Guardian - 13. Chapter 13

I sat in the meadow for what felt like hours, thinking and trying to really paint the full picture on what would happen. What could I do to get out of the situation, what would happen, the cause of my choices. Ever single scenario that went through my head ended up either badly for me or for Neil. It was coming down to if I could even take the pup with me. Would it even be safe to? There was no way I could protect the pup like the others could. He would be better off with the pack, and I could run off, get away from everything, everyone. A normal life seemed too good to be true, and possibly a ‘never going to happen’ chance. I shook my head when murmured voices entered my thoughts. Wanting to shake off the feeling I tried to ignore it but it didn’t help when I was completely pulled from the Meadow.

Gabriel awoke grudgingly, blinking and see the face of Trent. He groaned and turned his head, burrowing into the fur of one of the sitters. Trent grunted at the teen.

“Get up, it’s time to eat.”

“Not hungry. Go away,” he mumbled back in the soft fur of the wolf he clung to dearly. He heard a soft whimper emit from the one he held and frowned. He may not be hungry, but she was and the simple whimper gave him that answer. Sighing a little, he released the wolf who stood and shook her fur, giving him a small lick on his face then trotting off to where the smell of cooked meat rose into the sky. He turned to see the pups gone and that the other sitter had already left his side. Ashley was nowhere in sight and Trent was still staring at him.

“Orion said to come eat,” The man said again. Gabriel leaned back and let himself actually fall back on the grass.

“Not hungry. Bye.” He heard the growl but didn’t even flinch from it. Trent moved and looked right at him.

“I don’t care if you are or not. Get up and come sit.” Gabriel closed his eyes so he didn’t have to look at the man which only frustrated him more than before. Gabriel gave a soft gasp when Trent’s hand grabbed his collar and he brought their faces closer, their noses touching. “Listen here you little shit, I don’t give a rat’s ass that you’re the Jarkla. You will not disrespect my alpha while I’m around. So you better get the fuck up or I will drag you back.” Gabriel hadn’t faound himself being scared since Orion had hit him but one single look in Trent’s eye meant that he’d do a lot more than just ‘drag’ him back. Trying to seem like he wasn’t scared, he pushed on Trent’s shoulders to get him to let go, which he did reluctantly. He got up, followed by Trent and then walked to where the pack was gathering to eat. His eyes were glued to the ground, frowning deeply since he had let Trent get to him. He plopped himself down at an empty picnic table and Trent just continued on. The teen’s eyes glanced up to watch Trent and Orion exchange words.

“He’s being difficult Alpha, and doesn’t want to eat.” Orion gave a sigh at Trent’s irritated response. The older male plated some meat and handed it to the next pack mate in line.

“Then he won’t eat.” Orion made a plate and pushed it in Trent’s hands. “You however need to. Go relax.” Like he was almost being ordered, Trent gave a rather childish huff and walked off to sit with the others at another table. Orion’s eyes went to Gabriel’s figure. The teen had his arms folded before him and just rested his head on them, his face looking away from everyone. He looked back to the food he was handing out and finished the job, making his own plate and going to join Gabriel at the table. Once he sat down he took a bite from the apple he had put on his plate. He just stared at Gabriel until the teen moved and looked at him. He offered him food by simply pushing the plate toward the teen. Gabriel eyed the plate, seeing the grilled chicken next to a slab of steak with some vegetables wrapped in tin foil, the steam rising from the opening. He looked around the plate for anything he could use to grab the steamed vegetables which were all too intriguing to his nostrils as the aroma of salted butter and garlic went to his senses. Orion placed a plastic fork down and waited for him to react. Gabriel took the fork and minding his stomach this time, he began to nibble on the vegetables. Orion was smiling as he continued to eat the apple. After finishing it, Orion placed the core down and noticed how Gabriel started to pick at the chicken. Orion gave a smile, seeing his eyes as Gabriel glanced up at him. At once, he stopped and just went back to his previous position, arms folded and head resting on them. Orion frowned and gave a sigh.

“Will you talk to me at least?”

“Nope.” The answer was quick and actually plucked at a nerve, making Orion’s body squirm. The kid knew how to aggravate him, that was for sure.

“Why not?”

“Cause, you’ll just tell me I’m wrong, or say it has to be done, or some other stupid thing which doesn’t allow me to even have my own say in anything I do.” At his words, it finally clicked in Orion’s mind on why Gabriel was being such a recluse. His life was being planned by everything but him. Orion didn’t respond back just yet. He had to start really thinking. The moment Gabriel came into his possession, the child just fought against him, and the moments he even let Orion hold him, let alone ‘cuddle’, were the moments he chose. Orion moved the plate and reached out to let his hand rest on Gabriel’s hair. The dark brown locks had grown during his time with the pack; his bangs passed his eyes now. He let his fingers comb the teen’s hair some before pulling back and finally answering him.

“Then let’s start over. Truthfully pup, I hate seeing you like this.” Gabriel’s head shot up, wondering why Orion proceeded to call him ‘pup’ but letting the pet name slide he studied the adult.

