Chapter 36
Gabi’s POV
Tanner seemed to calm down with what Heath had told him and then gave a pointed look at my arm through Alan’s. I slipped my arm out of Alan’s and saw Alan giving Tanner a narrow-eyed look like he was mad at him, but Alan stepped back towards Hudson and Luna Liz. Von mindlinked me to take Tanner’s arm before he lost his temper, because seeing me with another unmated male, he was about to make his wolf come out. I nodded and took a step towards Tanner.
Tanner gave me his arm, and I slid my arm through and felt electricity run straight through my arm, and I looked up in surprise at Tanner, who was looking down at me with the same look. Heath and Von were smiling as they saw the reaction, and knew we were mates, and they could relax, as Tanner had made it obvious that he wanted me. Tanner led us back the way he came, and they had shoved two tables together for our whole group in the middle of the area, and Tanner pulled my seat out for me to sit down.
Everyone took their seats and, since the tables were round, they were shaped like a figured 8, and we were all able to be seated comfortably at the table. Alan and Hudson sat across from me and were watching Tanner carefully. Luna Liz was next to Hudson and then Von, and then Heath. Tanner’s parents were next to him, and then, who I am assuming was his sister, and then his brother, who sat next to Alan.
“I remember you, I sparred with you earlier today,” I told him, and he was visibly excited at me speaking to him.
“Yes, my name is Gavin, and I am Tanner’s younger brother. I was thrilled to hear that some of the team were here and that you had opened up your sparring to everyone. I would like to start the same thing in our pack, and I respect you all going in and helping packs learn to defend themselves. That is a very noble thing to do”, Gavin said, and I could see how excited he was at sitting with us now.
“I am Alicia Wright, Tanner's little sister, and I couldn’t be happier getting to meet you. Tanner had been looking for his mate for the last 3 and a half years. He was so pleased that he found you. I look forward to getting to know you”, Alicia tells me, and she gives us all a wide smile.
“You look absolutely gorgeous, Gabi, with or without makeup. I am going to have a hard time of it trying to keep the other men away from you tonight, as you are the most gorgeous girl in the room”, Tanner leans over to tell me and I blush. Our legs are touching, and I feel the electricity like a physical thing between us.
“You look very handsome too, Tanner. I am sorry I ran off from you earlier. I had a bad experience with my first mate, and he rejected me as soon as I knew we were fated mates. I was scared that you were going to do the same, and I ran. I am sorry for hurting you by doing that”, I told him.
“I will not reject you. I want you with every fiber of my being Gabi. I have been looking for my mate for a long time, and I am so excited that I have finally found you”.
We then spoke together for the next few minutes, and our two tables were getting along very well together when we suddenly heard clapping at the stage area. We all looked over at the stage to see what was going on and I saw my sister, Taylor, in a gown that was very revealing. She would not be able to bend over, or the entire room would see her breasts. She is eating up the limelight, as she sways seductively down the stairs at the stage and has a huge smile on her face, right up until she sees me sitting with Tanner. The fury that crosses her face lets me know that Luna Liz was right about her wanting Tanner, but Tanner is my mate, and obviously not hers. I don’t know why she would be so angry about us finding each other. She immediately stomps over to our table and stands behind Tanner and leans over to tell him, “You will be taking me on as your mate, and you can just reject my sister right now, or I will go to my parents about us sleeping together” before she walks away with a grin on her face again.
I leaned back away from him shocked, he slept with my sister. I feel sick. I needed to step away for a minute, and I stood up and said, “Please excuse me, I need to go to the restroom”. I left the table with Luna Liz and Von hot on my heels, and we headed for the nearest bathroom, and I saw Heath take the seat I vacated and started to speak with Tanner with fury in his eyes. I saw Taylor grinning at me as we approached the restroom, looking at me with a smug smile, and I looked away from her. I don’t have time for childish games or bullshit right now. I am furious, and I need to calm down.
Von locked the door to keep anyone from entering and Luna Liz checked all the stalls, to make sure that we were alone. Von said, “Do not take what she said as truth. She wants Tanner, and she will do anything to get it, so she is lying. I can feel it.”
