Chapter 24
Gabi’s POV
One week later, Luna Liz is meeting us at the gate, since we are going to turn and burn, Luna Liz left Justin at the guard's shack to make sure the gates stayed open for me to leave with my team. Heath had called us all into the office and he and Von had given the quick version to the team of my struggles at Red River pack. Including that I had been rejected and that was what the mission was for this week. Alan was still in charge. I was OK with it, as I know how serious he is about training and how the team performs. Heath stressed that I needed to be protected at all times and we would be going in armed. I will have my pistol and several filled magazines in my belt. The whole team had their weapons because Lua Liz told them what to potentially expect from Monty, and maybe even Derek.
I rode in with my team and Luna Liz led them to the back of the packhouse at the kitchen entrance. She was going to go in and mindlink Derek to come down. I had my hair up and in a ponytail at the top of my head, and I was nervous enough to throw up right then. Alan was driving and I knew he saw my face in the rearview mirror because he said, “Everything is going to be fine Gabi. We all have your back, we will let nothing happen to you, you are always safe with us”. I was sitting between Hudson and Jameson, and Easton and Alan were in the front seats. The other guys agreed with Alan, and it made me smile a little bit, as I was really stressed out, but I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.
We already had the plan down, if I were to faint, or fall. Hudson was going to put me over his shoulder and get me out with Jameson as his backup to the SUV. Alan and Easton would be the ones who would be the backup for Hudson and Jameson and keep us all safe. Luna Liz was going to be leaving with us as she was going to put her Escalade blocking the entrance in case Derek or Monty got the bright idea of following us when we left. We had another SUV nearby and we were going to split up to make sure we didn’t get followed.
Heath wanted to come, badly, but his coming would let Derek and Monty both know where I was, and they weren't ready to tip their hand with that information yet. Once I accept the rejection, things should improve for me immediately. Luna Liz already had her safe words and Von was going to call in 5 hours for her regular weekly call to make sure she was OK. Otherwise, we would be coming right back with 400 of our warriors, and another 700 from her father’s pack, and take this whole place apart until we got her back.
Luna Liz stuck her head out the back door and we all started getting out of the SUV. Luna Liz had called him via mindlink, and this was the first part. So, he was coming, she was going to lead him outside to speak to him really quickly, and I would come up and accept his rejection.
I heard a familiar nasal voice and I cursed, having gotten out of the SUV already. I should have waited until he had exited with Luna Liz.
“What the hell are you doing here, Omega? Oh, I know, you came to visit your parent’s graves, right? I hope Jack gets here to see you trying to look like you are tough now. I know that at least Jack missed you while you were gone”, Heather said, and then started laughing. I felt tears coming to my eyes, I heard the kitchen door open, and I saw Jack come out and look around for me. Holy shit, can this get any worse? I mean where the hell is Monty at so I can get the trifecta of assholes. The guys get a little closer to me and are all within five feet of me, but it is like Jack can only see me as he comes straight over to me. Jack grabs my arm in a firm grip and pulls me into his chest, holding me against him. He grinds himself into me and I hear Heather laughing behind me and I start to shake, and this is not a good memory. Then I still, and I know what I needed to do.
“You ready to sleep with me yet, Gabi? I have been looking for you for over three months. You got away from me the last two times, but no one is here to stop me this time”, Jack tells me, and leans down to give me a kiss. I punched him hard in his nose and then tapped him on his Adam’s apple. I was careful because if you hit it too hard you could kill someone, but I wanted him to shut the hell up and it took the air from him quickly. Jack dropped to the ground with a surprised look on his face gasping for air and looking after me as I walked away from him. I saw Alan and Hudson, who were flanking me, smile at me for taking him down so quickly.
We moved forward towards the back door to the kitchen as Heather ran up to Jack, and I know now that she mindlinked him I was there. She drops down next to him yelling, “You fucking bitch. You are going to pay for this” as she tries to help Jack. I hope they are a couple; they really deserve each other. I see Derek come out the back door speaking to his mom as he follows her out, and her rolling her eyes at me. I was glad for the heads up, as I saw Piper exit the kitchen door right behind Derek. I stepped forward and saw him smile a really big smile at me and step towards me and was obviously totally excited at seeing me. Derek stepped towards me and said, “Gabi, you are back. Thank the Goddess, I am so glad you came back. I missed you”.
