Aria and I were practicing magic, and she got better. She could focus on one person at a time, and she could manipulate it really well. Nick and I have been teaching them the basics of one-on-one combat. Jacob and Blake were great. The girls not so much. They weren’t fighters. But it made me feel better knowing that they at least knew some basics to defend themselves.
Mike, Jack, and Annie still hadn’t managed to locate Patricia. They still had one more village to go through, but I was beginning to lose hope. She was either dead or hiding pretty damn well.
Victor hasn’t called again. Nick was content because he thought that meant he believed our lie. I had a funny feeling. It just seemed too easy.
“Any news from Mike?” Jacob asked as we were eating breakfast.
“No,” I sighed. “They have arrived at the last village today.”
“They won’t find her,” Aria said quietly.
“Don’t be so sure, love,” Nick said as he twirled her hair between his fingers. “She could be in that village.”
“I don’t think so,” Aria said. “She is either dead or hiding somewhere where we won’t be able to find her.”
My thoughts exactly.
I got up and placed my plate in the dishwasher.
“What are we doing today?” I asked and turned to look at everyone.
“Can we please take a break?” Cassie sighed. “My brain is going to shut down.”
“I agree,” Aria added. “Can we take a day off? Watch a movie or something?”
“There is a battle coming, and you want to take a break?” Jacob frowned.
“Yes,” Aria said. “We need to relax, not just train.”
“I could use a break,” Nick said with a smirk on his face.
That man will do absolutely anything to please Aria.
Jacob looked at me for support. “Gabe? Talk to your sister, please.”
“Jacob is right,” I said sternly. “We can’t afford breaks. But we can cut it short today and spend the afternoon watching movies.”
A bright smile spread across Aria’s face. “Deal.”
I smiled back at her and all of us left the kitchen to practice magic and train.
After sparring with Jacob, we took a well-deserved break. I grabbed a bottle of water and gulped it down.
“Can I ask you something?” Jacob said, panting hard.
“Sure,” I nodded.
“You and Aria are getting closer?” he asked and sat down on the ground.
“We are,” I smiled and looked down at him.
“Maybe you could help me then,” he said and looked away.
“With what?” I asked him and sat down on the ground opposite him.
Why does he need my help? He always claimed he was closer to her.
“Do you think I still have a chance?” he asked quietly as he picked a strain of grass from the ground.
I raised my eyebrows at him. “With Aria?”
He nodded, not looking at me.
Was he insane? Why was he asking me this? Nick was my friend. Even if I thought he had a chance, I could never tell him that. I could never betray Nick like that.
“She has a mate,” I said sternly.
“Mates can be rejected,” Jacob said and looked me in the eyes.
I narrowed my eyes on him. “She would never do that to Nick.”
“She loves me,” he said. “She never stopped loving me.”
“Maybe,” I nodded. “But Nick is her mate. She loves him more. She could never hurt him. You need to understand that and back away.”
“I can’t,” he said and clenched his fists. “I love her. She was taken away from me, and we never had a chance to be together. Now we do. I can’t back away from that.”
“Nick will rip you apart,” I said.
“He won’t,” Jacob shook his head. “He knows that would hurt her.”
“Maybe,” I sighed. “But his wolf doesn’t care about that. He is territorial and possessive. And if you touch his mate, Nick won’t be able to control his wolf.”
“What if she chooses to leave him?” he asked, raising his eyebrow. “What if she chooses me?”
“She won’t,” I said, shaking my head.
“We will see about that,” Jacob smirked and leaned back, supporting himself in his arms.
“Why are you even talking to me about this?” I asked, annoyed. “Aren’t you the one who always says you know her better than we do?”
“I do know her better,” he smiled. “But you spend more time with her and Nick than I do. You know more about their relationship than I do.”
“I do know more about them,” I nodded. “That is why I am telling you to leave them alone. Aria loves him and she would never hurt him.”
“I have to try,” he said, adamant. “I can’t lose her again.”
“She will never break the bond,” I said.
“She should have a choice,” Jacob said sternly. “She shouldn’t be with him just because of the bond. She should be with the one she loves.”
“She loves him,” I said.
“She does,” Jacob nodded. “But she loves me too.”
Jacob stood up and grabbed his bottle. “Are we done practicing for today?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Great,” he smiled and walked away.
I looked after him until he got inside the house.
What should I do? Should I tell Nick that Jacob is after her? He already knew that, but I think Jacob was going to do something now. Should I tell him? He would go crazy and kill the guy. Aria would be pissed. Jacob is right. She did love him, and she would hate Nick if he hurt him.
Jacob was a brave man if he wanted to go against a werewolf. They were extremely territorial and possessive. Sometimes Nick was jealous of me, and I was her brother. Jacob was going to get himself killed. I was sure of it.
I sighed and got up. I will try to stay away. I will interfere only if he tries to hurt Nick or Aria.