“I agree, she is a horrible person and a worse sister. I cannot believe that she did that in front of the tables near us loud enough to hear. I don’t think she would have to do that if she were telling the truth. Let us use the restroom and get back out there. I already knew Heath was on it before we left the area. He will get to the bottom of this”, Luna Liz told me, and we went ahead and used the restroom and headed back out to our tables.
Alan and Hudson were both outside the restroom when we came out of the restroom, and each got in step with me, as we walked side by side with each other as we headed back to the table. As we got closer, Alan cleared the path by taking the lead for our group, and Hudson walked behind me, and I really appreciated them both for protecting me, as I saw Taylor and her two friends near the restroom when we came out, and I knew that they would have approached if not for the guys with us. I noticed that half the table was gone and saw Heath, Tanner, and his father, all talking to Alpha Wilson, and I saw Luna Everly hurrying over with Stone to the group at this time. I can see them all speaking together and occasionally looking over at me, and then Taylor and I see Heath motion me over. I got up and walked over with Alan and Hudson trailing after me about 8 feet behind me.
“Gabi, is Tanner your mate?” Luna Everly asked me.
“He is, but we will need to talk about the bomb that Taylor just dropped on us, as I would not feel comfortable if she slept with him, to accept this mate bond. I need more information and what actually happened to make an informed decision”, I told the group.
Tanner growled out a thunderous growl, which ricocheted through the ballroom, and everyone stopped speaking when they heard it, as it was obviously a warning growl. Tanner leaned down and told me, “I NEVER touched your sister. She always comes on to me. I do not have ANY feelings for her, other than disgust”, Tanner tells me and straightens back up.
I nod and breathe a little easier and then hear both Heath and Tanner tell Alpha Wilson that we all need to speak about what Taylor just alleged, so we can get this straightened out, or we would all be leaving and the treaties in place would be considered invalid at this time. I gasped and looked up at them both in shock. They were implying war, over me. I cannot let it get this far. I go to get Heath's attention to tell him that I am OK, but he is furious. I had not seen him this furious since he heard what all had been done to be at Red River. I don’t want to make this a bigger deal than Taylor just attempting to blackmail Tanner into rejecting me for her.
Von places her hand on Heath to try to help him calm down and he pats her arm and says, “I am fine love, but I will not let that spoiled brat take Gabi’s mate from her. She has truly been through enough in her short life, and I will go to war unless that deceitful little she-wolf admits that she was lying and trying to deliberately hurt Gabi, for her own personal gain”.
Tanner steps up and says, “I had already told this all to Stone earlier. She didn’t “accidentally” break her phone, she threw it at the vase and deliberately broke it after I told her that I had a mate and to leave me alone. Taylor is a vicious little liar and I agree, I will break our treaty as well if you cannot get Taylor to take back what she said. She is at an expert level at lying, and she will not voluntarily tell the truth. I told this to Stone earlier as well. You will have to Alpha command her to tell the truth, but I am taking this seriously. Taylor living here is the reason I had to bring my whole family here with me. She snuck into my room while I was sleeping here after we went late going over documents. I woke up to her sneaking into my bed, naked. I immediately kicked her out of my room, but I believe that she took photos of me while I was asleep, to try to blackmail me before she woke me up. I will not allow her to destroy Gabi’s faith in me as her mate with her spiteful lying”
“Let’s take this up to my office and get it straightened out. I don’t know what is all going on, but we will get it all straightened out up there. Please come with me”, Alpha Wilson said and looked at me sadly. He knows my background and I knew he was upset that this happened on my first day with them and that it was my own sister that caused it.
Alan and Hudson stayed at the table with Alicia and Gavin, to hold our tables, as Heath told them that he and Tanner had Gabi. We all went upstairs to have a talk. As we passed Taylor, her father stopped and told her to come with us, and I could see she immediately got anxious as she went upstairs with us. It was only 630 pm and people were still pouring into the party and had missed that little incident that she had caused. We all poured into Alpha’s office and Alpha Wilson locked the large wooden door behind us.