“How? You still want to be my guardian and I already have one.” Orion gave snort and rubbed his temple some.

“I won’t deny that, I would like to be your guardian…but I don’t want to force you.”

“That’s weird, cause every little conversation you thought I didn’t hear, I did. You’re not afraid to force me and that makes me think that you’ll just take it from me.” Orion was taken aback by how angry the teen looked at him, the glare itself making his brows crease. He had overheard every conversation he had? Regretting some of the things he said, he let out a sigh and scratched his chin where his facial hair was becoming more grey than brown. How could he answer that?

Gabriel’s frown increased and he looked away from the man who was obviously at a loss for words. He wrapped his arms tighter around himself and continued talking. “I just want things to go back how they were.”

“And how was that? Don’t think your life was a secret. All animals know your story, how you were abandoned by your family who hurt you. You want to go back to them? Don’t you understand that you are safe with me? With my pack? Whether you want to believe or not, you are always safe with my kind or other animals…” Orion stood, Gabriel watching him out of the corner of his eye. “Finish eating, and just to let you know, I’m not as heartless as you make me seem. I wish you would talk to me because I get irritated and frustrated when you just hide yourself and put my pack on their toes with unneeded stress.” Before Gabriel could utter a word, Orion left him alone. He watched him leave to begin to repack the van which held the supplies. Gabriel looked back at the plate of food and frowned. Sitting up some, he pulled the plate forward and finished eating.

Orion sat on the hood of the van, not really watching his pack as they were manning up the rest of the supplies and settling in the pups for their nap. He hadn’t really heard any commotion until a loud bang sounded. The whole pack went still and Orion bolted upright. When he heard laughter however, he noticed it was just the group of young adults and teens a few yards away playing with fireworks. He heard whimpers and soft cries from some of the younger adults of his pack. Angered by what they did, he stalked over, seeing the same young man from before, Tommy as he remembered his name. He grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to turn and face him. The laughter died down from just how threatening Orion looked.

“I’ve got pups that are terrified of that noise. Don’t do it again.” Tommy held his hands up and took a step back.

“Oh sorry, we didn’t mean to. Just having a bit of fun.”

“We’ll your fun can put my group in danger. Mind your surroundings kid, or I will remind you.” It seemed too much like a threat, and the way Tommy’s eyes narrowed, he took it just as that. Orion turned his back and was only a few paces away, when a firework was shot again.

Gabriel had finished helping the sitters put the pups to sleep when he heard another pop. Something in his whole system made him go tense in rage. Only one thing clicked. Orion. He sprinted away and turned to see Orion’s figure near the group where the noise was coming from. He could feel Orion’s rage and sprinted to him just as he turned, about to literally clock the guy in the jaw. Gabriel’s hand reached out and grabbed the man’s hand, the feeling and touch made Orion’s mind snap out of his rage for a moment, looking down at the teen. Gabriel moved before him and glared at Tommy.

“Hey, can you not do that please? We have pups that are tired and need sleep, not to mention that sounds like a gunshot and several of our dogs are rescues that have been shot before.” His smooth lying fooled the young man as he actually looked sorry for a moment. Before they did it again he turned and gave them the ‘knock it off’ hand gesture.

“Oh well, hell if your daddy here would have told us, we wouldn’t have done it the second time.” Gabriel’s eyes narrowed and Tommy found himself more afraid of him than the towering adult.

“Well maybe you should grow up then and be more like your sister and care for the people around you.” Gabriel’s eyes went to Ashley who was smiling at him. “Bye Ashley,” he said to her before he turned to leave, still holding Orion’s hand, dragging him with him.

“Bye Gabey!” the girl called out as she waved to him, Gabriel not seeing it. Orion stared at Gabriel’s hand holding his until they got to the van and Gabriel let go. Orion stopped and looked at the boy as he got inside the van and shut the door. He glanced around to see everyone was ready to hit the road. He shook his head and walked to the driver side, opening the door and hopping in.

It took another two days before Orion and the pack arrived in Arizona where a neighborhood was packed full of all werewolves hiding as humans. Driving up to the biggest house in the circle, a dark skinned woman stood outside waiting with several others, along with two boys who happened to be twins. Driving up and parking the van, Orion got out and smiled at the female alpha. They approached each other and gave a warm hug.

“Tasha, it’s good to see you” The woman gave him a strong hug, kissing his bristled cheeks.

“Orion, same to you.” She moved back to let the two teens bound up to Orion, circling their arms around his torso and hugging him. Gabriel had stepped out seeing the familiarity but hadn’t been expecting the next sentence he heard.

“Father! You’re back!”

“We’ve missed you!” Orion chuckled at the two boys who looked a lot like Tasha, their golden bronze skin reflecting in the sunlight. The only features they held that were his were their lighter shade of hair on their heads instead of the black curls on their mother’s. Their eyes were bright hazel and moved from Orion’s face to look at Gabriel. Orion turned to see the Jarkla staring at them. Orion had a sudden feeling that something was about to happen, and he was right. Gabriel bolted.

