The Alpha's Hunt Chapter 58

It’s insane how planned everything was, every move that anyone made was an order from their king. Gabe would probably rather dance with Nora or Abby or maybe there was a completely different girl that he fancied but he was stuck babysitting me.

“Please? I do like the waltz,” he lowered his head while looking up at me with rounded puppy eyes.

“Of course you do,” I giggled and let him lead me onto the dance floor.

I don’t know if he followed Darian's orders because he was his brother or because he was his king.

Gabe put his hands in position and I did the same. I was glad to see that he was a good lead, I never danced if I could help it, my feet couldn't move like the others did and it didn't look like I was floating- falling or wailing like a seal on dry land would be a more accurate description of how I looked on the dance floor.

“You’re doing good. Just relax your arms,” he instructed with a never-failing smile.

I caught a glimpse of Nora stepping back through the crowd and moving away from the dance floor. She carried herself with a power I envied and swayed her hips from side to side while putting her glass down on a table on her way. 

Where is she going?

She headed around the pillar and towards the door where Darian and the council members had walked off. When I leaned to the side I saw that that was exactly where she was going and Mrs. Smith was holding the door open for her with a feral scowl. Once Nora was inside the room, Mrs. Smith closed the door and locked it with one of the keys on her massive keychain before she put it back in the pouch on her plaid dress. She walked away like the mere existence of the joyfulness in the room was causing her to rot and the scowl, which I thought couldn't get deeper, created another wrinkle between her eyebrows.

“Charming isn't she?” Gabe smirked. 

I would've laughed but I was too busy thinking of a way to phrase my question.

Gabe watched me, he scanned my face and searched my eyes with the softest gaze.

He gently rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb and looking up at his eyes was like staring at the sun; blinding and perfectly warm.

“What’s wrong?” He asked with sincerity.

“Nora just walked into the back room,” 

He nodded and waited for me to continue.

I shrugged my shoulders and pressed my brows together.

“Don’t you care?” I asked.

Gabe scoffed and his face twisted in genuine confusion.

“Why would I care about Nora?” He countered. 

Was it so beyond the realm of possibility that he cared about the girl that he brought here? 

“I just thought-“

“That because I fucked her I should marry her?” He asked with an amused grin.

Well…

I couldn't say it aloud but thought I saw something between them. First at MarryBell and then again earlier this night after their little alone time during the Ball.

“I’m sorry,” if it was something I should've learned by now it’s to not speak out of place. 

There was just something about Gabriel that made me feel safe enough to express myself.

A husky chuckle vibrated from him which was nice to hear so at least I hadn't crossed a line.

“Don’t be. It’s hard to know love on someone else when you've never experienced it yourself,” 

It was like the world stopped spinning on its axes and the air was sucked out of the ballroom.

The couples started twirling in slow motion with the dresses blowing in the wind like brush strokes on a canvas.

Gabe’s eyes slowly fell, so very slow, and his lips parted.

“Oh- no,” he said and those words echoed in my ears like a fucking drum.

I sucked in my cheeks and chewed down on them. My eyebrows rose high and I counted my breaths to keep myself from crying. But no matter how hard I bit my inner cheeks I couldn't seem to keep the tears down. The first one fell before I realized what had happened and I was quick to wipe it away but the others were close behind and I didn’t want every socialite in Valeria to see me cry.

“I have to go,” I said and held my head down. My hand slowly fell from Gabe’s and when our fingertips graced each other he reached out and pulled me back. 

“Please don’t. Fuck, Hazel, I'm sorry- that was a dick move,”

Gabe tightened the hold on my hand when I tried to pull it free and he cupped my cheek and wiped my tears away with his thumb.

“I’m-“ he started.

“Please let me go, I want to leave,” I begged.

He shook his head and his eyes fell in a sorrowful gaze while his lips parted in silent words. 

The second he let my hand fall to my side I felt the sob rushing up and I ran. I didn't stop until I was far away enough from the ballroom that I couldn't hear anything.

If I could make it to the foyer, I knew I could find my way back to the bedroom but every corridor looked the same and I didn't know where the hell to go. I stopped when the paths parted and I could choose left or right.

My vision was blurry from the tears, my brain was exhausted from all of the thinking and my body wanted to give up.

I stepped back until my back hit the wall and I slid down to the floor while the tears ran down my face.

Shit, I just realized how I must look. I hadn't even thought about the makeup being a mess from the first time I cried tonight. I must've looked like a clown while I danced with Gabe.

At least that thought put somewhat of a smile on my lips but then the tears followed fast.

Words had never been truer; It’s hard to know love on someone else when you've never experienced it yourself. 

It wasn't that I'd never experienced love, it was the fact that I never would. I noticed something when I said goodbye to Iliana and Emanuel before, the mark on Iliana's neck was different from mine. The marks from our mates weren't the same and I had never thought about that before. One was a mark from a true werewolf, it was distinct and looked the same on everyone except for minor differences depending on the depth, pressure, and width of the canines. The other one, the one on me, was a Lycan’s mark- so rare that I had never seen one in real life before.

This meant that even if I, by some miracle, were to free myself from his gold-plated prison nobody would ever want me. The second a man would lay his eyes on the mark on my neck or the one between my legs, he would immediately know who I once belonged to and he would run for the mountains and most likely jump off them. 

I was the branded cattle that nobody would ever touch.

I allowed myself another few minutes of self-pity but when I heard people around the halls I realized I had to go. The thought of my bed right now was bringing me joy I didn't think I'd feel here.

I made it to the foyer and from there I could easily find my room and I hurried so that nobody would catch me looking like a mess.

When I walked in and closed the door I pretended like the outer world didn't exist. It was just me and Trixy and everything was fine. 

I took one step into the room, thinking that this night was over when his voice filled my head.

’Who said that you could leave?’