Aria’s POV
The movie was really long and boring, but it was nice to do something different. We had been training for days, and I needed a little break. I know we were in danger, but we should enjoy ourselves while we could. I was sure we will treasure these peaceful moments when the war starts.
“Oh, thank Goddess, that’s over,” Cassie sighed once the movie finished.
I guess I was not the only one who thought it was boring.
“It wasn’t that bad,” Blake said.
“Did we watch the same movie?” Cassie gasped mockingly.
We laughed and Blake rolled his eyes.
“We should go to bed,” Gabriel said and turned the TV off. “We are continuing training tomorrow.”
“Did Annie call?” Blake asked him.
“No,” he shook his head. “I am hoping we will learn something tomorrow.”
I doubt that. I was sure they would not find her. I didn’t know much about her, but I know she was not a stupid woman. If a bunch of kids could find her, so could Victor. She wouldn’t make it easy for anyone to find her. If she was even alive.
Nick took my hand in his and pulled me up. “Let’s go to bed.”
I smiled and started following him.
“Minnie?” Jake stopped us. “Could I talk to you in private, please?”
Nick stopped walking and frowned at Jake. “Why?”
“You do know what in private means, right?” Jake asked mockingly and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Anything you want to say to her, you can say in front of me,” Nick growled.
Cassie, Blake, and Gabriel stopped to look at us.
“Nick,” I called him and placed my hand on his arm. “It’s okay. Go upstairs. I will be there soon.”
“I don’t want you to be alone with him,” Nick growled and looked at me.
“Don’t you trust me?” I asked and cupped his face.
“I do,” he growled. “It’s him I don’t trust.”
“It will be okay,” I smiled. “Go upstairs. I will come soon.”
Nick looked at Jacob and growled loudly. “You touch her, I will rip you apart.”
Jake smiled and motioned for me to follow him. I let go of Nick’s hand and walked behind Jake. Gabriel was looking at us with a worried expression on his face. Goddess, Gabriel, and Nick will never trust Jake, will they?
Jake walked inside the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge.
“Want one?” he asked me.
“No,” I shook my head and smiled.
I sat down at the table, and Jake leaned on the kitchen counter. I smiled at him and waited for him to start talking.
“Aria, I love you,” he said. “I want to be with you. I want to continue our relationship.”
My eyes widened, and my heart started beating faster. Why was he doing this again? We had talked about this. He knew Nick was my mate.
“I know that Nick is your mate,” he continued. “But I think you should have a choice, Minnie. You shouldn’t be with him just because of the bond. You should be with someone you love.”
He thought I was with Nick just because of the mate bond?
“I love him,” I said quietly.
“I know you do,” he said and started walking toward me. “But you love me too.”
He sat down beside me and took my hands in his.
“We never got the chance to continue what we had,” he said. “I want to try, Aria. I love you so much. We deserve a chance.”
I stared at him, not knowing how to respond.
“I know you love Nick,” he said and caressed my cheek. “I am not asking you to hurt him. I am asking you to give me a chance. I am asking you to continue our love. You were taken away from me, and if that hadn’t happened you and I would be together now.”
He was right. If they didn’t take me away, I would be back in our village, and we would be together. But I wouldn’t have found my brother. I wouldn’t have found Nick.
I knew Jake thought I loved Nick because of the bond, but that was not true. I would love him even if we weren’t mates. He was kind and he cared about the people he loved. I always felt safe around him. He never pressured me into anything, and he was always understanding. He earned my love.
“You know I love you, Jake,” I said as I looked at him. “But I can’t leave Nick. I know you think it is the bond, but it isn’t. He earned my love, and the bond didn’t have anything to do with that.”
He sighed and lowered his head.
“You are right,” I continued. “If my grandma didn’t take me away, we would be together. I loved being with you, Jake. I wouldn’t change that for anything. And I do love you. But I can’t be with you, Jake.”
He didn’t respond, but his grip on my hands tightened.
“You are important to me,” I said quietly. “I don’t want to lose you again. I will always be here for you, and I will always love you.”
He raised his head to look at me. I could see the agony and pain in his eyes, and it made my heart clench painfully. I pulled him into a hug and rested my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his hands around me and nuzzled his nose into my hair.
“I understand, love,” he said quietly. “I will always be here for you, and I will always love you.”
“Thank you, Jake,” I said quietly.
We held each other for a few minutes. I let go of him first.
“Let’s go to bed,” he said and gave me a small smile.
“You go ahead,” I smiled back. “I will grab a glass of water first.”
“Okay, Minnie,” he smiled at me and stood up.
He kissed my forehead and walked out of the kitchen.
I stood up and walked to the cupboard to grab a glass.
I was startled when the backdoor opened. My hand flew to my chest, and I almost screamed. I relaxed immediately when I saw Blake.
“Blake,” I sighed in relief. “You scared me. What are you doing here?”
“Aria,” he said quietly. “What are you doing?”
“I was grabbing a glass of water,” I said. “Is everything okay, Blake?”
He looked so sad. I hoped that everything was okay.