“Fuck!” Tasha frowned as she watched Orion sprint after the boy. The pack began to come out when they saw the boy run off.

Gabriel had not been expecting Orion, of all people, to be a father. Not only that, the man wanted to obviously be with him. Sure, age shouldn’t be a big deal, but to Gabriel it was when Orion had kids his age. He screamed when Orion’s arms wrapped around his stomach and he flailed.

“Gabe stop it!” Orion commanded, but the teen refused to listen.

“Let go of me you fucking pervert!” he exclaimed, fighting Orion every moment, the other pack members of the houses slowly peeking out to see the Jarkla fighting against the visiting alpha from the north. Orion pinned the boy’s arms behind him and rotated his leg around to get beneath Gabriel’s feet, causing him to fall, forcing them both down onto the well groomed grass of one of the front yards. Gabriel landed with an ‘oof’ and began to panic, the sheer size of Orion completely overtaking him. Orion could feel his panic and rolled to his side, making sure Gabriel didn’t think his intention was to suffocate him. Gabriel stilled and with panicked breaths, he squirmed here and there in Orion’s arms.

“I won’t do it. There is no way I can do it. I can’t be with you,” he told him in a breathless whisper. Orion frowned and wrapped his leg around, feeling the teen squirm out of his hold.

“And why is that? Because I have sons?”

“Sons that are my age! MY AGE! That’s just sick!” Orion scoffed at the boy.

“To you maybe. It’s normal to us. Many mated pairs have a very young member and an older.”

“I don’t want to be mated to anyone! EVER! GOD! Just let me GO!” Tired of the boy’s outbreak, after dealing with so many, he let the boy go, watching Gabriel scramble away and hold his chest, staying away from him. Orion sat up slowly and then stood.

“You know what I don’t understand sometimes? How you still freak out over it. You are obviously attracted to me, and don’t deny it because you can’t. So what are you so afraid of? Yourself? You never once answered my question on why because as soon as that happened you just close yourself off to the point I couldn’t even get an answer out of you for days. So I’ll just tell you this. You better start realizing what you’ve been born into. I don’t want to force you into anything anymore. You obviously have a lot of issues, but I won’t let you leave.” He turned and left, leaving the teen alone again. Gabriel knew Orion was right; the man was always right on a lot of things. Right that he did feel an intimate pull to him, right that he did have issues, that he did close himself off from others. Why did he do it? Even Gabriel didn’t know. Always trying to answer his own questions he just got lost in the whirlpool of self pity. So what was it? Why did he do it? Why did he make himself suffer so badly and bring everyone around him down and worry about him? Orion was right in so many ways that it would drive Gabriel nuts when he would try to make it wrong. But why? Why did he go against him? Why did he even bother running when he knew he couldn’t outrun him? All these questions and yet no answers. He had no one to go to. No one to turn to. He was pulled from his trance when he saw several people looking at him. He got up and began walking back, his eyes looking up to see them as they moved things into the nearby houses and he didn’t see Orion at all. He saw one of his sons waiting outside the house. Gabriel stopped when the boy began approaching him.

“I’m Jason. Dad’s inside…we have a room ready for you both.” Gabriel didn’t really like hearing that as he held himself still, staring at the boy who was absolutely gorgeous. Gabriel’s face grew slightly red and he watched Jason smile. “You are cute though.” A random complement that sent Gabriel on another mad blush, moving past the boy to go inside the house. Entering the cooling house, he was in awe of just being in there. The feel was very cozy and had a western touch to it. He looked around, taking in all the scenery, seeing Jason’s twin playing on some game console and Orion and Tasha in the back yard, watching them through the glass sliding door. Tasha turned to catch Gabriel’s eyes but watched as the boy quickly looked away and stalked up the stairs, Jason following to show the teen where their room was.

“How often has he run from you?”

“Like that? Twice. For fun, just once.”

“He seems very confused.”

“You have no idea. His mood swings are like your kind at that time of the month. The kid’s like a ticking time bomb. I never know what he’s going to do. Always on my toes and he surprises me every day with something.” Tasha gave a laugh and picked up her glass of water, taking a sip.

“I think you just need to be patient with him.” Orion turned to glare at her.

“And you think I haven’t? I have been!” Tasha tapped the man’s nose.

“Orion, stop and think. Look how big you are, how rugged you look. You have probably told him nothing about you. The first step in any relationship is communication. How do you expect him to just fall into your lap if you can’t meet that requirement?” Orion’s shoulders drooped and he stared at the female alpha before him, who bore his children, with narrowed eyes and an actual pout on his lips.

“I hate when you prove me right,” he grumbled at her. She only laughed.

“Just start at the beginning and see where it leads you.” Orion gave a slight eye roll, looking out to the setting sun over the desert landscape. The beginning was a far off place to start to him, but it was worth a shot.