I heard Piper say, “Who the hell is this, Derek?” before he could speak, I said, “I, Gabrielle Emerson, accept your rejection, Derek Stryker. We will no longer be tied together by the mate bond from now on”. I dipped a little as I felt weak after accepting the rejection, and then I felt the bond break, but I did not fall. I turned around and walked away with the guys around me and Jameson and Hudson walking backwards back to the truck to watch our backs. Luna Liz hurried to her Escalade to follow us to the gate. I heard Piper yelling for help as Derek was lying down on the ground and clutching his chest, in a great deal of pain. His mom was already ready to go with her Escalade already backed up, and Alan backed up and took off towards the gate. Heather was yelling for help for Jack, and I saw Monty running out of the kitchen door and looking after us as we pulled away. I saw the gates closing as we approached them, as the packhouse was three miles away from the gates, and I knew that it was Monty that ordered it, and then I saw them opening again.
I guess Justin had to fight the guards at the gate to keep the gate open. Luna Liz is right behind us, and she is a great driver. She pulls right up to the gate, blocking it. Luna Liz jumps out of her SUV and I see her waving goodbye to us. Justin walks up to her, and they watch us drive away. Two SUVs fly up behind and park on either side of Luna Liz’s Escalade. I see Alpha Monty’s furious face as he walks up yelling at Luna Liz, then the gate guards, and then at Justin. From his face paling, I knew she had just told him that there was nothing that he could do to her. He would face a few packs showing up and waging war against them.
It wasn’t Monty thought that broke my heart. It was seeing Derek run past his mom’s Escalade screaming my name, before phasing into his large black wolf and running after us. We already had a two-mile head start on him, but he still tried to follow us for several miles. I had to put my head down on my knees because I didn’t want them to see me crying about this, as he was my mate. I did love him and wanted to be with him. He just chose a different path. He was greedy and wanted to get more land and take Piper as a chosen mate and didn’t want a poor weak Omega. I heard a mournful howl loudly sounding through the air and I am glad this is over with. I am emotionally drained and physically exhausted. I am glad though that I will not have to feel it again when Piper and Derek have sex. I will also be glad that I believe my heat is supposed to stop now that I don’t have a mate anymore, but I will have to ask Von about that. But even with the sadness that Derek is also heartbroken, I am glad this is over with. It is still worth it to not feel that familiar pain of betrayal as Derek sleeps with Piper, again and again.
I straightened up and sat back in my seat and we were all silent. I know that the guys don’t know what to say to me to make me feel better and after seeing Derek’s face, and him chasing the SUV, there really isn’t anything that they could say. I will spring back, but I won’t be today. I was glad for their support and glad that they came with me because we almost got caught up with the Gate closing on us like that. I am glad that they were prepared to fight to get me out of there. I am also glad that Luna Liz thought that they would try to do something like that and prepared for it. I hate that Heather narked me out to both Jack and to Alpha Monty. She was the first one to see me and I know she just wanted me to get what I had managed to dodge the first two times with Jack. The surprise is on her though, because I am not that weak Omega that used to live in that horrible pack.
I just hope that Justin doesn’t get in trouble with Monty or Derek for helping us get out of their pack safely. I hope Luna Liz was able to make sure he is safe as well and doesn’t get punished. Both Monty and Derek will be super angry and looking for someone to punish for me being able to get in and back out of their pack again. Luna Liz and Justin are my very favorite people out of everyone in the pack. I did have a few friends before Heather made sure the whole school knew what would happen if people were nice too, or friends with, me. But after she started up, no one dared to speak to me again.
We arrived at where we parked the second SUV, and Hudson and Easton hopped out of our SUV and got in the second one to follow us back. Jameson got into the front seat, with Alan, and we headed back to Ever Green. We had gone about 50 more miles and were an hour away from our pack when Alan spoke to me.
“Gabi, I am sorry that I added to some of the bad things that happened in your life. Just from this quick trip, I see you had an even worse experience there than I thought was possible. I will tell you that he chose wrong. There is nothing better than your mate, at least, that is what I have heard. I just wanted you to know that I will make it up to you, Gabi, I see how big of a mistake I made, and I will have your back from now on”, Alan told me in a low tone, while looking at me in the rearview mirror. His face was extremely serious, and I could tell that just the little show of what Heather did had bothered him. Plus, I didn’t want them to know about what Jack had tried to do to me. I would have preferred that the team never knew about that. But the way he approached me and grabbed me, and what he implied when he did it, well, the cat is out of the bag, and I think that the whole team is going to be like protective older brothers to me from now on.
I nodded at him but did not speak. I couldn’t. I need them to know that they can count on me as well and that I won’t just be a big crybaby, holding them back. I can feel the tears on deck to be let out. So, I just smiled at him in the rear-view mirror and mouthed “thank you” to him back and he nodded back at me with a smile and put his focus back onto the road. I am glad that Jameson had his earbuds in to listen to his music, so me and Alan burying the hatchet, so to speak, was done privately.